{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_63306/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_63306","id":"gutenberg_63306","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/63306","summary":null,"tags":["Arabs -- Folklore","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Category: Short Stories","Fairy tales -- Arab countries","Tales -- Arab countries"],"text":"[Transcriber's Note:\nThe first edition of this translation was published in London in\n1802 in five volumes. It was translated indirectly by Edward Forster\nfrom the French translation of Antoine Galland titled Les mille et\nune nuits.]\n\n\n\n\nTHE\nARABIAN NIGHTS.\n\nVOL. II.\n\n\n\n\nTHE\nARABIAN NIGHTS.\n\n\nIN FOUR VOLUMES,\nTRANSLATED\nBY\nEDWARD FORSTER, M. A.\n\n\nTHE FOURTH EDITION.\n\n\nVOL. II.\n\n\nLONDON:\nPRINTED FOR WILLIAM MILLER, ALBEMARLE-STREET,\nReprinted by Assignment, for\nTHOMAS TEGG, NO. 111, CHEAPSIDE.\n\n\n1815.\n\n\nW. Lewis, Printer, St. John\u2019s Square, London.\n\n\n\n\nTHE\nARABIAN NIGHTS.\n\n\nTHE HISTORY\nOF THE LITTLE HUNCHBACK.\n\n\nIn the city of Casgar, which is situated near the farther extremity\nof Great Tartary, there formerly lived a tailor, who had the good\nfortune to possess a very beautiful wife, between whom and her\nhusband there existed the strongest mutual affection. One day, while\nthe tailor was at work in his shop, a little hunchbacked fellow came\nand sat down at the door, and began playing on a tymbal, which he\naccompanied with his voice. The tailor was much pleased with his\nperformance, and resolved to carry him home, that he might entertain\nhis wife, who would equally, he thought, with himself, be amused in\nthe evening with his pleasant and humorous songs. He immediately\ntherefore made the proposal to the little hunchback, who readily\naccepted the invitation; and the tailor directly shut up his shop,\nand took him home with him.\n\nThey were no sooner arrived than the tailor\u2019s wife, who had\nalready set out the table, as it was near supper time, placed upon\nit a very nice dish of fish, which she had been dressing. They all\nthree then sat down; but in eating, the little hunchback had the\nmisfortune to swallow a large fish-bone, which stuck fast in his\nthroat, and almost instantly killed him, before the tailor or his\nwife could apply any relief. They were both most dreadfully\nfrightened at this accident; for, as it happened in their house,\nthey had great reason to fear it might come to the knowledge of some\nof the officers of justice, who would punish them as murderers; the\nhusband, however, thought of an expedient to get rid of the dead\nbody.\n\nHe recollected, that there lived in his neighbourhood, a physician,\nwho was a Jew; and he formed a plan, which he directly began to put\nin execution. He and his wife took up the body, one by the head and\nthe other by the feet, and carried it to the physician\u2019s house.\nThey knocked at the door, which was at the bottom of a steep and\nnarrow flight of stairs that led to his apartment. A maid servant\nimmediately came down, without even staying for a light; and opening\nthe door, asked them what they wanted. \u201cI will thank you to go and\ntell your master,\u201d said the tailor, \u201cthat we have brought him a\npatient, who is very ill, and for whom we request his advice.\nStop,\u201d added he, holding out a piece of money in his hand, \u201cgive\nhim this in advance, that he may be assured we do not intend he\nshould lose his labour for nothing.\u201d While the servant went back\nto inform her master, the Jewish physician, of this good news, the\ntailor and his wife quickly carried the body of the little hunchback\nup stairs, left him close to the door, and returned home as fast as\npossible.\n\nIn the mean time the servant went and told the physician, that a man\nand a woman were waiting for him at the door, and requested him to\ngo down to see a sick person whom they had brought for that purpose.\nShe then gave him the money she had received from the tailor.\nTransported with joy at the idea of being paid beforehand, he\nconceived it must be a most excellent patient, that they had brought\nhim; and one who ought not to be neglected. \u201cBring a light\ndirectly,\u201d cried he to the girl, \u201cand follow me.\u201d--\u201cHaving\nsaid this, he ran towards the staircase in such a hurry, that he did\nnot wait for the light, and encountering little hunchback, he gave\nhim such a blow with his foot, as sent him from the top of the\nstairs to the bottom; and he had some difficulty to prevent himself\nfrom following him. \u201cWhy don\u2019t you come with the light?\u201d he\ncalled out to the servant. She at last appeared, and they went down\nstairs. When the physician found that what had rolled down stairs\nturned out to be a dead man, he was so alarmed at the sight, that he\ninvoked Moses, Aaron, Joshua, Esdras, and all the other prophets of\nthe law to his assistance. \u201cWretch, that I am,\u201d exclaimed he,\n\u201cwhy did I not wait for the light? why did I go down in the dark?\nI have completely killed the sick man, whom they brought to me. I am\nthe cause of his death, and if the good ass [1] of Esdras does not\ncome to my assistance, I am a lost man. Alas, alas, they will come\nand drag me hence as a murderer.\u201d\n\nNotwithstanding the perplexity he was in, he had the precaution to\nshut his door, for fear, that as any one passed along the street,\nthey might perchance discover the unfortunate accident, of which he\nbelieved himself to be the cause. He immediately took up the body,\nand carried it into his wife\u2019s apartment, who was near fainting\nwhen she saw him come in with his fatal load. \u201cAlas,\u201d she cried,\n\u201cwe are quite lost, if we cannot find some means of getting rid of\nthis dead man before to-morrow morning. We shall inevitably forfeit\nour lives, if we keep him till day breaks. What a misfortune! how\ncould you kill this man?\u201d--\u201cNever mind, in this dilemma, how it\nhappened,\u201d said the Jew, \u201cour only business at present is how to\nremedy so dreadful a calamity.\u201d\n\nThe physician and his wife then consulted together upon the best\nmeans of ridding themselves of the body during the night. The\nhusband pondered a long time, but could think of no stratagem likely\nto extricate them from this embarrassment; but his wife was more\nfertile in invention, and said, \u201cA thought occurs to me. Let us\ntake the carcase up to the terrace of our house, and let him down\nthe chimney, into that of our neighbour\u2019s, the mussulman.\u201d\n\nThis mussulman was one of the sultan\u2019s purveyors; and it was his\noffice to furnish oil, butter, and all other articles of a similar\nkind. His warehouse for these things was in his dwelling-house,\nwhere the rats and mice used to make great havoc and destruction.\n\nThe Jewish physician having approved of his wife\u2019s plan, they took\nthe little hunchback and carried him to the roof of the house, and\nhaving first fastened a cord under his arms, they let him gently\ndown the chimney into the purveyor\u2019s apartment. They managed this\nso adroitly, that he remained standing on his feet against the wall,\nexactly as if he were alive. As soon as they found they had landed\nhim, they drew up the cords, and left him precisely in the situation\nI have related. They had hardly gone down from the terrace, and\nretired to their chamber, when the purveyor went into his. He was\njust returned from a wedding feast, which he had been invited to\npartake of on that evening; and he had a lantern in his hand. He was\nvery much surprised at seeing, by means of this light, a man\nstanding up in the chimney: but as he was naturally of a brave and\ncourageous disposition, and as he thought it was a thief, he seized\nhold of a large stick, with which he directly ran at little\nhunchback, \u201cAh, ah,\u201d he cried, \u201cI thought it was the rats and\nmice who eat my butter and tallow; and it is you, who come down the\nchimney, and rob me. I don\u2019t think you will ever wish to visit me\nagain.\u201d In saying this he attacked hunchback, and gave him many\nhard blows. The body at last fell down, with its face on the ground.\nThe purveyor then redoubled his blows; but at length remarking, that\nthe body he struck did not make the least motion, he stopped to\nobserve it. Perceiving then that it was a dead man, fear succeeded\nto rage. \u201cWhat have I done, miserable wretch that I am!\u201d he\nexclaimed. \u201cAlas I have carried my vengeance too far. Good God,\nhave pity upon me, or my life is gone. I wish all the butter and oil\nwere destroyed a thousand times over, before they had caused me to\ncommit so criminal an action.\u201d He remained pale and confounded;\nand imagined he already saw the officers of justice coming to\nconduct him to his punishment: he knew not what course to follow.\n\nWhile the sultan of Casgar\u2019s purveyor was beating the little\nhunchback, he did not perceive his hump; the instant he did, he\npoured out an hundred imprecations on it. \u201cOh, you rascal of a\nhunchback, you dog of deformity? would to God you had robbed me of\nall my fat and grease before I had found you here. I should not then\nhave got into the scrape I have, and be hanged to you, and your\nrascally hump. O ye stars, which shine in the heavens,\u201d he cried,\n\u201cshed your light to lead me out of the imminent danger in which I\nam.\u201d Having said this, he took the body of the hunchback upon his\nshoulders, went out of his chamber, and walked into the street,\nwhere he set it upright against a shop, and having done this, he\nmade the best of the way to his house, without once looking behind\nhim.\n\nA little while before day-break, a Christian merchant who was very\nrich, and who furnished the palace of the sultan with most things\nwhich were wanted there, having passed the night in revelry and\ndebauchery, was just come from home in his way to a bath. Although\nhe was much intoxicated, he had still sufficient recollection to\nknow, that the night was far advanced, and that the people would\nvery soon be called to early prayers. It was for this reason that he\nwas making all the haste he could in order to arrive at the bath,\nfor fear any mussulman, as he was going to mosque, should meet him,\nand order him to prison as a drunkard. When he was at the end of the\nstreet, however, he stopped, for some occasion or other, close to\nthe shop against which the sultan\u2019s purveyor had placed little\nhunchback\u2019s body, which at the very first touch fell directly\nagainst the merchant\u2019s back. The latter took him for a robber,\nthat was attacking him; and therefore knocked him down with his\nfist, with which he struck him on the head. He immediately repeated\nhis blows, and began calling out, \u201cThief, thief.\u201d\n\nThe guard, belonging to that quarter of the city, came directly on\nhearing his cries; and seeing that it was a Christian who was\nbeating a mussulman, (for little hunchback was of our religion,)\n\u201cWhat business have you,\u201d he said, \u201cto ill-treat a mussulman\nin that manner?\u201d--\u201cHe wanted to rob me,\u201d answered the\nmerchant, \u201cand he attacked me behind in order to seize me by my\nthroat.\u201d--\u201cYou have revenged yourself pretty well,\u201d replied\nthe guard, taking hold of the merchant\u2019s arm, and pulling him\naway, \u201clet him go therefore.\u201d At the same time he held out his\nhand to the hunchback, to assist him in getting up; but observing\nthat he was dead, \u201cOh, oh,\u201d he cried, \u201cis it thus then, that a\nChristian has the impudence to assassinate a mussulman.\u201d Having\nsaid this, he arrested the Christian merchant, and carried him\nbefore the magistrate of the police, from whence they sent him to\nprison, till the judge had risen, and was ready to examine the\naccused. In the mean time the merchant became completely sober; and\nthe more he reflected upon this adventure, the less could he\ncomprehend how a single blow with the fist was capable of taking\naway the life of a man.\n\nUpon the report of the guard, and after having seen the body, which\nthey had brought with them, the judge examined the Christian\nmerchant, who could not deny the crime, although he in fact was not\nguilty of it. As the little hunchback belonged to the sultan, for he\nwas one of his buffoons, the judge determined not to put the\nChristian to death, till he had learnt the will of the prince. He\nwent, therefore, to the palace, in order to give an account of what\nhad passed to the sultan; who having heard the whole story, replied,\n\u201cI have no mercy to show towards a Christian who kills a\nmussulman; go and do your duty.\u201d At these words the judge of the\npolice went back, and ordered a gibbet to be erected; and then sent\nsome criers through the city to make known, that a Christian was\ngoing to be hanged for having killed a mussulman.\n\nAt last they took the merchant out of prison, and conducted him on\nfoot to the gallows. The executioner having fastened the cord round\nthe merchant\u2019s neck, was just going to draw him up into the air,\nwhen the sultan\u2019s purveyor, making his way through the crowd,\napproached the executioner, and called out, \u201cStop, stop, do not be\nin a hurry; it is not he who has committed the murder; I have done\nit.\u201d The judge of the police, who attended the execution,\nimmediately interrogated the purveyor, who gave him a long and\nminute detail of the manner in which he had killed the little\nhunchback; and he concluded by saying, that he had carried the body\nto the place where the Christian merchant had found it. \u201cYou are\ngoing,\u201d added he, \u201cto sacrifice an innocent person, since he\ncould not kill a man that was not alive. It is enough for me to have\nslain a mussulman, without having to charge my conscience with the\nmurder of a Christian, who is not criminal.\u201d\n\nWhen the purveyor of the sultan of Casgar had thus publicly accused\nhimself of being the author of the hunchback\u2019s death, the judge\ncould not do otherwise than act with justice towards the merchant.\n\u201cLet the Christian merchant go,\u201d said he to the executioner,\n\u201cand hang this man in his place, since it is evident, by his own\nconfession, that he is the guilty person. The executioner\nimmediately released the merchant, and put the rope round the neck\nof the purveyor; and at the very instant that he was going to\ncomplete the punishment, he heard the voice of the Jewish physician,\nwho desired them to stop the execution that instant, that he might\ncome and take his place at the foot of the gallows.\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d said he, as soon as he was come before the judge, \u201cthis\nmussulman, whom you are about to deprive of his life, does not\ndeserve to die; I alone am the guilty wretch. About the middle of\nlast night, a man and a woman, who are total strangers to me, came\nand knocked at my door, with a sick person, whom they brought with\nthem: my servant went instantly to the door without waiting for a\nlight, and having first received a piece of money from one of them,\nshe came to me and said, that they wished I would come down and look\nat the sick person. While she was bringing me this message, they\nbrought the patient up to the top of the stairs, and then\ndisappeared. I went directly out, without waiting till my servant\nhad lighted a candle; and meeting with the sick man in the dark, I\ngave him an unintentional kick, and he fell from the top to the\nbottom of the staircase. I then discovered that he was dead, and\nthat he was a mussulman, and the very same little hunchback whose\nmurderer you now wish to punish. My wife and myself took the body\nand carried it to the roof of our home, whence we let it down into\nthat of our neighbour, the purveyor, whose life you are now going\nmost unjustly to take away; as we were the persons who placed the\nbody in his apartment, by lowering it down the chimney. When the\npurveyor discovered him, he took him for a thief, and treated him as\nsuch. He knocked him down, and believed he had killed him; but this\nis not the fact, as you may now be convinced by my confession. I\nalone am the author of the murder; and although it was\nunintentional, I am resolved to expiate my crime, and not charge my\nconscience with the death of two mussulmen, by suffering you to take\naway the life of the sultan\u2019s purveyor, whose innocence I thus\nclearly prove to you. Dismiss him then, if you please, and put me in\nhis place; since no one but myself was the cause of the\nhunchback\u2019s death.\n\nAs soon as the judge was convinced that the Jewish physician was the\ntrue murderer, he ordered the executioner to take him, and set the\npurveyor at liberty. The cord was now placed round the neck of the\nphysician, and he had hardly a moment to live, when the voice of the\ntailor was heard, who entreated the executioner not to proceed,\nwhile he made his way to the judge of the police, to whom, on his\napproach, he said, \u201cYou have been very near, sir, causing the\ndeath of three innocent persons; but if you will have the patience\nto listen to me, you shall be informed of the true murderer of the\nhunchback. If his death ought to be expiated by that of another\nperson, mine is the one to be taken.\n\n\u201cAs I was at work in my shop yesterday evening, a little before\ndark, and in a disposition well suited to enjoy any amusement, this\nlittle hunchback came up to it half drunk, and sat down. He\nimmediately began to sing, and went on for some time, when I\nproposed to him to come and pass the evening at my house. He no\nsooner agreed to it, than I conducted him thither. We sat down to\ntable almost directly, and I helped him to a little piece of fish;\nin eating of which a bone stuck fast in his throat, and in spite of\nevery thing that my wife and I could do to relieve him, he died in a\nvery short time. We were much afflicted at his death; and for fear\nof being taken up on account of it, we carried the body to the door\nof the Jewish physician. I knocked, and told the servant, who opened\nit, to go back to her master as soon as possible, and request him\nfrom us to come down, to see a patient, whom we had brought to him;\nand that he might not refuse coming, I charged her to put into his\nown hand a piece of money, which I gave her for that purpose. She\nwas no sooner gone up, than I carried the little hunchback to the\ntop of the stairs, and laid him on the first step: having done this,\nmy wife and myself made the best of our way home. When the physician\ncame out in order to go down, he stumbled against the hunchback, and\nrolled him down from the top to the bottom, which made him suppose\nhe was the cause of his death. Since, however,\u201d added he, \u201cthe\ncase is as it is, let the physician go, and take my life instead of\nhis.\u201d\n\nThe judge of the police, and all the spectators, were filled with\nastonishment at the various strange events that the death of the\nlittle hunchback seemed to have given rise to. \u201cLet the physician\nthen depart,\u201d said the judge, \u201cand hang the tailor, since he\nconfesses the crime. I must candidly own, that this adventure is a\nvery extraordinary one, and is worthy of being written in letters of\ngold.\u201d When the executioner had set the physician at liberty, he\nput the cord round the tailor\u2019s neck.\n\nWhile all this was passing, and the executioner was preparing to\nhang the tailor, the sultan of Casgar, who never passed any length\nof time without seeing the little hunchback, his buffoon, ordered\nhim into his presence; when one of the attendants replied, \u201cLittle\nhunchback, sire, whom your majesty is so desirous to see, after\nhaving got drunk yesterday, escaped from the palace, contrary to his\nusual custom, in order to wander about the city; and this morning he\nwas found dead. They have brought a man before the judge of the\npolice, who was accused of his murder, and the judge immediately\nordered a gibbet to be erected. At the very moment they were going\nto hang the accused person, another man came up to the gallows, and\nthen a third, who each accused themselves, and declared the former\nto be innocent of the murder. All this took up some time, and the\njudge is at this moment in the very act of examining this third man,\nwho says that he is the real murderer.\u201d\n\nOn hearing this, the sultan of Casgar sent one of his attendants to\nthe place of execution, \u201cGo,\u201d he cried, \u201cwith all possible\nspeed, and tell the judge instantly to bring all the accused persons\nbefore me; and order them also to bring the body of poor little\nhunchback, whom I wish once more to see.\u201d The officer instantly\nwent, and arrived at the very moment that the executioner began to\ndraw the cord, in order to hang the tailor. He called out to them as\nloud as he could to suspend the execution. As the hangman knew the\nofficer, he durst not proceed, but let the tailor live. The officer,\nhaving now come up to the judge, declared the will of the sultan.\nThe judge obeyed, and proceeded to the palace with the tailor, the\nJew, the purveyor, and the Christian merchant, and ordered four of\nhis people to carry the body of the hunchback.\n\nAs soon as they were come into the presence of the sultan, the judge\nprostrated himself at his feet; and when he got up, he gave a\nfaithful and accurate detail of every thing that related to the\nadventure of little hunchback. The sultan thought it so very\nsingular, that he commanded his own historian to write it down, with\nall its particulars: then addressing himself to those who were\npresent, he said, \u201cHave any one of you ever heard a more wonderful\nadventure than this, which is now happened to the hunchback, my\nbuffoon?\u201d The Christian merchant, having first prostrated himself\nso low at the sultan\u2019s feet, that his head touched the ground,\nthen spoke as follows: \u201cPowerful monarch, I think I am acquainted\nwith a still more surprising history than that which you have just\nheard recited; and if your majesty will grant me permission, I will\nrelate it. The circumstances are of such a nature, that no person\ncan hear them without being affected at the narrative.\u201d The sultan\nhaving permitted him to speak, he began his story in these words:\n\n\n\n\nTHE STORY\nTOLD BY THE CHRISTIAN MERCHANT.\n\n\nBefore I begin, sire, the account which your majesty has consented\nto listen to, I must, if you please, just remark, that I have not\nthe honour of being born in any spot within the limits of your\nempire. I am a stranger: a native of Cairo, in Egypt, of Coptic\nparents, and by religion a Christian. My father was by profession a\nbroker, and had amassed a considerable fortune, which, when he died,\nhe left to me. I followed his example, and pursued the same line of\nbusiness. One day, when I was in the public grain market at Cairo,\nwhich is frequented by the dealers in all sorts of grain, a young\nmerchant, very well made, handsomely dressed, and mounted upon an\nass, accosted me. He saluted me, and opening a handkerchief, in\nwhich he had a sample of sesam\u00e8, he showed it to me, and inquired\nhow much a large measure of grain of a similar quality was worth. I\nexamined the sample, which the young merchant had put into my hands,\nand told him, that, according to the present price, a large measure\nwas worth a hundred drachms of silver. \u201cLook then,\u201d he said,\n\u201cfor a merchant who will buy it at that price, and come to the\ngate, called Victory, where you will see a khan, separate from every\nother house, and I will wait for you there.\u201d Having said this, he\nwent away, and left me the sample of sesam\u00e8, which I showed to\ndifferent merchants on the spot, who all said, they would take as\nmuch as I would sell them, at one hundred and ten drachms of silver\na measure; and at this rate I should gain ten drachms for each\nmeasure sold.\n\nPleased with so much profit, I went directly to the Victory gate,\nwhere the merchant was waiting for me. He carried me into his\nwarehouse, which was full of sesam\u00e8. I had it measured, and there\nwere about one hundred and fifty large measures. I then loaded it\nupon asses and went and sold it for five thousand drachms [2] of\nsilver. \u201cOf this sum,\u201d said the young man to me, \u201cyou have a\nright, according to our agreement, to five hundred drachms, after\nthe rate of ten drachms a measure; what remains belongs to me, but\nas I have no immediate want of it, go in and put it by for me, till\nI shall come and demand it of you.\u201d I told him, it should be ready\nat any time, that he should wish to come for it, or send any one to\ndemand it. I kissed his hand, when he left me; and went home, very\nwell satisfied with his generosity.\n\nA whole month passed without my seeing him; at the end of which time\nhe appeared. \u201cWhere,\u201d he asked me, \u201care the four thousand five\nhundred drachms of silver, which you owe me?\u201d--\u201cThey are all\nready,\u201d I replied, \u201cand I will immediately count them out to\nyou.\u201d As he was mounted upon an ass, I requested him to alight,\nand do me the honour to eat with me before he received his money.\n\u201cNo,\u201d he answered, \u201cI have not time at present, I have some\nurgent business, which requires my presence, and cannot stay; but,\nin coming back, I will call for my money; be so good as to have it\nready for me.\u201d Having said this, he went away. I waited for him a\nlong time, but it was to no purpose, for he did not return till a\nmonth after. \u201cThis young merchant,\u201d thought I to myself,\n\u201cplaces a great deal of confidence in me, to leave the sum of four\nthousand five hundred drachms of silver in my hands, without knowing\nany thing of me. No one besides himself would surely act thus, for\nfear I should run away with the money.\u201d At the end of the third\nmonth, I saw him come back, mounted upon the same ass, but much more\nmagnificently dressed than he was before.\n\nAs soon as I perceived the young man, I went out to meet him. I\nentreated him to alight, and asked, whether he wished me to count\nout the money which I had of his. \u201cNever mind that,\u201d he replied,\nin a lively and contented manner, \u201cI am in no hurry. I know it is\nin good hands: and I will come and take it when I shall have spent\nall I now have, and nothing more remains. Adieu,\u201d added he, \u201cand\nexpect me again at the end of the week.\u201d At these words, he gave\nhis ass a cut with his whip, and was out of sight in a moment.\n\u201cVastly well;\u201d said I to myself, \u201che has told me to expect him\nin a week, and yet if I may judge from the tenor of his\nconversation, I may not see him this age. Why should not I in the\nmean time make some use of his money? it will be of considerable\nadvantage to me.\u201d\n\nI was not mistaken in my conjecture, for a whole year passed before\nI heard any thing of the young man. At the end of this time he again\nappeared, and as richly dressed as he had been the last time he\ncame; but there seemed to me to be something or other which affected\nhis spirits. I entreated him so far to honour me, as to come into my\nhouse. \u201cI agree to it for this once,\u201d he replied, \u201cbut it is\nonly on condition, that you put yourself to no additional trouble or\nexpence on my account.\u201d--\u201cI will do exactly as you please,\u201d I\nsaid, \u201cif you will favor me by coming in.\u201d He immediately\nalighted, and entered my house. I then gave orders for the\nrefreshments I wished to be procured, and while they were getting\nready, we entered into conversation; and when the repast was served,\nwe sat down to table. The very first morsel he took, I observed it\nwas with his left hand, and I continued all the time to be much\nastonished at never seeing him make use of his right. I knew not\nwhat to think of it. \u201cFrom the very first moment,\u201d I said to\nmyself, \u201cI have known this merchant, I have always seen him behave\nwith the greatest politeness; and it is impossible that he can act\nthus out of contempt for me. What can be the reason of his making no\nuse of his right hand?\u201d This matter continued to puzzle me\nextremely.\n\nWhen the repast was over, and my servants had cleared every thing\naway, and left the room, we went and sat down on a sofa. I then\noffered, as a sort of relish, a very excellent kind of lozenge.\nStill he took it with his left hand. \u201cI entreat you, sir,\u201d at\nlast I cried, \u201cto pardon the liberty I take in asking you, how it\nhappens, that you always make use of your left hand, and never of\nthe right: some accident surely has happened to it?\u201d At this he\ngave a deep sigh, and instead of answering me, he drew out his right\narm from his robe, under which he had till now quite concealed it;\nwhen I saw, to my utter astonishment, that his hand was cut off.\n\u201cYou were much shocked, without doubt,\u201d he said, \u201cat seeing me\neat with my left hand; but you now see I could not do\notherwise.\u201d--\u201cMay I inquire,\u201d I answered, \u201chow you had the\nmisfortune to lose your right hand?\u201d At this request he began to\nshed tears; after some time, however, he told me his history, which\nI am now going to repeat.\n\n\u201cI must in the first place inform you,\u201d said the young man,\n\u201cthat I am a native of Bagdad. My father was extremely rich, and\none of the most eminent men, both as to rank and quality, in that\ncity. I had hardly begun to enter into the society of the world,\nwhen I was struck with the accounts which many people, who had\ntravelled in that country, gave of the wonderful and extraordinary\nthings in Egypt, and particularly at Grand Cairo. Their conversation\nmade a deep impression on my mind; and I became excessively anxious\nto make a journey there. But my father, who was still alive, would\nnot give me permission. He at length died, and as his death left me\nmaster of my own actions, I resolved to go to Cairo. I directly\nemployed a large sum of money in the purchase of different sorts of\nthe fine stuffs and manufactures of Bagdad and Moussoul, and began\nmy travels.\n\n\u201cWhen I arrived at Cairo, I stopped at a khan, which they call the\nkhan of Mesrour. I took up my abode there, and also hired a\nwarehouse, in which I placed the bales of merchandize that I had\nbrought with me on camels. When I had arranged this business, I\nretired to my apartment, in order to rest myself, and recover from\nthe fatigue of my journey. In the mean time my servants, to whom I\nhad given some money for that purpose, went and bought some\nprovisions, and began to dress them. After I had satisfied my\nhunger, I went to see the castle, mosques, the public places, and\nevery thing else, that was worthy of notice.\n\n\u201cThe next morning, I dressed myself very neatly, and after taking\nfrom my bales a few very beautiful and rich stuffs, for the purpose\nof carrying them to a bezestein, [3] to know what they would offer\nme for them, I gave them to some of my slaves, and we went to the\nbezestein of the Circassians. I was instantly surrounded by a\nmultitude of brokers and criers, who were soon informed of my\narrival. I gave a specimen of my different stuffs to several criers,\nwho went and showed them all over the bezestein; but I was offered\nby no merchant not even so much as the original cost of the\nmerchandize, and the expenses of the carriage. This vexed me very\nmuch, and the criers were witness to my resentment and vexation.\n\u201cIf you will depend upon us,\u201d they said, \u201cwe will show you a\nway to lose nothing by your stuffs.\u201d I asked them what mode I\nought to follow, in order to sell my goods to advantage.\n\u201cDistribute them,\u201d said they, \u201camong different merchants, who\nwill sell them in small quantities, and you may come twice every\nweek, namely, on Mondays and Thursdays, and receive the money, for\nwhich they have been sold. By this method you will make some profit,\ninstead of losing any thing, and the merchants also will have an\nadvantage in the business. In the mean time, you will have\nopportunity and leisure to walk about and view the town, and to go\nupon the Nile.\u201d\n\n\u201cI followed their advice, and carried them with me to my\nwarehouse, from which I took out all my goods; and returning to the\nbezestein, I distributed them among the several merchants whom they\npointed out to me as the most trusty and creditable. The merchants\ngave me a receipt in due form, properly signed and witnessed, with\nthe condition, that I should make no demand for the first month.\n\n\u201cHaving thus arranged all my business, I gave myself up entirely\nto pleasure and gaiety. I contracted a friendship with several young\nmen about my own age, who contributed very much to make my time pass\nagreeably. When the first month had elapsed, I began to call upon my\nmerchants regularly twice every week, accompanied by a proper public\nofficer, to examine their books, and a money-changer to ascertain\nthe goodness and different value of the various sorts of money they\npaid me. In this manner I constantly brought away, on those days, a\nconsiderable sum of money, which I took with me to the khan of\nMesrour, where I lodged. This, however, did not prevent me from\ngoing, on the intermediate days of the week, to pass the morning\nsometimes with one merchant, and sometimes with another; and I was\nthus much pleased with their conversation, and with seeing what\npassed in the bezestein.\n\n\u201cOne Monday, while I was sitting in one of these merchant\u2019s\nshops, whose name was Bedreddin, a lady of distinction, as I easily\nconjectured both by her air and dress, and also by a female slave\nneatly attired, who followed her, entered the same shop, and sat\ndown close to me. Her external appearance, joined to a certain\nnatural grace in every thing she did, prejudiced me very much in her\nfavour, and excited a great desire in me to know more of her than I\ndid. I know not whether she perceived that I took a pleasure in\nbeholding her, or whether my attention pleased her or not; but she\nlifted up the thick crape that hung over the muslin, which concealed\nthe lower part of her face, and thus gave me an opportunity of\nseeing her black eyes, that quite charmed me. She at last completed\nher conquest, and made me quite in love with her, by the pleasant\ntone of her voice, and by her obliging and modest manner, when she\naddressed herself to the merchant, and inquired after his health,\nsince she had seen him last.\n\n\u201cAfter she had conversed some time upon indifferent subjects, she\ntold him that she was in search of a particular sort of stuff, with\na gold ground: and that she came to his shop, because it contained\nthe best assortment of goods of any in the bezestein; and that if he\nhad such a thing, he would much oblige her by shewing it to her.\nBedreddin opened a good many different pieces, and having fixed upon\none, she stopped and asked the price of it. He said, he could afford\nto sell it her for eleven hundred drachms of silver. \u2018I will agree\nto give you that sum,\u2019 she replied, \u2018though I have not the money\nabout me; but I hope you will give me credit for it till to-morrow,\nand suffer me to carry the stuff home, and I will not fail to send\nyou eleven hundred drachms, for which we have agreed, in the course\nof to-morrow.\u2019 \u2018Madam,\u2019 answered the merchant, \u2018I would give\nyou credit with the greatest pleasure, and you should have full\npermission to take the stuff home with you, if it belonged to me;\nbut it is the property of this young man, whom you see there, and\nthis is one of the days fixed upon to give an account of the money\nfor which his goods are sold.\u2019--\u2018How comes it,\u2019 cried the\nlady, \u2018that you treat me in this manner? Am I not in the habit of\ncoming to your shop? And every time I have bought any stuffs, you\nhave desired me to carry them home, without first paying for them;\nand have I ever failed sending you the money on the following\nday?\u2019 The merchant agreed to it. \u2018It is all very true, madam,\u2019\nhe answered, \u2018but to-day I have occasion for the\nmoney.\u2019--\u2018Well then,\u2019 she cried, throwing it down, \u2018take\nyour stuff, and may God confound you, and all of your fellow\nmerchants, for you are all alike, and have no regard for any one but\nyourselves.\u2019 Having said this, she rose up in a passion and went\naway extremely piqued against Bedreddin.\n\n\u201cWhen I saw that the lady was gone, I began to feel very much\ninterested about her, and before she was too far off, I called her\nback, and said, \u2018Do me, madam, the favour to return, and perhaps I\nshall find a way to accommodate and satisfy both yourself and the\nmerchant.\u2019 She came back, but made me understand it was entirely\non my account. \u2018Sir,\u2019 said I, at this moment, to the merchant,\n\u2018how much do you say it is that you wish to receive for this\nstuff, which belongs to me?\u2019--\u2018Eleven hundred drachms of\nsilver,\u2019 he replied, \u2018nor can I possibly let it go for less.\u2019\n\u2018Give it then,\u2019 said I, \u2018to the lady, and permit her to carry\nit home. I will give you one hundred drachms for your profit, and\ngive you an order to take this sum out of the account of the other\nmerchandize which you have of mine.\u2019 I immediately wrote the\norder, signed it, and put it into the hands of Bedreddin. Then\npresenting the stuff to the lady, I said, \u2018You have now, madam,\nfull power to take it away with you, and with respect to the money,\nyou may send it to-morrow, or the next day, or if you will do me the\nhonour to accept of the stuff, it is quite at your\nservice.\u2019--\u2018This,\u2019 replied the lady, \u2018is very far from my\nintention. You have behaved with so much politeness, and in so\nobliging a manner, that I should be unworthy of appearing in the\nsociety of men, if I did not prove my gratitude to you. May God\nincrease your fortune, suffer you to live a long time after I am\ngone; open the gates of heaven at your death; and may all the city\npublish the report of your generosity!\u2019\n\n\u201cThis speech gave me courage, and I said to her, \u2018Suffer me\nthen, madam, only to see your face, as a return for the favour you\nsay I have done you. This will repay me, even with usury.\u2019 At\nthese words, she turned herself towards me, and lifting up the\nmuslin which covered her face, she displayed a countenance most\nwonderfully beautiful. I was so much struck with it, that I could\nthink of nothing to express what I felt at the sight. I was unable\nto take my eyes off, but she quickly covered her face again, for\nfear any one should perceive her, and after drawing down her long\ncrape veil, she took up the piece of stuff, and went out from the\nshop, leaving me in a very different state from what I was in before\nher arrival. My mind continued greatly troubled, and strongly\ndisordered for some length of time. Before I left the merchant, I\nasked him if he knew who the lady was; and he told me she was the\ndaughter of an emir, who left her, at his death, an immense fortune.\n\n\u201cI had no sooner returned to the khan of Mesrour, than my people\nbrought up supper; but I was unable to eat the least morsel. Nor\ncould I close my eyes during the whole night, which appeared to me\nof more than ordinary length. As soon as it was day I got up, with\nthe hopes of again beholding the object who thus disturbed my\nrepose: and with the wish, should I be so fortunate of pleasing her,\nI dressed myself still nicer than I had done the day before. I then\nreturned to the shop of Bedreddin.\n\n\u201cI had not been there a great length of time before I saw the lady\napproach, followed by her slave. She was much more magnificently\ndressed than on the preceding day. Paying no attention to the\nmerchant, she addressed herself only to me. \u2018You see, sir,\u2019 she\nsaid, \u2018that I have kept my word with you very exactly. I promised\nyesterday to do so, and have now come on purpose to bring you the\namount of what you had the goodness to trust me, without knowing any\nthing of me. This is an act of generosity I shall never\nforget.\u2019--\u2018There was not the least necessity, madam,\u2019 I\nreplied, \u2018for you at all to hurry yourself.\u2019 I was perfectly\neasy with respect to my money, and am sorry for the trouble you have\ngiven yourself.\u2019--\u2018It would not, however, have been just in me\nto have abused your good nature,\u2019 she replied. In saying this, she\nput the money into my hands, and sat down near me.\n\n\u201cTaking the advantage which this opportunity of conversing with\nher gave me, I declared the love I felt for her; but she got up and\nleft me so hastily, that I believed she was offended at the\nconfession I made. I followed her with my eyes, as long as I could\nsee her; and when she was quite out of sight, I took my leave of the\nmerchant, and left the bezestein without knowing where I went. I was\nmeditating upon this adventure, when I felt some person pull me\nbehind; I instantly turned round to see who it was, and recognized\nthe young slave belonging to the lady by whom my whole mind was\nabsorbed. This sight delighted me. \u2018My mistress,\u2019 said she,\n\u2018who is the young lady that spoke to you in the shop of the\nmerchant, wishes to speak a few words to you, if you will have the\ngoodness to follow me.\u2019 I instantly went with her, and in truth\nfound her mistress waiting for me in the shop of a money-changer.\n\n\u201cShe directly invited me to sit down near her, and began the\nconversation by saying, \u2018Be not, my dear sir, surprised that I\nquitted you just now so abruptly: but I did not think it prudent,\nbefore that merchant, to give any thing like a favourable answer to\nthe acknowledgment you made of my having inspired you with\nsentiments of affection. Far, however, from being offended at the\nconfession, I own to you, it afforded me great pleasure to hear you\nsay, that I was not indifferent to you; and I esteem myself happy in\nhaving acquired the regard of a man of your worth and merit. I know\nnot what impression the sight of me may have made upon you, but with\nrespect to myself, I can assure you, that I felt, on the very first\nmoment I saw you, a very great inclination towards you. Ever since\nyesterday morning I have thought of nothing but what you said, and\nmy haste and anxiety to discover you this morning was so great, that\nit ought to be sufficient to convince you, that you by no means\ndisplease me. \u2018Madam,\u2019 I exclaimed, transported with love, and\nfilled with delight, \u2018nothing I could possibly hear, could give me\nhalf so much pleasure as what you have now had the goodness to say\nto me. It is impossible for any one to feel a stronger regard than I\nhave done for you, from the first happy moment I set my eyes upon\nyou. They were quite dazzled with so many charms, and my heart\nyielded without the least resistance.\u2019--\u2018Let us not then,\u2019 she\nsaid, interrupting me, \u2018lose any time in useless speeches, I do\nnot doubt your sincerity, and you shall immediately be convinced of\nmine. Will you do me the honour of visiting my house? Or, if you had\nrather, I will accompany you.\u2019--\u2018Madam,\u2019 replied I, \u2018I am\nquite a stranger in this city, and have only lodgings at a khan,\nwhich is by no means a proper place to receive a lady of your rank\nand quality. It will surely be much better for you to have the\ngoodness to acquaint me with your residence; where I shall be\ndelighted to have the honour of waiting upon you.\u2019 The lady\nconsented to this plan. \u2018On Thursday next,\u2019 said she, \u2018which\nis the day after to-morrow, come directly after mid-day prayers into\nthe street, called Devotion-street. You have only to inquire for the\nhouse of Abon Schamma, surnamed Bercour, and formerly chief of the\nemirs; at that place you will find me.\u2019 Having said this, we\nseparated, and I passed the whole of the next day with the greatest\nimpatience.\n\n\u201cWhen Thursday came, I got up very early, and dressed myself in\nthe handsomest robe I had. I put a purse, containing fifty pieces of\ngold, into my pocket, and I set out mounted upon an ass, which I had\nordered the day before, and accompanied by the man of whom I had\nhired it. When we were come into Devotion-street, I desired the\nowner of the ass to inquire whereabout the house, which I was\nseeking after, was: some person immediately pointed it out, and he\nthen conducted me to it. I alighted at the door, rewarded the man\nvery liberally, and dismissed him; desiring him at the same time to\nobserve well the house at which he left me, and not to fail to\nreturn for me the next morning, in order to take me back to the khan\nof Mesrour.\n\n\u201cI knocked at the door; when two little slaves, as white as snow,\nvery neatly dressed, immediately came and opened it. \u2018Come in,\nsir, if you please,\u2019 they said, \u2018our mistress has been waiting\nvery impatiently for you. For two whole days she has never once\nceased talking of you.\u2019 I went into a court, and observed a\npavilion, raised about seven steps from the ground, and surrounded\nwith some trellis-work, which divided it from a very beautiful\ngarden. Besides some trees, which served at the same time both for\nembellishment and shelter from the rays of the sun, there was an\ninfinite number of others, which were loaded with all kinds of\nfruit. I was charmed with the warbling of a great many birds, which\nmingled their notes with the murmurs of a fountain, that threw its\nwater to a vast height, in the midst of a parterre, enamelled with\nflowers. The fountain also was a very pleasing sight. Four large\ngilt dragons were seen at the four angles of the reservoir, which\nwas exactly square: and these dragons threw up the water in great\nabundance, and clearer and more brilliant than rock chrystal. This\nplace was so full of beauties, that it gave me a very high idea of\nthe conquest I had made. The two little slaves desired me to go into\na saloon, that was magnificently furnished; and while one of them\nwas gone to inform her mistress of my arrival, the other remained\nwith me, and pointed out all the beauties of the saloon.\n\n\u201cI had not been long in this place, before the lady, whom I was so\nmuch in love with, made her appearance, adorned with the finest\ndiamonds and pearls, but she appeared still more brilliant from the\nlustre of her eyes than from that of her jewels. Her figure, which\nwas now no longer concealed by her walking dress, as when I met her\nin the city, seemed to me to be the finest and most striking in the\nwhole world. I can never express to you the delight we experienced\nat again beholding each other; indeed the strongest description\nwould do injustice to our feelings. I can only say, that after the\nfirst compliments were over, we both sat down on a sofa, where we\nconversed together with the greatest satisfaction imaginable. They\nthen served up the most delicate and exquisite dishes. We sat down\nto table, and after our repast, we recommenced our conversation,\nwhich lasted till the evening set in. They then brought us some most\nexcellent wine, and also some dried fruits well adapted to excite a\ndesire for drinking; and we drank to the sound of instruments on\nwhich some slaves played, and accompanied at the same time with\ntheir voices. The lady of the house also sung herself, and by this\ncompletely confirmed her conquest, and rendered me the most\npassionate of lovers. In short, I passed the whole night in a series\nof all kinds of delightful pleasures.\n\n\u201cThe next morning, having first very slily put the purse with\nfifty pieces of gold in it, which I had brought with me, under her\npillow, I got up and bid her adieu. Before I went, she asked me when\nI would return again. \u2018I promise you, madam,\u2019 I replied, \u2018to\ncome back this evening.\u2019 She seemed delighted with my answer,\nconducted me herself to the door, and, at parting, she conjured me\nnot to forget my promise.\n\n\u201cThe same man, who had brought me the day before, was now waiting\nfor me with his ass. I immediately mounted, and returned to the khan\nof Mesrour. In dismissing the man, I told him I would not pay him,\nbut that he might come again with his ass after dinner, at the hour\nI fixed.\n\n\u201cAs soon as I was returned to my khan, my first business was to go\nand purchase a nice lamb and several sorts of cakes, which I sent as\na present to the lady by a porter. I then transacted my more\nimportant affairs, till the owner of the ass arrived, when I went\nwith him to the lady\u2019s house. She received me with as much joy as\non the day before, and regaled me in quite as magnificent a style.\nWhen I left her the next morning, I put, as before, a purse,\ncontaining fifty pieces of gold, under the pillow, and returned to\nthe khan of Mesrour.\n\n\u201cI continued thus to visit the lady every day, and each time I\nleft a purse, with fifty pieces of gold in it. I pursued this plan,\ntill the merchants to whom I had given my merchandise to dispose of,\nand whom I visited regularly twice a week, had nothing more of mine\nin their hands; I then found myself without any money, or the least\nchance of obtaining any.\n\n\u201cIn this horrid state, I was ready to give myself up to despair. I\nwent out of my khan, without knowing what I was about, and walked\ntowards the castle, where there was a great multitude of people\ncollected to be present at a spectacle which was given by the sultan\nof Egypt. When I came to the spot where the crowd was collected, I\nmixed with the thickest part of it; and by chance I found myself\nnear a gentleman very well mounted, and very handsomely dressed. To\nthe pummel of his saddle there was fastened a little bag half open,\nfrom which a green string hung out. By touching the outside of the\nbag, I thought I discovered, that the green string, which hung down,\nbelonged to a purse, that was within side. At the very moment I was\nforming this opinion, a porter, carrying a large bundle of wood,\npassed so close to him on the other side of his horse, that he was\nobliged to turn towards him in order to prevent the wood from\ntouching him, and tearing his dress. The devil at this moment\ntempted me; and laying hold of the string with one hand, while with\nthe other I enlarged the opening of the bag, I drew out the purse\nwithout being perceived by any one. It was very heavy, and I did not\ndoubt, but it was filled either with gold or silver.\n\n\u201cThe porter was no sooner gone past but the person on horseback,\nwho seemed to have had some suspicion of my intention, while his\nhead was turned away, instantly put his hand into the bag, and\nmissing the purse, he gave me such a blow, that I fell to the\nground. They, who saw this violent attack, directly began to take my\npart; some seized the bridle of his horse to stop him, and asked him\nwhat he meant by thus knocking me down; and how he durst thus ill\ntreat a mussulman. \u2018What business is this of yours?\u2019 he answered\nin an angry tone.--\u2018I know what I am about; he is a thief.\u2019 At\nthese words I got up; when, on seeing me, every one took my part,\nand said he asserted a falsehood; for it was very improbable, that a\nyoung man of my appearance and manner could be guilty of so infamous\nan action as he laid to my charge. In short, they kept persisting in\nmy innocence; and while they were holding his horse, in order to\nfavour my escape, unfortunately for me one of the officers of the\npolice came by, accompanied by some of his men. He came up to us,\nand inquired what had happened.--Every one immediately accused the\nman on horseback with having used me ill, under the pretence that I\nhad robbed him.\n\n\u201cThe officer of the police, however, was by no means satisfied\nwith this account. He asked the gentleman on horseback, if he\nsuspected any one besides me of having robbed him. The latter\nreplied in the negative; and informed the officer of the reasons\nwhich he had for believing that he was not mistaken in his\nsuspicions. After having attentively listened to him, the officer\nordered his attendants to arrest and search me. They instantly\nobeyed; and one of them discovering the purse, held it publicly up\nto view. This disgrace was too much for me to bear, and I fainted\naway. The officer of the police then desired them to bring the purse\nto him.\n\n\u201cAs soon as the officer had taken the purse, he asked the man on\nhorseback, if that was his, and how much money there was in it? The\nlatter immediately knew it to be the same which had been taken from\nhim; and assured the officer there were twenty sequins in it. The\njudge instantly opened it, and finding exactly that sum in it, he\nreturned it. After this he ordered me before him:--\u2018Young man,\u2019\nsaid he, \u2018confess the truth; acknowledge that it was you who stole\nthe purse; and do not wait till I order you to the torture, to make\nyou confess.\u2019 Holding down my head, I reflected within myself,\nthat if I denied the fact, as the purse was found upon me, they\ncould only consider it as a falsehood and an evasion; to avoid\ntherefore being doubly punished, both as a liar and a thief, I\nraised my head, and acknowledged that I had taken it. I had no\nsooner made this confession, than the officer, having first taken\ndown the evidence, ordered my right hand to be cut off. This\nsentence was executed upon the spot, and excited the compassion of\nall the spectators: and I observed the accuser himself was not less\naffected than the rest. The judge indeed wished to punish me still\nfarther by cutting off one of my feet, but I begged the person, from\nwhom I had taken the purse, to intercede for me with the judge to\nomit that part of the sentence; he did so, and obtained his request.\n\nThe officer was no sooner gone on, than the injured person came up\nto me.--\u2018I am convinced,\u2019 said he to me, and at the same time\noffered the purse, \u2018that necessity alone compelled you to commit\nso disgraceful an action, and one so unworthy a young man of your\nappearance. Here is this fatal purse, take it; and I am truly sorry\nfor the misfortune it has occasioned you.\u2019 Having said this, he\nleft me; and as I was very weak and faint from the quantity of blood\nI had lost, some people, who lived in that neighbourhood, were so\nkind and compassionate as to take me home with them, and give me a\nglass of wine. They also dressed my arm, and put my hand, which had\nbeen cut off, in a piece of linen cloth, and I fastened it to my\ngirdle.\n\n\u201cWhen I had got back to the khan of Mesrour, I did not find that\nassistance there which I stood so much in need of. It was, however,\nI thought, hazarding a great deal to go and present myself to the\nyoung lady.--\u2018She will not,\u2019 said I to myself, \u2018wish to see me\nany more, when she shall have been informed of the infamous action I\nhave been guilty of.\u2019 I nevertheless determined to pursue this\nplan; and as soon as the crowd, who had followed me, were dispersed,\nI went by the most unfrequented streets to her house. When I\narrived, I found myself so weak and worn out from pain and fatigue,\nthat I instantly threw myself on a sofa; taking care to keep my\nright arm under my robe, as I was anxious she should not see the\nstate in which it was.\n\n\u201cIn the mean time, the lady, being informed of my arrival, and\nthat I seemed very ill, came to me in the greatest haste, and seeing\nme pale and faint, \u2018My dear soul,\u2019 she cried, \u2018what is the\nmatter with you?\u2019 I dissembled the real cause, and in answer told\nher, that I had a most violent head-ache, which very much tormented\nme. At this she appeared much afflicted.--\u2018Sit down,\u2019 she\nreplied, for I had risen to receive her, \u2018and tell me how this has\nhappened to you. You were very well the last time I had the pleasure\nof seeing you here. There is surely something else, which you\nconceal from me. Tell me, I beg of you, what it is.\u2019 As I remained\nsilent, instead of answering her, the tears fell from my eyes.--\u2018I\ncannot comprehend,\u2019 added she, \u2018what can possibly cause you so\nmuch affliction.--Have I unintentionally given you any cause? Do you\ncome to tell me you no longer love me?\u2019--\u2018It is not that,\nmadam,\u2019 I replied, \u2018and even a suspicion of the sort augments my\nmisery still more.\u2019\n\n\u201cI could not make up my mind to discover the true cause of my\nillness to her. When the evening approached, supper was served up.\nShe entreated me to eat, but as I could only make use of my left\nhand, I requested her to excuse me, saying, I had no\nappetite.--\u2018It would return,\u2019 said she, if you would unfold to\nme what you so obstinately conceal. Your dislike doubtless arises\nfrom the pain you suffer by remaining silent.\u2019--\u2018Alas, madam,\u2019\nI replied, \u2018it is very necessary for me to make that\ndetermination, and to adhere to it.\u2019 I had no sooner said this,\nthan she poured me out a glass of wine, and presenting it to me,\n\u2018Drink this,\u2019 she replied, \u2018it will give you both strength and\ncourage.\u2019 I then held out my left hand, and took the glass.\n\n\u201cI had no sooner received the glass than my tears flowed afresh,\nand my sighs increased.--\u2018Why do you lament and sigh so\nbitterly?\u2019 said the lady to me. \u2018Why do you take the glass in\nyour left hand rather than your right?\u2019--\u2018Alas, madam,\u2019 I\nreplied, \u2018excuse me, I entreat you; for I have a swelling on my\nright hand.\u2019--\u2018Show me this tumour,\u2019 said she, \u2018and I will\nopen it for you.\u2019 I still excused myself by saying it was not yet\nin a state proper for that operation; I then drank all the contents\nof the glass, which was a very large one. The strength of the wine,\njoined to my fatigue, and the low state in which I was, soon made me\nvery drowsy, and I fell into a profound sleep, that lasted till the\nnext morning.\n\n\u201cWhile I was in this state, the lady wishing to know what accident\nhad happened to my right hand, lifted up my robe, which concealed\nit, and saw, as you may conjecture, with the greatest astonishment,\nthat it was cut off, and that I had got it with me, wrapped up in a\nlinen cloth. She had now no difficulty in comprehending why I so\nstrongly resisted all the entreaties she made me; and she passed the\nnight in thinking of the disgrace that had happened to me; not\ndoubting but that my love for her had been the cause of it.\n\n\u201cWhen I awoke the next morning, I perceived by her countenance\nthat she was very much afflicted. She did not, however, utter a word\nto me on the subject, that she might not give me any pain. She\ndesired some thick jelly made from chickens, that she had ordered on\npurpose for me, to be served up. She obliged me both to eat and\ndrink, in order, as she said, to recruit my strength, of which I had\nso much need. I then wished to take my leave of her, but she took\nhold of my robe and detained me.--\u2018I will not suffer you,\u2019 she\nsaid, \u2018to go from hence; for although you will not tell me so, I\nam persuaded that I am the cause of the misfortune which has\nhappened to you. The poignant grief which I feel will not suffer me\nto live long; but before I die, I must execute a design which I\nmeditate in your favour.\u2019 Having said this, she ordered some of\nher people to go for an officer of justice, and some witnesses, and\nmade him draw up a bequest of all her fortune to me. Having then\ndismissed them, after paying them handsomely for their trouble, she\nopened a large chest, where all the purses that I had ever brought\nher since the commencement of our connection had been placed.\n\u2018There they all are,\u2019 said she to me, \u2018just as you left them;\nI have not touched one of them. Here is the key, take it, for they\nbelong to you.\u2019 I thanked her for her kindness and\ngenerosity.--\u2018I do not,\u2019 added she, \u2018reckon this as any thing\nin comparison with what I intend to do for you. Nor shall I be\nsatisfied till I die, to prove to you how much I love you.\u2019 I\nconjured her, by every tie of love, to give up so dreadful a\nresolution; but I was unable to divert her thoughts from it; the\nsorrow and chagrin she felt at seeing me so maimed, brought on a\nserious illness, which at the end of five or six weeks terminated in\nher death.\n\n\u201cAfter mourning for her loss as much as became me, I took\npossession of all her fortune, and every thing, which, as she had\ninformed me, belonged to her; and the sesam\u00e8, which you sold for\nme, was part of her property.\u201d\n\nWhen the young man of Bagdad had finished his relation, he added,\n\u201cWhat you have now heard ought to be a sufficient excuse for my\nhaving eaten in your company with my left hand. I am much obliged to\nyou for the trouble you have taken on my account. I cannot enough\napplaud your fidelity and probity; and as I have, thank God, a very\nplentiful fortune, although I have expended a great deal, I must\nbeg, that you will accept as a present the small sum for which you\nsold the sesam\u00e8, and which you now are in my debt for. I have\nbesides another proposal to make to you. Being unable to remain with\nany comfort or satisfaction to myself at Cairo, after the melancholy\naccident I have mentioned, I am resolved to leave it, and never to\nreturn again. If you like to accompany me, we will trade in common\ntogether, and we will divide the profits we make into equal\nshares.\u201d\n\nWhen the young man of Bagdad (said the Christian merchant) had\nconcluded his history, I said to him, \u201cI return you, sir, my most\ngrateful thanks for the present you have done me the favour to make\nme; and with respect to the proposal of travelling with you, I\naccept it with all my heart; and assure you, that your interest will\nbe always as much my concern as my own.\u201d\n\nWe fixed a day for our departure, and when it came we began our\njourney. We passed through Syria and Mesopotamia; we travelled over\nPersia, and after visiting for some time many cities, we at length\ncame, Sire, to your capital. After some little time, the young man\ninformed me, that he was very desirous, and, in fact, had taken the\nresolution of going back into Persia, and of settling there. We then\nmade up our accounts, and separated, perfectly satisfied with each\nother. He departed, and I remained in this city, where I have the\nhonour of being employed in the service of your majesty. This is the\nhistory which I had to recount to you, and does it not seem to your\nmajesty much more surprising than that of the little hunchback?\n\nThe sultan of Casgar was very angry with the Christian merchant.\n\u201cThou art very bold and impudent,\u201d said he to the merchant,\n\u201cto dare to make a comparison between the recital of a history so\ntrifling and unworthy my attention with that of my hunchback. Dost\nthou flatter thyself, that thou canst persuade me that the stale\nadventures of a young debauchee are more wonderful than those of my\nbuffoon? I will in truth hang all four of you to revenge his\ndeath.\u201d\n\nAt these words the terrified purveyor threw himself at the\nsultan\u2019s feet: \u201cSire,\u201d he cried, \u201cI entreat your majesty to\nsuspend your just wrath, and to listen to me; and if the narrative I\nshall have the honour to lay before your majesty, shall seem to you\nmore interesting than that of little hunchback, that you will do us\nthe favour to extend your pardon to us all.\u201d--\u201cSpeak,\u201d said\nthe sultan, \u201cI grant thy request.\u201d The purveyor then began as\nfollows:\n\n\n\n\nTHE STORY\nTOLD BY THE PURVEYOR OF THE SULTAN OF CASGAR.\n\n\nI was yesterday, Sire, invited by a man of great respectability and\nfortune to the wedding of one of his daughters. I did not fail to be\nat his house by the appointed hour, and found a large company\ncomposed of the best inhabitants of the city, and of various\nprofessions. When the ceremony was over, the feast, which was very\nmagnificent, was served up. We sat down to table, and each person\neat what was most agreeable to his taste. Amongst other things,\nthere was a dish dressed with garlic, which was so very excellent,\nthat every one was anxious to get a little of it. We could not,\nhowever, but remark, that one of the guests did not seem desirous of\neating any of it, although the dish stood directly before him. We\ninvited him to help himself to some, as we did; but he requested us\nnot to press him to eat any.--\u201cI shall be very careful,\u201d said\nhe, \u201chow I touch a ragout dressed with garlic. I have not yet\nforgotten what was the consequence of it to me the last time I\ntasted one.\u201d We then requested him to inform us what had been the\ncause of such an aversion for garlic, as he seemed to have. The\nmaster of the house, however, called out, without giving him time to\nanswer our inquiries, \u201cIs it thus you honour my table? This ragout\nis delicious; do not, therefore, pretend not to eat of it; you must\ndo me that favour like the rest of the company.\u201d--\u201cSir,\u201d\nreplied his guest, who was a merchant of Bagdad, \u201cdo not suppose\nthat I act thus out of any notions of false delicacy. I certainly\nwill obey your commands, if you insist upon it: but it must only be\non condition, that after eating of it you will permit me to wash my\nhands forty times with alkali, forty times with the ashes of the\nsame plant from which that is procured, and as many times with soap.\nI hope you will not take my mode of procedure ill, but it is in\nconsequence of an oath I have taken, and which I do not wish to\nbreak, never to eat a ragout with garlic, but on those conditions.\u201d\n\nAs the master of the house would not dispense with the merchant\u2019s\neating some of the ragout, he ordered his servants to get some\nbasons ready, containing a solution of alkali, ashes of the same\nplant, and soap, that the merchant might wash himself as often as he\npleased. After having given these orders, he said to the merchant,\n\u201cCome then, now do as we do, and eat; neither the alkali, the\nashes of the plant, nor the soap shall be deficient.\u201d\n\nAlthough the merchant was enraged at this sort of violence that was\ndone to him, he put out his hand, and took a small quantity of the\nragout, which he put to his mouth with fear and trembling, and eat\nwith a repugnance which very much astonished us all. But what we\nremarked with still greater surprise was, that he had only four\nfingers, and no thumb, and till this moment no person had noticed\nthis circumstance, although he had eaten of several other dishes.\nThe master of the house then spoke, \u201cYou seem to have lost your\nthumb,\u201d said he, \u201chow did such an accident happen? There must\nprobably have been some singular circumstances connected with the\noccasion of it; and you will afford this company a great pleasure,\nif you will relate them.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d replied the guest, \u201cit is not only on my right hand\nthat I have no thumb, my left is also in the same state. He held out\nhis left hand at the same time, that we might be convinced he spoke\nthe truth. \u201cNor is this all,\u201d he added, \u201cI have lost the great\ntoe from each of my feet. I have been maimed in this manner through\na most unheard of adventure, and which, if you will have the\npatience to listen to it, I have no objection to relate; and I think\nit will not excite your astonishment more than it will your\ncompassion. First of all, however, permit me to wash my hands.\u201d\nHaving said this, he got up from table, and after washing his hands\none hundred and twenty times, he sat down again, and related his\nhistory in the following terms:\n\n\u201cYou must know, gentlemen, that my father lived at Bagdad, during\nthe reign of the caliph Haroun Alraschid, where I also was born; and\nhe was reckoned one of the richest merchants in that city. But as he\nwas a man very fond of pleasure, and one who loved dissipation of\nevery sort, he very much neglected his affairs, and instead\ntherefore of inheriting a large fortune at his death, I encountered\ngreat difficulties, and was obliged to make use of the greatest\neconomy to pay the debts he left behind him. With great attention,\nhowever, and care, I at last discharged them all, and my small\nfortune then began to assume a favorable appearance.\n\n\u201cOne morning, when I was opening my shop, a lady, mounted upon a\nmule, accompanied by a eunuch, and followed by two slaves, passed\nclose to my door, and stopped. The eunuch directly assisted her to\nalight, by taking hold of her hand; he then said to her, \u2018I am\nafraid, madam, you have arrived too soon; you see, there is no one\nyet come to the bezestein. If you had believed what I said, you\nwould not have had the trouble of waiting.\u2019 She looked every where\nabout, and finding that there was, in fact, no other shop open but\nmine, she came up, and saluting me, requested permission to sit down\nin it, till the other merchants were arrived. I returned such an\nanswer as became me.\n\n\u201cWhen the lady had entered my shop, and sat down, as she observed\nthere was no one to be seen in the bezestein, except the eunuch and\nmyself, she took off her veil, in order to enjoy the air. I had\nnever seen any one before so beautiful, and to see, and to be\npassionately in love, were with me one and the same thing. I kept my\neyes constantly fixed upon her, and I thought she looked as if my\nattention was not unpleasing to her, for she gave me full\nopportunity, during the whole time, of beholding her; and she did\nnot put down her veil, till the fear of any one\u2019s approach obliged\nher.\n\n\u201cAfter she had adjusted her dress, as it was before, she informed\nme that she was come with the intention of looking at some of the\nfinest and richest kinds of stuff, which she described to me; and\ninquired, whether I had any such. \u2018Alas, madam,\u2019 I said, \u2018I am\nbut a young merchant, who have not long begun business, and am not\nyet sufficiently rich to trade so largely; and it is a great\nmortification to me to have none of the things for which you come\ninto the bezestein. But to save you the trouble of going from shop\nto shop, I will, as soon as the merchants come, if you please, go\nand get whatever you wish from them. They will tell me exactly the\nlowest price, and you will thus be enabled, without having the\ntrouble of seeking any farther, to execute all your commissions.\u2019\nTo this she consented, and I entered into conversation with her,\nwhich lasted a long time, as I made her believe, that those\nmerchants who had the stuffs she wanted were not yet come.\n\n\u201cI was not less charmed with her wit and understanding than I had\nbeen with her person; I was, however, at last compelled to deprive\nmyself of the pleasure of her conversation, and I went to inquire\nfor the stuffs she wanted. When she had fixed upon those she wished\nto have, I informed her, that they came to five thousand drachms of\nsilver. I then made them up into a parcel, and gave them to the\neunuch, who put them under his arm. She immediately got up, and\nafter taking leave of me, she went away. I followed her with my eyes\ntill she was got to the gate of the bezestein, nor did I leave off\ngazing at her till she mounted her mule.\n\n\u201cThe lady was no sooner out of sight, than I recollected, that my\nlove had caused me to be guilty of a great fault. It had indeed so\nwholly engrossed my attention, that I not only omitted taking the\nmoney for the goods, but had even neglected to inquire who she was,\nand where she lived. This led me immediately to reflect, that I was\naccountable for a very large sum of money to several merchants, who\nwould not perhaps have the patience to wait. I then went and excused\nmyself to them, in the best way I could, telling them I knew the\nlady very well. I returned home as much in love as ever, although\nvery much embarrassed by the idea of so heavy a debt.\n\n\u201cI requested my creditors to wait eight days for their money,\nwhich they agreed to do. On the eighth morning they did not fail to\ncome and request payment; but I again begged them to grant me the\nfavor of a little farther delay, in which they had the goodness to\nacquiesce; but on the very next morning I saw the lady coming along\non the same mule, with the same number of persons attending her, and\nexactly at the same hour as at first.\n\n\u201cShe came directly to my shop. \u2018I have made you wait,\u2019 she\nsaid, \u2018a little for your money, on account of the stuffs which I\nhad the other day; but I have at last brought it you. Carry it to a\nmoney-changer, and see that it is all good, and the right sum.\u2019\nThe eunuch, who had the money, went with me to a money-changer\u2019s;\nthe sum was exactly correct, and all good silver. After this, I had\nthe happiness of a long conversation with the lady, till all the\nshops in the bezestein were open. Although we conversed only upon\ncommon topics, she nevertheless gave a certain turn to whatever she\nsaid, that threw a grace and novelty over the whole discourse, and\nconvinced me I was not mistaken, when, from the first time I saw\nher, I thought that she possessed much wit and good sense.\n\n\u201cAs soon as the merchants were come, and had opened their shops, I\ntook what I was indebted to each of those from whom I had purchased\nthe stuffs on credit, and I had now no difficulty in getting others\nfrom them, which the lady had desired to see. I carried back with me\nas many as came to a thousand pieces of gold, all of which she took\naway with her, not only without paying for them, but without saying\na word on the subject, or even informing me who she was, or where\nshe lived. What astonished me the most was, that she ran no risk,\nand hazarded nothing, while I remained without the least security,\nand without any chance of being indemnified in case I should not see\nher again. \u2018She has paid me, it is true,\u2019 I said to myself, \u2018a\nvery large sum of money; but she has left me with a debt which is\nmuch more considerable. Is it possible she can intend to cheat me,\nand has thus, by paying me for the first quantity, only enticed me\non to my more certain ruin? The merchants themselves do not know\nher, and depend only upon me for payment.\u2019\n\n\u201cMy love was not so powerful as to prevent me from making these\ndistressing reflections. My fears kept increasing from day to day\nfor one entire month, which passed on without my having any\nintelligence whatever of the lady. The merchants, at last, began to\ngrow very impatient, and in order to satisfy them, I was going to\nsell off every thing I had; when, one morning, I saw her coming\nexactly with the same attendants as before. \u2018Take your weights,\u2019\nshe said to me, \u2018and weigh the gold I have brought you.\u2019 These\nfew words put an end to all my fears, and redoubled my love.\n\n\u201cBefore she began to count out the gold, she addressed several\nquestions to me: and, among other things, she asked me if I were\nmarried. I told her I was not, nor ever had been. Giving then the\ngold to the eunuch, she said to him, \u2018Come, let us have your\nassistance to settle our affairs.\u2019 The eunuch could not help\nsmiling, and taking me aside, he made me weigh the gold. While I was\nthus employed, the eunuch whispered in my ear as follows: \u2018I have\nonly to look at you, to be perfectly convinced you are desperately\nin love with my mistress; and I am only surprised that you have not\nsufficient courage to discover your passion to her. She loves you,\nif possible, to a still greater excess. Don\u2019t suppose that she is\nin want of any of your stuffs; she only comes here, because you have\ninspired her with the most violent passion, and this was the reason\nof her asking you whether you were married. You have only to make\nknown your sentiments by speech, and if you wish it, she will not\nstop short even of marrying you.\u2019--\u2018It is true,\u2019 I replied to\nthe eunuch, \u2018that I felt the sensations of love arise in my breast\nthe very first moment I beheld your lady, but I never thought of\naspiring to the hope of having pleased her. I am wholly her own, and\nshall not fail to remember the good office you have done me.\u2019\n\n\u201cAs soon as I had finished weighing the gold, and while I was\nputting it back into the bag, the eunuch went to the lady and said,\nthat I was very well satisfied. This was the particular expression\nthey had agreed upon between themselves. The lady, who was seated,\nimmediately got up, and went away, telling me first, that she would\nsend back the eunuch, and that I must do exactly as he directed.\n\n\u201cI then went to all the merchants to whom I was indebted, and paid\nthem. After this, I waited with the greatest impatience for the\narrival of the eunuch, but it was some days before he made his\nappearance. At length, however, he arrived.\n\n\u201cI conducted myself in the most kind and friendly manner towards\nhim; and made many inquiries after the health of his mistress:\n\u2018You certainly are,\u2019 he said, \u2018the happiest lover in all the\nworld: she is absolutely dying for love of you. It is impossible you\ncan be more anxious to see her, than she is for your company: and if\nshe were able to follow her own inclinations, and act as she likes,\nshe would instantly come to you, and gladly pass every moment of her\nfuture life with you.\u2019--\u2018From her noble air and manner,\u2019 I\nreplied, \u2018I have concluded, she is a lady of great rank and\nconsequence.\u2019--\u2018Nor are you deceived in this opinion;\u2019 said\nthe eunuch, \u2018she is the favourite of Zobeid\u00e8, the caliph\u2019s\nwife, who is the more strongly attached to her, as she brought her\nup from her earliest infancy; and her confidence in her is so great,\nthat she employs her in every commission she wishes to have\nexecuted. From the desire which she has of being married, she has\ntold her mistress, Zobeid\u00e8, that she has cast her eyes upon you;\nand has asked her consent to the match. Zobeid\u00e8 has agreed to it,\nbut has requested, in the first instance, to see you, that she may\njudge whether her favorite has made a good choice; and in case she\napproves of you, she will herself be at the expense of the wedding.\nYou may be sure, therefore, that your happiness is certain. As you\nhave pleased the favorite, you will equally please her mistress,\nwhose sole wish is to afford her pleasure; and who has not the least\ndesire of putting any restraint upon her inclination. The only\nthing, therefore, to be done, is to go to the palace; and this was\nthe reason of my coming here. You must now tell me on what you will\nresolve.\u2019--\u2018My resolution is already taken,\u2019 I replied, \u2018and\nI am ready to follow you, when, and wherever you choose to conduct\nme.\u2019--\u2018That is well,\u2019 said the eunuch, \u2018but you must\nrecollect, that no man is permitted to enter the apartments in the\npalace belonging to the ladies; and that you can be introduced there\nonly by such means as will keep it a profound secret. The favourite\nhas taken her measures for the purpose; and you must, on your part,\ndo every thing to facilitate it; but, above all things, you must be\ndiscreet, or it may cost you your life.\u2019\n\n\u201cI assured him that I would do every thing exactly as he ordered\nme. \u2018You must then,\u2019 he added, \u2018this evening, at the very\nclose of day, go to the mosque, which the lady Zobeid\u00e8 has ordered\nto be built on the banks of the Tigris; and you must wait there till\nwe come to you.\u2019 I agreed to every thing he wished, and waited\nwith the greatest impatience till the day was passed. When the\nevening commenced, I set out, and went to prayers, which began an\nhour and a half before sun-set, at the appointed mosque; and\nremained there till the very last.\n\n\u201cAlmost immediately after prayers, I saw a boat come to shore, in\nwhich all the rowers were eunuchs. They landed, and brought a great\nnumber of chests into the mosque. This being done, they all went\naway, except one, whom I soon recognised to be the same that had\naccompanied the lady; and who had spoken with me that very morning.\nDirectly after I saw the lady herself come in. I went up to her, and\nwas informing her, that I was ready to obey all her orders, when she\nsaid, \u2018We have no time to lose in conversation.\u2019 She then opened\none of the chests and ordered me to get in. \u2018It is,\u2019 she added,\n\u2018absolutely necessary, both for your safety and mine. Fear\nnothing, and leave me to manage every thing.\u2019 I had gone too far\nto recede at this moment: I did, therefore, as she desired, and she\nimmediately shut down the top of the chest and locked it. The\neunuch, who was in her confidence, then called the other eunuchs,\nwho had brought the chests, and ordered them to be carried on board\nthe boat again. The lady and the eunuch then embarked, and they\nbegan to row towards the apartments of Zobeid\u00e8.\n\n\u201cWhile I was in this situation, I had leisure to make the most\nserious reflections; and considering the danger I was in, I repented\nmost heartily of having exposed myself to it. I both swore and\nprayed, but one was now as equally useless, and out of season, as\nthe other.\n\n\u201cThe boat came to shore exactly before the gate of the caliph\u2019s\npalace: they landed the chests, which were all carried to the\napartment of the officer of the eunuchs, who keeps the key of that\nbelonging to the ladies, and who never permits any thing to be\ncarried in, without having first examined it. The officer was gone\nto bed; it was therefore necessary to wake him and make him get up.\nHe was, however, excessively out of humor at having his rest thus\ndisturbed and broken in upon; he quarrelled with the favorite,\nbecause she returned so late: \u2018You shall not finish your business\nso soon as you think,\u2019 said he to her, \u2018for not one of these\nchests shall pass, till I have opened and examined them most\nnarrowly.\u2019 He at the same time commanded the eunuch to bring them\nto him one after the other, that he might open them. They began by\ntaking that in which I was shut up, and set it down before him. At\nthis I was more terrified than I can express, and thought the last\nmoment of my life was approaching.\n\n\u201cThe favorite, who had the key, declared she would not give it\nhim, nor suffer that chest to be opened. \u2018You very well know,\u2019\nshe said, \u2018that I do not bring any thing in here, but what is for\nour mistress, Zobeid\u00e8. This chest is filled with very valuable\narticles, that have been intrusted to me by some merchants, who are\njust arrived. There are also a great many bottles of water from the\nfountain of Zemsem, at Mecca; [4] and if any one of them should\nhappen to be broken, all the other things will be spoiled, and you\nwill have to be answerable for them. The wife of the Commander of\nthe Faithful too will know how to punish your insolence.\u2019 She\nspoke this in so peremptory a tone, that the officer had not courage\nto persist in his resolution of opening either the chest in which I\nwas, or any of the others, \u2018Get along then,\u2019 he angrily cried\nout, \u2018go.\u2019 The door of the ladies\u2019 apartment was immediately\nopened, and the chests were all carried in.\n\n\u201cThey were scarcely deposited there, before I suddenly heard the\ncry of \u2018Here\u2019s the caliph; the caliph is come.\u2019 These words\nincreased my fears to a still greater degree, and I was almost ready\nto die on the spot. It was in fact the caliph himself. \u2018What have\nyou got in those chests?\u2019 said he to the Favourite.--\u2018Commander\nof the Faithful,\u2019 she replied, \u2018they are some stuffs lately\narrived, which your majesty\u2019s lady wished to have shewn to\nher.\u2019--\u2018Open them,\u2019 said he, \u2018and let me see them\nalso.\u2019--She endeavoured to excuse herself, by saying they were\nonly fit for females, and that it would deprive Zobeid\u00e8 of the\npleasure of seeing them before any one else.--\u2018Open them, I tell\nyou,\u2019 he answered, \u2018I command you.\u2019--She still remonstrated,\nand said, \u2018that the queen would be very angry, if she did as his\nmajesty ordered.\u2019--\u2018No, no,\u2019 he replied, \u2018I will promise\nyou, that she shall not reproach you: only open them, and do not\nmake me wait so long.\u2019\n\n\u201cIt was then absolutely necessary to obey: my fears were again\nexcited, and I tremble, even now, every time I think of it. The\ncaliph seated himself, and the Favourite ordering all the chests,\none after the other, to be brought, opened them, and displayed the\nstuffs before him. In order to prolong the business as much as\npossible, she pointed out to him the peculiar beauties of each\nindividual stuff, in hopes of tiring his patience quite out; but she\ndid not succeed. As the Favourite was not less anxious than myself\nnot to have that chest opened in which I was, she did not hurry in\nhaving them brought to her. There now remained only one to examine.\n\u2018Come,\u2019 said the caliph, \u2018let us make haste and finish: we\nhave now only to see what is in that chest.\u2019 At this instant I\nknew not whether I was alive or dead; nor could I possibly hope to\nescape so great a danger.\n\n\u201cWhen the Favourite saw that the caliph was determined she should\nopen the chest in which I was, she said, \u2018Your majesty must\nabsolutely excuse me, and must do me the favour not to see what is\nin that chest: there are some things which I cannot shew except in\nthe presence of the queen, my mistress.\u2019--\u2018Well, then,\u2019\nreplied the caliph, \u2018I am content: let them carry the chests\nin.\u2019--The eunuchs immediately took them up and placed them in her\nchamber, where I again began, as it were, to breathe.\n\n\u201cAs soon as the eunuchs, who brought the chests in, were retired,\nshe quickly opened that in which I was a prisoner. \u2018Come out,\u2019\nshe cried, and showing me a staircase, which led to a chamber above,\n\u2018Go up, and wait for me there.\u2019 She had hardly shut the door\nafter me, when the caliph came in, and sat down upon the very chest\nin which I had been locked up. The motive of this visit was a\ncertain fit of curiosity, which did not in the least relate to me.\nThis prince only wished to ask the Favourite some questions as to\nwhat she had seen and heard in the city. They conversed a long time\ntogether: he at last left her, and went back to his own apartment.\n\n\u201cShe was no sooner at liberty, than she came into the apartment in\nwhich I was, and made a thousand excuses for the alarms she had\ncaused me. \u2018My anxiety and fear,\u2019 she said, \u2018was not less than\nyour own: of this you ought not to doubt, since I suffered both for\nyou, from my great regard for you, and for myself, on account of the\ngreat danger I ran from a discovery. Any other, in my place, would\nnot, I think, have had the address and courage to extricate\nthemselves from so delicate a situation. It required not less\nboldness than presence of mind; or rather, it was necessary to feel\nthe love for you I do, to get out of such an embarrassment; but\ncompose yourself now, there is nothing more to fear.\u2019 After we had\nentertained ourselves some time with mutual proofs of our affection,\n\u2018But,\u2019 she said, \u2018you want repose; you are to sleep here, and\nI will not fail to present you to my mistress, Zobeid\u00e8, some time\nto-morrow. This is a very easy matter, as the caliph is with her\nonly at night.\u2019 Encouraged by this account, I slept with the\ngreatest tranquillity; or, if my rest was at all interrupted, it was\nby the pleasant ideas that arose in my mind from the thoughts of\npossessing a lady of so much understanding and beauty.\n\n\u201cThe next morning, before the Favourite of Zobeid\u00e8 introduced me\nto her mistress, she instructed me how I ought to conduct myself in\nher presence. She informed me almost word for word what Zobeid\u00e8\nwould ask me, and dictated such answers as I should make to her. She\nthen led me into a hall, where every thing was very magnificent,\nvery rich, and very appropriate. I had not been long there, before\ntwenty female slaves, of a certain age, all dressed in rich and\nuniform habits, came out from the cabinet of Zobeid\u00e8, and\nimmediately ranged themselves before the throne in two equal rows,\nwith the greatest modesty and propriety. They were followed by\ntwenty other female slaves, very young, and dressed exactly like the\nfirst, with the difference only, that their dress were much gayer.\nZobeid\u00e8 appeared in the midst of the latter with the most majestic\nair. She was so loaded with precious stones and jewels, that she\ncould scarcely walk. She went immediately and seated herself upon\nthe throne. I must not forget to mention, that her favourite lady\naccompanied her, and remained standing close on her right hand,\nwhile the female slaves were crowded altogether at a greater\ndistance on both sides the throne.\n\n\u201cAs soon as the consort of the caliph was seated, the slaves, who\ncame in first, made a sign for me to approach. I advanced in the\nmidst of two ranks, which they formed for that purpose, and\nprostrated myself, till my head touched the carpet which was under\nthe feet of the princess. She ordered me to rise, and honoured me so\nfar as to ask my name, my family, and the state of my fortune; in my\nanswers to all of which I gave her perfect satisfaction. I was\nconfident of this, not only from her manner, but she herself gave\nevident proofs of it, by a thousand kind things she had the\ncondescension to say to me, \u2018I have great satisfaction,\u2019 said\nshe, \u2018in finding that my daughter, (this was the title by which\nshe distinguished her Favourite), for as such I shall ever regard\nher, after the care I have taken of her education, has made such a\nchoice. I entirely approve of it, and agree to your marriage. I will\nmyself give orders for the preparations necessary in this affair.\nBut before the ceremony takes place, I have occasion for my daughter\nfor the next ten days, and during this time, I will take an\nopportunity of speaking to the caliph, and obtain his consent; till\nthis period has passed, you shall remain here, and shall be well\ntaken care of.\u2019\n\n\u201cI spent these ten days in the female apartments, and during the\nwhole of this time, I was deprived of the pleasure of seeing the\nFavourite, even for one moment: but I was so well treated through\nher orders, that I had great reason to be satisfied in every other\nrespect.\n\n\u201cZobeid\u00e8 in the mean time informed the caliph of the\ndetermination she had taken to marry her Favourite; and this prince\nnot only left her at liberty to act as she pleased in this matter,\nbut even gave a large sum of money to the Favourite, as his share\ntowards the formation of her establishment. The intermediate time at\nlength elapsed, and Zobeid\u00e8 had got a proper contract of marriage\nprepared, with all the necessary forms. Preparations for the\nnuptials were made; musicians and dancers of both sexes were ordered\nto hold themselves in readiness, and even nine days were spent, in\nwhich the greatest joy and festivity reigned through the palace. The\ntenth was the day appointed for the concluding ceremony of the\nmarriage; the Favourite was conducted to a bath on one side, and I\nto one on the other. In the evening I sat down to table, and they\nserved me with all sorts of dishes and ragouts; and among other\nthings, there was a ragout made with garlic, similar to that you\nhave now forced me to eat of. I found it so excellent, that I hardly\ntouched any other dish. But, unfortunately for me, when I rose from\ntable, I satisfied myself with only wiping my hands, instead of well\nwashing them; this was a negligence that I believe I had never been\nbefore guilty of.\n\n\u201cAs it was now night, they supplied the place of day-light by a\ngrand illumination in all the ladies\u2019 apartments. Instruments of\nmusic resounded through the building; they danced, they played a\nthousand sports, and all the palace re-echoed with exclamations of\njoy and pleasure. They introduced my bride and myself into a large\nhall, where we were seated upon two thrones. The females, who\nattended on her, changed her dress several times, as was the general\npractice on these occasions; and they also painted her face in\ndifferent ways, according to a custom, peculiar to the day of\nmarriage. Every time they thus changed her dress, they presented her\nto me.\n\n\u201cWhen all these ceremonies were finished, they conducted us into\nthe bridal chamber, where we were no sooner left by ourselves than I\napproached my bride to embrace her. But instead of returning my\ntransports, she forcibly repulsed me, and called out in the most\nlamentable and violent manner; so much so, that the women all rushed\ninto the apartment, desirous of learning the reason of her screams.\nAs for myself, my astonishment was so great, that I stood quite\nmotionless, without having even power to ask the cause of all this.\n\u2018What can possibly have happened to you,\u2019 they said to my bride,\n\u2018in the short time since we left you? inform us pray, that we may\nhelp you.\u2019--\u2018Take away,\u2019 she cried, \u2018instantly take from my\nsight that infamous man.\u2019--\u2018Alas, madam,\u2019 I exclaimed, \u2018how\ncan I possibly have deservedly incurred your anger?\u2019--\u2018You are a\nvillain,\u2019 said she, in the greatest rage. \u2018You have eaten of\ngarlic, and have not washed your hands. Do you think I will suffer a\nman, who can be guilty of so dirty and so filthy a negligence, to\napproach and stifle me with his embraces. Lay him on the ground,\u2019\nshe added, speaking to the women, \u2018and bring me a whip.\u2019--They\nimmediately threw me down; and while some held me by the arms, and\nothers by the feet, my wife, who had been very diligently attended\nto, beat me without the least mercy, as long as she had any strength\nremaining. She then said to the females, \u2018Take him to an officer\nof the police, and order him to cut off that hand with which he fed\nhimself with the garlic ragout.\u2019\n\n\u201cAt these words I exclaimed, \u2018Merciful God! I have been beaten\nand whipped, and, to complete my misfortune, I am still farther\npunished by having my hand cut off; and all for what? Because,\ntruly, I have eaten of a ragout made with garlic, and have forgotten\nto wash my hands! What a trifling cause for such anger and revenge.\nPlague on the garlic ragout; I wish that the cook that made it, and\nthe slave that served it up, were all at the bottom of the sea.\u2019\n\n\u201cEvery one of the women, however, who were present, and had seen\nme already so severely punished, pitied me very much, when they\nheard the Favourite talk of having my hand cut off. \u2018My dear\nsister, and my good lady,\u2019 said they to her, \u2018do not carry your\nresentment so far. It is true, that he is a man who does not\nunderstand how to conduct himself, and who seems ignorant of your\nrank, and the respect that is due to you. We entreat you, however,\nnot to take any farther notice of the fault he has committed, but to\npardon him.\u2019--\u2018I am not yet satisfied,\u2019 she cried, \u2018I wish\nto teach him how to live; and that he should bear such powerful\nmarks of his ill-breeding, that he will never forget, as long as he\nlives, the having eaten garlic without remembering to wash his hands\nafter it.\u2019 They were not discouraged by this refusal; they threw\nthemselves at her feet, and kissing her hand, \u2018My good lady,\u2019\nthey cried, \u2018in the name of God, moderate your anger, and grant us\nthe favour we ask of you.\u2019 She did not answer them a single word;\nbut got up, and after abusing me again, went out of the apartment.\nAll the women followed her, and left me quite alone, in the greatest\naffliction imaginable.\n\n\u201cI remained here ten days, without ever seeing a soul except an\nold slave, who brought me something by way of food. I asked her for\nsome information about the Favourite. \u2018She is very ill,\u2019 she\nsaid, \u2018on account of the poisonous odour you made her breathe. Why\ndid you not take care to wash your hands after eating of that\ndiabolical ragout?\u2019--\u2018Is it possible then,\u2019 I answered,\n\u2018that the delicacy and sensibility of these ladies is so great;\nand that they can be so vindictive for so slight a fault.\u2019 I\nnevertheless still loved my wife in spite of her cruelty: and could\nnot help pitying her.\n\n\u201cOne day the old slave said to me, \u2018Your bride is cured, she is\ngone to the bath, and she told me, that she intended to come and\nvisit you to-morrow. Have therefore a little patience; and endeavour\nto accommodate yourself to her humour. She is very wise, and,\nindeed, very reasonable: and is moreover very much beloved by all\nthe females that are in the service of Zobeid\u00e8, our respectable\nmistress.\u2019\n\n\u201cMy wife, in fact, came to see me the next day: and she\nimmediately said to me, \u2018You must necessarily think me very good\nto come and see you again, after the offence you have given me; but\nI cannot bring myself to be reconciled to you, till I have punished\nyou as you deserve, for not washing your hands after having eaten of\nthe ragout with garlic.\u2019 She had no sooner said this, than she\ncalled to the women, who instantly entered, and laid me down upon\nthe ground, according to her orders; and after they had bound me,\nshe took a razor, and had the barbarity to cut off my two thumbs,\nand two great toes, with her own hands. One of the women immediately\napplied a certain root to stop the blood; but this did not prevent\nme from fainting, in consequence of both the quantity I lost, before\nthe remedy took effect, and the great pain I suffered.\n\n\u201cWhen I recovered from my fainting fit, they gave me some wine, in\norder to recruit my strength and spirits. \u2018Ah, madam,\u2019 I then\nsaid to my wife, \u2018if it should ever fall to my lot again to\npartake of a ragout with garlic, I swear to you, that instead of\nonce, I will wash my hands one hundred and twenty times; with\nalkali, with the ashes of the plant from which alkali is made, and\nwith soap.\u2019--\u2018Well then,\u2019 replied my wife, \u2018on this\ncondition I will forget what has passed, and live with you as my\nhusband.\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018This is the reason,\u2019 continued the merchant of Bagdad,\naddressing himself to all the company, \u2018why I refused to eat of\nthe garlic ragout which was before me.\u2019\n\n\u201cThe women not only applied the root to my wounds, as I have\nbefore said, to stop the blood, but they also put some balsam of\nMecca to them, which was certain of being unadulterated, since it\ncame from the caliph\u2019s own store. Through the virtue of this\nexcellent balsam I was perfectly cured in a very few days. After\nthis, my wife and I lived together as happily as if I had never\ntasted the garlic ragout. As, however, I had always been in the\nhabit of enjoying my liberty, I began to grow excessively weary of\nbeing constantly shut up in the palace of the caliph; I did not,\nnevertheless, give my wife any reason to suspect that this was the\ncase, for fear of displeasing her. At last, however, she perceived\nit; nor indeed did she wish to leave the palace less anxiously than\nmyself. Gratitude alone kept her near Zobeid\u00e8. She possessed,\nhowever, both courage and ingenuity; and she so well represented to\nher mistress the constraint I felt myself under, in not being able\nto live in the city, and associate with men in a similar condition\nto myself, as I had always been accustomed to do, that this\nexcellent princess had more gratification in depriving herself of\nthe pleasure of having her Favourite near her, than in not complying\nwith what we both equally wished.\n\n\u201cIt was on this account that, about a month after our marriage, I\none day perceived my wife come in, followed by many eunuchs, each of\nwhom carried a bag of money. When they were retired, my wife said to\nme, \u2018You have not, it is true, remarked to me the uneasiness and\nlangour which so long a residence in the palace has caused you; but\nI have nevertheless perceived it; and I have fortunately found out a\nmethod to satisfy you. My mistress Zobeid\u00e8 has permitted us to\nleave the palace, and here are fifty thousand sequins, which she has\npresented us with, that we may begin to live comfortably and\ncommodiously in the city. Take ten thousand, and go and purchase a\nhouse.\u2019\n\n\u201cI very soon found one for this sum, and after furnishing it most\nmagnificently, we went to live there. We took with us a great number\nof slaves of both sexes, and we dressed them in the handsomest\nmanner possible. In short, we began to live the most pleasant kind\nof life; but, alas! it was not of long duration. At the end of a\nyear my wife was taken ill, and a very few days put a period to her\nexistence.\n\n\u201cI should certainly have married again, and continued to live in\nthe most honourable manner at Bagdad; but the desire I felt to see\nthe world, inspired me with other views. I sold my house; and after\npurchasing different sorts of merchandize, I attached myself to a\ncaravan, and travelled into Persia. From thence I took the road to\nSamarcand, and at last came and established myself in this city.\n\n\u201cThis, sire,\u201d said the purveyor to the sultan of Casgar, \u201cis\nthe history which the merchant of Bagdad related to the company\nwhere I was yesterday.\u201d--\u201cAnd it truly comprises some very\nextraordinary things,\u201d replied the sultan, \u201cbut yet it is not\ncomparable to that of my little hunchback.\u201d The Jewish physician\nthen advanced, and prostrated himself before the throne of the\nprince; and in getting up, he said to him, \u201cIf your majesty will\nhave the goodness to listen to me, I flatter myself, that you will\nbe very well satisfied with the history I shall have the honour to\nrelate.\u201d--\u201cSpeak, then,\u201d said the sultan, \u201cbut, if it be not\nmore wonderful than that of the hunchback, do not hope I shall\nsuffer thee to live.\n\n\n\n\nTHE STORY\nTOLD BY THE JEWISH PHYSICIAN.\n\n\nWhile I was studying medicine at Damascus, sire, and had even began\nto practise that admirable science with considerable reputation, a\nslave came to inquire for me; and desired me to go to the house of\nthe governor of the city, to visit a person who was ill. I\naccordingly went; and was introduced into a chamber, where I\nperceived a very well made young man, but apparently very much\ndepressed, from the pain he suffered; I saluted him, and went and\nsat down by his side. He returned no answer to my salutation; but\nexpressed to me by his eyes, that he understood me, and was grateful\nfor my kindness. \u201cWill you do me the favour, sir,\u201d I said to\nhim, \u201cto put out your hand, that I may feel your pulse?\u201d When,\ninstead of giving me his right hand, as is the usual custom, he\npresented his left to me. This astonished me very much.\n\u201cSurely,\u201d said I to myself, \u201cit is a mark of great ignorance\nof the world, not to know, that it is the constant custom always to\npresent the right hand to a physician.\u201d I nevertheless felt his\npulse, wrote a prescription, and then took my leave.\n\nI continued to visit him successively for nine days: and every time\nthat I wished to feel his pulse, he still presented his left hand to\nme. On the tenth day he appeared to be so much recovered, that I\ntold him he had no more occasion for me, or indeed for any thing\nelse but to go to the bath. The governor of Damascus, who was\npresent, in order to prove how very well he was satisfied with my\nabilities and conduct, made me put on a very rich robe in his\npresence, and appointed me on the spot physician to the hospital of\nthe city, and physician in ordinary to his house, where I might go\nwhenever I pleased, as there was constantly a place provided at his\ntable for me.\n\nThe young man also gave me many proofs of his friendship, and\nrequested me to accompany him to the bath. I did so; and when we\nwere gone in, and his slaves had undressed him, I perceived that he\nhad lost his right hand. I even remarked, that it had not been long\ncut off; that this was in fact the cause of his disease, which he\nhad concealed from me; and that while the most proper applications\nwere used to cure his arm as quickly as possible, they only called\nme in to prevent any bad consequences arising from a fever which had\ncome on. I was both astonished and afflicted to see him in that\ncondition. Nor could my countenance conceal the state of my mind.\nThe young man remarked it, and said to me, \u201cDo not be surprised at\nseeing me without my right hand, I will one day inform you how it\nhappened, and you will then hear a most wonderful and strange\nadventure.\u201d\n\nWhen we came from the bath, we sat down to table, and began to\nconverse together. He asked me, if he might, without endangering his\nhealth, take a walk out of the city to the garden of the governor; I\nreplied, that it would be very beneficial to him to go into the air.\n\u201cIf so,\u201d said he, \u201cand you will like to accompany me, I will\nthere relate my history.\u201d I told him I was at his disposal for the\nrest of the day. He immediately ordered his people to prepare a\nslight collation, and we set out for the garden of the governor. We\nwalked two or three times round the garden, and after seating\nourselves on a carpet, which his people spread under a tree, that\nformed a delightful shade, the young man thus began the relation of\nhis history.\n\n\u201cI was born at Moussoul; and am of a family which is one of the\nmost considerable in that city. My father was the eldest of ten\nchildren, whom my grandfather, when he died, left living and all\nmarried. But amongst this number of brothers, my father was the only\none who had any offspring; and he had no other child besides myself.\nHe took great care of my education, and had me taught every thing\nwhich a boy in my situation of life ought to be acquainted with.\n\n\u201cI was grown up, and began to associate with the world, when one\nFriday I went to the noon-day prayers, in the great mosque of\nMoussoul, with my father and my uncles. After the prayers were over,\nevery one retired, excepting my father and my uncles, who seated\nthemselves on the carpet which covered the whole floor of the\nmosque. I sat down with them, and discoursing on various topics, the\nconversation insensibly turned on travels. They praised the beauties\nand peculiarities of some kingdoms, and of their principal towns;\nbut one of my uncles said, that if one might believe the account of\nan infinity of travellers, there was not in the world a more\nbeautiful country than Egypt, on the banks of the Nile, which all\nuniversally agreed in praising. What he related of it gave me such\nvast ideas, that I from that moment formed the wish of travelling\nthither. All that my other uncles could say, in giving the\npreference to Bagdad and the Tigris, calling Bagdad the true abode\nof the mussulman religion, and the metropolis of all the cities in\nthe world, did not make half so much impression on me. My father\nmaintained the same opinion with that brother who had spoken in\nfavor of Egypt, which caused me very great pleasure. \u2018Let people\nsay what they will,\u2019 cried he, \u2018he who has not seen Egypt, has\nnot seen the greatest wonder in the world. The earth is all gold,\nthat is to say, so fertile, that it enriches the inhabitants beyond\nconception. All the women enchant, either by their beauty or their\nagreeable manners. If you mention the Nile, what river can be more\ndelightful? What water was ever so pure and delicious? The mud that\nremains after its overflowings enriches the ground, which produces,\nwithout any trouble, a thousand times more than other countries do\nwith all the labor that it costs to cultivate them. Hear what a\npoet, who was obliged to quit Egypt, addressed to the natives of\nthat country: \u2018Your Nile heaps riches on you every day; it is for\nyou alone that it travels so far; alas! at leaving you, my tears\nwill flow as abundantly as its waters; you will continue to enjoy\nits pleasures, whilst I, contrary to my inclinations, am condemned\nto deprive myself of them.\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018If,\u2019 continued my father, \u2018you cast your eyes on the\nisland, which is formed by the two largest branches of the Nile,\nwhat a variety of verdure will gratify them! What a beautiful enamel\nof all kinds of flowers! What a prodigious quantity of cities,\ntowns, canals, and a thousand other pleasing objects! If you turn on\nthe other side, looking towards Ethiopia, how many different\nsubjects for admiration! I can only compare the verdure of so many\nmeadows, watered by the various canals in the island, to the\nbrilliancy of emeralds set in silver. Is not Cairo the largest, the\nrichest, the most populous city in the universe? How magnificent the\nedifices, as well private as public! If you go to the pyramids, you\nare lost in astonishment! you remain speechless at the sight of\nthose enormous masses of stone, which lose their lofty summits in\nthe clouds: you are forced to confess, that the Pharaohs, who\nemployed so many men, and such immense riches in the construction of\nthem, surpassed all the monarchs who have succeeded them, not only\nin Egypt, but over the whole world, in magnificence and invention,\nby leaving monuments so worthy of them. These monuments, which are\nso ancient, that the learned are at a loss to fix the period of\ntheir erection, still brave the ravages of time? and will remain for\nages. I pass over in silence the maritime towns of the kingdom of\nEgypt, such as Damietta, Rosetta, and Alexandria, where so many\nnations traffic for various kinds of grain and stuffs, and a\nthousand other things for the comfort and pleasure of mankind. I\nspeak of it from knowing the place; I spent some years of my youth\nthere, which I shall ever esteem the happiest of my life.\u2019\n\n\u201cMy uncles had nothing to say in reply to my father, and agreed to\nall he had said about the Nile, Cairo, and the whole of the kingdom\nof Egypt. As for me, my imagination was so filled with it, that I\ncould not sleep all night. A short time after, my uncles also\nevinced how much they had been struck with my father\u2019s discourse.\nThey all proposed to him to travel together into Egypt: he accepted\nthe proposal, and, as they were rich merchants, they resolved to\ntake with them such goods as they might dispose of with profit. I\nheard of their preparations for the journey, and I went to my father\nto entreat him, with tears in my eyes, to permit me to accompany\nthem, and to allow me a stock of merchandise to sell on my own\naccount. \u2018You are too young,\u2019 said he, \u2018to undertake such a\njourney; the fatigue would be too much for you; besides which, I am\npersuaded you would be a loser by your bargains. This speech did not\ndiminish my desire of travelling; I engaged my uncles to intercede\nfor me with my father, and they at length obtained his permission,\nthat I should go as far as Damascus, where they would leave me,\nwhilst they continued their journey into Egypt. \u2018The city of\nDamascus,\u2019 said my father, \u2018has its beauties; and he must be\nsatisfied that I give him leave to go thus far.\u2019 However strong my\ninclination was to see Egypt after the accounts I heard, I was\nobliged to relinquish the thought; for he was my father, and I\nsubmitted to his will.\n\n\u201cI set off from Moussoul with my father and my uncles. We\ntraversed Mesopotamia, crossed the Euphrates, and arrived at Aleppo,\nwhere we remained a few days, and from thence proceeded to Damascus,\nthe first appearance of which agreeably surprised me. We all lodged\nin the same khan. I here saw a large and well fortified city,\npopulous, and inhabited by civilized people. We passed some days in\nvisiting those delightful gardens, which adorn the suburbs, as we\nmay see from this spot, and we agreed, that what was said of\nDamascus was true, that it was in the midst of Paradise. After\nstaying some time, my uncles began to think of proceeding on their\njourney, having first taken care to dispose of my merchandize, which\nthey did so advantageously, that I gained a profit of five per cent.\nThis produced a considerable sum for me, the possession of which\nquite delighted me.\n\n\u201cMy father and my uncles left me at Damascus, and continued their\njourney. After their departure, I was very careful not to spend my\nmoney in useless things. I, however, hired a magnificent house; it\nwas built entirely of marble, and ornamented with paintings, and\nthere was a garden attached, in which were some very fine mountains.\nI furnished it, not indeed so expensively as the magnificence of the\nplace required, but at least sufficiently so for a young man of my\ncondition. It had formerly belonged to one of the principal grandees\nof the city, named Modoun Abdaltaham, and it was then the property\nof a rich jeweller, to whom I paid only two scherifs [5] a month for\nthe use of it. I had a numerous retinue of servants, and lived well.\nI sometimes invited my acquaintance to dine with me, and\noccasionally partook of entertainments at their houses; thus I\npassed my time at Damascus during the absence of my father. I had no\npassion to disturb my repose, and the society of agreeable people\nwas my only pleasure and occupation.\n\n\u201cOne day, when I was sitting at the door of my house, enjoying the\nfresh air, a lady very well dressed, and of a good figure, came\ntowards me, and asked me if I did not sell stuffs; and saying this,\nwalked into my house. When I saw she was gone in, I got up and shut\nthe door, and ushered her into a room, where I entreated her to be\nseated. \u2018Madam,\u2019 said I, \u2018I have had some stuffs, which were\nworthy of being shewn to you, but I have not any at present, for\nwhich I am extremely sorry.\u2019 She took off the veil which concealed\nher face, and discovered to my eyes a countenance, the beauty of\nwhich made me experience sensations I had till then been a stranger\nto. \u2018I do not want any stuffs,\u2019 replied she, \u2018I come to see\nyou, and to pass the evening in your company if you do not\ndisapprove it; I only require a slight collation.\u2019\n\n\u201cDelighted with my good fortune, I immediately gave orders for my\npeople to bring us several kinds of fruit, and some bottles of wine.\nWe were served quickly, and we eat and drank, and regaled ourselves\ntill midnight; in short, I had never passed a night so agreeably\nbefore. The next morning I was going to put ten scherifs into her\nhand; but she withdrew it quickly, and said, \u2018I did not come to\nsee you from interested motives; you wound my delicacy. Far from\nreceiving money from you, I insist on your accepting some from me,\notherwise I will never see you more.\u2019 At the same time she took\nten scherifs out of her purse, and forced me to accept them.\n\u2018Expect me in three days,\u2019 said she, \u2018after the sun is set.\u2019\nShe then took her leave, and I felt that she carried away my heart\nwith her.\n\n\u201cAt the expiration of three days, she did not fail to return at\nthe appointed hour, and I received her with the joy of a man who\nimpatiently expected her. We passed the evening and night as we had\nthe former one, and the next day, when she left me, she again\npromised to return in three days, but would not depart till she had\nobliged me as before to take ten scherifs.\n\n\u201cHaving returned the third time, and being both heated with wine,\nshe said to me, \u2018My dear love, what do you think of me? Am I not\nhandsome and pleasing?\u2019--\u2018Madam,\u2019 replied I, \u2018these\nquestions, I think, are very useless; all the proofs of affection I\ngive you, ought to convince you I love you; I am enchanted to see\nand possess you; you are my queen, my sultana; you form the sole\nhappiness of my life.\u2019--\u2018Ah!\u2019 resumed she, \u2018I am sure you\nwould change your tone, if you were to see a lady of my\nacquaintance, who is younger and handsomer than I am; she has such\nlively spirits, that she would make the most melancholy laugh. I\nmust bring her to you; I have spoken to her about you, and from what\nI said, she is dying with impatience to see you. She begged me to\nprocure her this gratification, but I did not dare to comply with\nher request, till I had mentioned it to you.\u2019--\u2018Madam,\u2019 said\nI, \u2018you will do as you please; but say what you will about your\nfriend, I defy all her attractions to have any power over my heart,\nwhich is so devotedly yours, that nothing can ever alter my\nattachment.\u2019--\u2018Take care,\u2019 replied she, \u2018I warn you, that I\nam going to put your heart to a great trial.\u2019\n\n\u201cThe subject was then dropped, and the following morning at her\ndeparture, instead of ten scherifs she gave me fifteen, which she\nobliged me to accept. \u2018Remember,\u2019 said she, \u2018that in two days\nyou will have a new guest; prepare to give her a good reception; we\nwill come at the usual hour after sun-set.\u2019\n\n\u201cI had the room ornamented, and prepared an elegant collation\nagainst the day that they were to come; I waited for them with great\nimpatience, and they at length arrived towards the close of the\nevening. They both unveiled; and if I had been surprised with the\nbeauty of the first, I had much more reason to be so with that of\nher friend. She had regular features, and perfectly formed; a\nglowing complexion, and eyes of such brilliancy, that I could\nscarcely sustain their lustre. I thanked her for the honour she\nconferred on me, and entreated her to excuse me, if I did not\nreceive her in the style she deserved. \u2018No compliments,\u2019 said\nshe, \u2018I ought to bestow them on you, for having allowed me to\naccompany my friend hither; but as you are so good as to suffer me\nto remain, let us waive all ceremony, and think of nothing but\namusing ourselves.\u2019\n\n\u201cAs I had given orders for the collation to be served as soon as\nthe ladies arrived, we shortly sat down to table. I was opposite to\nmy new guest, who did not cease to look and smile at me. I could not\nresist her winning glances, and she made herself mistress of my\nheart without any resistance. But while inspiring me with love, she\nfelt the flame herself; and far from practising any restraint, she\nsaid a number of tender things to me.\n\n\u201cThe other lady, who observed us, at first only laughed. \u2018I told\nyou,\u2019 said she, addressing herself to me, \u2018that you would be\ncharmed with my friend, and I perceive you would have already\nviolated the oath you made me to remain constant.\u2019 \u2018Madam,\u2019\nreplied I, laughing as she had done, \u2018you would have reason to\ncomplain, if I were remiss in politeness towards a lady whom you\nlove, and have done me the honour to bring here; both of you would\nreproach me with not knowing how to perform the honours of my\nhouse.\u2019\n\n\u201cWe continued drinking, but in proportion as we became heated with\nwine, the new lady and I exchanged glances with so little precaution\nthat her friend conceived a violent jealousy, of which she soon gave\nus a fatal proof. She got up and went out, saying, that she should\nsoon return; but a few minutes after, the lady who had remained with\nme changed countenance; she fell into strong convulsions, and\nshortly after expired in my arms, whilst I was calling my servants\nto assist me in relieving her. I went out immediately, and inquired\nfor the other lady; my people told me that she had opened the street\ndoor, and had gone away. I then began to suspect, and nothing could\nbe more just than my suspicions, that she had occasioned the death\nof her friend. In fact, she had had the address and the wickedness\nto put a strong poison into the last cup, which she herself had\npresented to her.\n\n\u201cI was extremely afflicted at this accident. \u2018What shall I\ndo?\u2019 said I to myself. \u2018What will become of me?\u2019 As I\nconsidered that I had no time to lose, I ordered my people to raise\nup, by the light of the moon, and as quietly as possible, one of the\nlargest pieces of marble with which the court of my house was paved,\nand to dig a grave, where they interred the body of the young lady.\nAfter the marble was replaced, I put on a travelling dress, and\ntaking all the money I was possessed of, I locked up every thing,\neven the door of my house, on which I put my own seal; I went to the\njeweller, who was the proprietor, paid him what rent I was in his\ndebt, and a year in advance besides; and giving him the key, begged\nhim to keep it for me: \u2018A very important affair,\u2019 said I,\n\u2018obliges me to be absent for some time; I am under the necessity\nof going to my uncle\u2019s at Cairo.\u2019 I then took my leave of him;\ninstantly mounted my horse, and set off with my people, who were\nwaiting for me.\n\n\u201cI had a good journey, and arrived at Cairo without any unpleasant\ninterruption. I found my uncles, who were astonished to see me. I\nsaid to them, by way of excuse, that I was tired of waiting for\nthem; and that, receiving no intelligence of them, my uneasiness had\ninduced me to undertake the journey. They received me very kindly,\nand promised to intercede with my father, that he should not be\ndispleased at my quitting Damascus, without his permission. I lodged\nin the same khan with them, and saw every thing that was worthy of\nattention in Cairo.\n\n\u201cAs they had sold all their merchandize, they talked of returning\nto Moussoul, and were already beginning to make preparations for\ntheir departure; but as I had not seen all that I wished in Egypt, I\nleft my uncles, and went to lodge in a quarter very distant from\ntheir khan, and did not make my appearance till they had set off.\nThey sought me in the city for a considerable time; but not being\nable to find me, they supposed, that, touched with remorse at coming\nto Egypt against the will of my father, I had returned to Damascus\nwithout acquainting them, and they left Cairo in the hopes of\nmeeting me there, where I could join them, and return home.\n\n\u201cI remained then at Cairo after their departure, and lived there\nthree years to gratify my curiosity in examining all the wonders of\nEgypt. During that time I took care to send my rent to the jeweller;\nalways desiring him to keep my house for me, as it was my intention\nto return to Damascus, and reside there for some years. I did not\nmeet with any adventure at Cairo, worthy of being related; but you\nwill, no doubt, be very much surprised to hear what befel me, on my\nreturn to Damascus.\n\n\u201cWhen I arrived in this city, I dismounted at the jeweller\u2019s,\nwho received me with joy, and would accompany me to my house, to\nshew me, that no one had been in it during my absence. In fact, the\nseal was still entire on the lock. I entered, and found every thing\nin the state I had left it.\n\n\u201cIn cleaning and sweeping the room where I had regaled the two\nladies, one of my servants found a golden necklace in the form of a\nchain, in which, from space to space, were ten pearls very large and\nperfect. He brought it me, and I knew it to be that which I had seen\non the neck of the young lady who was poisoned. I supposed that it\nhad got loose, and had fallen without my perceiving it. I could not\nlook at it without shedding tears, as it brought to my recollection\nso amiable a person, whom I had seen expire in such a cruel manner.\nI wrapped it up, and put it carefully in my bosom.\n\n\u201cI passed some days in recovering from the fatigue of my journey;\nafter which I began to visit those with whom I had been formerly\nacquainted. I gave myself up to all kinds of pleasure, and\ninsensibly spent all my money. Reduced to this situation, instead of\nselling my goods, I resolved to dispose of the necklace; but I was\nso little acquainted with the value of pearls, that I had but bad\nsuccess, as you will hear.\n\n\u201cI went to the bezestein, where I called aside one of the criers,\nand shewing him the necklace told him I wished to sell it, and\nbegged him to shew it to the principal jewellers. The crier was\nsurprised at seeing such an elegant ornament. \u2018Ah, what a\nbeautiful thing!\u2019 cried he, after having admired it for some time.\n\u2018Our merchants have never seen any thing so rich and costly; I\nshall give them great pleasure, and you need not doubt their setting\na high price on it, and bidding against each other.\u2019 He led me\ninto a shop, which I found to be that of the owner of my house.\n\u2018Wait for me here,\u2019 said the crier, \u2018I shall soon return and\nbring you an answer.\u2019\n\n\u201cWhilst he with great secrecy was going about to the different\nmerchants to shew the necklace, I seated myself near the jeweller,\nwho was very glad to see me; and we entered into conversation\ntogether on various subjects. The crier returned, and taking me\naside, instead of telling me that the necklace was esteemed worth\ntwo thousand scherifs at the least, he assured me, that no one would\ngive me more than fifty. \u2018They tell me,\u2019 added he, \u2018that the\npearls are false; determine whether you will let it go at that\nprice.\u2019 As I believed what he said, and was in want of money,\n\u2018Go,\u2019 said I, \u2018I depend on what you say, and those who are\nbetter acquainted with these matters than I am; deliver it, and\nbring me the money directly.\u2019\n\n\u201cThe crier had, in fact, been sent to offer me fifty scherifs by\none of the richest jewellers in the bezestein, who had only\nmentioned this price to sound me, and see if I knew the worth of\nwhat I wanted to sell. No sooner therefore was he made acquainted\nwith my answer, than he took the crier with him to an officer of the\npolice, to whom, shewing the necklace, he said, \u2018Sir, this is a\nnecklace that has been stolen from me, and the thief, disguised as a\nmerchant, has had the effrontery to offer it for sale, and is now\nactually in the bezestein. He is content to receive fifty scherifs\nfor jewels that are worth two thousand: nothing can be a stronger\nproof of his being a thief.\u2019\n\n\u201cThe officer of the police sent immediately to arrest me; and when\nI appeared before him, he asked me if the necklace he had in his\nhand was not that which I had offered for sale in the bezestein; I\nreplied in the affirmative. \u2018And is it true,\u2019 continued he,\n\u2018that you would dispose of it for fifty scherifs?\u2019 I confessed\nit was. \u2018Well then,\u2019 said he, in a sneering tone, \u2018let him\nhave the bastinado, he will soon tell us, in his fine merchant\u2019s\ndress, that he is nothing better than a rank thief; let him be\nbeaten till he owns it.\u2019 The violence of the blows made me tell a\nlie; I confessed, contrary to truth, that I had stolen the necklace,\nand immediately the officer of police ordered my hand to be cut off.\n\n\u201cThis occasioned a great noise in the bezestein, and I was\nscarcely returned to my house, when the owner of it came to me,\n\u2018My son,\u2019 said he, \u2018you seem to be a young man so prudent and\nwell educated, how is it possible, that you should have committed an\naction so unworthy of yourself as that which I have just heard\nrelated? You told me the amount of your property, and I doubt not it\nwas what you said. Why did not you ask me for money? I would\nwillingly have lent you some; but after what has passed I cannot\nallow you to remain any longer in my house; resolve what you will\ndo; for you must seek another lodging.\u2019 I was extremely mortified\nat these words, and entreated the jeweller, with tears in my eyes,\nto suffer me to stay in his house three days longer, which he\ngranted.\n\n\u201c\u2018Alas,\u2019 cried I, \u2018what a misfortune! What an affront! How\ncan I venture to return to Moussoul? All that I can say to my\nfather, will never persuade him that I am innocent.\u2019 Three days\nafter this accident befel me, I saw, with the utmost astonishment, a\nnumber of the attendants of the police officer come into my house,\nattended by my landlord and the merchant, who had falsely accused me\nof having stolen the necklace from him. I asked them what they\nwanted; but instead of replying, they bound me with cords, and\npoured forth the most abusive language, telling me, that the\nnecklace belonged to the governor of Damascus, who had lost it about\nthree years before; and that at the same time one of his daughters\nhad disappeared. Judge of the state I was in at this intelligence; I\nhowever determined how to act. \u2018I will tell the truth,\u2019 thought\nI; \u2018the governor shall decide, whether he will pardon me, or\ncommit me for execution.\u2019\n\n\u201cWhen I was conducted before him, I observed, that he looked on me\nwith an eye of compassion, which I conceived to be a favourable\nomen. He ordered me to be unbound, and then addressing the merchant,\nwho was my accuser, and the landlord of my house, \u2018Is that,\u2019\nsaid he to them, \u2018the young man who offered for sale the pearl\nnecklace?\u2019 They immediately answered that I was. When he added,\n\u2018I am convinced, that he did not steal the necklace; and I am very\nmuch surprised, that such injustice should have been practised on\nhim.\u2019 Encouraged by this speech, \u2018My lord,\u2019 I cried, \u2018I\nswear to you that I am innocent. I am persuaded also, that the\nnecklace did not ever belong to my accuser, whom I never saw before,\nand whose horrible perfidy is the cause of the disagreeable\ntreatment I have met with. It is true that I confessed the theft;\nbut I made this avowal against my conscience, urged by the torments\nI was made to suffer, and for a reason which I am ready to relate,\nif you will have the goodness to listen to me.\u2019--\u2018I know enough\nalready,\u2019 replied the governor, \u2018to be able to render you\nimmediately part of the justice which is your due. Let the false\naccuser be taken from hence,\u2019 continued he, \u2018and let him undergo\nthe same punishment which he caused to be inflicted on this young\nman, whose innocence is well known to me.\u2019\n\n\u201cThe order of the governor was instantly put in execution. The\nmerchant was led out, and punished as he deserved. After which the\ngovernor, having desired all who were present to withdraw, thus\naddressed me: \u2018My son, relate to me, without fear, in what manner\nthis necklace fell into your hands, and disguise nothing from me.\u2019\nI then discovered to him all that had happened; and owned, that I\npreferred passing for a thief to revealing this tragical adventure.\n\u2018Great God,\u2019 exclaimed the governor, as soon as I had done\nspeaking, \u2018thy judgments are incomprehensible, and we must submit\nwithout murmuring: I receive, with entire submission, the blow which\nthou hast been pleased to strike.\u2019 Then addressing himself to me,\n\u2018My son,\u2019 added he, \u2018having heard the account of your\nmisfortune, for which I am extremely sorry, I will now relate mine.\nKnow, then, that I am the father of the two ladies you have been\nspeaking of.\n\n\u201c\u2018The first lady, who had the effrontery to seek you, even in\nyour own house, was the eldest of all my daughters. I had married\nher, at Cairo, to her cousin, the son of my brother. Her husband\ndied, and she returned here, corrupted by a thousand vices, which\nshe had learnt in Egypt. Before her arrival, the youngest, who died\nin so deplorable a manner in your arms, was very prudent, and had\nnever given me any reason to complain of her morals. Her eldest\nsister formed a very close friendship with her, and by insensible\ndegrees rendered her as wicked as herself.\n\n\u201c\u2018The day following that on which the youngest died, as I did\nnot see her when I sat down to table, I inquired for her of the\neldest, who had returned home; but instead of making any reply she\nbegan to weep so bitterly, that I conceived an unlucky presage. I\npressed her to inform me of what I wished to know.\n\n\u201c\u2018Father,\u2019 replied she, sobbing, \u2018I can tell you nothing\nmore than that my sister yesterday put on her best dress, and her\nbeautiful pearl necklace, and went out; since which she has not\nappeared.\u2019 I had my daughter searched for over the city, but could\nlearn no tidings of her unhappy fate. In the mean time my eldest\ndaughter, who no doubt began to repent of her jealous fit, did not\ncease weeping and bewailing the death of her sister: she even\ndeprived herself of all kinds of nourishment, and by that means put\na period to her existence.\n\n\u201c\u2018This alas!\u2019 continued the governor, \u2018is the condition of\nman. These are the evils to which he is exposed. But, my son, as we\nare both equally unfortunate, let us unite our sorrows, and never\nabandon each other. I will bestow my third daughter on you in\nmarriage: she is younger than her sisters, and does not at all\nresemble them in her conduct. She is even more beautiful than they\nwere, and I can assure you, that she is of a disposition to make you\nhappy. My house shall be your home, and after my death you and she\nwill be my only heirs.\u2019--\u2018My lord,\u2019 said I, \u2018I am quite\nconfused by your kindness, and shall never be able to testify my\ngratitude.\u2019--\u2018Enough,\u2019 interrupted he, \u2018let us not waste\ntime in useless conversation.\u2019 Saying this, he had some witnesses\ncalled, and I married his daughter without any farther ceremony.\n\n\u201cHe was not satisfied with punishing the merchant who had falsely\naccused me; he also confiscated all his property, which was very\nconsiderable, to my use. In short, as you come now from the\ngovernor, you may have observed in what high estimation he holds me.\nI must add too, that a man, who was sent expressly by my uncles to\nseek me in Egypt, having discovered, in passing through this city,\nthat I resided here, yesterday gave me letters from them. They\ninform me of the death of my father, and invite me to go to Moussoul\nto take possession of his inheritance; but as my alliance and\nfriendship with the governor attach me to him, and do not suffer me\nto think of quitting him, I have sent back the express, empowering\nmy uncles legally to transfer all that belongs to me. After what you\nhave heard I trust you will pardon me the incivility I have been\nguilty of, during my illness, of presenting you my left hand instead\nof my right.\u2019\n\n\u201cThis,\u201d said the Jewish physician to the sultan of Casgar, \u201cis\nwhat the young man of Moussoul related to me. I remained at Damascus\nas long as the governor lived; after his death, as I was in the\nprime of my life, I had the curiosity to travel. I traversed all\nPersia, and went into India; at last I came to establish myself in\nyour capital, where I exercise, with credit to myself, the\nprofession of physician.\u201d\n\nThe sultan of Casgar thought this story entertaining; \u201cI\nconfess,\u201d said he to the Jew, \u201cwhat thou hast been relating is\nextraordinary; but to speak frankly, the story of the hunchback is\nstill more so, and much more comical; so do not flatter thyself with\nthe hope of being reprieved any more than the others; I shall have\nyou all four hanged.\u201d--\u201cA moment\u2019s grace, Sire,\u201d cried the\ntailor, advancing, and prostrating himself at the feet of the\nsultan; since your majesty likes pleasant stories, that which I\nshall tell you, will not, I think, displease you.\u201d--\u201cI will\nlisten to thee also,\u201d replied the sultan, \u201cbut do not entertain\nany hopes that I shall suffer thee to live, unless thou canst\nrecount some adventure more diverting than that of the hunchback.\u201d\nThe tailor then, as if he had been sure of his business, boldly\nbegan his recital in these words:\n\n\n\n\nTHE STORY\nTOLD BY THE TAILOR.\n\n\nA tradesman, Sire, of this city, did me the honor, two days since,\nof inviting me to an entertainment, which he gave yesterday morning\nto his friends: I repaired to his house at an early hour, and found\nabout twenty people assembled.\n\nWe were waiting for the master of the house, who was gone out on\nsome sudden business, when we saw him arrive, accompanied by a young\nstranger very neatly dressed, and of a good figure, but lame. We all\nrose, and to do honor to the master of the house, we begged the\nyoung man to sit with us on the sofa. He was just going to sit down,\nwhen perceiving a barber, who was one of the company, he abruptly\nstepped back; and was going away. The master of the house, surprised\nat this, stopped him. \u201cWhere are you going?\u201d said he, \u201cI bring\nyou here to do me the honor of being present at an entertainment I\nam going to give my friends, and you are scarcely entered before you\nwant to go away!\u201d--\u201cIn the name of God, sir,\u201d replied the\nstranger, \u201cI entreat you not to detain me, but suffer me to\ndepart. I cannot behold without horror that abominable barber, who\nis sitting there; although he is born in a country where the\ncomplexion of the people is white, yet he bears the colour of an\nEthiopian; but his mind is of a still deeper and more horrible die\nthan his visage.\u201d\n\nWe were all very much surprised at this speech, and began to\nconceive a very bad opinion of the barber, without knowing whether\nthe young stranger had any just reason for speaking of him in such\nterms. We even went so far as to declare that we would not suffer at\nour table a man of whom we had heard so shocking a character. The\nmaster of the house begged the stranger to acquaint us with the\noccasion of his hatred to the barber. \u201cGentlemen,\u201d said the\nyoung man, \u201cyou must know, that this barber was the cause of my\nbeing lame; and also of the most cruel affair, which befel me, that\nyou can possibly conceive; for this reason I have made a vow to quit\ninstantly any place where he may be; and even not to reside in any\ntown where he lives: for this reason I left Bagdad, where he was,\nand undertook so long a journey to come and settle myself in this\ncity, where, being in the centre of Great Tartary, I flattered\nmyself I should be secure of never beholding him again. However,\ncontrary to my hopes and expectations, I find him here; this obliges\nme, gentlemen, to deprive myself of the honor of partaking of your\nfeast. I will this day leave your city, and go to hide myself, if I\ncan, in some place where he can never again offend my sight.\u201d In\nsaying this, he was going to leave us, but the master of the house\nstill detained him, and entreated him to relate to us the cause of\nthe aversion he had against the barber, who all this time kept his\neyes fixed on the ground, and was silent. We joined our entreaties\nto those of the master of the house, and at last the young man,\nyielding to our wishes, seated himself on the sofa, and began his\nhistory in these words; having first turned his back towards the\nbarber, lest he should see him.\n\n\u201cMy father, who lived in Bagdad, was of a rank to aspire to the\nhighest offices of state; but he preferred leading a quiet and\ntranquil life to all the honors he might deserve. I was his only\nchild, and when he died, I had completed my education, and was of an\nage to dispose of the large possessions he had bequeathed me. I did\nnot dissipate them in folly, but made such use of them as procured\nme the esteem of every one.\n\n\u201cI had not yet felt any tender passion, and far from being at all\nsensible to love, I will confess, perhaps to my shame, that I\ncarefully avoided the society of women. One day, as I was walking in\na street I saw a great number of ladies coming towards me; in order\nto avoid them, I turned into a little street that was before me, and\nsat down on a bench that was placed near a door. I was opposite to a\nwindow, where there was a number of very fine flowers, and my eyes\nwere fixed on them, when the window opened and a lady appeared,\nwhose beauty dazzled me. She cast her eyes on me, and watering the\nflowers, with a hand whiter than alabaster, she looked at me with a\nsmile, which inspired me with as much love for her as I had hitherto\nhad aversion towards the rest of her sex. After having watered her\nflowers, and bestowed on me another look full of charms, which\ncompleted the conquest of my heart, she shut the window, and left me\nin a state of pain and uncertainty which I cannot describe.\n\n\u201cI should have remained thus a considerable time, had not the\nnoise I heard in the street brought me to my senses again. I turned\nmy head as I got up, and saw, that it was one of the first cadis of\nthe city, mounted on a mule, and accompanied by five or six of his\npeople: he alighted at the door of the house where the young lady\nhad opened the window, and went in, which made me suppose he was her\nfather.\n\n\u201cI returned home in a state very different from that in which I\nhad left it: agitated by a passion so much the more violent from its\nbeing the first attack. I went to bed with a raging fever, which\ncaused great affliction in my household. My relations, who loved me,\nalarmed by so sudden an indisposition, came quickly to see me, and\nimportuned me to acquaint them of the cause, but I was very careful\nto keep it secret. My silence increased their alarms, nor could the\nphysicians dissipate their fears for my safety, because they knew\nnothing of my disease, which was only increased by the medicines\nthey administered.\n\n\u201cMy relations began to despair of my life, when an old lady of\ntheir acquaintance, being informed of my illness, arrived; she\nconsidered me with a great deal of attention, and after she had\nthoroughly examined me, she discovered, I know not by what chance,\nthe cause of my disorder. She took them aside, and begged them to\nleave her alone with me, and to order my people to retire.\n\n\u201cThe room being cleared, she seated herself near my pillow. \u2018My\nson,\u2019 said she, \u2018you have hitherto persisted in concealing the\ncause of your illness; nor do I require you to confess it; I have\nsufficient experience to penetrate into this secret, and I am sure\nyou will not disown what I am going to declare. It is love which\noccasions your indisposition. I can probably assist your cure,\nprovided you will tell me who is the happy lady that has been able\nto wound a heart so insensible as yours; for you have the reputation\nof not liking the ladies, and I have not been the last to perceive\nit; however, what I foresaw is at last come to pass, and I shall be\ndelighted if I can be of any service in releasing you from your\npain.\u2019\n\n\u201cThe old lady having finished this speech, waited to hear my\nanswer; but although it had made a strong impression on me, I did\nnot dare to open my heart to her. I only turned towards her, and\nuttered a deep sigh, without saying a word. \u2018Is it shame,\u2019\ncontinued she, \u2018that prevents you from speaking, or is it want of\nconfidence in my power to relieve you? Can you doubt the effects of\nmy promise? I could mention to you an infinite number of young\npeople of your acquaintance, who have endured the same pain that you\ndo; and for whom I have obtained consolation.\u2019\n\n\u201cIn short, the good lady said so many things to me, that at length\nI broke silence, and declared to her the cause of my pain. I\nacquainted her with the place where I had seen the object that had\ngiven birth to it; and related all the circumstances of the\nadventure. \u2018If you succeed,\u2019 continued I, \u2018and procure me the\nhappiness of seeing this enchanting beauty, and of expressing to her\nthe passion with which I burn, you may rely on my\ngratitude.\u2019--\u2018My son,\u2019 replied the old lady, \u2018I know the\nperson you mention; she is, as you justly suppose, the daughter of\nthe principal cadi in this city. I am not surprised that you should\nlove her; she is the most beautiful, as well as most amiable lady in\nBagdad; but what grieves me is, she is very haughty, and difficult\nof access. You know, that many of our officers of justice are very\nexact, in making women observe the harsh laws which subject them to\nso irksome a restraint; they are still more strict in their own\nfamilies, and the cadi you saw is himself alone more rigid on this\npoint than all the others put together. As they are continually\npreaching to their daughters the enormity of the crime of showing\nthemselves to men, the poor things are in general so cautious of\nbeing guilty of it, that, when necessity obliges them to walk in the\nstreets, they make no use of their eyes, but to guide them on their\nway; I do not say, that this is absolutely the case with the\ndaughter of the principal cadi; yet I am much afraid of having as\ngreat obstacles to overcome on her side, as on her father\u2019s. Would\nto Heaven you loved any other lady! I should not have so many\ndifficulties, as I foresee, to surmount. I will nevertheless employ\nall my address; but it will require time to succeed. At any rate\ntake courage, and place confidence in me.\u2019\n\n\u201cThe old lady left me, and as I reflected with anxiety on all the\nobstacles she had represented to me, the fear that she would not\nsucceed possessed me, and increased my disease. She returned the\nfollowing day, and I soon read in her countenance, that she had no\nfavourable intelligence to announce. She said, \u2018My son, I was not\nmistaken; I have more to surmount than merely the vigilance of a\nfather; you love an insensible object, who delights in letting those\nburn with unrequited passion, who suffer themselves to be charmed\nwith her beauty; she will not allow them the least relief; she\nlistened to me with pleasure, whilst I talked to her only of the\npain she made you suffer; but no sooner did I open my mouth, to\npersuade her to allow you an interview, than she cast an angry look\nat me, and said, \u2018You are very insolent to attempt to make such a\nproposition; and I desire you will never see me more, if it be only\nto hold such conversations as this!\n\n\u201c\u2018But let not that afflict you,\u2019 continued the old lady, \u2018I\nam not easily discouraged, and provided you do not lose your\npatience, I hope at last to accomplish my design.\u2019 Not to protract\nmy narration (said the young man) I will only say, that this good\nmessenger made several fruitless attempts in my favor, with the\nhaughty enemy of my peace. The vexation I endured, increased my\ndisorder to such a degree, that the physicians gave me over. I was,\ntherefore, considered as a man who was at the point at death, when\nthe old lady came to give me new life.\n\n\u201cThat no one might hear her, she whispered in my ear; \u2018Think of\nthe present you will make me for the good news I bring you.\u2019 These\nwords produced a wonderful effect; I raised myself in my bed, and\nreplied with transport, \u2018The present will not be deficient; what\nhave you to tell me?\u2019--\u2018My dear sir,\u2019 resumed she, \u2018you will\nnot die this time, and I shall soon have the pleasure of seeing you\nin perfect health, and well satisfied with me; yesterday being\nMonday, I went to the lady you are in love with, and found her in\nvery good humour; I at first put on a mournful countenance, uttered\nan abundance of sighs, and shed some tears. \u2018My good mother,\u2019\nsaid she, \u2018what is the matter? Why are you in such\naffliction?\u2019--\u2018Alas! my dear and honorable lady,\u2019 replied I,\n\u2018I am just come from the young gentleman I spoke to you of the\nother day; it is all over with him; he is at the point of death, and\nall for love of you; it is a great pity, I assure you, and you are\nvery cruel.\u2019--\u2018I do not know,\u2019 said she, \u2018why you should\naccuse me of being the cause of his death: how can I have\ncontributed to his illness?\u2019--\u2018How?\u2019 replied I, \u2018did I not\ntell you, that he seated himself before your window, just as you\nopened it to water your flowers? He beheld this prodigy of beauty,\nthese charms, which your mirror reflects every day; from that moment\nhe has languished for you, and his disease is so augmented, that he\nis now reduced to the pitiable state I have had the honor of\ndescribing to you. You may remember, madam,\u2019 continued I, \u2018how\nrigorously you treated me lately, when I was going to tell you of\nhis illness, and propose to you a method of relieving him from his\ndangerous condition; I returned to him after I left you, and he no\nsooner perceived, from my countenance, that I did not bring a\nfavorable account, than his malady redoubled its violence. From that\ntime, madam, he has been in the most imminent danger of death; and I\ndo not know, whether you could now save his life, even if you were\ninclined to take pity on him.\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018This was what I said to her,\u2019 added the old lady. \u2018The\nfear of your death staggered her, and I saw her face change colour.\n\u2018Is what you say to me quite true,\u2019 said she, \u2018and does his\nillness proceed only from his love of me?\u2019--\u2018Ah, madam,\u2019\nreplied I, \u2018it is but too true: would to heaven it were\nfalse!\u2019--\u2018And do you really think,\u2019 resumed she, \u2018that the\nhope of seeing and speaking to me could contribute to diminish the\nperil of his situation?\u2019--\u2018It very likely may,\u2019 said I, \u2018and\nif you desire me, I will try this remedy.\u2019--\u2018Well then,\u2019\nreplied she, sighing, \u2018let him hope that he may see me; but he\nmust not expect any other favors, unless he aspires to marry me, and\nmy father gives his consent!\u2019--\u2018Madam,\u2019 said I, \u2018you are\nvery good; I will go directly to this young gentleman, and announce\nto him, that he will have the pleasure of seeing and conversing with\nyou.\u2019--\u2018I do not know,\u2019 said she, \u2018that I can fix a more\nconvenient time to do him this favor than on Friday next, during the\nmid-day prayer. Let him observe when my father goes out to attend at\nthe mosque; and then let him come immediately before this house, if\nhe is well enough to go abroad. I shall see him arrive, from my\nwindow, and will come down to let him in. We will converse together\nwhile the prayer lasts, and he will retire before my father\nreturns.\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018This is Tuesday,\u2019 continued the old lady, \u2018between this\nand Friday you will be sufficiently recovered to encounter this\ninterview.\u2019 Whilst the good lady was talking, I felt my disorder\ndiminish, or rather by the time she had concluded her discourse, I\nfound myself quite recovered. \u2018Take this,\u2019 said I, giving her my\npurse, which was quite full, \u2018to you alone I owe my cure; I think\nthis money better employed than all I have given to the physicians,\nwho have done nothing but torment me during my illness.\u2019\n\n\u201cThe lady having left me, I found myself sufficiently strong to\nget up. My relations, delighted to see me so much better,\ncongratulated me on my recovery, and took their leave.\n\n\u201cFriday morning being arrived, the old lady came whilst I was\ndressing, and making choice of the handsomest dress my wardrobe\ncontained. \u2018I do not ask you,\u2019 said she, \u2018how you find\nyourself; the occupation you are engaged in sufficiently convinces\nme of what I am to think; but will not you bathe before you go to\nthe principal cadi\u2019s?\u2019--\u2018That would take up too much time,\u2019\nreplied I, \u2018I shall content myself with sending for a barber to\nshave my head and beard.\u2019 I then ordered one of my slaves to seek\none who was expert in his business, as well as expeditious.\n\n\u201cThe slave brought me this unlucky barber, who is here present.\nAfter having saluted me, he said, \u2018Sir, by your countenance you\nseem to be unwell.\u2019 I replied, that I was recovering from a very\nsevere illness. \u2018I wish God may preserve you from all kinds of\nevils,\u2019 continued he, \u2018and may his grace accompany you every\nwhere.\u2019--\u2018I hope he will grant this wish,\u2019 said I, \u2018for\nwhich I am much obliged to you.\u2019--\u2018As you are now recovering\nfrom illness,\u2019 resumed he, \u2018I pray God that he will preserve you\nin health. Now tell me what is your pleasure; I have brought my\nrazors and my lancets; do you wish me to shave or to bleed\nyou?\u2019--\u2018Did I not tell you,\u2019 returned I, \u2018that I am\nrecovering from illness? You may suppose, then, that I did not send\nfor you to bleed me. Be quick and shave me, and do not lose time in\ntalking, for I am in a hurry, and have an appointment precisely at\nnoon.\u2019\n\n\u201cThe barber employed a great deal of time in undoing his apparatus\nand preparing his razors; instead of putting some water into his\nbason, he drew out of his case a very nice astrolabe, went out of my\nroom, and walked into the middle of the court, with a sedate step,\nto take the height of the sun. He returned with the same gravity,\nand on entering the chamber, \u2018You will, no doubt, be glad to\nlearn, sir,\u2019 said he, \u2018that this Friday is the eighteenth day of\nthe moon of Safar, in the year six hundred and fifty three, [6]\nsince the retreat of our great prophet from Mecca to Medina, and in\nthe year seven thousand three hundred and twenty, [7] of the epoch\nof the great Iskander with the two horns; and that the conjunction\nof Mars and Mercury signifies, that you cannot choose a better time\nthan the present day and present hour to be shaved. But, on the\nother side, this conjunction forms a bad presage for you. It\ndemonstrates to me, that you in this day will encounter a great\ndanger; not indeed of losing your life, but of an inconvenience\nwhich will remain with you all your days; you ought to be obliged to\nme for advertising you to be careful of this misfortune; I should be\nsorry that it befel you.\u2019\n\n\u201cJudge, gentlemen, of my vexation, at having fallen in the way of\nthis chattering and ridiculous barber: what a mortifying delay for a\nlover, who was preparing for a tender meeting with his mistress! I\nwas quite exasperated. \u2018I care very little,\u2019 said I angrily,\n\u2018either for your advice or your predictions: I did not send for\nyou to consult you on astrology; you came here to shave me;\ntherefore either perform your office or take yourself away, that I\nmay send for another barber.\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018Sir,\u2019 replied he, in a tone so phlegmatic that I could\nscarcely contain myself, \u2018What reason have you to be angry? Do not\nyou know, that all barbers are not like me, and that you would not\nfind another such, even if you had him made on purpose. You only\nasked for a barber, and in my person are united the best barber of\nBagdad, an experienced physician, a profound chemist, a\nnever-failing astrologer, a finished grammarian, a perfect\nrhetorician, a subtle logician; a mathematician, thoroughly\naccomplished in geometry, arithmetic, astronomy, and in all the\nrefinements of algebra; an historian, who is acquainted with the\nhistory of all the kingdoms in the universe. Besides these sciences,\nI am well instructed in all the points of philosophy; and have my\nmemory well stored with all our laws and all our traditions. I am a\npoet, an architect; but what am I not? There is nothing in nature\nconcealed from me. Your late honored father, to whom I pay a tribute\nof tears every time I think of him, was fully convinced of my merit.\nHe loved me, caressed me, and never ceased quoting me in all\ncompanies, as the first man in the whole world. My gratitude and\nfriendship for him attaches me to you; and urges me to take you\nunder my protection, and insure you from all the misfortunes with\nwhich the planets may threaten you.\u2019\n\n\u201cAt this speech, notwithstanding my anger, I could not help\nlaughing. \u2018When do you mean to have done, impertinent\nchatterer,\u2019 cried I, \u2018and when do you intend to begin shaving\nme?\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018Sir,\u2019 replied the barber, \u2018you do me an injury by calling\nme a chatterer: every one, on the contrary, bestows on me the\nhonorable appellation of silent. I had six brothers, whom you might\nwith some reason have termed chatterers, and that you may be\nacquainted with them, the eldest was named Bacbouc, the second\nBakbarah, the third Bakbac, the fourth Alcouz, the fifth Alnaschar,\nand the sixth Shacabac. These were indeed most tiresome talkers, but\nI, who am the youngest of the family, am very grave and concise in\nmy discourses.\u2019\n\n\u201cPlace yourselves in my situation, gentlemen; what could I do with\nso cruel a tormentor? \u2018Give him three pieces of gold,\u2019 said I to\nthe slave who overlooked the expenses of my house, \u2018and send him\naway, that I may be at peace; I will not be shaved\nto-day.\u2019--\u2018Sir!\u2019 cried the barber, at hearing this, \u2018what am\nI to understand, sir, by these words? It was not I who came to seek\nyou; it was you who ordered me to come; and that being the case, I\nswear by the faith of a musselman, that I will not quit your house\ntill I have shaved you. If you do not know my worth, it is no fault\nof mine; your late honored father was more just to my merits. Every\ntime, when he sent for me to bleed him, he used to make me sit down\nby his side, and then it was delightful to hear the clever things I\nentertained him with. I kept him in continual admiration; I\nenchanted him; and when I had done, \u2018Ah!\u2019 cried he, \u2018you are\nan inexhaustible fund of science; no one can approach the\nprofoundness of your knowledge.\u2019--\u2018My dear sir,\u2019 I used to\nreply, \u2018you do me more honor than I deserve. If I say a good\nthing, I am indebted to you for the favorable hearing you are so\ngood as to grant me: it is your liberality that inspires me with\nthose sublime ideas which have the good fortune to meet your\napprobation.\u2019 One day, when he was quite charmed with an admirable\ndiscourse I had just concluded, \u2018Give him,\u2019 cried he, \u2018an\nhundred pieces of gold, and put him on one of my richest robes!\u2019 I\nreceived this present immediately; and at the same instant I drew\nout his horoscope, which I found to be one of the most fortunate in\nthe world. I carried the proofs of my gratefulness still farther,\nfor I cupped him instead of bleeding him with a lancet.\u2019\n\n\u201cHe did not stop here; he began another speech which lasted a full\nhalf hour. Fatigued with hearing him, and vexed at finding the time\npass without my getting forward, I knew not what more to say. \u2018No\nindeed,\u2019 at length I exclaimed, \u2018it is not possible that there\nshould exist, in the whole world, a man who takes greater delight in\nenraging people.\u2019\n\n\u201cI then thought I might succeed better by gentle means. \u2018In the\nname of God,\u2019 I said to him, \u2018leave off your fine speeches, and\nfinish with me quickly: I have an affair of the greatest importance,\nwhich obliges me to go out, as I have already told you.\u2019 At these\nwords he began to laugh. \u2018It would be very praiseworthy,\u2019 said\nhe, \u2018if our minds were always wise and prudent; however, I am\nwilling to believe, that, when you put yourself in a passion with\nme, it was your late illness which occasioned this change in your\ntemper; on this account, therefore, you are in need of some\ninstructions, and you cannot do better than follow the example of\nyour father and your grandfather: they used to come and consult me\nin all their affairs; and I may safely say, without vanity, that\nthey were always the better for my advice. Let me tell you, sir,\nthat a man scarcely ever succeeds in any enterprise, if he has not\nrecourse to the opinions of enlightened persons: no man becomes\nclever, says the proverb, unless he consults a clever man. I am\nentirely at your service, and you have only to command me.\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018Cannot I then persuade you,\u2019 interrupted I, \u2018to desist\nfrom these long speeches, which tend to no purpose but to distract\nmy head, and prevent me from keeping my appointment: shave me\ndirectly, or leave my house.\u2019 In saying this I arose, and angrily\nstruck my foot against the ground.\n\n\u201cWhen he saw that I was really exasperated with him, \u2018Sir,\u2019\nsaid he, \u2018do not be angry; we are going to begin directly.\u2019 In\nfact he washed my head, and began to shave me; but he had not made\nfour strokes with his razor, when he stopped to say, \u2018Sir, you are\nhasty; you should abstain from these gusts of passion, which only\ncome from the devil. Besides which, I deserve that you should have\nsome respect for me on account of my age, my knowledge, and my\nstriking virtues.\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018Go on shaving me,\u2019 said I, interrupting him again, \u2018and\nspeak no more,\u2019--\u2018That is to say,\u2019 replied he, \u2018that you\nhave some pressing affair on your hands; I\u2019ll lay a wager that I\nam not mistaken.\u2019--\u2018Why I told you so two hours ago,\u2019 returned\nI, \u2018you ought to have shaved me long since.\u2019--\u2018Moderate your\nardor,\u2019 replied he, \u2018perhaps you have not considered well of\nwhat you are going to do; when one does any thing precipitately, it\nis almost always a source of repentance. I wish you would tell me\nwhat this affair is, that you are in such haste about, and I will\ngive you my opinion on it: you have plenty of time, for you are not\nexpected till noon, and it will not be noon these three\nhours.\u2019--\u2018That is nothing to me,\u2019 said I, \u2018people of honor,\nwho keep their word, are always before the time appointed. But I\nperceive that in reasoning thus with you, I am imitating the faults\nof chattering barbers; finish shaving me quickly.\u2019\n\n\u201cThe more anxious I was for dispatch, the less so was he to obey\nme. He left his razor to take up his astrolabe; and when he put down\nhis astrolabe he took up his razor.\n\n\u201cHe got his astrolabe a second time, and left me half shaved to go\nand see what o\u2019clock it was precisely. He returned. \u2018Sir,\u2019\nsaid he, \u2018I was certain I was not mistaken; it wants three hours\nto noon, I am well assured, or all the rules of astronomy are\nfalse.\u2019--\u2018Gracious Heaven!\u2019 cried I, \u2018my patience is\nexhausted, I can hold out no longer. Cursed barber, ill-omen\u2019d\nbarber, I can hardly refrain from falling upon thee and strangling\nthee.\u2019--\u2018Softly sir,\u2019 said he coolly, and without showing any\nemotion and anger, \u2018you seem to have no fear of bringing on your\nillness again; do not be so passionate and you shall be shaved in a\nmoment.\u2019 Saying this he put the astrolabe in his case, took his\nrazor, which he sharpened on the strop that was fastened to his\ngirdle, and began to shave me; but whilst he was shaving he could\nnot help talking. \u2018If you would, sir,\u2019 said he, \u2018inform me\nwhat this affair is, that will engage you at noon, I would give you\nsome advice, which you might find serviceable.\u2019 To satisfy him, I\ntold him that some friends expected me at noon to regale me, and\nrejoice with me on my recovery.\n\n\u201cNo sooner had the barber heard me mention a feast, than he\nexclaimed, \u2018God bless you on this day as well as on every other;\nyou bring to my mind, that yesterday I invited four or five friends\nto come and regale with me to-day; I had forgotten it, and have not\nmade any preparations for them.\u2019--\u2018Let not that embarrass\nyou,\u2019 said I; \u2018although I am going out, my table is always well\nsupplied, and I make you a present of all that is intended for it\nto-day; I will also give you as much wine as you want, for I have\nsome excellent in my cellar; but then you must be quick in finishing\nto shave me; and remember that instead of making you presents to\nhear you talk, as my father did, I give them to you to be silent.\u2019\n\n\u201cHe was not content to rely on my word. \u2018May God recompense\nyou,\u2019 cried he, \u2018for the favor you do me; but show me directly\nthese provisions, that I may judge if there will be enough to regale\nmy friends handsomely; for I wish them to be satisfied with the good\ncheer I shall give them.\u2019--\u2018I have,\u2019 said I, \u2018a lamb, six\ncapons, a dozen of fowls, and sufficient for four courses.\u2019 I gave\norders to a slave to produce all that, together with four large jugs\nof wine. \u2018This is well,\u2019 replied the barber, \u2018but we shall\nwant some fruit, and something for sauce to the meat.\u2019 I desired\nwhat he wanted to be given him. He left off shaving me to examine\neach thing separately, and as this examination took up nearly half\nan hour, I stamped and swore; but I might amuse myself as I pleased,\nthe rascal did not hurry a bit the more. At length, however, he\nagain took up the razor and shaved for a few minutes, then stopping\nsuddenly, \u2018I should never have supposed, sir,\u2019 said he, \u2018that\nyou had been of so liberal a turn; I begin to discover, that your\nlate father, of honored memory, lives a second time in you;\ncertainly I did not deserve the favors you heap on me; and I assure\nyou, that I shall retain an eternal sense of the obligation; for,\nsir, that you may know it in future, I will tell you that I have\nnothing but what I get from generous people like yourself, in which\nI resemble Zantout, who rubs people at the bath, and Sali, who sells\nlittle burnt peas about the streets, and Salouz, who sells beans and\nAkerscha, who sells herbs, and Abou Mekares, who waters the streets\nto lay the dust, and Cassem, who belongs to the caliph\u2019s guard:\nall these people give no reception to melancholy; they are neither\nsorrowful nor quarrelsome; better satisfied with their fortune than\nthe caliph himself in the midst of his court, they are always gay\nand ready to dance and sing; and they have each their peculiar dance\nand song, with which they entertain the whole city of Bagdad; but\nwhat I esteem the most in them is, that they are none of them great\ntalkers any more than your slave, who has the honor of speaking to\nyou. Here, sir, I will give you the song and the dance of Zantout,\nwho rubs the people at the bath; look at me, and you will see an\nexact imitation.\u2019\n\n\u201cThe barber sung the song and danced the dance of Zantout, and\nnotwithstanding all I could say to make him cease his buffoonery, he\nwould not stop till he had imitated in the same way all those he had\nmentioned. After that, \u2018Sir,\u2019 said he, \u2018I am going to invite\nall these good people to my house, and if you will take my advice,\nyou will be of our party, and leave your friends, who are perhaps\ngreat talkers, and will only disturb you by their tiresome\nconversations, and will make you relapse into an illness still worse\nthan that from which you are just recovered; instead of which, at my\nhouse, you will only enjoy pleasure.\u2019\n\n\u201cNotwithstanding my anger, I could not avoid laughing at his\nfolly. \u2018I wish,\u2019 said I, \u2018that I had no other engagement, and\nI would gladly accept your proposal; I would with all my heart make\none of your jolly set, but I must entreat you to excuse me, I am too\nmuch engaged to-day; I shall be more at liberty another day, and we\nwill have this party: finish shaving me, and hasten to return, for\nperhaps your friends are already arrived.\u2019--\u2018Sir,\u2019 replied he,\n\u2018do not refuse me the favor I ask of you. Come and amuse yourself\nwith the good company I shall have; if you had once been with such\npeople, you would have been so pleased with them, that you would\ngive up your friends for them.\u2019--\u2018Say no more about it,\u2019 said\nI; \u2018I cannot be present at your feast.\u2019\n\n\u201cI gained nothing by gentleness. \u2018Since you will not come with\nme,\u2019 replied the barber, \u2018you must allow me then to accompany\nyou. I will go home with the provisions you have given me; my\nfriends shall eat of them if they like; and I will return\nimmediately. I cannot commit such an incivility as to suffer you to\ngo alone; you deserve this piece of complaisance on my\npart.\u2019--\u2018Good heaven,\u2019 exclaimed I, on hearing this,\u2019 am I\nthen condemned to bear this whole day so tormenting a creature! In\nthe name of the great God,\u2019 said I to him, \u2018finish your tiresome\nspeeches; go to your friends; eat and drink, and entertain\nyourselves, and leave me at liberty to go to mine. I will go alone,\nand do not want any one to accompany me; and indeed if you must know\nthe truth, the place where I am going is not one in which you can be\nreceived; I only can be admitted.\u2019--\u2018You are joking, sir,\u2019\nreplied he, \u2018if your friends have invited you to an entertainment,\nwhat reason can prevent me from accompanying you? You will give them\ngreat pleasure, I am sure, by taking with you a man like me, who has\nthe art of entertaining a company and making them merry. Say what\nyou will, sir, I am resolved to go in spite of you.\u2019\n\n\u201cThese words, gentlemen, threw me into the greatest embarrassment.\n\u2018How can I possibly contrive to get rid of this infernal\nbarber,\u2019 thought I to myself. \u2018If I continue obstinately to\ncontradict him, our contest will never be finished. I have already\nwaited till they have called the people to noon prayers for the\nfirst time,\u2019 and as it was now almost the moment to set out, I\ndetermined, therefore, not to answer him a single word, and to\nappear as if I agreed to every thing he said. He finished shaving\nme, and he had no sooner done, than I said to him, \u2018Take some of\nmy people with you to carry these provisions home; then return here;\nI will wait, and not go without you.\u2019\n\n\u201cHe then went out, and I finished dressing myself as quickly as\npossible. I only waited till they called to prayers for the last\ntime, when I hastened to commence my expedition; but this malicious\nbarber, who seemed aware of my intentions, was satisfied with\naccompanying my people only within sight of his own house, and\nseeing them go in. He afterwards concealed himself at the corner of\nthe street, to observe and follow me. In short, when I got to the\ndoor of the cadi, I turned round, and perceived him at the end of\nthe street. This sight put me into the greatest rage.\n\n\u201cThe cadi\u2019s door was half open, and when I went in, I saw the\nold lady who was waiting for me, and who, as soon as she had shut\nthe door, conducted me to the apartment of the young lady with whom\nI was so much in love. But I had hardly began to enter into any\nconversation with her, before we heard a great noise in the street.\nThe young lady ran to the window, and looking through the blinds,\nperceived that it was the cadi, her father, who was already\nreturning from prayers. I looked out at the same time, and saw the\nbarber seated exactly opposite, and on the same bench from whence I\nhad beheld the lady the first time.\n\n\u201cI had now two subjects for alarm, the arrival of the cadi, and\nthe presence of the barber. The young lady dissipated my fears on\nthe first, by telling me, that her father very rarely came up into\nher apartment; and as she had foreseen, that such an interruption\nmight take place, she had prepared the means for my escape, in case\nof necessity; but the indiscretion of that unlucky barber caused me\ngreat uneasiness, and you will soon perceive that this disquietude\nwas not without foundation.\n\n\u201cAs soon as the cadi was returned home he himself inflicted the\nbastinado on a slave who had deserved it. The slave uttered loud\ncries, which were distinguishable even in the street. The barber\nthought I was the person whom they were treating ill, and that these\nwere my cries. Fully persuaded of this, he began to call out as loud\nas he could, to tear his clothes, throw dust upon his head, and call\nfor help to all the neighbours, who soon ran out to him. They\ninquired what was the matter, and what assistance they could give\nhim. \u2018Alas!\u2019 cried he, \u2018they are assassinating my master, my\ndear lord,\u2019 and without saying another word, he ran to my house,\ncrying out in the same way, and returned, followed by all my\nservants armed with sticks. They knocked furiously at the door of\nthe cadi, who sent a slave to know what the noise was about; but the\nslave, quite frightened, returned to his master, \u2018My lord,\u2019 said\nhe, \u2018above ten thousand men will come into your house by force,\nand are already beginning to break open the door.\u2019\n\n\u201cThe cadi ran himself to the door, and inquired what they wanted.\nHis venerable appearance did not inspire my people with any respect,\nand they insolently addressed him, \u2018Cursed cadi! you dog! for what\nreason are you going to murder our master? What has he done to\nyou?\u2019--\u2018My good people,\u2019 replied the cadi, \u2018why should I\nmurder your master, whom I do not know, and who has never offended\nme? My door is open, you may come in and search my house.\u2019--\u2018You\nhave given him the bastinado,\u2019 said the barber, \u2018I heard his\ncries not a minute ago.\u2019--\u2018But,\u2019 replied the cadi, \u2018as I\nsaid before, in what can your master have offended me, that I should\nill-treat him thus? Is he in my house? and if he is, how could he\nget in, or who could have introduced him?\u2019--\u2018You will not make\nme believe you, with your great beard, you wicked cadi,\u2019 resumed\nthe barber, \u2018I know what I say. Your daughter loves our master,\nand appointed a meeting in your house during the mid-day prayers;\nyou no doubt received information of it, and returned quickly; you\nsurprised him here, and ordered your slaves to give him the\nbastinado; but this wicked action shall not remain unpunished; the\ncaliph shall be informed of it, and will execute a severe and speedy\nsentence on you. Give him his liberty, and let him come out\ndirectly, otherwise we will go in and take him from you to your\nshame.\u2019--\u2018There is no occasion to say so much about it,\u2019 said\nthe cadi, \u2018nor to make such a bustle; if what you say is true, you\nhave only to go in and search for him; I give you full\npermission.\u2019 The cadi had scarcely spoken these words, when the\nbarber and my people burst into the house, like a set of furious\nmadmen, and began to seek for me in every corner.\n\n\u201cAs I heard every thing the barber said to the cadi, I endeavoured\nto find out some place to conceal myself in. I was unable to\ndiscover any other than a large empty chest, into which I\nimmediately got, and shut the lid down upon me. After the barber had\nsearched every other place, he did not fail coming into the\napartment where I was. He went directly to the chest, and opened it;\nand as soon as he perceived that I was in it, he took it up and\ncarried it away upon his head. He descended from the top of the\nstaircase, which was very high, into a court, through which he\nquickly passed, and at last reached the street-door.\n\n\u201cAs he was carrying me along the street, the lid of the chest\nunfortunately opened: I had not resolution enough to bear the shame\nand disgrace of being thus exposed to the populace who followed us;\nI jumped down, therefore, into the street in such a hurry, that I\nhurt myself violently, and have been lame ever since. I did not at\nfirst perceive the full extent of my misfortune; I therefore made\nhaste to get up and run away from the people who were laughing at\nme. At the same time, I scattered a handful or two of gold and\nsilver, with which I had filled my purse, and while they were\nstopping to pick it up, I made my escape by passing through several\nprivate streets. But the cursed barber, taking advantage of the\ntrick which I had made use of to get rid of the crowd, followed me\nso closely, that he never once lost sight of me; and all the time he\ncontinued calling aloud, \u2018Stop, sir, why do you run so fast? You\nknow not how much I have felt for you, on account of the ill usage\nyou have received from the cadi; and well I might, as you have been\nso generous to me and my friends, and we are under such obligations\nto you. Did I not truly inform you, that you would endanger your\nlife through your obstinacy in not suffering me to accompany you?\nAll this has happened to you through your own fault; and I know not\nwhat would have become of you, if I had not obstinately determined\nto follow you, and observe which way you went. Where then, my lord,\nare you running? Pray wait for me.\u2019\n\n\u201cIt was in this manner that the unlucky barber kept calling out to\nme all through the street. He was not satisfied with having\nscandalized me so completely in the quarter of the town where the\ncadi resided, but seemed to wish that the whole city should become\nacquainted with my disgrace. This put me into such a rage, that I\ncould have stopped and strangled him, but that would only have\nincreased my distraction. I therefore went another way to work. As I\nperceived, that by his calling out, the eyes of every one were\nattracted towards me, some looking out of the windows, and others\nstopping in the street to stare at me; I went into a khan, [8] the\nmaster of which was known to me. I found him indeed at the door,\nwhere the noise and uproar had brought him. \u2018In the name of\nGod,\u2019 I cried, \u2018do me the favor to prevent that mad fellow from\nfollowing me in here.\u2019 He not only promised me to do so, but he\nkept his word; although it was not without great difficulty: for the\nobstinate barber attempted to force an entrance in spite of him. Nor\ndid he retire before he uttered a thousand abusive words: and he\ncontinued to tell every one he met, till he reached his own house,\nthe very great service he pretended to have done me.\n\n\u201cIt was thus that I got rid of this tiresome man. The master of\nthe khan then entreated me to give him an account of my adventure. I\ndid so; after which I asked him, in my turn, to let me have an\napartment in his house till I was quite cured. \u2018You will be much\nbetter accommodated, sir,\u2019 he said, \u2018in your own house.\u2019--\u2018I\ndo not wish to return there,\u2019 I answered, \u2018for that detestable\nbarber will not fail to find me out, I shall then be pestered with\nhim every day; and it would absolutely kill me with vexation, to\nhave him constantly before my eyes. Besides, after what has happened\nto me this day, I am determined not to remain any longer in this\ncity. I will wander wherever my ill-stars may direct me.\u2019 In\nshort, as soon as I was cured, I took as much money as I thought\nwould be sufficient for my journey, and gave the remainder of my\nfortune to my relations.\n\n\u201cI then set out from Bagdad, gentlemen, and arrived here. I had\nevery reason, at least to hope that I should not have met with this\nmischievous barber, in a country so distant from my own; and I now\ndiscover him in your company. Be not therefore surprised at my\nanxiety and eagerness to retire. You may judge of the painful\nsensations the sight of this man causes me, by whose means I became\nlame, and was reduced to the dreadful necessity of giving up my\nrelations, my friends, and my country.\u201d\n\nHaving made this speech, the lame young man got up and went out. The\nmaster of the house conducted him to the door, assuring him, that it\ngave him great pain to have been the cause, though innocently, of so\ngreat a mortification.\n\nWhen the young man was gone, (continued the tailor,) we still\nremained very much astonished at his history. We cast our eyes\ntowards the barber, and told him, that he had done wrong; if what we\nhad just heard was true. \u201cGentlemen,\u201d answered he, raising his\nhead, which he had till now kept towards the ground, \u201cthe silence,\nwhich I have imposed upon myself, while this young man was telling\nyou his story, ought to prove to you, that he has advanced nothing\nthat was not the fact; notwithstanding, however, all that he has\ntold you, I still maintain that I ought to have done what I did; and\nI leave you yourselves to judge of it. Was he not thrown into a\nsituation of great danger, and without my assistance would he so\nfortunately have escaped from it? He may, indeed, think himself very\nhappy to have got free from it with only a lame leg. Was I not\nexposed to a much greater danger, in order to get him from a house\nwhere I thought he was so ill treated? Has he then reason to\ncomplain of me, and to attack me with so many injurious reproaches?\nYou see what we get by serving ungrateful people. He accuses me of\nbeing a chatterer: it is mere calumny. Of seven brothers, of whom\nour family consists, I am the very one who speaks least, and yet who\npossesses the most wit. In order to convince you of it, Gentlemen, I\nhave only to relate their history and my own to you. I entreat you\nto favour me with your attention.\n\n\n\n\nTHE HISTORY\nOF THE BARBER.\n\n\nDuring the reign of the Caliph Mostanser Billah, [9] a prince so\nfamous for his great liberality towards the poor, there were ten\nrobbers, who very much infested the roads in the neighbourhood of\nBagdad; and were for a long time guilty of great depredations and\nhorrible cruelties. The caliph having been informed of this great\noutrage, ordered the judge of the police some days before the feast\nof Bairam to come to him: and commanded him, under pain of death, to\nbring them all ten before him. The judge of the police was very\nactive; and sent out so many of his men into the country, that the\nten robbers were taken on the very day of the feast. I happened to\nbe walking at that time on the banks of the Tigris, where I observed\nten very well dressed men, who embarked on board a boat. I should\nhave known that they had been robbers, if I had paid any attention\nto the guard who accompanied them: but I observed only the robbers\nthemselves; and thinking that they were men, who were going to enjoy\nthemselves and pass this day in festivity, I got into the boat at\nthe same time with them, without saying a word; in hopes that they\nwould suffer me to accompany them. We rowed down the Tigris, and\nthey made us land at the caliph\u2019s palace. By this time, I had an\nopportunity of recollecting myself; and perceiving that I had formed\na wrong opinion of my companions. When we got out of the boat, we\nwere surrounded by a fresh party of the guards belonging to the\njudge of the police, who bound us and carried us before the caliph.\nI suffered myself to be bound like the rest, still without saying a\nword: for what use would it have been to me, either to have\nremonstrated, or to have made any resistance? It would only have\nbeen the cause of my being ill-treated by the guards, who would have\npaid no attention to me; for they are brutes, who will not hear\nreason. I was, in fact, with the robbers, and that was quite enough\nfor them to believe, that I really was one.\n\nAs soon as we were come before the caliph, he ordered these ten\nrascals to be punished. \u201cStrike off,\u201d said he, \u201cthe heads of\nthese ten robbers. The executioner immediately ranged us in a line\nwithin reach of his arm, and fortunately I was the very last. He\nthen, beginning with the first, struck off the heads of the ten\nrobbers; but when he came to me he stopped. The caliph observing,\nthat the executioner did not cut off my head, called out in anger,\n\u201cHave I not ordered thee to cut off the heads of the ten robbers?\nWhy then hast thou cut off only nine?\u201d--\u201cCommander of the\nFaithful,\u201d replied the executioner, \u201cGod forbid, that I should\nnot execute your majesty\u2019s orders. You may see here ten bodies on\nthe ground, and as many heads, which I have cut off.\u201d He then\ncounted them. When the caliph himself saw that the executioner was\nright, he looked at me with astonishment; and finding that I did not\npossess the countenance of a robber,--\u201cMy good old man,\u201d said\nhe, \u201cby what accident were you found among these wretches, who\ndeserved a thousand deaths?\u201d--\u201cCommander of the Faithful,\u201d I\nreplied, \u201cI will tell you the absolute truth: I this morning saw\nthese ten persons, whose punishment is an illustrious proof of your\nmajesty\u2019s justice, get into a boat: being fully persuaded, that\nthey were people, who were going to enjoy themselves in a party to\ncelebrate this day, which is the most distinguished of our religion,\nI embarked with them.\u201d\n\nThe caliph could not help laughing at my adventure; and, quite\ncontrary to the lame young man, who treated me as a babbler, he\nadmired my discretion and power of keeping silence. \u201cCommander of\nthe Faithful,\u201d said I to him, \u201clet not your majesty be\nastonished, if I hold my tongue upon any occasion, when another\nperson would have been most anxious to have spoken. I make it my\nparticular study to practise silence, and it is from the possession\nof this virtue, that I have acquired the glorious title of the\nsilent man. I am called thus, in order to distinguish me from six\nbrothers of mine. It is an art, which my philosophy has taught me;\nin short, this virtue is the cause of all my glory and my\nhappiness.\u201d--\u201cI heartily rejoice,\u201d answered the caliph,\nsmiling, \u201cthat they have bestowed a title upon you, of which you\nmake so excellent a use. But inform me what sort of men your\nbrothers were: did they at all resemble you?\u201d--\u201cNot in the\nleast;\u201d I answered, \u201cthey were every one chatterers; and in\nperson there was the greatest difference between us. The first was\nhunch-backed; the second was toothless; the third had but one eye;\nthe fourth was quite blind; the fifth had his ears cut off: the\nsixth was hare-lipped. The various adventures which happened to them\nwould enable your majesty to judge of their characters, if I might\nhave the honour to relate them.\u201d As I thought the caliph wished\nfor nothing better than to hear them, I went on without waiting for\nhis answer.\n\n\n\n\nTHE STORY\nOF THE BARBER\u2019S FIRST BROTHER.\n\n\nMy eldest brother, Sire, who was called Bacbouc the hunchback, was a\ntailor by trade. As soon as his apprenticeship was finished, he\nhired a shop, which happened to be opposite a mill; and as he had\nnot yet got a great deal of business, he found some difficulty in\ngetting a livelihood. The miller, on the contrary, was very\ncomfortably off; and had also a very beautiful wife. As my brother\nwas one morning working in his shop, he happened to look up and\nperceived the window of the mill open, and the miller\u2019s wife\nlooking into the street. He thought her so very handsome, that he\nwas quite enchanted with her; she, however, paid not the least\nattention to him, but shut the window, and did not make her\nappearance any more that day.\n\nIn the mean time the poor tailor did nothing but lift up his head,\nand kept looking towards the mill all the time he was at work. The\nconsequence was, that he pricked his fingers very often, and his\nwork was not that day so neat and regular as usual. When the evening\ncame, and he was forced to shut up his shop, he had hardly\nresolution to set about it, because he still hoped he should again\nsee the miller\u2019s wife. It was, however, at length absolutely\nnecessary for him to shut it up and retire to his small house, where\nhe passed a very bad night. The next morning he got up very early,\nand ran to his shop; so impatient was he to behold his mistress. But\nhe was not more fortunate than the day before, for the miller\u2019s\nwife looked out only for one instant during the whole day. That\ninstant, however, was quite sufficient to render him the most\namorous of men. On the third he had, indeed, more reason to be\nsatisfied, for the miller\u2019s wife accidentally cast her eyes upon\nhim, and actually surprised him attentively surveying her; this\nreadily informed her of what passed in his bosom.\n\nShe had no sooner thus got acquainted with his sentiments, than she\nresolved, instead of being angry or vexed at it, to amuse herself\nwith my brother. She looked at him with a smiling air, which he\nreturned in the same manner, but so humourously, that she was\nobliged to shut the window as quick as possible, for fear her loud\nfits of laughter should make him suppose she was turning him into\nridicule. Bacbouc was so innocent, that he interpreted this conduct\nin his own favour; and flattered himself, that she had looked upon\nhim with pleasure.\n\nThe miller\u2019s wife then resolved to gratify her inclination for\nhumour at my brother\u2019s expence. She happened to have a piece of\nhandsome stuff, which she had for a long time intended to have made\ninto a dress. She wrapped it up therefore in a beautiful\nhandkerchief, embroidered with silk, and sent it to the tailor by a\nyoung female slave of hers. This slave being instructed for the\npurpose, came to his shop, and said, \u201cMy mistress sends her\nsalutations to you, and desires you to make a dress out of this\npiece of stuff that I have brought, according to the pattern that is\nalong with it. She very often alters her dress, and you will be very\nwell pleased with her custom. My brother did not for a moment doubt\nbut that the miller\u2019s wife was in love with him. He thought that\nshe had given him this employment so soon after what had passed\nbetween them, only to show that she was well acquainted with the\nstate of his heart, and to assure him of the progress he had made in\nher affections. Impressed with this good opinion of himself, he\ndesired the slave to tell her mistress, that he would put aside\nevery other business for hers, and that the dress should be ready by\nthe next morning. He worked, in short, with so much diligence and\nassiduity, that the dress was finished that very day.\n\nThe next morning the young slave came to see if the dress was\nfinished. Bacbouc immediately gave it her, neatly folded up, and\nsaid, \u201cI have too great an interest to oblige your mistress to\nneglect her dress; and I wish, by my diligence, to persuade her to\nemploy no one else but myself.\u201d The slave then walked a few steps,\nas if she was going away; but suddenly turning back, she said in a\nlow voice to my brother, \u201cI had nearly forgotten, by the by, to\nexecute one of my commissions; my mistress charged me to make her\ncompliments to you, and to ask you how you had passed the night; as\nfor her, she, poor lady, is so much in love with you that she has\nnot slept a wink.\u201d--\u201cTell her,\u201d answered my poor simpleton of\na brother, in a transport, \u201cthat my passion for her is so violent,\nI have not closed my eyes these four nights.\u201d After this kind\nspeech from the miller\u2019s wife, he flattered himself she would not\nlet him languish a long time in expectation only of her favors.\n\nThe slave had not left my brother above a quarter of an hour, before\nhe saw her return with a piece of satin. \u201cMy mistress,\u201d said\nshe, \u201cis quite satisfied with her dress, which fits her as well as\npossible; but as it is very handsome, and she is desirous of wearing\nit only with a new pair of drawers, she entreats you to make her a\npair as soon as possible, out of this piece of satin.\u201d--\u201cIt is\nsufficient,\u201d answered Bacbouc, \u201cit shall be done before I leave\nmy shop to-day; and you have only to come and fetch it in the\nevening.\u201d The miller\u2019s wife showed herself very often to my\nbrother from the window, and was prodigal of her charms in order to\nencourage him to work. It was quite a treat to see him stitching.\nThe drawers were soon made, and the slave came to take them; but she\nbrought the tailor no money, either for what he had laid out in the\ntrimmings for both the dress and the drawers, or to pay him for\nmaking of either. In the mean time this unfortunate lover, who thus\ndiverted them, without knowing he was made a fool of, had eaten\nnothing the whole of that day; and was obliged to borrow some money\nto purchase a supper.\n\nThe day following, as soon as he was come to his shop, the young\nslave came to him, and told him the miller wished to speak to him.\n\u201cMy mistress,\u201d added she, \u201chas shown him your work, and has\nsaid so much in your favor, that he also wants you to work for him.\nShe has acted thus, because she wishes that the intercourse and\nconnection which thus will be formed between you and him, should be\na means of enabling you both to succeed in what you so much desire.\nMy brother was easily persuaded of this, and went with the slave to\nthe mill. The miller gave him a good reception, and showing him a\npiece of cloth, \u201cI have occasion,\u201d said he, \u201cfor some shirts,\nand wish you to make me twenty out of this piece of cloth: if there\nbe any remain you will bring it back.\u201d\n\nMy brother was obliged to work for five or six days before he\nfinished the twenty shirts for the miller; who, immediately after,\ngave him another piece of cloth to make him as many pair of drawers.\nWhen they were finished, Bacbouc carried them to the miller, who\nasked him what was his demand for his trouble. My brother upon this\nsaid, that he should be satisfied with twenty drachms of silver. The\nmiller immediately called the young slave, and ordered her to bring\nthe scales, to see if the money he was going to pay was weight. The\nslave, who knew her part, looked at my brother angrily, to make him\nunderstand, that he would spoil every thing if he received the\nmoney. He understood her very well; and therefore refused to take\nany of the silver, although he was so much in want of it, that he\nhad been obliged to borrow some in order to purchase the thread,\nwith which he had made the shirts and the drawers. When he left the\nmiller, he came directly to me, and entreated me to lend him a\ntrifle to buy some food, telling me that his customers did not pay\nhim. I gave him some copper money which I had in my purse, upon\nwhich he lived for some days. It is true, he eat only broth, nor\neven with that did he ever get a sufficient meal.\n\nMy brother one day went into the miller\u2019s, who was busy about his\nmill; and thinking my brother might come to ask for his money, he\noffered it him: but the young slave, who was present, again, by\nsigns to him, prevented his accepting any, and made him tell the\nmiller in answer, that he did not come on that account, but only to\ninquire after his health. The miller thanked him for his kindness,\nand gave him an outside robe to make. Bacbouc brought it home the\nnext day: when the miller took out his purse: but the young slave\ncoming in at that moment, looked at my brother, who then said to the\nmiller; \u201cThere is no hurry, neighbour, we will settle the business\nanother time.\u201d Thus the poor dupe returned to his shop with three\ngreat evils; he was in love, he was hungry, and he was pennyless.\n\nThe miller\u2019s wife was both avaricious and wicked. She was not\nsatisfied with preventing my brother from receiving what was due to\nhim, but she excited her husband to revenge himself for the love\nwhich the tailor professed for her; the means which they took were\nthe following. The miller invited Bacbouc one evening to supper; and\nafter having treated him with but indifferent fare, he thus\naddressed him: \u201cIt is too late, brother, for you to return home;\nyou had much better, therefore, sleep here.\u201d After having thus\nspoken, he showed him a place where there was a bed; and having left\nhim there, he returned, and went with his wife to the room where\nthey were accustomed to sleep. In the middle of the night the miller\ncame back to my brother, he called out to him, \u201care you asleep,\nneighbour? My mule is taken suddenly ill, and I have a great deal of\ncorn to grind; you will therefore do me a very great favor if you\nwould turn the mill in his place.\u201d To prove to him that he was a\nman willing to oblige him, he answered that he was ready to render\nhim this service if he would only show him how he was to set about\nit. The miller then fastened him by the middle of his body, like a\nmule, to make him turn the mill; and immediately giving him a good\ncut upon the loins with the whip, \u201cGet on neighbour,\u201d he cried.\n\u201cWhy do you strike me?\u201d answered my brother.--\u201cIt is only to\nencourage you;\u201d replied the miller, \u201cfor without that my mule\nwill not stir a step.\u201d Bacbouc was astonished at this treatment;\nnevertheless he durst not complain of it. When he had gone five or\nsix rounds, he wished to rest himself, but the miller immediately\ngave him a dozen sharp cuts with the whip; calling out, \u201cCourage\nneighbour, don\u2019t stop, I entreat you: you must go on without\ntaking breath, otherwise you will spoil my flour.\u201d\n\nThe miller thus obliged my brother to turn the mill during the rest\nof the night. And as soon as daylight appeared, he went away without\nunfastening him, and returned to his wife\u2019s chamber. Bacbouc\nremained some time in this situation. At last the young slave came,\nwho untied him; \u201cAlas! how my good mistress and myself have pitied\nyou,\u201d cried the cunning slave, \u201cwe are not at all to blame for\nwhat you have suffered; we have had no share in the wicked trick\nwhich her husband has played you.\u201d The unfortunate Bacbouc\nanswered not a word, so much was he fatigued and bruised with the\nbeating. He got, however, back to his own house, and firmly resolved\nto think no more of the miller\u2019s wife. The recital of this\nhistory, continued the barber, made the caliph laugh, \u201cGo,\u201d said\nhe to me, \u201creturn home; they shall give you something, by my\norder, to console you for having lost the festivities which you\nexpected.\u201d--\u201cCommander of the Faithful,\u201d replied I, \u201cI\nentreat your majesty not to think of giving me any thing till I have\nrelated the histories of my other brothers.\u201d The caliph having\nshown, by his silence, that he was disposed to listen to me, I\ncontinued as follows:\n\n\n\n\nTHE HISTORY\nOF THE BARBER\u2019S SECOND BROTHER.\n\n\nMy second brother, who was called Bakbarah, the toothless, walking\none day through the city, met an old woman in a retired street. She\nthus accosted him. \u201cI have,\u201d said she, \u201ca word to say to you,\nif you will stay a moment.\u201d He immediately stopped, and asked her\nwhat she wished. \u201cIf you have time to go with me,\u201d she replied,\n\u201cI will carry you to a most magnificent palace, where you shall\nsee a lady more beautiful than the day. She will receive you with a\ngreat deal of pleasure; and will treat you with a collation and\nexcellent wine. I have no occasion, I believe, to say any\nmore.\u201d--\u201cBut is what you tell me,\u201d replied my brother,\n\u201ctrue?\u201d--\u201cI am not given to lying,\u201d replied the old woman.\n\u201cI propose nothing to you but what is the fact. You must, however,\npay attention to what I require of you. You must be prudent, speak\nlittle, and you must comply with every thing.\u201d Bakbarah having\nagreed to the conditions, she walked on before, and he followed her.\nThey arrived at the gate of a large palace, where there were a great\nnumber of officers and servants. Some of them wished to stop my\nbrother, but the old woman no sooner spoke to them, than they let\nhim pass. She then turned to my brother and said, \u201cRemember, that\nthe young lady to whose house I have brought you, is fond of\nmildness and modesty; nor does she like being contradicted. If you\nsatisfy her in this, there is no doubt but you will obtain from her\nwhatever you wish.\u201d Bakbarah thanked her for this advice, and\npromised to profit by it.\n\nShe then carried him into a very beautiful apartment, which formed\npart of a square building. It corresponded with the magnificence of\nthe palace: there was a gallery all round it; and in the midst of it\nwas a very fine garden. The old woman made him sit down on a sofa\nthat was handsomely furnished; and desired him to wait there a\nmoment, till she went to inform the young lady of his arrival.\n\nAs my brother had never before been in so superb a place, he\nimmediately began to observe all the beautiful things that were in\nsight; and judging of his good fortune by the magnificence he\nbeheld, he could hardly contain his joy. He almost immediately heard\na great noise, which came from a long troop of slaves, who were\nenjoying themselves, and came towards him, bursting out at the same\ntime into violent fits of laughter. In the midst of them he\nperceived a young lady of most extraordinary beauty, whom he\ndiscovered to be their mistress, by the attention they paid her.\nBakbarah, who expected merely a private conversation with the lady,\nwas very much surprised at the arrival of so large a company. In the\nmean time, the slaves putting on a serious air, approached him; and\nwhen the young lady was near the sofa, my brother, who had risen up,\nmade a most profound reverence. She took the seat of honor, and\nthen, having requested him to resume his, she said to him in a\nsmiling manner:--\u201cI am delighted to see you, and wish you every\nthing you can yourself desire.\u201d--\u201cMadam,\u201d replied Bakbarah,\n\u201cI cannot wish a greater honor than that of appearing before\nyou.\u201d--\u201cYou seem to me,\u201d she replied, \u201cof so good-humoured a\ndisposition, that we shall pass our time very agreeably together.\n\nShe immediately ordered a collation, to be served up; and they\ncovered the table with baskets of various fruits and sweetmeats. She\nthen sat down at the table along with my brother and the slaves. As\nit happened that he was placed directly opposite to her, as soon as\nhe opened his mouth to eat, she observed he had no teeth; she\nremarked this to her slaves, and they all laughed immoderately at\nit. Bakbarah, who from time to time raised his head to look at the\nlady, and saw that she was laughing, imagined it was from the\npleasure she felt at being in his company; and flattered himself,\ntherefore, that she would soon order the slaves to retire, and that\nhe should enjoy her conversation in private. The lady easily guessed\nhis thoughts, and took a pleasure in continuing a delusion which\nseemed so agreeable to him: she said a thousand soft tender things\nto him; she presented the best of every thing to him with her own\nhand.\n\nWhen the collation was finished, she arose from table: ten slaves\ninstantly took some musical instruments, and began to play and sing;\nthe others to dance. In order to make himself the more agreeable, my\nbrother also began dancing, and the young lady herself partook of\nthe amusement. After they had danced for sometime, they all sat down\nto take breath. The lady ordered them to bring her a glass of wine,\nthen cast a smile at my brother, to intimate that she was going to\ndrink his health. He instantly rose up and stood while she drank. As\nsoon as she had finished, instead of returning the glass, she had it\nfilled again, and presented it to my brother, that he might pledge\nher.\n\nBakbarah took the glass, and in receiving it from the young lady, he\nkissed her hand; then drank to her, standing the whole time, to show\nhis gratitude for the favor she had done him. After this, the young\nlady made him sit down by her side, and began to give him signs of\naffection. She put her arm round his neck, and frequently gave him\ngentle pats with her hand. Delighted with these favors, he thought\nhimself the happiest man in the world; he also was tempted to begin\nto play in the same manner with this charming person, but he durst\nnot take this liberty before the slaves, who had their eyes upon\nhim, and who continued to laugh at this trifling. The young lady\nstill kept giving him such gentle taps; at last she began to apply\nthem so forcibly, that he grew angry at it. He reddened, and got up\nto sit further from so rude a playfellow. At this moment, the old\nwoman who had brought my brother there, looked at him in such a way\nas to make him understand that he was wrong, and had forgotten the\nadvice she had before given him. He acknowledged his fault; and to\nrepair it, he again approach the young lady, pretending that he had\nnot gone to a distance through anger. She then took hold of him by\nthe arm, and drew him towards her; making him again sit down close\nby her, and continuing to bestow a thousand pretended caresses on\nhim. Her slaves, whose only aim was to divert her, began to take a\npart in the sport. One of them gave poor Bakbarah a fillip on the\nnose with all her strength; another pulled his ears almost off,\nwhile the rest kept giving him slaps; which passed the limits of\nraillery and fun.\n\nMy brother bore all this with the most exemplary patience: he even\naffected an air of gaiety; and looked at the old woman with a forced\nsmile. \u201cYou were right,\u201d said he, \u201cwhen you said that I should\nfind a very fine, agreeable, and charming young lady. How much am I\nobliged to you for it!\u201d--\u201cOh, this is nothing yet,\u201d replied\nthe old woman, \u201clet her alone, and you will see a very different\nthing by and by.\u201d--The young lady then spoke: \u201cYou are a brave\nman,\u201d said she to my brother, \u201cand I am delighted at finding in\nyou so much kindness and complaisance towards all my little\nfooleries, and that you possess a disposition so conformable to\nmine.\u201d--\u201cMadam,\u201d replied Bakbarah, ravished with this speech,\n\u201cI am no longer myself, but am entirely at your disposal; you have\nfull power to do with me as you please.\u201d--\u201cYou afford me the\ngreatest happiness,\u201d added the lady, \u201cby showing so much\nsubmission to my inclination. I am perfectly satisfied with you; and\nI wish that you should be equally so with me. Bring,\u201d cried she to\nthe attendants, \u201cperfumes and rose-water.\u201d At these words two\nslaves went out and instantly returned, one with a silver vase, in\nwhich there was exquisite aloe-wood, with which she perfumed him,\nand the other with rose-water, which she sprinkled over his face and\nhands. My brother could not contain himself for joy, at seeing\nhimself so handsomely and honorably treated.\n\nWhen this ceremony was finished, the young lady commanded the\nslaves, who had before sung and played, to recommence their\nconcerts. They obeyed, and while this was going on, the lady called\nanother slave, and ordered her to take my brother with her, saying,\n\u201cyou know what to do, and when you have finished, return with him\nto me.\u201d Bakbarah, who heard this order given, immediately got up,\nand going towards the old woman, who had also risen to accompany the\nslave, he requested her to tell him what they wished him to do.\n\u201cOur mistress,\u201d replied she, in a whisper, \u201cis extremely\ncurious; and she wishes to see how you would look disguised as a\nfemale; this slave, therefore, has orders to take you with her, to\npaint your eyebrows, shave your mustachios, and dress you like a\nwoman.\u201d--\u201cYou may paint my eyebrows,\u201d said my brother, \u201cas\nmuch as you please; to that I readily agree, because I can wash them\nagain; but as to shaving me, that, mind you, I will by no means\nsuffer. How do you think I dare appear without my\nmustachios?\u201d--\u201cTake care,\u201d answered the woman, \u201chow you\noppose any thing that is required of you. You will quite spoil your\nfortune, which is going on as prosperously as possible. She loves\nyou, and wishes to make you happy. Will you, for the sake of a\npaltry mustachio, forego the most delicious favors any man can\npossibly enjoy?\u201d\n\nBakbarah at length yielded to the old woman\u2019s arguments; and,\nwithout saying another word, he suffered the slave to conduct him to\nan apartment, where they painted his eyebrows red. They shaved his\nmustachios, and were absolutely going to shave his beard. But the\neasiness of my brother\u2019s temper did not carry him quite so far as\nto suffer that. \u201cNot a single stroke,\u201d he exclaimed, \u201cshall\nyou take at my beard.\u201d The slave represented to him, that it was\nof no use to have cut off his mustachios, if he would not also agree\nto lose his beard: that a hairy countenance did not at all coincide\nwith the dress of a woman; and that she was astonished, that a man\nwho was on the very point of possessing the most beautiful woman in\nBagdad, should care for his beard. The old woman also joined with\nthe slave, and added fresh reasons; she threatened my brother with\nbeing quite in disgrace with her mistress. In short, she said so\nmuch, that he at last permitted them to do what they wished.\n\nAs soon as they had dressed him like a woman, they brought him back\nto the young lady, who burst into so violent a fit of laughter at\nthe sight of him, that she fell down on the sofa in which she was\nsitting. The slaves all began to clap their hands, so that my\nbrother was put quite out of countenance. The young lady then got\nup, and continuing to laugh all the time, said, \u201cAfter the\ncomplaisance you have shown to me, I should be guilty of a crime not\nto bestow my whole heart upon you; but it is necessary that you\nshould do one thing more for love of me; it is only to dance before\nme as you are.\u201d He obeyed; and the young lady and the slaves\ndanced with him, laughing all the while, as if they were crazy.\nAfter they had danced for some time, they all threw themselves upon\nthe poor wretch, and gave him so many blows, both with their hands\nand feet, that he fell down almost fainting. The old woman came to\nhis assistance, and without giving him time to be angry at such\nill-treatment, she whispered in his ear, \u201cConsole yourself, for\nyou are now arrived at the conclusion of your sufferings, and are\nabout to receive the reward for them. You have only one thing more\nto do,\u201d added she, \u201cand that is a mere trifle. You must know\nthat my mistress makes it her custom, whenever she has drank a\nlittle, as she has done to-day, not to suffer any one she loves to\ncome near her, unless they are stripped to their shirt. When they\nare in this situation, she takes advantage of a short distance, and\nbegins running before them through the gallery, and from room to\nroom, till they have caught her. This is one of her fancies. Now, at\nwhatever distance from you she may start, you, who are so light and\nactive, can easily overtake her. Undress yourself, therefore,\nquickly, and remain in your shirt, and do not make any difficulty\nabout it.\u201d\n\nMy brother had already carried his complying humour too far to stop\nat this. The young lady at the same time took off her robe in order\nto run with greater ease, and remained only in her drawers. When\nthey were both ready to begin the race, the lady took the advantage\nof about twenty paces, and then started with wonderful celerity. My\nbrother followed her with all his strength; but not without exciting\nthe risibility of the slaves, who kept clapping their hands all the\ntime. The young lady, instead of losing any of the advantage she had\nfirst taken, kept continually gaining ground of my brother. She ran\nround the gallery two or three times, then turned off down a long\ndark passage, where she saved herself by a turn of which my brother\nwas ignorant. Bakbarah, who kept constantly following her, lost\nsight of her in this passage; and he was also obliged to run much\nslower, because it was so dark. He at last perceived a light,\ntowards which he made all possible haste; he went out through a\ndoor, which was instantly shut upon him.\n\nYou may easily imagine what was his astonishment, at finding himself\nin the middle of a street inhabited by curriers. Nor were they less\nsurprised at seeing him in his shirt, his eyebrows painted red, and\nwithout either beard or mustachios. They began to clap their hands,\nto hoot at him; and some even ran after him, and kept lashing him\nwith strips of their leather. They then stopped him, and set him on\nan ass, which they accidentally met with, and led him through the\ncity, exposed to the laughter and shouts of the mob.\n\nTo complete his misfortune, they led him through the street where\nthe judge of the police lived, and this magistrate immediately sent\nto inquire into the cause of the uproar. The curriers informed him\nthat they saw my brother, exactly in the state he then was, come out\nof the gate leading to the apartments of the women belonging to the\ngrand vizier, which opened into their street. The judge then ordered\nthe unfortunate Bakbarah, upon the spot, to receive a hundred\nstrokes upon the soles of his feet, to be conducted without the\ncity, and forbid him ever to enter it again.\n\nThis, Commander of the Faithful, said I to the caliph Mostanser\nBillah, is the history of my second brother, which I wished to\nrelate to your majesty. He knew not, poor fellow, that the ladies of\nour great and powerful lords amuse themselves by making such fun as\nthis with any young man, who is silly enough to trust himself in\ntheir hands.\n\nThe barber then went on without any interruption to the history of\nhis third brother.\n\n\n\n\nTHE HISTORY\nOF THE BARBER\u2019S THIRD BROTHER.\n\n\nCommander of the Faithful (said he to the caliph) my third brother,\nwho was called Bakbac, was quite blind, and his destiny was so\nwretched, he was reduced to beg, and passed his life in going from\ndoor to door, asking charity. He had been accustomed to walk through\nthe streets alone for so long a time, that he had no occasion for\nany one to lead him. He always used to knock at the different doors,\nand never to answer till they came and opened them.\n\nHe happened one day to knock at the door of a house, the master of\nwhich was quite alone. \u201cWho is there?\u201d he called out. My brother\nmade no answer, but knocked a second time. Again did the master of\nthe house inquire who was at the door, but no one answered. He then\ncame down, opened the door, and asked my brother what he wanted.\n\u201cThat you will bestow something upon me for the love of God,\u201d\nanswered Bakbac.--\u201cYou seem to me to be blind,\u201d said the master\nof the house. \u201cAlas, it is true,\u201d replied my brother, \u201cHold\nout your hand,\u201d cried the other. My brother, supposing it was to\nreceive something, immediately put his hand out; but the master of\nthe house only took hold of it to assist him in going up-stairs to\nhis apartment. Bakbac imagined it was for the purpose of giving him\nsome food; as that had often happened to him at other houses. When\nthey were both in the chamber, the master of the house let my\nbrother\u2019s hand go, and sat down in his place; he then again asked\nhim what it was he wanted. \u201cI have already told you,\u201d replied\nBakbac, \u201cthat I request a trifle of you, for the love of\nGod.\u201d--\u201cMy good blind man,\u201d answered the master, \u201call I can\ndo for you is to wish that God would restore your sight to\nyou.\u201d--\u201cYou might have told me that at the door,\u201d said my\nbrother, and spared me the difficulty of coming\nup-stairs.\u201d--\u201cAnd why, good innocent man as you are,\u201d replied\nthe other, \u201cdid you not answer me after you had knocked the first\ntime, and when I asked you what you wanted? What is the reason you\ngive people the trouble of coming down to open the door, when they\nspeak to you?\u201d--\u201cWhat then do you mean to do for me?\u201d said\nBakbac.--\u201cI tell you again,\u201d replied the master, \u201cthat I have\nnothing to give you?\u201d--\u201cHelp me at least to go down again, as\nyou brought me up,\u201d said my brother.\u201d--\u201cThe staircase is\nbefore you,\u201d answered he, \u201cand if you wish it, you may go down\nalone.\u201d My brother then began to descend, but missing his step\nabout half way down, he fell to the bottom, and bruised his head and\nstrained his loins very much. He got up, but not without pain, and\nwent away muttering at and abusing the master of the house, who did\nnothing but laugh at his fall.\n\nAs he was going from the house, two of his companions, who were also\nblind, happened to pass by, and knew his voice. They stopped to ask\nhim what success he had met with: on which he told them what had\njust befallen him; and added, that he had received nothing during\nthe whole day. \u201cI conjure you,\u201d continued he, \u201cto accompany me\nhome, that I may, in your presence, take some of the money which we\nhave in store among us, to buy something for my supper.\u201d The two\nblind men agreed to it, and he conducted them home.\n\nIt is necessary in this place to observe, that the man of the house\nin which my brother had been so ill-treated, was a thief, and by\nnature both cunning and malicious. He had overheard, by means of his\nwindow, what Bakbac had said to his comrades; he therefore came down\nstairs and followed them; and went with them, unobserved, into an\nold woman\u2019s house, where my brother lodged. As soon as they were\nseated, Bakbac said to the other two, \u201cWe must shut the door,\nbrothers, and take care that there is no stranger among us.\u201d At\nthese words the robber was very much embarrassed; but perceiving a\nrope that hung from a beam in the middle of the room, he took hold\nof it, and suspended himself in the air while the blind men shut the\ndoor and felt all round the room with their sticks. When this\nceremony was concluded, and they were again seated, he let go the\nrope and sat down by the side of my brother, without making any\nnoise. The latter thinking there was no one besides his blind\ncompanions thus addressed them: \u201cAs you have made me, comrades,\nthe banker for all the money we three have collected for a long time\npast, I wish to prove to you that I am not unworthy of the trust you\nhave reposed in me. The last time we reckoned, you know we had ten\nthousand drachms, and we put them into ten bags: I will now show you\nthat I have not touched one of them.\u201d Having said this, he put his\nhands among some old rags and clothes, and drew out the ten bags,\none after the other; and giving them to his companions, \u201cHere,\u201d\nsaid he, \u201care all the bags, and you may judge by the weight, that\nthey are quite full; or you may count them if you like it better.\u201d\nThey answered that they were perfectly satisfied with his honesty.\nHe then opened one of the bags, and took out ten drachms, and the\nother two blind men did the same.\n\nAfter this my brother replaced the bags in the same spot. One of the\nblind men then said, there was no occasion for them to spend any\nthing for supper that night, as he had received, from the charity of\nsome good people, sufficient provisions for all three; he instantly\ntook out of his wallet some bread, cheese, and fruit, and put all of\nthem upon a table. They then began to eat; and the robber, who sat\non the right hand of my brother, chose the best, and eat of every\nthing with them: but in spite of all the precaution he used to avoid\nmaking the least noise, Bakbac heard him chew, and instantly\nexclaimed, \u201cWe are lost; there is a stranger among us.\u201d While he\nwas saying this he stretched out his hand, and seized the robber by\nthe arm. He then threw himself upon him; calling out Thief! and\ngiving him many blows with his fist. The other blind men also\ninstantly called out, and beat the robber, who on his part defended\nhimself as well as he could. As he was both strong and active, and\nhad the advantage of seeing where he placed his blows, he laid about\nhim most furiously, first on one and then the other, whenever he was\nable, and called out \u201cThieves, robbers,\u201d more clamorously than\nhis enemies.\n\nThe neighbours immediately assembled at the noise, broke open the\ndoor, and had much difficulty to separate the combatants. Having at\nlast put an end to the fray, they inquired the cause of their\ndisagreement. \u201cGentlemen,\u201d cried my brother, who had not yet let\nthe robber go, \u201cthis man, whom I have got hold of is a thief, who\ncame in here with us for the purpose of robbing us of the little\nmoney we possess.\u201d The robber, who as soon as he saw the people\nenter, had shut his eyes, and pretended to be blind, said, \u201cHe is\na liar, gentlemen; and I swear by the name of God, and by the life\nof the caliph, that I am one of their companions and associates, and\nthat they refuse to give me the share which belongs to me. They all\nthree set themselves against me, and I demand justice.\u201d The\nneighbours, who did not wish to interfere with their disputes,\ncarried them all four before the judge of the police.\n\nWhen they were come before this magistrate, the robber, still\npretending to be blind, without waiting till they were interrogated,\nsaid, \u201cSince you, my lord, have been appointed to administer\njustice in behalf of the caliph, whose power may God prosper, I will\ndeclare to you that we are all equally culpable. But as we have\npledged ourselves under an oath, not to reveal any thing except we\nreceive the bastinado, if you wish to be informed of our crime, you\nhave only to order it to be given to us; and you may begin with\nme.\u201d My brother now wished to speak, but they compelled him to\nhold his tongue. They then began to bastinado the robber.\n\nHe had the resolution to bear twenty or thirty strokes; and then\npretending to be overcome with pain, he first opened one eye, and\nsoon after the other; calling out at the same time for mercy, and\nbegging the judge of the police to order them to remit his\npunishment. At seeing the robber with both eyes open, the judge was\nvery much astonished. \u201cScoundrel,\u201d he cried, \u201cwhat does this\nstrange thing mean?\u201d--\u201cMy lord,\u201d replied the robber, \u201cI will\ndiscover a most important secret, if you will have the goodness to\npardon me; and as a pledge that you will keep your word, give me the\nring you have on your finger, and which you often use as a seal. I\nam then ready to reveal the whole mystery to you.\u201d\n\nThe judge ordered his people to stop the punishment, and promised to\npardon him. \u201cUpon the faith of this promise,\u201d replied the\nrobber, \u201cI now declare to you, my lord, that both my companions\nand myself are possessed of most excellent eye-sight. We all four\nfeign blindness, in order to have the power of entering houses\nwithout molestation, and even penetrating into the apartments of the\nwomen, whose weakness we sometimes take advantage of. I moreover\nconfess to you, that we have collected in common, at least ten\nthousand drachms by this cunning trick. This morning I demanded of\nmy companions two thousand five hundred drachms, which came to my\nshare; but because I declared I would break off all connection with\nthem and retire, and from fear that I should discover their\nartifice, they refused to give them me; on my continuing to insist\nupon my share, they all fell upon me, and ill-treated me in a\nviolent manner, as I can prove by the people who have brought us\nbefore you. I wait here for you to administer justice, my lord, and\nthat you will make them deliver up the two thousand five hundred\ndrachms, which are my due. And if you wish that my comrades should\nacknowledge the truth of what I advance, order them to receive three\ntimes as many blows as you have given me, and you will see them open\ntheir eyes as I did.\u201d\n\nMy brother and the other two blind men wished to convince the judge\nof this infamous imposture, but he would not hear a word.\n\u201cRascals,\u201d cried he, \u201cis it thus then that you counterfeit\nblindness, and go about deceiving people, under pretence of exciting\ntheir charity, and are thus enabled to be guilty of such wicked\nactions?\u201d--\u201cHe is an impostor,\u201d exclaimed my brother, \u201cit is\nfalse, that we are able to see at all, and we are ready to take God\nto witness of it.\u201d\n\nWhatever my brother could say, was nevertheless useless; both he and\nhis companions received two hundred strokes of the bastinado. The\njudge every moment expected them to open their eyes, and attributed\nto their great obstinacy, what it was impossible for them to do.\nDuring the whole of this time, the robber kept saying to the blind\nmen, \u201cMy good fellows, open your eyes, and do not wait till you\nalmost die under the punishment.\u201d Then addressing himself to the\njudge of the police, he added, \u201cI see very well, my lord, that\nthey will carry their obstinacy so far, that they will never open\ntheir eyes; they are without doubt anxious to avoid the shame of\nreading their own condemnation in the countenances of those who\nsurround them. It is better to pardon them now, and send some one\nwith me to take the ten thousand drachms they have concealed.\u201d\n\nThe judge did not intend to neglect doing this; he therefore\ncommanded one of his people to accompany the robber, and they\nbrought the ten bags back with them. He then ordered two thousand\nfive hundred drachms to be counted out and given to the robber, and\nkept the remainder for himself. With respect to my brother and his\ncompanions, he was satisfied with ordering them into banishment,\nwhich punishment he thought light enough. I was no sooner informed\nof what had happened to Bakbac, than I sought him out. He related\nhis misfortune to me, and I brought him privately back into the\ncity. I should have been able, I have no doubt, to have proved the\ninnocence of my brother before the judge of the police, and to have\nhad the robber punished as he deserved, but I dared not undertake it\nfor fear of bringing some misfortune upon my own head.\n\nThis is the conclusion of the melancholy adventure of my third\nbrother, who was blind. The caliph did not laugh less at this than\nhe had done at those he had before heard. He again ordered me to\nreceive something more; but without waiting till they had done so, I\nbegan the history of my fourth brother.\n\n\n\n\nTHE HISTORY\nOF THE BARBER\u2019S FOURTH BROTHER.\n\n\nThe name by which my fourth brother was called, was Alcouz. He lost\nhis eye in the manner I shall have the honour to relate to your\nmajesty. He was a butcher by trade! and as he had a particular\ntalent in bringing up rams, and teaching them to fight, he from this\ncircumstance acquired the friendship and knowledge of some of the\nprincipal people; who were much amused with these sorts of combats,\nand who even kept rams for this very purpose at their own houses. He\nhad, besides, a very good business; and there was always in his shop\nthe finest and most beautiful meat that was to be found in the\nmarket; because he was very rich, and did not spare expense in order\nto have the best.\n\nAs he was one day in his shop, an old man, who had a very long and\nwhite beard, came in to purchase six pounds of meat; he then paid\nhis money and went away. My brother observed, that his money was\nvery beautiful, new, and well coined. He resolved, therefore, to lay\nit by in a separate part of his closet. During five months the same\nold man came regularly every day for the same quantity of meat, and\npaid for it with the same sort of money, which my brother as\nregularly continued to lay by.\n\nAt the end of five months, Alcouz, having an inclination to make a\npurchase of a certain quantity of sheep, resolved to pay for them\nout of this particular money; the therefore went to his box, and\nopened it; but he was in the greatest astonishment, when he\ndiscovered, instead of his money, only a parcel of leaves cut round.\nHe immediately began to beat himself, and made so great a noise,\nthat he brought all his neighbours about him; whose surprise was as\ngreat as his own, when he informed them of what had passed. \u201cI\nwish to God,\u201d cried my brother, with tears in his eyes, \u201cthat\nthis treacherous old man would at this instant make his appearance\nwith his hypocritical face.\u201d He had hardly spoken these words,\nwhen he saw him coming along at a distance. He ran in the greatest\nhurry to meet him, and having seized hold of him; \u201cMussulmen,\u201d\nhe vociferated with all his force, \u201cassist me; only listen to the\nshameful trick that this infamous man has played me.\u201d He then\nrelated to a large crowd of people, who had collected round him, the\nsame story he had before done to his neighbours. When he had\nfinished his tale, the old man, without the least emotion, quietly\nanswered, You would do much better to let me go, and by this action\nmake reparation for the affront you have thus offered me before so\nmany people; lest I should return you the compliment in a more\nserious manner, which I should be sorry to do.\u201d--\u201cAnd what have\nyou, pray, to say against me?\u201d replied my brother, \u201cI am an\nhonest man in my business, and I fear you not.\u201d--\u201cYou wish,\nthen, that I should make it public,\u201d returned the old man, in the\nsame tone of voice. \u201cLearn then,\u201d added he, addressing himself\nto the people, \u201cthat instead of selling the flesh of sheep, as he\nought to do, this man sells human flesh.\u201d--\u201cYou are an\nimpostor,\u201d cried my brother.\u201d--\u201cNo, no,\u201d answered the other;\nfor at this very moment I am speaking, there is a man with his\nthroat cut, hanging up on the outside of your shop like a sheep. Let\nthem go there, and we shall soon know, whether I have spoken the\ntruth.\u201d\n\nBefore my brother had opened the box where the leaves were, he had\nthat morning killed a sheep, and had dressed and exposed it on the\noutside of his shop as usual. He therefore protested that what the\nold man had said was false; but in spite of all his protestations,\nthe credulous mob, enraged at the idea of a man\u2019s being guilty of\nso shocking a crime, wished to be assured of the fact on the spot.\nThey therefore obliged my brother to let the old man go, and laid\nhold of him instead, and ran like fury to his shop, where they saw a\nman with his throat cut; and hung up exactly as the accuser had\nstated: for this old man was, in fact, a magician, and had deceived\nthe eyes of all the people, as he had formerly done my brother, when\nhe made him take the leaves he had given him, for real good money.\n\nAt sight of this, one of those who held Alcouz gave him a great blow\nwith his fist, and at the same time said, \u201cIs it thus then,\nrascal, that you make us eat human flesh?\u201d The old man also, who\nhad not left them, immediately gave him another blow, that knocked\nout one of his eyes. Every one, who could get near him, was not\ndeficient in beating him. Nor were they satisfied with ill-treating\nhim in this manner; they conducted him before the judge of the\npolice, before whom they produced the pretended carcase, which they\nhad taken down and brought with them, as a proof of the accused\nperson\u2019s guilt. \u201cMy lord,\u201d said the old magician to him,\n\u201cyou see before you a man, who is so barbarous as to kill men, and\nsell their flesh for that of sheep. The public expect that you will\npunish him in an exemplary manner.\u201d The judge of the police\nattended to what my brother had to say with great patience, but the\nstory of the money, changed into leaves, appeared so little worthy\nof belief, that he treated my brother as an impostor; and choosing\nto give credit to his own eyes, he ordered him to receive five\nhundred blows. After this, having obliged him to discover where his\nmoney was, he took the whole of it from him, and condemned him to\nperpetual banishment, after having exposed him for three successive\ndays, mounted on a camel, to all the city.\n\nAt the time that this dreadful adventure happened to Alcouz, my\nfourth brother, I was absent from Bagdad. He retired to a very\nobscure part, where he remained concealed till the wounds his\npunishment produced, were healed. It was chiefly on the back that he\nhad been so beaten. As soon as he was able to walk he travelled,\nduring the night and through unfrequented roads, to a city where he\nwas known to no one! there he took a lodging, from whence he hardly\never stirred. Tired, however, at last of living so recluse a life,\nhe one day went to walk in the suburbs of the town, when he suddenly\nheard a great noise of horsemen coming along behind him. He happened\njust at this instant to be near the door of a large house; and as he\nwas apprehensive of every body, after what had passed, he fancied\nthat these horsemen were in pursuit of him in order to arrest him.\nHe therefore opened the door for the purpose of concealing himself.\nAfter having shut it again, he went into a large court, where he had\nno sooner appeared than two domestics came up to him and seized him\nby the collar, saying, \u201cGod be praised that you have come of your\nown free will, to give yourself up. You have disturbed us so much\nfor these last three nights, we have been unable to sleep; and you\nhave spared our lives only because we have prevented your base\nintention of taking them.\u201d\n\nYou may easily imagine that my brother was not a little surprised at\nthis sort of welcome. \u201cMy good friends,\u201d said he to them, \u201cI\nreally know not what you wish of me; you without doubt take me for\nanother person.\u201d--\u201cNo, no,\u201d replied they, \u201cwe are not\nignorant that you and your comrades are free-booters. You were not\nsatisfied with having robbed our master of all he possessed, and\nreducing him to beggary, but even wished to take his life. Let us\nsee if you have not the knife about you, which you had in your hand\nwhen we pursued you last night.\u201d Having said this, they began to\nsearch him, and perceived that he had a knife. \u201cSo, so,\u201d cried\nthey in taking it, \u201cand have you the assurance still to deny that\nyou are a robber?\u201d--\u201cWhat,\u201d then answered my brother,\n\u201ccannot a man carry a knife in his pocket, without being a thief?\nListen to my story,\u201d added he, \u201cand instead of having a bad\nopinion of me, you will even be affected at my misfortunes.\u201d So\nfar, however, were they from listening to it, that they immediately\nfell upon him, trod upon him, pulled off his clothes, tore his\nshirt; and then observing the scars upon his back, \u201cAh, rascal,\u201d\nthey cried, redoubling their blows, \u201cdo you wish to make us\nbelieve you are an honest man, when your back is so covered with\nscars?\u201d--\u201cAlas,\u201d cried my brother, \u201cmy sins must be very\ngreat, since, after having been once before so unjustly treated, I\nam served so a second time without being the least culpable.\u201d\n\nThe two servants paid no attention to my brother\u2019s complaints; but\ncarried him before the judge of the police. \u201cHow dare you,\u201d said\nthe judge, \u201cbreak into people\u2019s houses, and pursue them with a\nknife in your hand?\u201d--\u201cMy lord,\u201d answered poor Alcouz, \u201cI am\none of the most innocent men in the world. I shall be undone, if you\nwill not do me the favour patiently to listen to me. No person is\nmore worthy of compassion than I am.\u201d--\u201cSir,\u201d cried one of the\ndomestics at this instant, \u201cwill you listen for a moment to a\nrobber, who breaks into people\u2019s houses, pillages them, and\nmurders the inhabitants? If you refuse to give us credit, look at\nhis back, and that will prove enough.\u201d When he had said this, they\nuncovered my brother\u2019s back, and showed it to the judge, who\nimmediately ordered him to receive upon the spot a hundred strokes,\nwith a leathern strap, on his shoulders, without inquiring any\nfarther into the matter: he then commanded him to be led through the\ncity upon a camel, with a crier going before him, calling out,\n\u201cthis is the way they punish those who forcibly break into\nhouses.\u201d\n\nWhen this ceremony was over, they set him down without the town, and\nforbad him ever to enter it again. Some people, who accidentally met\nhim after this second disgraceful event, informed me where he was. I\ndirectly set out to find him, and then brought him secretly to\nBagdad, where I did every thing, as far as I was able, to assist him.\n\nThe caliph Mostanser Billah (continued the barber), did not laugh so\nmuch at this history as at the others; for he had the goodness of\nheart to commiserate the unfortunate Alcouz. He then wished to give\nme something, and send me away; but without giving them time to obey\nhis orders, I said, \u201cYou may now have observed, most sovereign\nlord and master, that I speak very little. Since your majesty has\nhad the goodness to listen to me thus far, and as you express a wish\nto hear the adventures of my two other brothers, I hope and trust\nthey will not afford you less amusement than what you have already\nheard. You may then make a most complete history of them, which will\nnot be unworthy of being placed amongst your archives.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE HISTORY\nOF THE BARBER\u2019S FIFTH BROTHER.\n\n\nI have the honour to inform you, that the name of my fifth brother\nwas Alnaschar, who, while he lived with my father, was excessively\nidle: instead of working for his bread, he was not ashamed of\ndemanding sufficient for his support every evening, and to live upon\nit the next day. Our father at last died at a very advanced period\nof life, and all he left us consisted of seven hundred drachms of\nsilver. We divided it equally among us, and each took one hundred\nfor his share. Alnaschar, who had never before been in possession of\nso much money at a time, found himself very much embarrassed with\nthe disposal of it. He debated a long time in his own mind on this\nsubject, and at last determined to lay it out in the purchase of\nglasses, bottles, and other glass articles, which he went to get at\na large wholesale merchant\u2019s. He put the whole of his stock into\nan open basket, and fixed upon a very small shop, where he sat down\nwith the basket before him; and, leaning his back against the wall,\nwaited for customers to buy his merchandise.\n\nWhile he was remaining in this attitude, with his eyes fixed upon\nhis basket, he began to meditate; and in the midst of his reverie,\nhe pronounced the following speech sufficiently loud for a tailor,\nwho was his neighbour, to hear him. \u201cThis basket,\u201d said he,\n\u201ccost me one hundred drachms, and that is all I am worth in the\nworld. In selling its contents by retail, I shall do well in making\ntwo hundred drachms: and of these two hundred which I shall employ\nagain in glass ware, I shall make four hundred drachms. By\ncontinuing this traffic, I shall, in process of time, amass the sum\nof four thousand drachms. With these four thousand, I shall easily\nmake eight. And as soon as I am worth ten thousand, I will leave off\nselling glass ware and turn jeweller. I will then deal in diamonds,\npearls, and all sorts of precious stones. When I shall be in\npossession of as much wealth as I wish, I will purchase a beautiful\nhouse, large estates, eunuchs, slaves, and horses. I will entertain\nhandsomely and largely, and shall make some noise in the world. I\nwill make all the musicians and dancers, both male and female, who\nlive in the city, come to my house. Nor will I remain satisfied,\ntill I have realized, if it shall please God, one hundred thousand\ndrachms. And when I shall become thus rich, I shall think myself\nequal to a prince; and I will send and demand the daughter of the\ngrand vizier in marriage, and represent to him that I have heard\nmost astonishing reports of the beauty, wisdom, wit, and every other\ngood quality of his daughter: and in short, that I will bestow upon\nher, the very night of our nuptials, a thousand pieces of gold. If\nthe vizier should be so ill-bred as to refuse me his daughter,\nthough I know that will not be the case, I will go and take her away\nbefore his face, and bring her home in spite of him.\n\nAs soon as I shall have married the grand vizier\u2019s daughter, I\nwill purchase ten very young and well-made black eunuchs for her. I\nwill dress myself like a prince; and will parade through the town,\nmounted on a fine horse, the saddle of which shall be of pure gold,\nand the caparisons of gold stuff, relieved with diamonds and pearls.\nI will be accompanied by slaves, who shall go both before and behind\nme, and will thus proceed to the palace of the vizier, with the eyes\nof all fixed upon me, both nobles and others, who will make me the\nmost profound reverence as I go along. When I shall have dismounted\nat the grand vizier\u2019s, and come to the bottom of the staircase, I\nwill ascend between my people, ranged in two rows to the right and\nleft; and the grand vizier, in receiving me for his son-in-law,\nshall give me his place, and seat himself before me, in order to\nshow me the more respect. If all this should happen, as I hope it\nwill, two of my men shall have a purse, each containing one thousand\npieces of gold, which I had ordered them to bring. I will then take\none of them, and in presenting it to the grand vizier will say,\n\u201cBehold the thousand pieces of gold, which I have promised you on\nthe first night of my marriage.\u201d Then offering him the other, I\nwill add, \u201cThis is not all; to show you that I am a man of my\nword, and to prove that I give you more than I promise, receive this\nother purse of equal value.\u201d After such an act as this, my\ngenerosity will be the conversation of all the world.\n\nI will then return home with the same pomp. My wife shall send some\nofficer to compliment me on my visit to her father. I will bestow a\nbeautiful robe of honor on the officer, and send him back with a\nrich present. If in return she shall wish to make me a present, I\nwill refuse it; and dismiss the person who brings it. I will not,\nmoreover, permit her to leave her apartments upon any account\nwhatever, without first consulting me; and, whenever I wish to go to\nher, it shall always be in a way that shall impress her with the\ngreatest respect for me. In short, no house shall be so well\nregulated as mine. I will always appear magnificently dressed; and,\nwhenever I wish to pass the evening with her, I will sit in the most\nhonorable seat, where I will affect a grave and solemn air; nor will\nI turn my head to the right or left. I will speak but little: and\nwhile my wife, beautiful as the moon at the full, presents herself\nbefore me in all her splendor, I will pretend not to see her. Her\nwomen, who will be standing round her, shall say, \u201cMy dear lord\nand master, behold your spouse, the humblest of your slaves, before\nyou. She is waiting for you to caress her; and is much mortified\nthat you do not deign to take the least notice of her. She is\ngreatly fatigued at standing thus long before you; at least, then,\ngive her leave to sit down.\u201d I will not answer a word to this\nspeech, at which their surprise and grief would be much augmented.\nThey will then throw themselves at my feet; and after they shall\nhave remained there a considerable time, entreating and begging me\nto yield to them, I will at last lift up my head, and casting upon\nher a sort of negligent unmeaning glance, will then return to my\nformer state. Thinking, perhaps, that my wife may not either be well\nor properly dressed, they will lead her back to her room, in order\nto change her habit; and, in the mean time, I will return to my\napartment and put on a more magnificent dress than I had before.\nThey will then return a second time; will address the same speech;\nand I shall again have the pleasure of not looking at my wife, till\nthey shall have prayed and entreated me as long and earnestly as\nbefore. And I will thus begin, on the very first day of my marriage,\nto teach her how she may expect to be treated, during the remainder\nof her life.\n\nAfter the various ceremonies of our nuptials are over, continued\nAlnaschar, I will take a purse from the hands of one of the\nattendants, containing five hundred pieces of gold, which I will\ngive to the female attendants, that they may leave me alone with my\nspouse. As soon as they shall have retired, my wife shall go to bed\nfirst. I will immediately follow her, and will be the whole night\nwith my back turned towards her, and will not utter a single\nsyllable. The next morning she will not fail to complain to her\nmother, the lady of the grand vizier, of my pride and neglect; and\nthis will very much delight me. Her mother will then come to see me,\nand out of respect take and kiss my hands, and say to me, \u201cMy\nlord,\u201d for she will not dare to call me son-in-law, through fear\nof displeasing me, by speaking with so much familiarity, \u201cI\nentreat you, my lord, not to despise my child in such a manner, nor\nkeep her at such a distance; I assure you she will always endeavor\nto please you, and I know her whole heart is devoted to you.\u201d\nAlthough my mother-in-law shall address me so respectfully and\nkindly, I will not answer her a word, but remain as grave and solemn\nas ever. She will then throw herself at my feet, and after kissing\nthem many times, will say, \u201cMy lord, is it possible you suspect\nthe prudence of my daughter; I assure you, I have never suffered her\nto go out of my sight; and you are the first man who has ever seen\nher face. Forbear to inflict so great a mortification upon her, and\ndo her the favor to look at and speak to her; and thus strengthen\nher good intention of endeavoring to satisfy and please you in every\nthing.\u201d\n\nAll this shall have no effect upon me; which my mother-in-law\nobserving, she will then take a glass of wine, and putting it into\nmy wife\u2019s hand, will say, \u201cGo, and present him this glass of\nwine yourself; he will not, perhaps, have the cruelty to refuse it\nfrom so beautiful a hand.\u201d My wife will then take the glass, and\nstand up before me, trembling all the time. When she observes that I\ndo not incline myself towards her, and that I persist in taking not\nthe least notice of her, she will address me, with her eyes bathed\nin tears, in these words; \u201cMy heart, my dear soul, my amiable\nlord, I conjure you, by the favors which heaven has so plentifully\nbestowed upon you, to have the goodness to take this glass of wine\nfrom the hand of the humblest of your slaves.\u201d I shall, however,\ntake care neither to look at, nor speak to her. \u201cMy charming\nhusband,\u201d will she continue to say, redoubling her tears, and\ncarrying the glass of wine close to my mouth, \u201cI will not cease\nentreating you till I obtain the favor of your drinking it.\u201d At\nlast, tired and worn out with her solicitations and prayers, I will\nthrow a most terrible glance at her, and will give her a good blow\non her cheek, at the same time pushing her so violently from me with\nmy foot, that she shall fall down at the bottom of the sofa.\n\nMy brother was so entirely absorbed in these chimerical visions,\nthat he represented the action with his foot, as if it were a\nreality; and he unfortunately struck his basket of glass ware so\nviolently, that he sent it from one end of his shop into the street,\nwhere it was all broken to pieces.\n\nHis neighbour, the tailor, who had heard the whole of his\nextravagant speech, burst out into a fit of laughter when he saw the\nbasket overturned. \u201cOh, you cruel wretch!\u201d said he to my\nbrother, \u201cought you not expire with shame at ill-treating a young\nwife in such a manner, when she has given you no reason for\ncomplaint? You must be hard-hearted indeed to pay no attention to\nthe tears, and be insensible to the charms, of so amiable a lady. If\nI were in the place of your father-in-law, the grand vizier, I would\norder you a hundred strokes with a leathern strap, and send you\nround the city, with the praise you so well merit.\u201d\n\nThis most unfortunate accident brought my brother to his senses, and\nknowing that it was his own insupportable pride that had caused it,\nhe beat his breast, tore his garments, and sobbed so violently and\nloud, that all the neighbourhood soon assembled; and the people who\nwere going by to mid-day prayers, stopped to inquire the cause of\nall this bustle: and, as this happened to be on a Friday, there were\nmore people than usual. Some pitied Alnaschar, others laughed at his\nfolly. The vanity, however, which he had before possessed, was now\nentirely annihilated, as well as his property; and he continued\nweeping at his hard and cruel fate, when a lady of considerable\nconsequence passed by, mounted on a mule very richly caparisoned.\nThe state in which she saw my brother excited her compassion. She\nasked who he was, and the reason of his crying so violently. They\nonly said, that he was a poor man who had laid out the little money\nhe possessed in a basket of glass ware; and that the basket had\nfallen down, and all his glass was broken. The lady immediately\nturned to a eunuch who accompanied her, and ordered him to give my\nbrother what money he had with him. The eunuch obeyed, and put a\npurse, containing five hundred pieces of gold, into my brother\u2019s\nhand. Alnaschar was ready to expire with joy at sight of it. He\nbestowed a thousand blessings on the lady; and after shutting up his\nshop, where it was now useless for him to stay, he went home.\n\nHe made many serious reflections on the good fortune which had so\nunexpectedly happened to him; and while he was thus employed, he\nheard some person knock at his door. Before he opened it, he asked\nwho was there; and perceiving it was a female voice, he opened it.\n\u201cMy son,\u201d said she, addressing my brother, \u201cI have a favor to\nrequest of you. It is now the time for prayers, and I wish to wash\nmyself, in order to be fit to offer them. Suffer me I entreat you,\nto come into your house, and afford me a bason of water.\u201d My\nbrother looked at her, and saw she was rather advanced in years; and\nalthough he did not know her, he nevertheless acceded to what she\nwished. He gave her a vessel full of water, and then resumed his\nseat. He was again quite absorbed with his adventure; he took his\ngold and put it into a sort of long and narrow purse, adapted to the\npurpose of carrying it at his girdle. The old woman, in the mean\ntime, said her prayers; and when she had finished, she approached my\nbrother, and prostrated herself twice at his feet, so low, that her\nforehead touched the ground, as if she was praying to God; then\ngetting up, she wished my brother all manner of prosperity, and\nthanked him for his kindness.\n\nAs she was but very meanly dressed, and humbled herself so much\nbefore him, he thought that she meant to ask charity, and he offered\nher, therefore, two pieces of gold. The old woman drew back with as\nmuch surprise as if my brother had done her an injury. \u201cGood\nGod,\u201d cried she, \u201cwhat do you mean by this? Is it possible, sir,\nthat you can take me for one of those poor wretches who make a\npractice of impudently going into people\u2019s houses and demanding\ncharity? Put back your money, for I have no necessity for it, God be\npraised. I belong to a young lady in this city of most incomparable\nbeauty, and so rich, that she does not let me want for any thing.\u201d\n\nMy brother was not cunning enough to perceive the address of the old\nwoman, who refused the two pieces of gold only to dupe him the more.\nHe asked her, if she could not procure him the honor of seeing this\nlady. \u201cCertainly,\u201d answered she, \u201cand you may even easily be\nable to marry her; and, in becoming master of her person, you will\nget possession of all her fortune: take your money and follow me.\nDelighted with having so unexpectedly received such a large sum of\nmoney, and of finding, almost immediately after, a beautiful and\nrich wife, he lost all recollection of every thing else. He took the\nfive hundred pieces of gold, and suffered the old woman to conduct\nhim.\n\nShe went on before, and he followed her till they came to the door\nof a large house, at which she knocked. He came up to her just as a\nyoung female Greek slave opened the door. The old woman made him go\nin first; he passed through a well paved court, and she then\nintroduced him into a hall, the furniture of which confirmed him in\nthe high opinion he had conceived of the mistress of the house.\nWhile the old woman went to inform the young lady of his arrival, he\nsat down; and as it was rather warm, he took off his turban, and\nlaid it by the side of him. The lady of the house immediately made\nher appearance, and he was much more struck with her beauty than\nwith the magnificence and richness of her dress. He rose up the\nmoment he perceived her. The lady requested him, with a pleasing\nair, to resume his place, and seated herself by his side. She\nexpressed great joy at seeing him: and, after some kind compliments,\nshe said to him, \u201cWe are not here sufficiently at our ease; come,\ngive me your hand.\u201d At the same instant holding out her own, she\nled him to a distant apartment, where they remained some time in\nconversation; she then left him with a promise of returning in a few\nmoments. He waited some time, when, instead of the lady, a large\nblack slave entered, with a scimitar in his hand, and casting a most\nterrible look at my brother, \u201cWhat business have you here?\u201d he\ncried, in a haughty tone. At this sight, Alnaschar was seized with\nso violent a fright, he could not make any answer. The black\nimmediately stripped him, took away his gold, and wounded him with\nhis scimitar in several parts of his flesh. The poor unfortunate man\nfell down on the ground, where he remained without motion, though he\ndid not lose his senses. The black slave, thinking he had killed\nhim, asked for some salt, of which the Greek slave brought him a\nlarge dish. They then rubbed it over my brother\u2019s wounds, and\nalthough the pain he felt was almost intolerable, he had the\npresence of mind to show no signs of life. The black slave and the\nyoung Greek now went away, and the old woman, who had caught my\nbrother in this snare, came and took him by the legs and drew him\ntowards a trap-door, which she opened. She then threw him in, and he\nperceived that he was in a subterraneous place, in which there were\nthe bodies of different people who had been murdered. It was some\ntime, however, before he knew this, as the violence of the fall had\nstunned him, and took away his senses. The salt with which his\nwounds had been rubbed, was what preserved his life; he soon after\nfelt himself sufficiently strong to sit up; and at the end of two\ndays he opened the trap-door in the night, and observing a place in\na court, in which he could conceal himself, he remained there till\nday-break. He then saw the detestable old woman come out; she opened\nthe street-door, and went in search of more prey. As soon as she was\ngone too far to observe him, he let himself out of this cut-throat\nhouse and fled to mine. He then informed me of the numerous\nadventures he had encountered in so short a space of time.\n\nAt the end of a month he was quite cured of his wounds, by means of\nthe infallible remedies I made him apply. He then resolved to\nrevenge himself on the old woman who had so cruelly deceived him.\nFor this purpose, he took a purse large enough to hold five hundred\npieces of money, but instead of gold, he filled it with bits of\nglass.\n\nMy brother then tied the purse round his girdle, and disguised\nhimself as an old woman. After which he took a scimitar, and\nconcealed it under his dress. He went out early one morning, and\nsoon met the old hag, who was already walking about the city,\nseeking to entrap some one or other. Alnaschar accosted her, and\nfeigning the voice of a woman, he said, \u201cCan you do me the favor\nto lend me a money balance? I am a Persian, and but just arrived in\nthis city. I have brought five hundred pieces of gold from my own\ncountry, and I wish to see if they are weight.\u201d--\u201cMy good\nwoman,\u201d replied the other, \u201cyou could not have addressed\nyourself to a more proper person than me. You need only follow me\nand I will take you to the house of my son, who is a money-changer,\nand he will take a pleasure in weighing the gold for you himself,\nand save you the trouble. Do not let us lose any time, for fear he\nshould be gone to his shop.\u201d My brother followed her to the same\nhouse where she had introduced him the first time, and the door was\nopened by the Greek slave.\n\nThe old woman conducted my brother into the hall, where she bid him\nwait a moment while she went to find her son. The pretended son then\nappeared, in the form of that villainous black slave. \u201cCome, my\nold woman,\u201d he called out, \u201cget up, and follow me.\u201d Having\nspoken this, he walked on before, to the place where he wished to\nmurder him. Alnaschar got up, and followed the black slave; and as\nhe was going along he drew his scimitar from under his robe, and\ngave him such a blow on the hind part of the neck, that he cut his\nhead completely off. He then took it up in one hand, and with the\nother he drew the body after him to the subterraneous building,\nwhere he lodged both of them in safety. The Greek slave, who was\nused to this business, directly after brought a bason of salt; but\nwhen she saw Alnaschar with the scimitar in his hand, and without\nthe veil that had concealed his face, she let the bason fall and ran\naway: but my brother being able to run faster, soon overtook her,\nand made her head fly from her shoulders. At hearing this noise, the\nwicked old woman ran to see what was the matter, when Alnaschar\nseized her, before she had time to make her escape. \u201cWretch,\u201d he\nexclaimed, \u201cdost thou not know me?\u201d--\u201cAlas, sir,\u201d she\ntremblingly answered, \u201cI do not remember to have ever seen you\nbefore; who are you?\u201d--\u201cI am the person into whose house you\ncame the other day, to request leave to wash yourself, and say your\nhypocritical prayers. Do you not recollect it?\u201d She instantly fell\ndown on her knees, and implored his pardon, but he cut her into four\npieces.\n\nThe lady alone remained, who knew nothing at all of what was\npassing. My brother went to look after her, and discovered her in a\nchamber. When she saw him enter she was near fainting. She prayed\nhim to spare her life, and he had the generosity to grant it. \u201cHow\ncan you, madam,\u201d he asked, \u201clive with such infamous wretches as\nthose on whom I have now so justly revenged myself?\u201d--\u201cI was,\u201d\nshe answered, \u201cthe wife of a very worthy merchant, and that wicked\nold woman, of whose treachery I was ignorant, sometimes came to see\nme. \u201cMadam,\u201d said she one day to me, \u201cwe are going to have a\ngay and splendid wedding at our house, and you will enjoy a great\ndeal of pleasure there, if you will honor us with your company.\u201d I\nsuffered myself to be prevailed upon to go; and for this purpose I\ndressed myself in my richest habit, and took a hundred pieces of\ngold with me. I followed her till she came to this house, where I\nsaw this black, who detained me here by force; and it is now three\nyears that I have been here, though very much against my\ninclination.\u201d--\u201cFrom the manner in which this black proceeded,\nhe must have amassed,\u201d replied my brother, \u201cgreat\nwealth.\u201d--\u201cSo much so,\u201d she answered \u201cthat if you could\ncarry it away, you would never be poor again. Follow me, and I will\nshew it you.\u201d She conducted Alnaschar into a room, where in truth\nhe saw so many coffers filled with gold, that he could not conceal\nhis astonishment. \u201cGo,\u201d she cried, \u201cand bring here a\nsufficient number of persons to carry all this away.\u201d\n\nMy brother did not wait to be told a second time; he went away, and\nwas absent only till he collected ten men together. He brought them\nback with him, and was much astonished to find the door of the house\nopen; but his astonishment was still greater, when on going into the\nroom where he had seen the coffers, he could not discover a single\none. The lady had been both more cunning and more diligent than he\nhad, and she and the coffers had entirely vanished during my\nbrother\u2019s absence. That he might not return with empty hands, he\nordered the men to take, instead of the coffers, whatever moveables\nthey could find in the chambers and different apartments, whence he\ntook much more than was sufficient to repay him the value of his\nfive hundred pieces of gold, of which they had robbed him. But in\ngoing away from the house, my brother forgot to shut the door; and\nthe neighbours, who knew my brother, and had observed the porters\nboth come and go, went and informed the judge of the whole business,\nwhich appeared to them of a very suspicious nature.\n\nAlnaschar passed the night quite at his ease; but early the next\nmorning, as he was going out, he encountered twenty men belonging to\nthe police, who immediately seized him. \u201cYou must come with us,\u201d\nthey cried, \u201cour master wants to speak with you.\u201d My brother\nbegged them to have a moment\u2019s patience, and offered them a sum of\nmoney if they would permit him to escape; but instead of paying any\nattention to what he said, they bound him, and compelled him to go\nwith them. In the street they met with an old friend of my\nbrother\u2019s, who stopped them to know the reason of their taking him\nin this manner. He also proposed to give them a considerable sum to\nsuffer him to escape, and report to the judge that they were unable\nto find him. But he could not succeed with them, and they carried\nAlnaschar before the judge of the police.\n\nAs soon as he came into his presence, the magistrate said to him,\n\u201cI desire you to inform me from what place you got all that\nfurniture which you had brought home yesterday.\u201d--\u201cSir,\u201d\nreplied Alnaschar, \u201cI am ready to tell you the whole truth, but\npermit me, in the first place, to implore your clemency; and I\nrequest of you to give me your word, that nothing shall happen to\nme.\u201d--\u201cI do so,\u201d said the judge. My brother then related,\nwithout disguise, every circumstance that had happened to him, from\nthe time the old woman first came to his house to request leave to\nsay her prayers, till he returned to the chamber in which he had\nleft the young lady, but whom he could not find there, after having\nkilled the black, the Greek slave, and the old woman. With regard to\nwhat he had carried home, he entreated the judge to suffer him to\nkeep, at least, a part of it, to recompense him for the five hundred\npieces of gold, of which they had robbed him.\n\nThe judge immediately sent some of his people to my brother\u2019s\nhouse to bring away every thing he had, without promising to give\nhim any part; and as soon as the things were deposited in his\nwarehouse, he ordered my brother instantly to leave the city, and\nnever to return again on forfeiture of his life; because he was\nfearful, if my brother remained there, he would go and complain of\nhis injustice to the caliph. Alnaschar in the mean time obeyed the\norder without a murmur; he departed from the city, and fled for\nrefuge to another town. But on his road he encountered some robbers,\nwho took every thing from him, and stripped him as bare as my hand.\nI was no sooner informed of this new misfortune than I took some\nclothes with me, and went to find him out: after consoling him as\nwell as it was in my power, I brought him back with me, and made him\nenter the city quite privately, and I took as much care of him as of\nmy other brothers.\n\n\n\n\nTHE HISTORY\nOF THE BARBER\u2019S SIXTH BROTHER.\n\n\nThe history of my sixth brother is the only one that now remains to\nbe told; and he was called Schacabac, the hare-lipped. He was at\nfirst sufficiently industrious to employ the hundred drachms of\nsilver, which came to his share, in common with me and his other\nbrothers, in a very advantageous manner; but, at length, by reverse\nof fortune, he was reduced to the necessity of begging his bread. In\nthis occupation he acquitted himself with great address; and his\nchief aim was to procure admission, by bribing the officers and\ndomestics into the houses of the great, and by having access to\ntheir persons, to excite their compassion.\n\nHe one day passed by a very magnificent building, through the door\nof which he observed a spacious court, where he saw a vast number of\nservants. He went up to one of them, and inquired of them, to whom\nthe house belonged. \u201cMy good man,\u201d answered the domestic,\n\u201cwhere can you come from to ask such a question? Any one you met\nwould tell you it belonged to a Barmecide.\u201d [10] My brother, to\nwhom the liberal and generous dispositions of the Barmecides were\nwell known, addressed himself to the porters, for there were more\nthan one, and requested to afford him some charity. \u201cCome in,\u201d\nanswered they, \u201cno one prevents you, and speak to our master, he\nwill send you back well satisfied.\u201d\n\nMy brother did not expect so much kindness; and after returning many\nthanks to the porters, he, with their permission, entered the\npalace, which was so large, that it took him some time to find the\napartment belonging to the Barmecide. He at length came to a large\nsquare building, in a very beautiful style of architecture, into\nwhich he entered by a vestibule that led to a fine garden, the walks\nof which were formed of stones of different colours, very pleasant\nto the eye. The apartments which surrounded this building on the\nground floor, were almost all open, and shaded only by some large\ncurtains, in order to keep off the sun, and which they drew aside to\nadmit the fresh air when the heat began to subside.\n\nMy brother would have been most highly delighted in so pleasant a\nspot had his mind been sufficiently at ease to have enjoyed it. He\nadvanced still further, and entered a hall which was very richly\nfurnished, and ornamented with foliage, painted in azure and gold.\nHe perceived a venerable old man, whose beard was long and white,\nsitting on a sofa, and in the most distinguished place. Hence he\njudged it was the master of the house. In fact, it was the Barmecide\nhimself, who told him, in an obliging manner, that he was welcome,\nand asked him what he wished. \u201cMy lord,\u201d answered my brother, in\na lamentable tone, in order to excite his pity, \u201cI am a poor man\nwho stands very much in need of the assistance of such powerful and\ngenerous persons as you.\u201d He could not have done better than\naddress himself to the person he did, for he was possessed of a\nthousand amiable qualities.\n\nThe Barmecide was much astonished at my brother\u2019s answer; and\nputting both his hands to his breast, as if to tear his habit, as a\nmark of commiseration; \u201cis it possible,\u201d he cried, \u201cthat I\nshould live at Bagdad, and that such a man as you should be so much\ndistressed as you say you are? I cannot suffer this.\u201d At this\nexclamation, my brother thinking he was going to give him a singular\nproof of his liberality, wished him every blessing. \u201cIt shall\nnever be said,\u201d replied the Barmecide, \u201cthat I abandon you; nor\ndo I intend that you shall again leave me.\u201d--\u201cSir,\u201d replied my\nbrother, \u201cI swear to you that I have not even eaten any thing this\nday.\u201d--\u201cWhat,\u201d cried the Barmecide, \u201cis it true, that at\nthis late hour you have not yet broken your fast? Alas, poor man, he\nwill die with hunger! Here, boy,\u201d added he, raising his voice,\n\u201cbring us, instantly, a bason of water, that we may wash our\nhands.\u201d\n\nAlthough no boy made his appearance, and my brother observed neither\nbason nor water, the Barmecide nevertheless began to rub his hands,\nas if some one held the water for him, and while he was doing this,\nhe said to my brother, \u201ccome close, and wash along with me.\u201d\nSchacabac by this supposed, that the Barmecide was fond of fun, and\nas he himself liked a little raillery, and was not ignorant of the\nsubmission the rich expected from the poor, he approached him and\ndid the same.\n\n\u201cCome,\u201d said the Barmecide, \u201cnow bring us something to eat,\nand mind you do not keep us waiting.\u201d He had no sooner said this,\nthan he began, although nothing had been brought to eat, as if he\nhad taken something in his plate, and pretended to put it to his\nmouth and chew it, calling out at the same time to my brother,\n\u201cEat, I entreat you, my guest; make yourself quite at home. Eat, I\nbeg of you: you seem, for a hungry man, to have but a very poor\nappetite.\u201d--\u201cPardon me, my lord,\u201d replied Schacabac, imitating\nhis motions at the same time very accurately, \u201cYou see I lose no\ntime, and understand my business very well.\u201d--\u201cWhat think you of\nthis bread?\u201d said the Barmecide, \u201cdon\u2019t you find it\nexcellent?\u201d--\u201cIn truth, my lord,\u201d answered my brother, who in\nfact saw neither bread nor meat, \u201cI never eat any thing more white\nor delicate.\u201d--\u201cEat your fill then,\u201d rejoined the Barmecide,\n\u201cthe slave who made this excellent bread cost me, I assure you,\nfive hundred pieces of gold.\u201d Then continuing to praise the female\nslave who was his baker, and boasting of his bread, which my brother\nonly devoured in idea, he said, \u201cBoy, bring us another dish. Come,\nmy friend,\u201d he continued to my brother, though no other boy\nappeared, \u201ctaste this fresh dish, and tell me if you have ever\neaten any boiled mutton and barley better dressed than\nthis.\u201d--\u201cOh, it is admirable,\u201d answered my brother, \u201cI\ntherefore, you see, help myself very plentifully.\u201d--\u201cIt affords\nme great pleasure,\u201d added the Barmecide, \u201cto see you; and I\nentreat you not to suffer any of these dishes to be taken away,\nsince you find them so much to your taste.\u201d He presently called\nfor a goose with sweet sauce, and dressed with vinegar, honey, dried\nraisins, grey peas, and dried figs; this was brought in the same\nmanner as the mutton had been. \u201cThis goose is nice and fat,\u201d\nsaid the Barmecide; \u201chere, take only a wing and a thigh, for you\nmust nurse your appetite, as there are many more things yet to\ncome.\u201d In short, he called for many other dishes of different\nkinds, of which my brother, all the time dying with hunger,\ncontinued to pretend to eat. But what he boasted the most of, was a\nlamb that had been fatted with pistachio nuts, and which he ordered,\nand was served in the same manner as the other dishes had been.\n\u201cNow this,\u201d said he, \u201cis a dish you never meet with any where\nbut at my table, and I wish you to eat your fill of it.\u201d As he\nsaid this, he pretended to take a piece in his hand, and putting it\nto my brother\u2019s mouth, \u201ctake and eat this,\u201d he said, \u201cand\nyou will not think ill of my judgment in boasting of this dish.\u201d\nMy brother held his head forward, opened his mouth, pretended to\ntake the piece and to chew and swallow it with the greatest\npleasure. \u201cI was quite sure,\u201d said the Barmecide, \u201cyou would\nthink it excellent.\u201d--\u201cNothing can be more so,\u201d replied\nSchacabac. \u201cIn short, no table can be more deliciously served than\nyours.\u201d--\u201cNow bring me the ragout,\u201d said the other, \u201cand I\ndo not think you will be less pleased with that than with the lamb.\nWell, what do you think of it?\u201d--\u201cIt is wonderful,\u201d answered\nmy brother; \u201cwe at the same time have in this the flavor of amber,\ncloves, nutmegs, ginger, pepper, and sweet herbs; and yet they are\nall so well balanced, that the presence of one does not prevent the\nflavor of the rest. How delicious it is!\u201d--\u201cDo justice to it\nthen,\u201d cried the Barmecide, \u201cand eat heartily I beg. Holloh,\nboy,\u201d cried he, raising his voice, \u201cbring us a fresh\nragout.\u201d--\u201cOh, no, if you please,\u201d said Schacabac, \u201cfor in\ntruth, my lord, I cannot indeed eat any more.\u201d\n\n\u201cLet the desert, then,\u201d said the Barmecide, \u201cbe served, and\nthe fruit brought.\u201d He then waited a few moments, in order to give\nthe servants time to change the dishes, then resuming his speech, he\nsaid, \u201cTaste these almonds, they are just gathered and very\ngood.\u201d They then both pretended to take the skin off the almonds,\nand eat them. The Barmecide, after this, invited my brother to\npartake of many other things. \u201cHere are, you see,\u201d he said,\n\u201call sorts of fruits, cakes, dried comfits, and preserves; take\nwhat you like.\u201d Then stretching out his hand, as if he was going\nto give him something, \u201ctake this lozenge,\u201d he said, \u201cit is\nexcellent to assist digestion.\u201d Schacabac pretended to take and\neat it. \u201cHere is no want of musk in this, my lord?\u201d--\u201cI have\nthese lozenges made at home,\u201d said the Barmecide, \u201cand for\nthese, as well as every thing else in my house, nothing is\nspared.\u201d He still continued to persuade my brother to eat. \u201cFor\na man,\u201d he said, \u201cwho was almost starving when he came here, you\nhave really eaten hardly any thing.\u201d--\u201cMy lord,\u201d replied\nSchacabac, whose jaws were weary of chewing nothing, \u201cI assure you\nI am so full, that I cannot eat a morsel more.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, then,\u201d cried the Barmecide, \u201cafter having eaten so\nheartily it is necessary to drink [11] a little. You have no\nobjection to good wine?\u201d--\u201cMy lord,\u201d replied my brother, \u201cif\nyou will excuse me, I never drink wine, because it is forbidden\nme.\u201d--\u201cOh, you are too scrupulous,\u201d said the other, \u201ccome,\ncome, do as I do.\u201d--\u201cTo oblige you then,\u201d replied Schacabac,\n\u201cI will; for I observe you do not like that any thing should be\nomitted in our feast. But as I am not in the habit of drinking wine,\nI am fearful of being guilty of some fault against good breeding,\nand even against the respect that is due to you. It is for this\nreason, that I still entreat you to excuse my drinking any wine; I\nshall be well satisfied with water.\u201d--\u201cNo, no,\u201d said the\nBarmecide, you must drink wine.\u201d At the same time he ordered some\nto be brought. But the wine, like the dinner and desert, never in\nreality appeared. He then pretended to pour some out, and drank the\nfirst glass. After that, he poured out another glass for my brother,\nand presenting it to him, \u201cCome, drink my health,\u201d he cried,\n\u201cand tell me if you think the wine good.\u201d\n\nMy brother took the ideal glass, and first holding it up, and\nlooking to see if it were of a good bright colour, he put it to his\nnose, in order to examine if it had an agreeable perfume; he then,\nmaking a most profound reverence to the Barmecide, to show that he\ntook the liberty to drink his health, drank it off; accompanied at\nthe same time with proofs of receiving great pleasure from the\ndraught. \u201cMy lord,\u201d he said, \u201cI find this wine excellent; but\nit does not seem to me quite strong enough.\u201d--\u201cYou have only to\nspeak,\u201d replied the other, \u201cif you wish for any stronger. I have\nvarious sorts in my cellar. We will see if this will suit you\nbetter.\u201d He then pretended to pour out some of another sort for\nhimself, and also some for my brother. He did this so frequently,\nthat Schacabac, pretending that the wine had got into his head,\nfeigned to be drunk. He raised his hand, and gave the Barmecide such\na violent blow, that he knocked him down. He was going to strike him\na second time, but the Barmecide, holding out his hand to avoid the\nblow, called out, \u201cAre you mad?\u201d My brother then recollecting\nhimself, said, \u201cMy lord, you had the goodness to receive your\nslave into your house, and to make a great feast for him: you ought\nto have been satisfied with having made him eat, and not compelled\nhim to drink wine. I told you at first that I should be guilty of\nsome disrespect; I am very sorry for it, and ask you a thousand\npardons.\u201d\n\nHe had hardly finished this speech, before the Barmecide, instead of\nputting himself in a great passion, and being very angry, burst into\na violent fit of laughter. \u201cI have searched for a long time,\u201d\nsaid he, \u201cfor a person of your disposition. I not only pardon the\nblow you have given me, but from this moment I wish to look upon you\nas one of my friends, and that you shall make no other house than\nmine your home. You have had the complaisance to accommodate\nyourself to my humor, and the patience to carry on the pleasantry to\nthe end; but we will now eat in reality.\u201d Having said this, he\nclapped his hands, when several slaves instantly appeared, whom he\nordered to set out the table and serve dinner up. His commands were\nquickly obeyed, and my brother was now in reality treated with all\nthe same dishes he had before partaken of in idea. As soon as the\ntable was cleared, they brought some wine; and a number of beautiful\nfemale slaves, most richly dressed, appeared, and began to sing some\npleasant airs to the sound of instruments. Schacabac had in the end\nevery reason to be satisfied with the kindness and civility of the\nBarmecide, who took a great fancy to him, and treated him in the\nmost familiar manner; he gave him also a handsome dress from his own\nwardrobe.\n\nThe Barmecide found my brother possessed of so much knowledge of\nvarious sorts, that in the course of a few days he entrusted him\nwith the care of all his house and other affairs; and my brother\nacquitted himself of his charge during the time it lasted, which was\ntwenty years, to the complete satisfaction of his employer. At the\nend of this period, the generous Barmecide, worn out with old age,\npaid the common debt of nature; and as he did not leave any heirs,\nthey confiscated all his fortune to the use of the prince. They even\ntook from my brother every thing he had saved. Finding himself thus\nreduced to the state he was in at first, he joined a caravan of\npilgrims, going to Mecca, with the intention of making, by means of\ntheir charitable disposition, the same pilgrimage. During their\njourney, the caravan was unfortunately attacked and plundered by a\nparty of Bedouin [12] Arabs, who were more numerous than the\npilgrims.\n\nMy brother thus became the slave of a Bedouin, who for many days\ncontinually gave him the bastinado, in order to induce him to get\nhimself ransomed. Schacabac protested to him, that it was all to no\npurpose for him to ill-treat him in this manner. \u201cI am your\nslave,\u201d said he, \u201cand you may dispose of me as you like; but I\ndeclare to you, that I am in the most extreme poverty, and that it\nis not in my power to ransom myself.\u201d My brother tried every\nexpedient to convince him of his wretched condition: he endeavored\nto soften him by his tears, but the Bedouin was inexorable; and\nthrough revenge, at finding himself disappointed of a considerable\nsum of money, which he fully expected to receive, he absolutely took\nhis knife and slit up the lips of my brother, and by this inhuman\nact, he endeavoured to repay himself for the loss he supposed\nhimself to have suffered.\n\nThis Bedouin had a wife who was rather handsome; and he very soon\nafter left my brother with her, when he went on his excursions. At\nthese times, his wife left no means untried to console him for the\nrigour of his situation. She even gave him to understand she was in\nlove with him; but he dared not return her passion, for fear he\nshould have reason to repent of it: he, therefore, took every\nprecaution to avoid being alone with her, whenever she seemed to\nwish it. She, at length, became so much accustomed to joke, and\namuse herself with the hard-hearted Schacabac, whenever she met him,\nthat she one day forgot herself, and did it in the presence of her\nhusband. My poor brother, without in the least thinking he was\nobserved, for so his ill-luck would have it, returned her\npleasantries. The Bedouin immediately imagined that they passed\ntheir time, during his absence, in a way not very consistent with\nhis honor. This suspicion put him into the greatest rage; he threw\nhimself upon my brother, and after mutilating him in the most\nbarbarous manner, he carried him on a camel to the top of a high\ndesert mountain, where he left him. The road to Bagdad happened to\npass over this very mountain, and some travellers, who accidentally\nmet him there, informed me where he was to be found. I made all the\nhaste I could to the place; and I found the unfortunate Schacabac in\nthe most deplorable condition it was possible to be in. I afforded\nhim every assistance and aid he stood in need of, and brought him\nback with me into the city.\n\nThis was what I related to the caliph Mostanser Billah (added the\nbarber.) The prince very much applauded my conduct, by reiterated\nfits of laughter. \u201cThis must be the reason,\u201d he said to me,\n\u201cthat they have given you, and so justly, the name of\n\u2018Silent,\u2019 and no one can say you do not deserve it.\nNevertheless, I have some private reasons for wishing you to leave\nthe town; I, therefore, order you immediately to quit the city. Go,\nand never let me hear of you again.\u201d I yielded to necessity, and\ntravelled for many years in distant parts. I at length was informed,\nthat the caliph was dead; I returned, therefore, to Bagdad, where I\ndid not find one of my brothers alive. It was on my return to this\ncity, that I rendered to this lame young man the important service\nwhich you have been informed of. You are also witnesses of his great\ningratitude, and of the injurious manner in which he has treated me.\nInstead of acknowledging his great obligations to me, he has chosen\nrather to wander at a distance from his own country in order to\navoid me. As soon as I discovered that he had left Bagdad, and\nalthough no person could give me any information of the road he had\ntaken, or into what country he had travelled, I did not hesitate a\nmoment, but instantly set out to seek him. I passed on from province\nto province for a considerable length of time; and I accidentally\nmet him to-day at a time I least expected it. And least of all did I\nexpect to find him so irritated against me.\n\nHaving in this manner related the history of the lame young man and\nthe barber of Bagdad to the sultan of Casgar, the tailor went on as\nfollows:\n\nWhen the barber had finished his story, we plainly perceived the\nyoung man was not wrong in accusing him of being a great chatterer.\nWe nevertheless wished that he should remain with us and partake of\nthe feast which the master of the house had prepared for us. We then\nsat down at table, and continued to enjoy ourselves till the time of\nthe last prayers before sun-set. All the company then separated; and\nI returned to my shop, where I remained, till it was time to shut it\nup, and go to my house.\n\nIt was during this interval, that the little hunchback, who was half\ndrunk, came before my shop; when he sat down and sung, and played on\nthe symbal. I thought that by taking him home with me, I should\nafford some entertainment to my wife; and it was for this reason\nonly, that I invited him. My wife gave us a dish of fish for supper,\nto which I helped the little hunchback, who immediately began to\neat, without taking sufficient care to avoid the bones, and\ninstantly fell down senseless before us. We tried every thing in our\npower to relieve him, but without effect; and then, in order to free\nourselves from the embarrassment into which this melancholy accident\nhad thrown us, and the great fright it caused us, we did not\nhesitate a moment to carry the body out of our house, and induce the\nJewish physician to receive it in the manner your majesty has heard.\nThe Jewish physician let it down into the apartment of the purveyor,\nand the purveyor carried it into the street, where the merchant\nthought he had killed him. This, Sire, (added the tailor,) is what I\nwished to say to your majesty in my justification. It is for you to\ndetermine, whether we are worthy of your clemency, or your anger;\nwhether we deserve to live or die.\u201d\n\nThe sultan of Casgar\u2019s countenance expressed so much satisfaction\nand content, that it gave new life to the tailor and his companions.\n\u201cI cannot deny,\u201d he said, \u201cthat I am more astonished at the\nhistory of the lame young man, of the barber, and with the\nadventures of his brothers, than at any thing in the history of my\nbuffoon. But before I send you all four back to your own houses, and\neven before I order the burial of the little hunchback, I wish to\nsee this barber, who has been the cause of your pardon. And since he\nis now in my capital, it will not be difficult to satisfy my\ncuriosity.\u201d He immediately ordered one of his attendants to go and\nfind him out, and to take the tailor with him, who knew where he\nmost probably was.\n\nThe officer and tailor were not long absent, and brought back the\nbarber with them, whom they presented to the sultan. He appeared\nlike a man of about ninety. His beard and eyebrows were as white as\nsnow; his ears hung down a considerable length, and his nose was\nvery long. The sultan could scarcely refrain from laughter at the\nsight of him. \u201cMan of silence,\u201d said he to the barber, \u201cI\nunderstand that you are acquainted with many wonderful histories, I\nwish very much that you would relate one of them to\nme.\u201d--\u201cSire,\u201d replied the barber, \u201cfor the present, we will,\nif it please your majesty, not speak of the histories which I may\nknow; but I most humbly entreat you to permit me to ask one\nquestion: and that is, for what reason this Christian, this Jew,\nthis mussulman, and this hunchback, whom I see extended on the\nground, are in your majesty\u2019s presence.\u201d The sultan smiled at\nthe liberty the barber took, and said, \u201cOf what consequence can\nthat be to you?\u201d--\u201cSire,\u201d returned the barber, \u201cit is of\nconsequence to me to make this inquiry; namely, that your majesty\nmay know, that I am not that great talker which some people pretend;\nbut a man who has very justly acquired the title of the Silent.\u201d\n\nThe sultan of Casgar had the complaisance to satisfy the barber\u2019s\ngreat curiosity. He desired the adventures of the little hunchback\nto be related to him, since he seemed so very anxious to hear it.\nWhen the barber had heard the whole story, he shook his head, as if\nhe meant it to be understood, that he thought there was something\nwhich he could not well comprehend. \u201cTruly,\u201d he exclaimed,\n\u201cThis is a very wonderful history: but I should vastly like to\nexamine this little hunchback a little more closely.\u201d He then went\nnear to him, and sat down on the ground. He took his head between\nhis knees, and after examining him very attentively, he suddenly\nburst out into a violent fit of laughter; and with so little\nrestraint, that he absolutely fell backwards, without at all\nconsidering that he was in the presence of the sultan of Casgar. He\nthen got up laughing heartily the whole time. \u201cYou may very well\nsay,\u201d he at length cried, \u201cthat no one dies without a cause. If\never a history deserved to be written in letters of gold, it is this\nof the hunchback.\u201d\n\nThis speech made every one look upon the barber as a buffoon; or\nlike an old man who had lost his senses.\n\n\u201cMan of silence,\u201d said the sultan, \u201canswer me: what is the\nreason of your clamorous laughter?\u201d \u201cSire,\u201d replied the\nbarber, \u201cI swear, by your majesty\u2019s good nature, that this\nhunchback fellow is not dead; there is still some life in him; and I\nwish to be considered as a fool and a madman, if I do not instantly\nprove it to you.\u201d Having said this, he produced a box, in which\nthere were various medicines, and which he always carried about with\nhim, to use as occasion might require. He opened it, and taking out\na phial, containing a sort of balsam, he rubbed some of it, for a\nlength of time, on the neck of the hunchback. He then drew out of a\ncase an iron instrument suited to the purpose, with which he set\nopen his jaws; and by these means he was enabled to put a small pair\nof pincers into the hunchback\u2019s throat, and drew out the\nfish-bone, which he held up and showed to all who were present.\nAlmost immediately after this the hunchback gave a sneeze, stretched\nout his hands and feet, opened his eyes, and gave many other proofs\nof being alive.\n\nThe sultan of Casgar, and all who were witness to this excellent\noperation, were less surprised at seeing the hunchback brought to\nlife, although he had passed a night and almost a whole day without\nthe least apparent sign of animation, than they were at the merit\nand skill of the barber, whom they now began to regard, in spite of\nall his faults, as a very great personage. The sultan was so filled\nwith joy and admiration, that he ordered the history of the\nhunchback, as well as that of the barber, to be instantly committed\nto writing; that the knowledge of it, which so well deserved to be\npreserved, might never be forgotten. He was not satisfied with this;\nbut in order that the tailor, the Jewish physician, the purveyor,\nand the Christian merchant might ever remember with pleasure the\nadventures which the accident of the hunchback had caused them, he\npresented each of them with a very rich robe, which he made them put\non in his presence, before he dismissed them. And he bestowed upon\nthe barber a large pension; and retained him ever afterwards near\nhis person.\n\nThe sultana Scheherazad\u00e8 thus finished this long series of\nadventures, to which the supposed death of the hunchback had given\nrise. She was now silent. Her sister Dinarzad\u00e8, observing, that she\nhad done speaking, said to her, \u201cMy dear princess, my sultana, I\nam much the more delighted with the story you have just finished,\nbecause it was brought to a conclusion by so unexpected an incident.\nI really thought the little hunchback was quite dead.\u201d--\u201cThis\nsurprise has also afforded me pleasure,\u201d said Schahriar, \u201cas\nwell as the adventures of the barber\u2019s brothers.\u201d--\u201cThe\nhistory of the lame young man of Bagdad has also very much diverted\nme,\u201d rejoined Dinarzad\u00e8.--\u201cI am highly satisfied, my dear\nsister,\u201d replied Scheherazad\u00e8, \u201cat having been able thus to\nentertain the sultan, our lord and master, as well as yourself; and\nsince I have had the good fortune not to weary his majesty, if he\nwill have the goodness to prolong my life still further, I will have\nthe honour to relate to him the history of the amours of Aboulhassan\nAli Ebn Becar, and of Schemselnihar, the favourite of the caliph\nHaroun Alraschid, which is not less worthy of his attention, and\nyours also, than the history of the hunchback.\u201d The sultan of\nIndia, who was well satisfied at every thing Scheherazad\u00e8 had\nhitherto related, was determined not to forego the pleasure of\nhearing this other history, which she promised. He now therefore\narose and went to prayers, and then sat in council; and the next\nmorning Dinarzad\u00e8 did not fail to remind her sister of her promise,\nwhich she was thus prepared to fulfil.\n\n\n\n\nTHE HISTORY\nOF ABOULHASSAN ALI EBN BECAR, AND OF SCHEMSELNIHAR, THE FAVORITE OF\nTHE CALIPH HAROUN ALRASCHID.\n\n\nDuring the reign of the caliph Haroun Alraschid, there lived a\ndruggist at Bagdad, whose name was Aboulhassen Ebn Thaher. He was a\nman of considerable wealth; and was also very well made, and\nreckoned an agreeable person. He possessed more understanding and\nmore politeness than generally falls to the lot of people of his\nprofession. His notions of rectitude, his sincerity, and the\nliveliness of his disposition, made him beloved, and sought after by\nevery one. The caliph, who was well acquainted with his merit,\nplaced the most implicit confidence in him. He esteemed him so\nhighly, that he reposed in him the sole care of procuring for his\nfavorite ladies every thing they had occasion for. He chose their\ndresses, the furniture of their apartments, and their jewellery, in\nall of which departments he gave proofs of a most excellent taste.\n\nHis various good qualities, and the favor of the caliph, caused the\nsons of the emirs, and other officers of the highest rank, to\nfrequent his house; and it, in this manner, became the rendezvous of\nall the nobles of the court. Among other young men, who made almost\na daily practice of going there, was one whom Ebn Thaher esteemed\nabove all the rest, and with whom he contracted a most intimate\nfriendship. This young nobleman\u2019s name was Aboulhassan Ali Ebn\nBecar; and he derived his origin from an ancient royal family of\nPersia. This family still continued extant at Bagdad, from the time\nthat the mussulman arms made a conquest of that kingdom. Nature\nseemed to have taken a pleasure in combining in this young prince\nevery mental endowment, and personal accomplishment. He possessed a\ncountenance of the most finished beauty, his figure was fine, his\nair elegant and easy, and the expression of his face so engaging,\nthat no one could see him without instantly loving him. Whenever he\nspoke, he used the most appropriate and pure words, added to a\ncertain turn of expression equally novel and agreeable. There was\nsomething even in the tone of his voice that charmed all who heard\nhim. To complete the whole, as his understanding and judgment were\nof the first rank, so all his thoughts and expressions were most\nadmirable and just. He was moreover so very reserved and modest,\nthat he advanced nothing till he had taken every possible precaution\nto avoid any suspicion of prefering his own opinion, or sentiment,\nto that of another. Being a young man in every respect such as I\nhave described him to you, it is not to be wondered at, that Ebn\nThaher distinguished him in a particular manner from the other young\nnoblemen of the court, whose vices, for the most part, served only\nas a foil to his virtues.\n\nAs this prince was one day at the house of Ebn Thaher, they observed\na lady come to the door, mounted upon a black and white mule, and\nsurrounded by ten female slaves, who accompanied her on foot. They\nwere all very handsome, at least as far as could be judged from\ntheir air, and through the veils that covered their faces. The lady\nherself had on a rose-coloured girdle, at least four fingers in\nwidth, upon which were fastened diamonds and pearls of the largest\nsize; and it was no difficult matter to conjecture, that her beauty\nsurpassed that of her attendants, as much as the moon at the full\nexceeds the crescent of two days old. She came here for the purpose\nof executing some commission; and as it was necessary to speak to\nEbn Thaher, she went into his shop, which was very large and\ncommodious. He received her with every mark of respect, begged her\nto be seated, and conducted her by the hand to the most honourable\nplace.\n\nThe prince of Persia, in the mean time, did not choose to let such\nan excellent opportunity of showing his politeness and his gallantry\nescape him; he placed a cushion, covered with cloth of gold, for the\nlady to rest upon: then immediately retired, that she might sit\ndown. After this he made his compliments by kissing the carpet under\nher feet, got up, and stood before her at the end of the sofa. As\nshe felt herself quite at home with Ebn Thaher, she took off her\nveil, and displayed in the eyes of the prince of Persia a beauty so\nextraordinary, that it pierced him to the bottom of his heart. Nor\ncould the lady on her part help looking at the prince, whose person\nmade an equal impression on her. \u201cI beg of you, sir,\u201d she said\nto him in an obliging manner, \u201cto be seated.\u201d The prince of\nPersia obeyed, and sat down on the edge of the sofa. He kept his\neyes constantly fixed upon her, and swallowed large draughts of the\ndelicious poison of love. She soon perceived what passed in his\nmind, and this discovery completed her own passion. She then got up\nand went to Ebn Thaher, and after having informed him, in a whisper,\nof the motive of her visit, she inquired of him what was the name\nand country of the prince of Persia. \u201cMadam,\u201d replied Ebn\nThaher, \u201cthis young nobleman, of whom you are speaking, is called\nAboulhassan Ali Ebn Becar, and is of the blood royal of Persia.\u201d\n\nThe lady was delighted to find that the man she was so passionately\nin love with, was of such an high rank. \u201cYou mean, without doubt,\nI suppose,\u201d replied she, \u201cthat he is descended from the kings of\nPersia.\u201d--\u201cI do, madam,\u201d returned Ebn Thaher, \u201cthe last\nkings of Persia are his ancestors; and since the conquest of that\nkingdom, the princes of his family have always been held in\nestimation at the court of our caliphs.\u201d--\u201cYou will afford me a\ngreat pleasure,\u201d said the lady, \u201cif you will make me acquainted\nwith this young nobleman. When I shall send this female to you,\u201d\nadded she, pointing to one of her slaves, \u201cto request you to come\nand see me, I beg you will bring him with you; I very much wish that\nhe should see the splendour and magnificence of my palace, that he\nmay both see and publish to the world, that avarice does not hold\nher court among people of quality at Bagdad. You understand, and\nattend to what I say to you. Pray do not fail: if you do, I shall be\nvery angry with you, and will never come and see you again as long\nas I live.\u201d\n\nEbn Thaher possessed too much penetration not to understand, by this\nspeech, what were the sentiments of the lady. \u201cGod preserve me, my\nprincess,\u201d replied he, \u201cfrom giving you any cause to be offended\nwith me. To execute your orders will ever be a law to me.\u201d Having\nreceived this answer, the lady took her leave of Ebn Thaher with an\ninclination of her head; and after casting a most obliging look at\nthe prince of Persia, she mounted her mule, and departed.\n\nDistractedly in love with this lady, he continued looking at her as\nlong as she was in sight; and even after he had lost sight of her,\nit was a long time before he took his eyes from the way she went.\nEbn Thaher then remarked to him, that he was observed by some\npeople, who were ready to laugh at seeing him in that attitude.\n\u201cAlas!\u201d said the prince to him, \u201cyou, and all the world, would\nhave compassion upon me, if you knew that this beautiful lady, who\nhas just left your house, had carried away by far the better part of\nme; and that what remains cannot live separate. Tell me, I conjure\nyou,\u201d added he, \u201cwho this tyrannical lady is, that compels\npeople thus to love her, without giving them time to think on the\nsubject.\u201d--\u201cMy lord,\u201d replied Ebn Thaher, it is the famous\n[13] Schemselnihar, the first favorite of our sovereign master, the\ncaliph.\u201d--\u201cShe is indeed called so,\u201d said the prince, \u201cwith\nthe greatest justice and propriety, since she is more beautiful than\nthe cloudless meridian sun.\u201d--\u201cIt is true,\u201d replied Ebn\nThaher, \u201cand the Commander of the Faithful loves her, or, I might\nrather say, adores her. He has expressly commanded me to furnish her\nwith every thing she wishes, and even to anticipate her thoughts, if\nit were possible, in any thing she may desire.\u201d\n\nHe entered into this conversation with the prince, to prevent his\nfalling in love, where the event must be unfortunate; but this in\nfact only served to inflame him the more. \u201cI cannot doubt,\u201d\ncried he, \u201ccharming Schemselnihar, that I shall not be suffered to\nraise my thoughts to you. I nevertheless feel, although without any\nhopes of being beloved by you, that it will not be in my power to\ncease from adoring you. I will continue to love you then, and will\nbless my fate, that I am become the slave of an object the most\nbeautiful that the sun illumines.\u201d\n\nWhilst the prince of Persia was thus consecrating his heart to the\nbeautiful Schemselnihar, this lady, as she went home, continued to\nthink upon the means she should pursue, in order to see and converse\nwith freedom with this prince. She was no sooner returned to the\npalace, than she sent back to Ebn Thaher that particular female\nslave, whom she had pointed out to him, and in whom she placed the\nmost implicit confidence, to request him to come and see her without\ndelay; and to bring the prince of Persia along with him. The slave\narrived at the shop of Ebn Thaher at the very time he was conversing\nwith the prince, and while he was using the strongest arguments to\nendeavour to persuade him to give up his love for the favorite of\nthe caliph. When the slave saw them together, she said, \u201cMy most\nhonorable mistress, Schemselnihar, the first favorite of the\nCommander of the Faithful, entreats you both to come to the palace,\nwhere she expects you.\u201d Ebn Thaher, in order to show how ready he\nwas to obey her, instantly got up, without answering the slave one\nword, and followed her, though not without considerable repugnance.\nAs for the prince, he followed her without at all reflecting on the\ndanger he ran from making this visit. The presence of Ebn Thaher,\nwho had free admission to the Favorite, made him perfectly easy on\nthat subject. They both then followed the slave, who walked a little\nbefore them. They went into the palace of the caliph soon after her,\nand joined her at the door of the smaller palace, appropriated to\nSchemselnihar, which was already open. She introduced them into a\nlarge hall, where she bagged them to be seated.\n\nThe prince of Persia thought himself in one of those delightful\npalaces, which are promised to us in the other world. He had\nhitherto seen nothing that at all equalled the magnificence of the\nplace where he now was. The carpets, cushions, and other furniture\nof the sofas, together with the furniture, ornaments, and\narchitecture, were most exceeding rich and beautiful. They had not\nlong remained in this place, before a black slave, properly dressed,\nset out a table, covered with the most delicate dishes; the\ndelicious smell of which afforded them a strong proof of the\nexcellence of the seasoning: while they were eating, the slave, who\nhad conducted them here, did not leave them: she took great care to\ninvite them to eat of those ragouts and dishes she knew to be best;\nin the mean time, other slaves poured out some excellent wine, with\nwhich they finished their repast. When this was over, they presented\nto the prince of Persia, and to Ebn Thaher, each a separate bason,\nand a beautiful golden vase, full of water, to wash their hands.\nThey afterwards brought them some perfume of aloes in a portable\nvessel, which was also of gold, with which they scented their beards\nand dress. Nor was the perfumed water forgotten. It was brought in a\ngolden vase, enriched with diamonds and rubies, made expressly for\nthis purpose, and it was poured into both their hands, with which\nthey rubbed their beards, and their whole faces, as was the usual\ncustom. They then sat down again in their places, but they were no\nsooner there, than the slave requested them to get up, and follow\nher. She opened a door, which led from the hall where they were, and\nthey entered a very large saloon, most wonderfully constructed. It\nwas a dome of an agreeable form, supported by an hundred columns of\nmarble, as white as alabaster. The pedestals and capitals of these\ncolumns were each ornamented with quadrupeds, and birds of various\nspecies, worked in gold. The carpet of this wonderful saloon was\ncomposed of a single piece of cloth of gold, upon which were worked\nbunches of roses in red and white silk; the dome itself was painted\nin arabesque, and afforded a view of a multitude of charming\nobjects. There was a small sofa between each column, ornamented in\nthe same manner, together with large vases of porcelain, of crystal,\nof jasper, of jet, of porphyry, of agate, and other valuable\nmaterials, all enriched with gold, and inlaid with precious stones.\nThe spaces between the columns contained also large windows, with\nbalconies of a proper height, and furnished in the same style of\nelegance with the sofas, from whence you looked into the most\ndelicious garden in the world. Its walks were formed of small stones\nof various colours, which represented the carpet of the saloon under\nthe dome; and, in this manner, while they looked on the floor,\neither in the saloon or garden, it seemed as if the dome and the\ngarden, with all their beauties, formed one splendid whole. The view\nfrom every point was terminated at the end of the walks by two\ncanals of water, as transparent as rock crystal, which preserved the\nsame circular figure as the dome. One of these canals was raised\nabove the other, and from the higher, the water fell in a large body\ninto the lower one. On their banks, at certain distances, were\nplaced some beautiful bronze and gilt vases, all furnished with\nshrubs and flowers. These walks also separated from each other large\nspaces, which were planted with lofty and thick trees, in the midst\nof which a thousand birds warbled the most melodious sounds; and\ndiversified the scene by their various flights, and by the battles\nthey fought while in the air; sometimes in sport, and at others in a\nmore serious and cruel manner.\n\nThe prince of Persia and Ebn Thaher stopped a long time to examine\nthe great magnificence of this place. They expressed strong marks of\nsurprise and admiration at every thing that struck them,\nparticularly the prince of Persia, who had never before seen any\nthing at all comparable to it. Ebn Thaher too, although he had been\nbefore in this enchanting spot, could not refrain from admiring its\nbeauties, which always appeared with an air of novelty. In short,\nthey had not ceased from their admiration of these singular things,\nwith which they were so agreeably taken up, when they suddenly\nperceived a company of females most richly dressed. They were all\nsitting down on the outside, at some distance from the dome, each on\na seat made of Indian plantain wood, enriched with silver inlaid in\ncompartments, with a musical instrument in their hands waiting only\nfor the appointed signal, to begin to play on them.\n\nThey both went and placed themselves in one of the balconies, from\nwhence they had a direct view of them; and on looking towards the\nright hand, they saw below a large court, with an entrance into the\ngarden up a flight of steps. The whole of this court was surrounded\nwith very elegant apartments. The slave had left them, and, as they\nwere by themselves, they conversed together for some time. \u201cI do\nnot doubt,\u201d said the prince of Persia to Ebn Thaher, \u201cthat you,\nwho are a sedate and wise man, look with very little satisfaction\nupon all these exhibitions of magnificence and power. In my eyes\nnothing in the whole world can be more surprising; and when I add to\nthis the reflection, that it is the splendid abode of the too\namiable Schemselnihar, and that the first monarch of the world makes\nit the place of his retirement, I confess to you, that I think\nmyself the most unfortunate of men. It seems to me, that there\ncannot exist a more cruel fate than mine; to love an object\ncompletely in the power of my rival, and in the very spot where that\nrival is so powerful, that I am not, even at this very instant,\nsecure of my life.\u201d\n\nTo this speech of the prince of Persia, Ebn Thaher thus answered:\n\u201cI wish to God, sir, that I could give you as perfect an assurance\nof the happy issue of your attachment, as I can of the safety of\nyour person. Although this superb palace belongs to the caliph, it\nwas erected expressly for Schemselnihar, and is called the Palace of\ncontinual pleasures, and although it makes a part, as it were, of\nhis own, yet be assured, this lady here enjoys most perfect liberty.\nShe is not surrounded by eunuchs, who watch her minutest actions.\nThese buildings are appropriated solely to her use, and she has the\nabsolute disposal of the whole, as she thinks proper. She goes out,\nand walks about the city wherever she pleases, without asking leave\nof any one; she returns at her own time, and the caliph never comes\nto visit her, without first sending Mesrour, the chief of the\neunuchs, to give her notice of it, and to prepare for his reception.\nYour mind, therefore, ought not to be disturbed, but remain in a\ntranquil state; be attentive, therefore, to a concert, which I\nperceive Schemselnihar is going to treat us with.\u201d\n\nAt the very instant Ebn Thaher had done speaking, the prince of\nPersia and he both observed the slave, who was the confidant of the\nFavorite, come and order the females, that were seated in front of\nthem, to sing and play on their several instruments. They all\nimmediately began a sort of prelude, and after playing thus for some\ntime, one of them sung alone, and accompanied herself on a lute,\nmost admirably. As she had been informed of the subject upon which\nshe was to sing, the words of her song were in such perfect unison\nwith the feelings of the prince of Persia, that he could not help\napplauding her at the conclusion of the couplet. \u201cIs it\npossible,\u201d he cried, \u201cthat you can have the faculty of\npenetrating the inmost thoughts of others, and that thus the\nknowledge you have of what passes in my heart, has enabled you to\ngive my feelings utterance, by the sound of your delightful voice? I\ncould not myself have expressed them in more appropriate terms.\u201d\nTo this speech the female answered not a word. She went on, and sung\nseveral other stanzas, which so much affected the prince, that he\nrepeated some of them with tears in his eyes, whence it was\nsufficiently evident to whom he made the application. When she had\nfinished all the couplets, she and her companions stood up and sang\naltogether some words to the following effect, that _the full moon\nwas about to rise in all its splendour, and going soon to approach\nthe sun_. The meaning of which was, that Schemselnihar was about to\nappear, and that the prince of Persia would immediately have the\npleasure of seeing her.\n\nIn fact, Ebn Thaher and the prince, looking towards one side of the\ncourt, observed the confidential slave approach, followed by ten\nblack females, who with difficulty carried a large throne of massive\nsilver, most elegantly wrought, which the slave made them place at a\ncertain distance from the prince and Ebn Thaher. After this, the\nblack slaves retired behind some trees at the end of a walk. Then\ntwenty most beautiful females, richly and uniformly dressed,\nadvanced in two rows, singing and playing on different instruments,\nand ranged themselves on each side of the throne.\n\nThe prince of Persia and Ebn Thaher beheld all these things with the\ngreatest possible attention, eager and curious to know in what it\nwould end. At last, they saw come out of the same door, whence the\nten black slaves, who had brought the throne, and the twenty other\nslaves had come, ten other females equally beautiful and handsomely\nadorned as the former. They stopped at the door, waiting some\nmoments for the Favorite, who then issued forth, and placed herself\nin the midst of them. It was very easy to distinguish her from the\nrest, as well by her person and majestic air, as by a sort of mantle\nof very light materials enriched with azure and gold, which she wore\nfastened to her shoulders, over the other parts of her dress, which\nwas the most appropriate, best made, and most magnificent you can\nimagine. The diamonds, pearls, and rubies, which ornamented her\nperson, were not scattered in a confused manner. They were few in\nnumber, properly arranged, and of inestimable value. She advanced\nwith a degree of majesty which did not ill represent the sun in its\ncourse, in the midst of clouds, which received its rays without\ndiminishing its splendour. She then proceeded, and seated herself\nupon the silver throne that they had brought for that purpose.\n\nAs soon as the prince of Persia perceived Schemselnihar, he had eyes\nfor nothing else. \u201cWe cease our inquiries,\u201d said he to Ebn\nThaher, \u201cafter the object of our search, when it appears before\nus; and we no longer are in a state of doubt, when the truth is\nevident. Look at this divine beauty; she is the origin of all my\nevils; evils, indeed, which I bless, however severe, and however\nlasting they may become. At sight of this object I am no longer\nmyself: my restless soul revolts against its master, and I feel that\nit strives to abandon me. Go, then, my soul, I give thee leave; but\nlet thy flight be for the advantage and preservation of this weak\nframe. It is you, too cruel Ebn Thaher, who are the cause of my\ndisorder. You imagined it would afford me pleasure to bring me here;\nand I perceive, that I am come here only to court my destruction.\nPardon me,\u201d he added, recovering himself a little, \u201cI deceive\nmyself, for I was determined to come, and can only complain of\nmyself.\u201d At these words, he wept most violently. \u201cI am very\nglad,\u201d said Ebn Thaher, \u201cthat you at last do me justice. When I\ntold you, that Schemselnihar was the first Favorite of the caliph, I\ndid so for the express purpose of preventing this direful and fatal\npassion, which you seem to take a pleasure in nourishing in your\nheart. Every thing you see here ought to make you endeavour to\ndisengage yourself, and to excite only sentiments of gratitude and\nrespect for the honour Schemselnihar has been willing to do you, in\nordering me to introduce you here. Recollect yourself then; recall\nyour wandering reason, and put yourself in a state to appear before\nher, in a way her kindness and condescension deserves. See, she\napproaches. If this affair was to come over again, I would, in\ntruth, act very differently; but the thing is done, and I trust in\nGod that we shall not repent it. I have nothing more to say,\u201d\nadded he, \u201cbut that love is a traitor, who will involve you in\nsuch an abyss, you can never again extricate yourself.\n\nEbn Thaher had no time to say any more, as Schemselnihar now came\nup. She placed herself on the throne, and saluted them both by an\ninclination of her hand. Her eyes, however, were fixed upon the\nprince, and they both spoke a language intermingled with sighs, by\nwhich, in a short time, they understood more than they would have\ndone in an age from actual conversation. The more Schemselnihar\nlooked at the prince, the more did his looks tend to confirm her\nopinion, that she was not indifferent to him; and being thus already\nconvinced of his passion, Schemselnihar thought herself the happiest\nbeing in the whole world. She at length took her eyes off him, to\ngive orders for the females, who had sung before, to approach. They\nrose up, and while they were walking forward, the black slaves came\nfrom the walk, where they had remained, and brought their seats, and\nplaced them near the balcony in the window, where the prince of\nPersia and Ebn Thaher were. The manner in which all these were\narranged, together with the Favorite\u2019s throne, and the females,\nwho were on each side of her, formed a semicircle before them.\n\nWhen those who had before been seated, had again, by the permission\nof Schemselnihar, who gave them a sign for that purpose, taken their\nplaces, this charming Favorite fixed upon one of her women to sing.\nAfter employing a little time in tuning her lute, she sung a song,\nof which the sense of the words was as follows: When two lovers, who\nare dotingly fond of each other, are attached by a passion without\nbounds; when their hearts, although in two bodies, form but one; and\nwhen any obstacle opposes their mutual desires, they may, with tears\nin their eyes, say, \u201cIf we love each other, because each finds the\nother amiable, ought we to incur displeasure? Fate alone is to\nblame, not ourselves.\u201d\n\nSchemselnihar evidently showed, both by her eyes and actions, that\nshe thought these words applicable to herself and the prince, and\nthat he was no longer master of himself. He got up, and advancing\ntowards the balustrade, which served him to lean upon, he contrived\nto catch the attention of one of the females who sung. And as she\nwas not far from him, he said to her, \u201cAttend to me, and do me the\nfavor to accompany with your lute the song I am now going to sing\nyou.\u201d He then sung an air, the tender and impassioned words of\nwhich perfectly expressed the violence of his love. As soon as it\nwas finished, Schemselnihar, following his example, said to one of\nher women, \u201cAttend to me also, and accompany my voice.\u201d She then\nsung in a manner that increased, to a still greater degree, the\nflame that burnt in the heart of the prince of Persia; who only\nanswered her by another air still more tender than the one he sung\nbefore.\n\nThese two lovers having thus declared their mutual affection by\ntheir songs, Schemselnihar at length completely yielded to the\nstrength of hers. She got up from her throne, almost forgetting what\nshe did, and proceeded towards the door of the saloon. The prince,\nwho was aware of her intention, instantly rose also, and hurried to\nmeet her. They met at the very door, where they seized each\nother\u2019s hands, and embraced with so much transport, that they both\nfainted on the spot. They would have fallen to the ground, if the\nfemale attendants, who followed Schemselnihar, had not prevented\nthem. They supported and led them to a sofa; and it was only by\nthrowing some perfumed water over them, and applying various\nstimulants, that they returned to their senses.\n\nThe first thing Schemselnihar did, as soon as they had recovered,\nwas to look round on all sides; and not seeing Ebn Thaher, she\neagerly inquired where he was. The fact was, Ebn Thaher had retired\nout of respect to her, while the slaves were employed in attending\ntheir mistress; for he was really afraid, and not without reason,\nthat some unfortunate consequence would arise from this adventure.\nAs soon as he heard that Schemselnihar asked for him, he came\nforward and presented himself before her.\n\nShe seemed highly satisfied at the appearance of Ebn Thaher, and\nexpressed her joy in these obliging terms. \u201cI know not by what\nmeans, Ebn Thaher, I can ever repay the obligations I am under to\nyou; but for you, I should never have become acquainted with the\nprince of Persia, nor have gained the affections of the most amiable\nbeing in the world. Be assured, however, that I shall not die\nungrateful; and that my gratitude shall, if possible, equal the\nbenefit I have received through your means.\u201d Ebn Thaher could only\nanswer this flattering speech by an inclination of the head, and by\nwishing the Favorite the attainment of every thing she could desire.\n\nSchemselnihar then turned towards the prince of Persia, who was\nseated by her side, and looking at him, though not without feeling\nconfused after what had passed between them; \u201cI cannot, sir,\u201d\nshe said to him, \u201cbut be perfectly assured that you love me; and,\nhowever strong your passion for me may be, you cannot, I think,\ndoubt that mine is equally violent. Do not, however, let us\ndelusively flatter ourselves; whatever unison there may be between\nyour sentiments and mine, I can look forwards only to pain,\ndisappointment, and misery for each. And no remedy, alas, remains to\nbefriend us in our misfortunes, but perfect constancy in love,\nentire submission to the will of Heaven, and patient expectation of\nwhatever it may please to decree as our destiny.\u201d \u201cMadam,\u201d\nreplied the prince of Persia, \u201cyou would do me the greatest\ninjustice in the world, if you could for a moment doubt the\nconstancy and fidelity of my heart. My affection is so completely\nblended with my soul, that it forms in fact a part of my very\nexistence; nay, I shall even preserve it beyond the grave. Neither\nmisery, torments, nor obstacles of any kind, can ever be capable of\nlessening my love for you.\u201d At the conclusion of this speech his\ntears flowed in abundance; nor could Schemselnihar restrain hers.\n\nEbn Thaher took this opportunity to speak to the Favorite,\n\u201cMadam,\u201d said he, \u201cpermit me to say, that instead of thus\nremaining overwhelmed in misery, you ought rather to feel the\ngreatest joy in finding yourselves so fortunately in each other\u2019s\nsociety. I really do not understand the motives for your grief. If\nit be so great now, what must you feel when necessity shall compel\nyou to separate. But why do I say shall compel you: we have already\nbeen a long time here; and it is now necessary, as you must be\naware, madam, for us to take our departure.\u201d \u201cAlas,\u201d replied\nSchemselnihar, \u201chow cruel you are! Have not you, who so well know\nthe cause of my tears, any pity for the unfortunate situation in\nwhich you see me. O miserable destiny, why am I compelled to submit\nto so severe a restriction, as to be for ever unable to obtain and\nenjoy what absorbs my whole affection?\u201d\n\nAs however she was well persuaded that Ebn Thaher had said nothing\nbut what was dictated by friendship, she was by no means angry at\nhis speech; she even profited from it; for she directly made a sign\nto the slave, her confidant, who immediately went out, and soon\nreturned with a small collation of various fruits upon a silver\ntable, which she placed between the Favorite and the prince of\nPersia. Schemselnihar chose what she thought was the best, and\npresented it to the prince, entreating him to eat it for her sake.\nHe took it, and instantly carried it to his mouth; taking care, that\nthe very part which had felt the pressure of her fingers, should\nfirst touch his lips. The prince, in his turn, then presented\nsomething to Schemselnihar, who directly took and eat it in the same\nmanner. Nor did she forget to invite Ebn Thaher to partake with\nthem: but as he knew he was now staying longer in a place than was\nperfectly safe, he would rather have returned home; and he eat\ntherefore only through complaisance. As soon as the things were\ntaken away, they brought some water in a vase of gold, and a silver\nbason, in which they both washed their hands at the same time. After\nthis they returned to their seats, and then three of the ten black\nfemales brought each of them a cup, formed of beautiful rock\ncrystal, and filled with the most exquisite wine, upon a golden\nwaiter, which they placed before Schemselnihar, the prince of\nPersia, and Ebn Thaher.\n\nIn order to be more by themselves, Schemselnihar retained near her\nonly the ten black slaves, and the other ten females, who were\nskilled in music and singing. After she had dismissed all the other\nattendants, she took one of the cups, and holding it in her hand,\nshe sung some of the most tender words, which one of the females\naccompanied with her lute. When this was finished, she drank the\nwine. She then took one of the other cups, and, presenting it to the\nprince, requested him to drink it for love of her, in the same\nmanner she had done hers. He received it with the greatest transport\nof love and joy. But before he drank it, he sung in his turn an air,\naccompanied by the instrument of another female; and in singing it,\nthe tears fell in abundance from his eyes: the words, also, which he\nsung, expressed the idea, that he himself was ignorant whether it\nwas the wine that he was drinking, or his own tears. Schemselnihar\nthen presented the third cup to Ebn Thaher, who thanked her for the\nhonor and attention she showed him.\n\nWhen this was over, the Favorite took a lute from one of her slaves,\nand accompanied her own voice in so impassioned a manner, that she\nwas absolutely carried beyond herself; and the prince of Persia,\nwith his eyes intently fixed upon her, remained perfectly\nmotionless, like one enchanted. In the midst of these scenes the\ntrusty slave of the Favorite came in quite alarmed, and told her\nmistress, that Mesrour, and two other officers, together with many\neunuchs, who accompanied them, were at the door, and desired to\nspeak to her as from the caliph. When the prince of Persia and Ebn\nThaher heard what the slave said, they changed colour; and trembled,\nas if their discovery had actually taken place. Schemselnihar\nhowever, who perceived them, soon dispelled their fears.\n\nAfter having endeavoured to quiet their alarm, she charged her\nconfidential slave to go and keep Mesrour and the two officers of\nthe caliph in conversation, while she prepared herself to receive\nthem; and said, she would then send to her to introduce them. She\ndirectly ordered all the windows of the saloon to be shut, and the\npaintings on silk, which were in the garden, to be taken down; and\nafter having again assured the prince and Ebn Thaher, that they\nmight remain therein perfect safety, she opened the door that led to\nthe garden, went out, and shut it after her. In spite, however, of\nevery assurance which she had given them, that they were quite\nsecure from discovery, they could not avoid feeling very much\nalarmed all the time they were alone.\n\nAs soon as Schemselnihar was in the garden, with the women who\nattended her, she made them take away all the seats, on which the\nfemales, who had formed the concert, had sat near the window, from\nwhence the prince and Ebn Thaher had heard them. When she saw that\nevery thing was in the state she wished, she sat down on the silver\nthrone; and then sent to inform her confidential slave, that she\nmight introduce the chief of the eunuchs, and his two under officers.\n\nThey appeared, followed by twenty black eunuchs, all properly\ndressed; each having a scimitar by his side, and a large golden belt\nround his body, four fingers in breadth. As soon as they perceived\nthe Favorite, although they were at a considerable distance, they\nmade a most profound reverence, which she returned them from her\nthrone. When they approached nearer, she got up, and went towards\nMesrour, who walked first. She asked him what intelligence he\nbrought; to which he replied, \u201cThe Commander of the Faithful,\nmadam, by whose order I am come, has charged me to say to you, that\nhe cannot live any longer without the pleasure of beholding you. He\npurposes, therefore, to pay you a visit this evening; and I am come\nin order to inform you of it, that you may prepare for his\nreception. He hopes, madam, that you will feel as much joy at\nreceiving him, as he does impatience to be with you.\u201d\n\nWhen the Favorite observed that Mesrour had finished his speech, she\nprostrated herself on the ground, to show the submission with which\nshe received the commands of the caliph. When she got up, she said\nto him, \u201cI beg you will inform the Commander of the Faithful, that\nit will ever be my glory to fulfil the commands of his majesty, and\nthat his slave will endeavour to receive him with all the respect\nthat is due to him.\u201d She at the same time gave orders to her\nconfidential slave, to make all the necessary preparations in the\npalace for the caliph\u2019s reception, by means of the black females,\nwho were kept for this purpose. Then taking leave of the chief of\nthe eunuchs, she said to him, \u201cYou must see, that it will take\nsome little time to make the necessary preparations; go, therefore,\nI beg of you, and arrange matters so that the caliph may not be very\nimpatient, and that he may not arrive so soon as to find us quite in\nconfusion.\u201d\n\nThe chief of the eunuchs then retired with his attendants; and\nSchemselnihar returned to the saloon, very much afflicted at the\nnecessity she was under, of sending the prince of Persia back sooner\nthan she intended. She went to him with tears in her eyes, which\nvery much increased the alarm of Ebn Thaher, who seemed to\nconjecture from it some unfortunate event. \u201cI see, madam,\u201d said\nthe prince to her, \u201cthat you come for the purpose of announcing to\nme, that we are compelled to separate. Provided, however, that I\nhave nothing farther to dread, I trust that Heaven will grant me\npatience, which I have so much need of, to enable me to support your\nabsence.\u201d \u201cAlas, my love, my dear soul,\u201d cried the too tender\nSchemselnihar, interrupting him, \u201chow happy do I find yours, when\nI compare it with my more wretched fate. You doubtless suffer\ngreatly from my absence, but that is your only grief; you can derive\nconsolation from the hopes of seeing me again: but I, just Heaven,\nto what a painful task am I compelled! I am not only deprived of the\nenjoyment of the only being I love, but am obliged to bear the sight\nof one whom you have rendered hateful to me. Will not the caliph\u2019s\narrival constantly bring to my recollection the necessity of your\ndeparture? And absorbed as I shall be continually with your dear\nimage, how shall I be able to express to that prince any signs of\njoy at his presence, which was hitherto always accompanied on my\npart, as he often remarked, with pleasure sparkling in my eyes. When\nI address him, my mind will be distracted; and the least possible\nindulgence I shall grant to his affection, will plunge a poniard\ninto my very soul. Can I possibly derive the least pleasure from his\nkind words and caresses? How dreadful the idea. Judge then, my\nprince, to what torments I shall be exposed, when you have left\nme.\u201d The tears, which ran in streams from her eyes, and the\nconvulsive sobs of her bosom, prevented her further utterance. The\nprince of Persia wished to make a reply, but he had not sufficient\nstrength of mind. His own grief, added to what he saw his mistress\nsuffer, took from him all power of speech.\n\nEbn Thaher, whose only object was to get out of the palace, was\nobliged to console them, and beg them to have a little patience. At\nthis moment, the confidential slave broke in upon them; \u201cMadam,\u201d\nshe cried, \u201cyou have no time to lose; the eunuchs are beginning to\nassemble, and you know the caliph, therefore, will very soon be\nhere.\u201d--\u201cOh Heavens!\u201d exclaimed the Favorite, \u201chow cruel is\nthe separation! Hasten,\u201d she cried to the slave, \u201cand conduct\nthem to the gallery, which on one side looks towards the garden, and\non the other over the Tigris: and when night shall have thrown the\ngreatest obscurity over the face of the earth, let them out of the\ngate that is on the back part of the palace, that they may retire in\nperfect safety.\u201d At these words she embraced the prince of Persia,\nwithout having the power of saying another word; and then went to\nmeet the caliph, with her mind in such a disordered state as may\neasily be imagined.\n\nIn the mean time the confidential slave conducted the prince and Ebn\nThaher to the gallery, where Schemselnihar had ordered her: as soon\nas she had introduced them into it she left them there, and in going\naway she shut the doors after her: having first assured them that\nthey had nothing to fear; and that she would come at the proper time\nand let them out.\n\nThe slave, however, was no sooner gone, than both the prince and Ebn\nThaher forgot the assurances she had given them, that they had\nnothing to be alarmed at. They examined all round the gallery; and\nwere extremely frightened when they found there was not a single\nplace by which they could escape, in case the caliph, or any of his\nofficers, should take it into their heads to come there.\n\nA sudden light, which they saw through the blinds on the side\ntowards the garden, induced them to go and examine from whence it\ncame. It was in fact caused by the flames of an hundred flambeaux of\nwhite wax, which an equal number of young eunuchs carried in their\nhands. These eunuchs were followed by more than an hundred others,\nwho were older, all of whom formed a part of the guards that were\nalways on duty at the apartments of the females belonging to the\ncaliph. They were dressed and armed with scimitars, in the same way\nas those I have before mentioned. The caliph himself walked after\nthese, between Mesrour, the chief of the eunuchs, who was on his\nright hand, and Vassif, the second in command, who was on his left.\n\nSchemselnihar waited for the caliph at the entrance of one of the\nwalks, accompanied by twenty very beautiful females, who wore\nnecklaces and ear-rings made of large diamonds, and whose heads were\nalso profusely ornamented with the same materials. They all sung to\nthe sound of their instruments, and formed a most delightful\nconcert. The favorite no sooner saw the caliph appear, than she\nadvanced towards him, and prostrated herself at his feet. But at the\nvery instant of doing it, she said to herself, \u201cIf your mournful\neyes, O prince of Persia, were witness to what I am now compelled to\ndo, you would be able to judge of the severity of my lot. It is\nbefore you alone, that I wish thus to humble myself; my heart would\nnot then feel the least repugnance.\u201d\n\nThe caliph was delighted to see Schemselnihar. \u201cRise, madam,\u201d he\ncried, as he approached her, \u201cand come near to me. I have felt\nmyself but ill at ease at having been deprived for so long a time of\nthe pleasure of beholding you.\u201d Having thus spoken, he took her by\nthe hand, and addressing the most kind and obliging things to her,\nhe seated himself on the throne of silver, which she had ordered to\nbe brought, as she did on a seat before him; and the other twenty\nfemales formed an entire circle round them, sitting down on other\nseats; while the hundred young eunuchs, who carried the flambeaux,\ndispersed themselves at certain distances from each other all over\nthe garden; and the caliph, in the mean time, enjoyed at his ease\nthe freshness of the evening air.\n\nWhen the caliph had sat down, he looked round him, and observed,\nwith great satisfaction, that the garden was illuminated with a\nmultitude of other lights besides those which the eunuchs carried.\nHe took notice, however, that the saloon was shut up; at which he\nseemed surprised, and asked the reason of it. It was, in fact, done\nso on purpose to astonish him; for he had no sooner spoken, than all\nthe windows at once suddenly opened, and he saw it lighted up both\nwithin side and without, in a much more extensive and magnificent\nmanner than he had ever done before. \u201cCharming Schemselnihar,\u201d\nhe cried at this sight, \u201cI understand your meaning: you wish me to\nacknowledge, that the night may be made as beautiful as the day. And\nafter what I now see, I cannot deny it.\u201d\n\nLet us now return to the prince of Persia and Ebn Thaher, whom we\nleft shut up in the gallery. Although in that disagreeable\nsituation, the latter could not help admiring every thing that\npassed, and of which he was a spectator, \u201cI am not a young man,\u201d\nhe cried, \u201cand have, in the course of my life, been witness to\nmany beautiful sights; but I really think I never saw any spectacle\nso surprising or grand as this is. Nothing that has been related\neven of enchanted palaces, at all equals the exhibitions we have now\nbefore our eyes. What a profusion of magnificence and richness!\u201d\n\nNone of these brilliant objects, however, seemed to have any effect\nupon the prince of Persia: he derived not that pleasure from them\nwhich Ebn Thaher did. His eyes were only intent upon watching\nSchemselnihar; and the presence of the sultan plunged him into the\ngreatest affliction. \u201cDear Ebn Thaher,\u201d he cried, \u201cI wish to\nGod I had a mind sufficiently at ease to be interested like yourself\nin every thing that is admirable around us. But I am, alas, in a\nvery different state; and all these objects serve but to increase my\ntorment. How can I possibly see the caliph alone with her I doat on,\nand not die in despair? Ought an affection so tender and indelible\nas mine to be disturbed by so powerful a rival? Heavens! how\nextraordinary and cruel is my destiny. Not an instant ago I thought\nmyself the happiest and most fortunate lover in the world, and at\nthis moment I feel a stroke on my heart that will, at last, be the\ndeath of me. No, I cannot, my dear Ebn Thaher, resist it. My\npatience is worn out; my misfortune completely overwhelms me, and my\ncourage sinks under it.\u201d In pronouncing these last words, he\nobserved something going on in the garden, which obliged him to be\nsilent and give his attention.\n\nThe fact was, that the caliph had commanded one of the females that\nwas near, to take her lute and sing. The words she sung were very\ntender and impassioned; and the caliph, being persuaded that she\nsung them by Schemselnihar\u2019s order, who had often given him\nsimilar proofs of her affection, interpreted them in favor of\nhimself. But, at this moment, it was very far from the intention of\nSchemselnihar. She, in her heart, applied them to her dear Ali Ebn\nBecar, the prince of Persia; and the misery she felt at having, in\nhis place, an object before her whose presence she could not endure,\ntook such an effect upon her, that she fainted. She fell back in her\nchair, which had no arms to it; and would have fallen on the ground\nif some of her women had not quickly ran to her assistance. They\ncarried her away, and took her into the saloon.\n\nEbn Thaher, who was in the gallery, surprised by this accident,\nturned his head towards the prince of Persia, when, instead of\nseeing him leaning against the blinds, and looking out as well as\nhimself, he was extremely astonished to find him stretched\nmotionless at his feet. He judged by this of the strength of his\nlove for Schemselnihar, and could not help wondering at this strange\neffect of sympathy, which distressed him the more, on account of the\nplace they were then in. However, he did all he could to recover the\nprince, but without success. Ebn Thaher was in this embarrassing\nsituation, when the confidant of Schemselnihar opened the door of\nthe gallery and ran in, quite out of breath, and like one who did\nnot know what course to pursue. \u201cCome instantly,\u201d cried she,\n\u201cthat I may let you out. Every thing here is in such confusion,\nthat I believe this is the last day we have to live.\u201d--\u201cAlas!\u201d\nreplied Ebn Thaher, in a tone which bespoke his grief, \u201chow can we\ndepart? Pray come hither, and see what a state the prince of Persia\nis in.\u201d When the slave saw that he had fainted, she ran\nimmediately to get some water, without losing time in conversation,\nand returned in a few moments.\n\nAt length the prince of Persia, after they had sprinkled water on\nhis face, began to recover. When Ebn Thaher saw symptoms of\nreturning life, he said to him, \u201cPrince, we both run a great risk\nof losing our lives by remaining here any longer; make an effort\nthen, and let us fly as quick as possible.\u201d He was so weak that he\ncould not get up without assistance. Ebn Thaher and the confident\ngave him their hands, and, supporting him on each side, they got to\na little iron gate, which opened on the Tigris. They went out by\nthis gate, and proceeded to the edge of a small canal, which\ncommunicated with the river. The confidential slave clapped her\nhands, and instantly a little boat appeared, rowed by one man, and\ncame towards them. Ali Ebn Becar and his companion embarked in it,\nand the slave remained on the bank of the canal. As soon as the\nprince was seated in the boat, he stretched out one hand towards the\npalace, and placing the other on his heart, \u201cDear object of my\nsoul,\u201d cried he, in a feeble voice, \u201creceive from this hand the\npledge of my faith, while with my other I assure you, that my heart\nwill ever preserve the flame with which it now burns.\u201d\n\nIn the mean time the boatman rowed with all his strength, and the\nconfidant walked on the bank of the canal to accompany the prince of\nPersia and Ebn Thaher till they arrived in the current of the\nTigris. Then, as she could not go any farther, she took her leave of\nthem and retired.\n\nThe prince of Persia continued extremely weak: Ebn Thaher said all\nhe could to console him, and exhort him to take courage.\n\u201cRemember,\u201d said he, \u201cthat when we disembark, we shall still\nhave a long way to go before we arrive at my house; for to conduct\nyou to yours, which is so much farther, at this hour, and in the\nstate you now are, would, I think, be very imprudent. We might also\nrun a risk of meeting the watch-guard.\u201d They at length got out of\nthe boat, but the prince was so feeble, that he could not walk,\nwhich very much increased Ebn Thaher\u2019s embarrassment. He\nrecollected, that he had a friend in the neighbourhood, and he, with\ngreat difficulty, dragged the prince thither. His friend received\nthem very cordially, and when he had made them sit down, he asked\nthem from whence they came at that late hour. Ebn Thaher replied,\n\u201cI learned this evening that a man, who owes me a considerable sum\nof money, intended to set out on a very long journey; I lost no\ntime, but went in search of him, and in my way I met this young\nlord, whom you see, and to whom I am under a thousand obligations;\nas he knows my debtor, he did me the favor to accompany me. We had\nsome difficulty to accomplish our purpose, and bring our gentleman\nto a right understanding of the business. However, at last we\nsucceeded, and this is the reason of our having staid so late with\nhim. As we were returning, at a few steps from hence, this young\nlord, for whom I have the utmost regard, felt himself suddenly\nseized with illness, which induced me to take the liberty of\nknocking at your door. I flattered myself, that you would have the\ngoodness to do us the favor of giving us a lodging for this night.\u201d\n\nThe friend of Ebn Thaher easily swallowed this fable, told them they\nwere welcome, and offered the prince of Persia, whom he did not\nknow, every assistance in his power. But Ebn Thaher, taking upon\nhimself to answer for the prince, said, that his illness was of a\nnature only to require repose. His friend, also, understood by this\nspeech, that they both wanted rest. He, therefore, conducted them to\nan apartment, where he left them at liberty to lie down.\n\nThe prince of Persia no sooner dropt asleep, than his repose was so\ndisturbed by the most distressing dreams, representing Schemselnihar\nfainting at the feet of the caliph, that his affliction did not at\nall subside. Ebn Thaher, who was excessively impatient to get to his\nown house, not doubting that his family were in the utmost distress,\nbecause he made it a rule never to sleep from home, got up and\ndeparted very early, after taking leave of his friend, who had risen\nby day-break to go to early prayers. They at length arrived at Ebn\nThaher\u2019s house, when the prince of Persia, who had exerted himself\nvery much to walk so far, threw himself upon a sofa; feeling as much\nfatigued as if he had been a long journey. As he was not in a state\nto go home, Ebn Thaher ordered an apartment to be prepared for him:\nand that none of his people might be uneasy about him, he sent to\ninform them where he was. In the mean time, he begged the prince to\nendeavor to make his mind easy; and order every thing about him as\nhe pleased. \u201cI accept, with pleasure,\u201d replied the prince of\nPersia, \u201cthe obliging offers you make; but that I may not be any\nembarrassment to you, I entreat you to do every thing as if I were\nnot with you. I cannot think of staying here a moment if my presence\nis to be any restraint upon you.\u201d\n\nAs soon as Ebn Thaher had time to recollect himself, he informed his\nfamily of every thing that had passed in the palace of\nSchemselnihar, and finished this recital, by returning thanks to God\nfor having delivered him from the danger he had escaped. The\nprincipal domestics belonging to the prince of Persia came to\nreceive their orders from him at Ebn Thaher\u2019s, and soon after\nseveral of his friends arrived, who had become acquainted with his\nindisposition. His friends passed the greatest part of the day with\nhim; and, although their conversation could not entirely banish the\nsorrowful reflections which occasioned his illness, yet at least it\nwas thus far of advantage, that it gave him some relaxation.\n\nTowards the close of the day he wished to take his leave of Ebn\nThaher, but this faithful friend found him still so weak, that he\nmade him remain till the following day. In the mean time, to\ndissipate his gloom, he gave him, in the evening, a concert of vocal\nand instrumental music; but this only served to recall to the\nprince\u2019s memory the one he had enjoyed the preceding night, and\nonly increased his grief instead of assuaging it, so that the next\nday his indisposition seemed to be augmented. Finding this to be the\ncase, Ebn Thaher no longer opposed the prince\u2019s wish of returning\nto his own house. He undertook the care of having him conveyed\nthere, and also accompanied him; when he found himself alone with\nhim in his apartment, he represented to him, in strong terms, the\nnecessity of making one great effort to overcome a passion which\ncould not terminate happily either for him or the Favorite. \u201cAh!\ndear Ebn Thaher,\u201d cried the prince, \u201cit is easy for you to give\nthis advice: but how difficult is the task for me to follow it! I\nsee, and confess the importance of it, without being able to profit\nfrom it. I have already said it; the love I have for Schemselnihar\nwill accompany me to the grave.\u201d When Ebn Thaher perceived that he\ncould make no impression on the mind of the prince, he took his\nleave, with the intention of retiring, but the prince prevented him.\n\u201cObliging Ebn Thaher,\u201d said he to him, \u201cif I have declared to\nyou, that it is not in my power to follow your prudent counsel, I\nentreat you not to be angry with me, and desist, on that account,\nfrom giving me proofs of your friendship. You could not give me a\nstronger one than to inform me of the fate of my beloved\nSchemselnihar, if you should hear any tidings of her. The\nuncertainty I am under respecting her situation, and the dreadful\napprehensions I feel on account of her fainting, make me continue in\nthe languid state you so much reproach me for.\u201d--\u201cMy lord,\u201d\nreplied Ebn Thaher, \u201cyou may surely hope that her fainting has not\nbeen productive of any bad consequences, and that her confidential\nslave will shortly come to acquaint me how the affair terminated. As\nsoon as I know the detail, I will not fail to come and communicate\nit to you.\u201d\n\nEbn Thaher left the prince with this hope, and returned home, where\nhe expected all the rest of the day to see the confidant of\nSchemselnihar arrive, but in vain. She did not make her appearance\neven on the morrow. The uneasiness he felt to learn the state of the\nprince\u2019s health, did not allow him to remain any longer without\nseeing him; and he went to him with the design of exhorting him to\nhave patience. He found him on the bed, and quite as ill as ever; he\nwas also surrounded by his friend, and several physicians, who were\nexerting all their professional skill to endeavor to discover the\ncause of his disease. As soon as he perceived Ebn Thaher, he cast a\nsmiling look on him, which denoted two things; one, that he was\nrejoiced to see him; the other, how deceived his physicians were in\ntheir conjectures on his disease, the cause of which they could not\nguess.\n\nThe physicians and the friends retired, one after the other, so that\nEbn Thaher remained alone with the patient. He approached his bed,\nto inquire how he had been since he last saw him. \u201cI must own to\nyou,\u201d replied the prince of Persia, \u201cthat my love, which every\nday acquires increased strength, and the uncertainty of the destiny\nof the lovely Schemselnihar, heighten my disease every moment; and\nreduce me to a state which afflicts my relations and friends, and\nbaffles the skill of the physicians, who cannot understand it. You\nlittle imagine,\u201d added he, \u201chow much I suffer at seeing so many\npeople, who constantly importune me, and whom I cannot dismiss\nwithout incivility. You are the only one whose company affords me\nany comfort; but do not disguise any thing from me, I conjure you.\nWhat news do you bring of Schemselnihar? Have you seen her\nconfidant? What did she say to you?\u201d Ebn Thaher answered, that he\nhad not seen her: and he had no sooner communicated this sorrowful\nintelligence to the prince, than the tears came in his eyes; he\ncould make no reply, for his heart was full. \u201cPrince,\u201d then\nresumed Ebn Thaher, \u201callow me to say, that you are too ingenious\nin tormenting yourself. In the name of God, dry your tears; some of\nyour people might come in at this moment, and you are well aware how\ncautious you ought to be to conceal your sentiments, which might be\ndiscovered by that means.\u201d Whatever this judicious counsellor\nmight urge, was ineffectual to stop the prince\u2019s tears, which he\ncould not restrain. \u201cWise Ebn Thaher,\u201d cried he, when he had\nregained the power of speech, \u201cI can prevent my tongue from\nrevealing the secret of my heart, but I have no power over my tears,\nwhile I have so much reason to fear for Schemselnihar. If this\nadorable and only object of my desires were no longer in this world,\nI should not survive her one moment.\u201d--\u201cDo not harbour so\nafflicting a thought,\u201d replied Ebn Thaher, \u201cSchemselnihar still\nlives; you must not doubt it. If she has not sent you any account of\nherself, it is probably because she has not been able to find an\nopportunity, and I hope this day will not pass without your hearing\nof her.\u201d He added many other consoling speeches, and then he took\nhis leave.\n\nEbn Thaher was scarcely returned to his house, when the confidant of\nSchemselnihar arrived. She had a sorrowful air, from which he\nconceived an unfavorable presage. He inquired after her mistress.\n\u201cFirst,\u201d said she, \u201cgive me some intelligence of yourselves,\nfor I was in great anxiety on your account, seeing you depart with\nthe prince of Persia in such a state as he appeared to be.\u201d Ebn\nThaher related to her all she wished to know; and when he had\nconcluded his narrative, the slave began hers: \u201cIf the prince of\nPersia,\u201d said she, \u201csuffers on my mistress\u2019s account, she does\nnot endure less pain for him. After I had quitted you,\u201d continued\nshe, \u201cI returned to the saloon, where I found Schemselnihar, who\nhad not yet recovered from her fainting fit, notwithstanding all the\nremedies that had been applied. The caliph was seated next to her,\nshowing every symptom of real grief. He inquired of all the women,\nand of me in particular, if we had any knowledge of the cause of her\nindisposition; but we all kept the secret, and we replied quite\ncontrary to what we knew to be the fact. We were, however, all in\ntears to see her suffer so long, and we omitted nothing that we\nthought might relieve her. It was full midnight when she came to\nherself. The caliph, who had had the patience to wait for this\nmoment, showed great joy, and asked Schemselnihar what could have\noccasioned this illness. As soon as she heard his voice, she made an\neffort to sit up; and having kissed his feet, before he had time to\nprevent her, \u201cSire,\u201d said she, \u201cI ought to complain of Heaven\nfor not suffering me to expire at the feet of your majesty, to\nconvince you by that, how sincerely I am penetrated by the sense of\nall your goodness to me.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am well persuaded that you love me,\u201d replied the caliph,\n\u201cbut I command you to take care of yourself for my sake; you have\nprobably made some exertion to-day, which has been the cause of this\nindisposition; you must be more careful, and I beg you to avoid a\nrepetition of any thing that may be injurious. I am happy to see you\nin a better state, and I advise you to pass the night here, instead\nof returning to your apartment, lest the motion should be hurtful to\nyou.\u201d He then ordered some wine to be brought, of which he made\nher take a small quantity, to give her strength, after which he took\nhis leave of her, and retired to his chamber.\n\n\u201cAs soon as the caliph was gone, my mistress made signs to me to\ndraw near. She anxiously inquired after you. I assured her, that you\nhad long since quitted the palace, and I set her mind at ease on\nthat subject. I took care not to mention the fainting of the prince\nof Persia, for fear she should relapse into the same state, from\nwhich we had with so much difficulty recovered her. But my\nprecaution was useless, as you will shortly hear. \u2018O, prince,\u2019\ncried she, \u2018then, from this time I renounce all pleasures, so long\nas my eyes shall be deprived of the gratification of beholding you;\nif I understand your heart, I only follow your example. You will not\ncease your tears, until you have rejoined me; and it is but just,\nthat I should weep and lament, until you are restored to my\nprayers.\u2019 On concluding these words, which she pronounced in a\nmanner that denoted the violence of her love, she fainted a second\ntime in my arms.\n\n\u201cMy companions and I were a long while in restoring her to her\nsenses again; at length, life returned; I then said to her, \u2018Are\nyou resolved, madam, to suffer yourself to die, and to make us die\nwith you? I conjure you, in the name of the prince of Persia, for\nwhom you are so interested, to endeavour to preserve your life. Pray\nbe persuaded, and make those efforts, which you owe to yourself, to\nyour love for the prince, and to our attachment to you.\u2019--\u2018I am\nmuch obliged to you,\u2019 returned she, \u2018for your care, your\nattention, and your advice. But, alas! how can they be serviceable\nto me? We are not permitted to flatter ourselves with any hope; and\nit is only in the bosom of the grave, that we may expect a period to\nour torments.\u2019\n\n\u201cOne of my companions wished to give a turn to these melancholy\nideas, by singing a little air to her lute; but she desired her to\nbe silent, and ordered her with the rest to quit the room. She\ndetained only me, to spend the night with her. Heavens! what a night\nit was; she passed it in tears and lamentations, and calling\ncontinually on the name of the prince of Persia, she complained of\nthe cruelty of her fate, which had destined her for the caliph, whom\nshe could not love; and not to be united to the prince of Persia, of\nwhom she was so passionately enamoured.\n\n\u201cThe next day, as it was not convenient for her to remain in the\nsaloon, I assisted to remove her into her own apartment, where she\nwas no sooner arrived, than all the physicians of the palace came to\nsee her, by order of the caliph; and it was not long before he\nhimself made his appearance. The remedies prescribed by the\nphysicians for Schemselnihar, had no effect; for they were ignorant\nof the cause of her illness; and the restraint she felt in the\npresence of the caliph, only increased the disease. She has,\nhowever, enjoyed a little rest this night, and as soon as she awoke,\nshe charged me to come in search of you, to obtain some intelligence\nof the prince of Persia.\u201d--\u201cI have already informed you of the\nstate he is in,\u201d replied Ebn Thaher, \u201cso return to your\nmistress, and assure her that the prince of Persia expected to hear\nfrom her with as much impatience as she could feel on his account.\nExhort her, above all, to moderate and conquer her feelings, lest\nsome word should escape her lips before the caliph, which might\nprove the destruction of us all.\u201d--\u201cAs for me,\u201d resumed the\nslave, \u201cI am in constant apprehension, from the little command she\nhas over herself; I took the liberty of telling her what I thought\non that subject, and I am persuaded she will not take it amiss if I\nspeak to her on your part also.\u201d\n\nEbn Thaher, who had but just left the prince of Persia, did not\njudge it proper to return again so soon, and neglect some important\nbusiness, which he found would engage him at home; he did not go\ntill the close of day. The prince was alone, and was not better than\nin the morning. \u201cEbn Thaher,\u201d said he, when he saw him enter the\nroom, \u201cyou have, no doubt, many friends; but these friends do not\nknow your worth, which I am better acquainted with, by witnessing\nthe zeal, the care, and the pains you take, when an opportunity\noffers of obliging them. I am quite confused at all you do for me,\nand it is done with so much friendship and affection, that I shall\nnever be able to acquit myself towards you.\u201d\n\n\u201cPrince,\u201d replied Ebn Thaher, \u201clet us drop that subject, I\nbeg; I am not only ready to lose one of my eyes to preserve one of\nyours, but even to sacrifice my life for you; but this is not the\nbusiness I am come upon; I come to tell you, that Schemselnihar sent\nher confidential slave to me, to inquire how you are, and at the\nsame time to give you some information respecting her. You may\nimagine, that I did not say any thing but what must confirm her\nbelief of the excess of your love for her mistress, and of the\nconstancy with which you adore her.\u201d Ebn Thaher then gave him an\nexact detail of every thing the slave had told him. The prince heard\nit with all the different emotions of fear, jealousy, tenderness,\nand compassion, which such a relation was likely to inspire; and\nmade on each circumstance such reflections, either of an afflicting\nor consoling nature, as so passionate a lover could be capable of.\n\nThe conversation lasted so long, that the night being far advanced,\nthe prince of Persia made Ebn Thaher remain at his house. The next\nmorning, as this faithful friend was returning home, he saw a woman\ncoming towards him, whom he soon recognised to be the confidential\nslave of Schemselnihar: when she came up to him, \u201cMy mistress,\u201d\nsaid she, \u201csalutes you, and I come from her to beg you to deliver\nthis letter to the prince of Persia.\u201d The friendly Ebn Thaher took\nthe letter, and returned to the prince, accompanied by the confidant.\n\nWhen they had got there, he begged her to remain a few minutes in\nthe anti-chamber, and wait for him. As soon as the prince saw him,\nhe anxiously inquired what news he had to announce. \u201cThe best you\ncan possibly wish,\u201d replied Ebn Thaher, \u201cyou are beloved as\ntenderly as you love. The confidant of Schemselnihar is in your\nanti-chamber; she brings you a letter from your mistress, and only\nwaits your orders to present herself before you.\u201d--\u201cLet her come\nin,\u201d cried the prince, in a transport of joy; and saying this he\nraised himself in his bed to receive her.\n\nAs the attendants of the prince had left the room when Ebn Thaher\nentered it, that he might be alone with their master, Ebn Thaher\nwent to open the door himself, and desire the confidant to come in.\nThe prince recollected her, and received her in a very obliging\nmanner. \u201cMy lord,\u201d said she, \u201cI know all the pains you have\nsuffered, since I had the honour of conducting you to the boat,\nwhich waited to take you back; but I hope, that the letter I bring\nyou will contribute to your recovery.\u201d She then presented to him\nthe letter; he took it, and after having kissed it several times, he\nopened it, and read the following words:\n\n\u201cSCHEMSELNIHAR TO ALI EBN BECAR, PRINCE OF PERSIA.\n\n\u201cThe person who will deliver this letter to you, will give you an\naccount of me better than I can myself; for I know nothing, since I\nceased beholding you. Deprived of your presence, I seek to continue\nthe illusion, and converse with you by means of these ill-formed\nlines, which afford me some pleasure, while I am prevented the\nhappiness of speaking to you.\n\n\u201cPatience, they say, is the remedy for all evils: yet those I\nsuffer are increased instead of relieved by it. Although your image\nis indelibly engraven on my heart, my eyes nevertheless wish again\nto behold the original; and their sight will forsake them, if they\nremain deprived of that gratification for any length of time. Dare I\nflatter myself, that yours experience the same impatience to see me?\nYes, I may; they have sufficiently proved it to me by their tender\nglances. Happy would Schemselnihar be, happy would you be, prince,\nif my wishes, which are conformable to yours, were not opposed by\ninsurmountable obstacles! These obstacles occasion me an affliction\nso much the more poignant, as they are the cause of sorrow to you.\n\n\u201cThese sentiments, which my fingers trace, and in expressing of\nwhich I feel such inconceivable pleasure, that I cannot repeat them\ntoo often, proceed from the bottom of my heart; from that incurable\nwound you have made in it; a wound which I bless a thousand times,\nnotwithstanding the cruel sufferings I endure in your absence. I\nshould little heed all that opposes our love, were I only permitted\nto see you occasionally without restraint. You would then be mine;\nand what more could I desire?\n\n\u201cDo not imagine that my words convey more than I feel. Alas!\nwhatever expressions I may use, I shall still think much more than I\ncan ever say. My eyes, which never cease looking for you, and\nincessantly weep till they shall behold you again; my afflicted\nheart which seeks but you; my sighs which escape my lips, whenever I\nthink on you, and that is continually; my imagination which never\nreflects any object but my beloved prince; the complaints I utter to\nHeaven of the rigour of my fate; in short, my melancholy, my\nuneasiness, my sufferings from which I have had no respite since I\nlost sight of you, are all sufficient pledges of the truth of what I\nwrite.\n\n\u201cAm I not truly unfortunate to be born to love, love, without\nindulging the hope of possessing the object of my affections? This\ndistracting reflection overpowers me to such a degree, that I should\ndie, were I not persuaded that you love me. But this sweet\nconsolation counteracts my despair, and attaches me to life. Tell me\nthat you love me still. I will preserve your letter with precious\ncare; I will read it a thousand times a-day; and I shall then bear\nmy sorrows with less impatience. I pray that heaven may no longer be\nirritated against us, and may grant us an opportunity of telling\neach other, without restraint, the tender affection we feel, and\nthat we will never cease to love. Farewell.\n\n\u201cI salute Ebn Thaher, to whom we each have so many obligations.\u201d\n\nThe prince of Persia was not satisfied with reading this letter only\nonce; he thought he had not bestowed sufficient attention on it; he\nread it again more deliberately, and while thus engaged he\nalternately uttered deep sighs and wept; he then would burst into\ntransports of joy and tenderness, according to the different\nemotions he experienced from the contents of the letter. In short,\nhe could not withdraw his eyes from the characters, traced by so\ndear a hand, and he was going to read it a third time, when Ebn\nThaher represented to him, that the slave had no time to lose, and\nthat he must prepare an answer. \u201cAlas!\u201d cried the prince, \u201chow\ncan I reply to so obliging and kind a letter? In what terms shall I\ndescribe the state of my soul? My mind is agitated by a thousand\ndistressing thoughts, and my sentiments are destroyed, before I have\ntime to express them by others, which in their turn are erased as\nsoon as formed. While my body is so much in unison with the\nsituation of my mind, how shall I be able to hold the paper and\nguide the cane to form the letters?\u201d\n\nSaying this, he drew from a little writing-case, which was near him,\nsome paper, a cut cane, and an ink-horn; but before he began to\nwrite, he gave the letter of Schemselnihar to Ebn Thaher, and begged\nhim to hold it open whilst he wrote, that by occasionally casting\nhis eyes over it, he might be better enabled to answer it. He took\nup the writing-cane to begin; but the tears, which flowed from his\neyes on the paper, frequently obliged him to stop to allow them a\nfree current. He at length finished his letter, and giving it to Ebn\nThaher, \u201cDo me the favor to read it,\u201d said he, \u201cand see, if\nthe agitation my spirits are in, has allowed me to write a proper\nanswer.\u201d Ebn Thaher took it, and read as follows:\n\n\u201cTHE PRINCE OF PERSIA TO SCHEMSELNIHAR.\n\n\u201cI was plunged in the deepest affliction, when your letter was\ndelivered into my hands. At the sight of it alone I was transported\nwith a joy I cannot express; but on reading the lines, which your\nbeautiful hand had traced, my eyes were sensible of greater pleasure\nthan that which they lost when yours so suddenly closed on the\nevening you fell senseless at my rival\u2019s feet. The words contained\nin your obliging letter, are so many luminous rays that enliven the\nobscurity in which my soul was enveloped. They convince me how much\nyou suffer for me, and also prove, that you are not ignorant of what\nI endure for you, and thus console me in my pain. At one moment they\ncause my tears to flow in abundant streams; at another, they inflame\nmy heart with an unextinguishable fire, which supports it, and\nprevents my expiring with grief. I have not tasted one instant\u2019s\nrepose since our too cruel separation. Your letter alone procured me\nsome relief from my misery. I preserved an uninterrupted silence\ntill it was placed in my hands; but that has restored speech to me.\nI was wrapped in the most profound melancholy; but that has inspired\nme with a joy, which instantly proclaimed itself in my eyes and\ncountenance. My surprise at receiving a favor so unmerited on my\npart, was so great, that I knew not how to express myself to testify\nmy gratitude. In short, after having kissed it many times, as the\nprecious pledge of your goodness, I perused and re-perused it till I\nwas quite lost in the excess of my happiness. You tell me to say,\nthat I love you still; ah! had my love for you been less passionate,\nless tender than that which occupies my whole soul, could I have\ndone otherwise than adore you after all the proofs you give me of so\nuncommon an affection? Yes, I love you, my dearest life; and shall,\nto the end of my existence, glory in the pure flame which you have\nkindled in my heart. I will never complain of the vivid fire which\nconsumes it; and, however rigorous the pains which your absence\noccasions may be, I will support them with constancy and firmness,\nencouraged by the hope of beholding you again. Would to God it were\nto-day, and that, instead of sending you this letter, I might be\npermitted to present myself before you, and assure you that I die\nfor love of you. My tears prevent me from adding any more.\nFarewell.\u201d\n\nEbn Thaher could not read the last lines without shedding tears\nhimself. He returned the letter to the prince, assuring him it\nneeded no correction. The prince folded it up, and when he had\nsealed it: \u201cI beg you to approach,\u201d said he to the confidential\nslave, who had retired a little; \u201cthis is the answer I have\nwritten to the letter of your dear mistress. I entreat you to take\nit to her, and to salute her from me.\u201d The slave took the letter,\nand retired with Ebn Thaher, who, after he had walked with her some\nway, left her and returned to his house, where he began to make some\nserious reflections on the love intrigue in which he found himself\nso unfortunately and deeply engaged. He considered that the prince\nof Persia and Schemselnihar, notwithstanding the strong interest\nthey had in concealing their connection, behaved with so little\ndiscretion, that it could not long remain a secret. He drew from\nthence all the unfavorable conclusions which must naturally suggest\nthemselves to a man of good sense. \u201cIf Schemselnihar,\u201d thought\nhe, \u201cwas not a lady of such high rank, I would exert myself to the\nutmost of my abilities to make her and her lover happy; but as she\nis the favorite of the caliph, no one can aspire to obtain her with\nimpunity who has gained his affections. His anger will first fall on\nSchemselnihar; the prince will not escape with life; and I shall be\ninvolved in his misfortune. But I have my honor, my peace of mind,\nmy family, and my property to take care of; I must then, while it is\nin my power, endeavour to extricate myself from so perilous a\nsituation.\u201d\n\nHis mind was occupied with thoughts of this nature for the whole of\nthat day. The following morning he went to the prince of Persia,\nwith the intention of making one last effort to induce him to\nconquer his unfortunate passion. In fact, he represented to him what\nhe had before mentioned, to no effect; that he would do much better\nto exert all his courage to overcome this attachment to\nSchemselnihar, than to suffer himself to be led away to destruction\nby its means; that his love for her was of a more dangerous nature\nto himself, as his rival was so powerful. \u201cIn short, my lord,\u201d\nadded he, \u201cif you will take my advice, you will endeavour to\novercome your affection; otherwise you run the risk of causing the\ndestruction of Schemselnihar, whose life ought to be dearer to you\nthan your own. I give you this counsel as a friend; and some day you\nwill thank me for it.\u201d\n\nThe prince listened to Ebn Thaher with evident impatience;\nnevertheless he allowed him to finish what he wished to say; but\nwhen he had concluded, he said, \u201cEbn Thaher, do you suppose that I\ncan cease loving Schemselnihar, who returns my affection with so\nmuch tenderness? She does not hesitate to expose her life for me,\nand can you imagine, that the care of preserving mine should occupy\nme a single moment? No; whatever misfortunes may be the consequence,\nI will love Schemselnihar to my latest breath.\u201d\n\nEbn Thaher, offended with the obstinacy of the prince, left him\nabruptly, and returned home: where, recollecting his reflections on\nthe preceding day, he began to consider very seriously what course\nhe should pursue.\n\nWhile he was thus occupied, a jeweller, an intimate friend of his,\ncame to see him. This jeweller had observed, that the confidential\nslave of Schemselnihar had been with Ebn Thaher more frequently than\nusual: and that he had been almost incessantly with the prince of\nPersia, whose indisposition was known to every one, although the\ncause was not; all this had created some suspicions in the\njeweller\u2019s mind. As Ebn Thaher appeared to be absorbed in thought,\nhe supposed that some important affair occasioned it; and thinking\nhe had hit on it, he asked him what business the slave of\nSchemselnihar had with him. Ebn Thaher was a little confused at this\nquestion; but not choosing to confess the truth, he replied, that it\nwas only for some trifling thing that she came to him so often.\n\u201cYou do not speak sincerely,\u201d resumed the jeweller, \u201cand by\nyour dissimulation you will make me suspect, that this trifle is of\na nature more important than I had at first supposed it.\u201d\n\nEbn Thaher, finding that his friend pressed him so closely, said,\n\u201cIt is true; this affair is of the utmost importance. I had\ndetermined to keep it a secret; but as I know you take a lively\ninterest in every thing that concerns me, I will entrust you with\nthe truth, rather than suffer you to make conclusions for which\nthere is no foundation. I do not enjoin you to secrecy, for you will\nbe sensible, from what I am going to relate, how impossible it would\nbe to keep such a promise.\u201d After this preface, he related to him\nthe amours of Schemselnihar and the prince of Persia. \u201cYou are\naware,\u201d added he, at the conclusion, \u201cin what estimation I am\nheld by the nobles and ladies of highest rank both in the court and\ncity. What a disgrace for me, if this story becomes known! But what\ndo I say? It would be absolute destruction to my whole family as\nwell as to myself; this consideration embarrasses me the most: but I\nhave resolved how to act: I owe it to my safety, and I must be firm.\nI am going with the greatest diligence to call in my debts, and\nsatisfy those who are my creditors; and after I have secured all my\nproperty, I will retire to Balsora, where I will remain till the\nstorm I see gathering over my head is passed. The friendship I feel\nfor Schemselnihar, and for the prince of Persia, makes me very\nanxious on their account; I pray God to make them sensible of the\ndanger to which they expose themselves, and to preserve them. But if\ntheir luckless destiny condemns their attachment to be known to the\ncaliph, I at least shall be sheltered from his resentment; for I do\nnot suspect them of sufficient malice to entangle me in their\nmisfortune. Their ingratitude would be of the blackest die, if they\nacted thus; they would then repay with baseness the services I have\ndone them, and the good advice I have given, particularly to the\nprince of Persia, who might still withdraw them from the precipice,\nif he were willing, and save his mistress as well as himself. It\nwould be easy for him to leave Bagdad, as I shall; and absence would\ninsensibly eradicate a passion which will only increase while he\nremains in this city.\u201d\n\nThe jeweller heard this recital from Ebn Thaher with very great\nastonishment. \u201cWhat you have now told me,\u201d said he, \u201cis of so\nmuch consequence, that I cannot comprehend how Schemselnihar and the\nprince of Persia could be so imprudent as to give way to such a\nviolent passion. Whatever inclination they might feel for each\nother, instead of yielding to its influence, they ought to have\nresisted it with firmness, and made a better use of their reason.\nCould they be blind to the dreadful consequences of their\nconnection? How sadly are they mistaken, if they suppose it can\nremain secret! I foresee, as well as yourself, the fatal termination\nof this affair. But you are prudent and wise, and I entirely approve\nthe resolution you have formed; it is only by putting it in\nexecution, that you can escape the direful events you so justly\nfear.\u201d After this conversation, the jeweller arose, and took his\nleave of Ebn Thaher; but before he left him, the latter entreated\nhim by the friendship which united them, not to reveal to any one\nwhat he had related to him. \u201cBe easy on that score,\u201d replied the\njeweller, \u201cI will keep the secret at the peril of my life.\u201d\n\nTwo days after this, the jeweller happened to pass by the shop of\nEbn Thaher, and observing that it was shut up, he concluded he had\nput in execution the design he had communicated to him. To be quite\nsure, however, he inquired of a neighbour, if he knew why it was not\nopen. The neighbour replied, that he knew no more than that Ebn\nThaher had set off on a journey. This was all the jeweller required;\nand the first person he thought of, was the prince of Persia.\n\u201cUnhappy prince,\u201d thought he, \u201chow grieved you will be to\nlearn this intelligence! By what means will you now be able to hold\nany intercourse with Schemselnihar? I fear despair will put a period\nto your existence. I feel compassion for you; and must endeavour to\nreplace the loss of so timid a friend.\u201d\n\nThe business which had led him out was not of immediate consequence;\nhe therefore neglected that, and although he only knew the prince\nfrom having sold him some jewellery, he nevertheless went to his\nhouse. He requested one of the servants he met at the door, to tell\nhis master that he wanted to speak to him on an affair of the\ngreatest importance. The servant soon returned to the jeweller, and\nintroduced him into the apartment of the prince, whom he found\nreclining on a sofa, with his head on the cushion. The prince,\nrecollecting that he had seen him before, got up to receive him and\ngive him welcome; and, after having begged him to sit down, he asked\nhim, if he could render him any service; or if he came on business\nwhich related to him. \u201cPrince,\u201d replied the jeweller,\n\u201calthough I have not the honor to be much known to you, yet the\nzealous desire I have of serving you, has made me take the liberty\nof coming to acquaint you of a circumstance which concerns you; I\nhope you will pardon this freedom, as it proceeds from a good\nintention.\u201d\n\nAfter this preface, the jeweller began his story, and proceeded\nthus: \u201cPrince, you will allow me the honor of telling you, that\nthe conformity of our minds, together with some affairs we had to\ntransact with each other, has given rise to a firm friendship which\nexists between Ebn Thaher and myself. I know his acquaintance with\nyou, and that he has, till now, exerted himself to serve you to the\nutmost of his ability; this I learned from his own lips, for we\nnever practise concealment with each other. I just now passed by his\nshop, and was surprised to find it shut up. I inquired the reason of\none of his neighbours, who told me, that Ebn Thaher had taken his\nleave of him, and of the other neighbours, two days since; at the\nsame time offering them his services at Balsora, whither he said he\nwas going on an affair of considerable importance. I was not\nthoroughly satisfied with this answer; and the interest I feel in\nwhatever concerns him, induced me to come to ask you, if you knew\nany thing particular about this sudden departure.\u201d\n\nAt this speech, to which the jeweller had given that turn he thought\nmost likely to forward his design, the prince of Persia changed\ncolour, and looked al the jeweller with an air which evidently\nproved how much he was afflicted at this intelligence. \u201cWhat you\ntell me,\u201d said he, \u201castonishes me; I could not have met with a\nmore mortifying occurrence. Yes,\u201d cried he, the tears flowing from\nhis eyes, \u201cI have no hope left, if what you tell me is true! Ebn\nThaher, who was my only consolation and support, forsakes me! I no\nlonger seek to live after so cruel a blow!\u201d\n\nThe jeweller had heard enough to be fully convinced of the violence\nof the prince\u2019s love, with which Ebn Thaher had already acquainted\nhim. Simple friendship does not express itself in such strong\nlanguage; love, alone, is capable of inspiring sentiments so\nanimated.\n\nThe prince remained for some minutes absorbed in the most\ndistracting reflections. He at length raised his head, and\naddressing one of his attendants, \u201cGo,\u201d said he, \u201cto Ebn\nThaher\u2019s house; speak to some of his servants, and inquire if it\nbe true, that he is set off for Balsora. Run there instantly; and\nreturn as quickly as possible, that I may learn what you have\nheard.\u201d While the servant was gone, the jeweller endeavoured to\nconverse with the prince on indifferent subjects, but he seemed\ntotally inattentive; his mind was lost in thought. Sometimes he\ncould not persuade himself, that Ebn Thaher was really gone; then he\nfelt convinced of it, when he recollected the conversation he had\nheld with his friend the last time he had seen him, and the abrupt\nmanner in which he left him.\n\nAt length, the servant of the prince returned, and said, that he had\nspoken with one of the people belonging to Ebn Thaher, who assured\nhim, that he was no longer in Bagdad, and that he had set off two\ndays since for Balsora. \u201cAs I was coming out of the house of Ebn\nThaher,\u201d continued the servant, \u201ca well dressed female slave\naccosted me; and having asked me, if I had not the honor of being\none of your attendants, she said, that she wanted to speak to you,\nand begged me at the same time to allow her to come with me. She is\nin the antichamber, and, I believe, has a letter to deliver from\nsome person of consequence.\u201d The prince immediately desired that\nshe might be admitted; not doubting that it was the confidential\nslave of Schemselnihar, whom, in fact, she proved to be.\n\nThe jeweller knew her again from having met her sometimes at Ebn\nThaher\u2019s, who told him who she was. She could not have arrived at\na more seasonable time, to prevent the prince from giving way to\ndespair. She saluted him, as he did in return. The jeweller had\nrisen as soon as she entered, and had withdrawn a little to leave\nthem at liberty to converse together. The slave, after having\nremained some time with the prince, took her leave, and went away.\nShe left him quite different from what he was before, his eyes\nappeared more sparkling, and his countenance more cheerful, which\nled the jeweller to suppose, that the good slave had been saying\nsomething favorable to his attachment.\n\nThe jeweller, having resumed his place near the prince, said to him\nsmiling, \u201cI see, prince, you have some important affairs at the\npalace of the caliph.\u201d The prince, surprised and alarmed at this\nspeech, replied, \u201cWhat induces you to think, that I have any\naffairs at the palace of the caliph?\u201d--\u201cI conclude so,\u201d\nresumed the jeweller, \u201cfrom the slave who has just left\nyou.\u201d--\u201cAnd to whom do you suppose this slave belongs?\u201d\ninquired the prince.--\u201cTo Schemselnihar, the Favorite of the\ncaliph,\u201d replied the jeweller. \u201cI know this slave,\u201d continued\nhe, \u201cand her mistress also, who has sometimes done me the honor of\ncoming to my shop to buy jewellery. I know, moreover, that this\nslave is admitted into all the secrets of Schemselnihar; I have seen\nher for some days past, continually walking about the streets with a\npensive air, from which, I imagine, she is now concerned in\nsomething of consequence, which relates to her mistress.\u201d\n\nThese words of the jeweller confused the prince of Persia. He would\nnot talk to me thus, thought he, if he did not suspect, or rather if\nhe did not know, my secret. He remained silent for some minutes, not\nknowing how to act. At length he spoke, and said to the jeweller,\n\u201cYou tell me some things, which lead me to think you know still\nmore than you say. It is very necessary to my peace of mind, that I\nshould know the whole; I entreat you, therefore, to conceal nothing\nfrom me.\u201d\n\nThe jeweller, who could not desire a better opportunity, then gave\nhim an exact detail of the conversation he had had with Ebn Thaher;\nand thus let him know, that he was apprised of the intercourse that\nsubsisted between him and Schemselnihar; he did not omit telling\nhim, that Ebn Thaher, alarmed at the danger which his office of\nconfidant placed him in, had imparted to him the design he had\nformed, of quitting Bagdad for Balsora, where he intended to remain\nuntil the storm, which he dreaded, was appeased. \u201cThis he has put\nin execution,\u201d continued the jeweller, \u201cand I am surprised how\nhe could prevail on himself to abandon you in the state which he\ndescribed you to be in. As for me, prince, I confess to you, that I\nwas moved with compassion for your sufferings, and I come to offer\nyou my services; and if you will do me the honor to accept them, I\npromise to observe the same fidelity towards you as Ebn Thaher has\ndone; and engage, moreover, to continue more firm and constant. I am\nready to sacrifice my life and honor in your service; and, that you\nmay have no doubts of my sincerity, I swear by every thing most\nsacred in our holy religion, to preserve your secret inviolably. Be\nassured, then, prince, that in me you will find a friend equal to\nthe one you have lost.\u201d\n\nThis speech afforded the prince of Persia great consolation, and\nreconciled him to the voluntary banishment of Ebn Thaher. \u201cI feel\ngreat satisfaction,\u201d said he, \u201cin finding in you so good a\nsubstitute for the loss I have suffered. I cannot sufficiently\nexpress how much I think myself indebted to you; and, I trust, that\nGod will amply recompense your generosity. I accept, therefore, with\ngreat pleasure, the kind offer you have made me. Should you\nsuppose,\u201d continued the prince, \u201cthat Schemselnihar\u2019s\nconfidential slave has just been talking to me of you? She told me,\nthat it was you who advised Ebn Thaher to leave Bagdad. These were\nthe very last words she said, as she left me; and she seemed\nthoroughly persuaded of their truth. She did you, however, great\ninjustice; and, after every thing you have now informed me of, I\nhave no doubt but she was completely deceived.\u201d--\u201cPrince,\u201d\nreplied the jeweller, \u201cI have had the honor to give you both a\nliteral and a faithful narrative of the conversation that took place\nbetween Ebn Thaher and myself. It is true, that when he told me of\nhis intention of retiring to Balsora, I did not oppose his design: I\neven told him, I thought him both prudent and wise; but this ought\nnot to prevent you from putting your whole confidence in me; for I\nam ready to afford you all my services; and to exert myself most\nwarmly and indefatigably in your cause. If you think otherwise, and\ndecline my interference, I will, nevertheless, as I have most\nsolemnly sworn, religiously preserve your secret.\u201d--\u201cI have\nalready told you,\u201d replied the prince, \u201cthat I place not the\nleast confidence in any thing the slave has said. It is her zeal\nonly that has raised these suspicions in her mind, and which have\nnot, in fact, the least foundation. You ought, therefore, like\nmyself, to excuse her on that account.\u201d\n\nThey continued their conversation for some time longer, and\nconsulted together about the best and most suitable means of keeping\nopen a correspondence between the prince and Schemselnihar. The\nfirst thing they settled was, that it was necessary to undeceive the\nconfidant, who was so unjustly prejudiced against the jeweller. The\nprince took upon himself the task of explaining this matter the\nfirst time she came to him; and also to desire her, whenever she\nbrought any more letters, or had any message from her mistress, to\ncarry them directly to the jeweller. In fact, they thought it\nimproper, that she should make her appearance at the prince\u2019s\nhouse so often; because she might by those means, perhaps, cause a\ndiscovery of what it was so much the interest of all parties to\nconceal. The jeweller then got up; and after having again assured\nthe prince he might place an entire confidence in him, took his\nleave.\n\nAs the jeweller was going from the prince of Persia\u2019s, he observed\na letter in the street, which some one seemed to have dropped. As it\nwas not sealed, he unfolded it, and found it written in the\nfollowing terms:\n\n\u201cSCHEMSELNIHAR TO THE PRINCE OF PERSIA.\n\n\u201cI am now about to inform you, by means of my slave, of a\ncircumstance which gives me no less affliction than it will occasion\nyou. By losing Ebn Thaher we truly suffer a great deal; but do not\nlet this, my dear prince, prevent you from taking care of yourself.\nIf the friend, in whom we trusted, has abandoned us through a dread\nof the consequences, let us consider it as an evil we could not\navoid; we must, therefore, console ourselves under the misfortune. I\nown to you, that Ebn Thaher has forsaken us at a time when his\npresence and aid is most necessary; but let us fortify ourselves\nwith patience under this most unexpected event; nor let our\naffection fail us even for an instant. Strengthen your mind against\nthis disastrous event. Remember, we seldom obtain what we wish,\nwithout difficulty. Do not then let this damp our courage; let us\nhope, that Heaven will be favorable; and, after all our numerous\nsufferings, we shall at last arrive at the full and happy completion\nof our wishes. Farewell.\u201d\n\nWhile the jeweller had been engaged with his visit to the prince of\nPersia, the confidant had had time to return to the palace, and\ninform her mistress of the unpleasant intelligence of Ebn Thaher\u2019s\ndeparture. Schemselnihar had in consequence immediately written the\nforegoing letter, and sent her slave back to carry it to the prince\nwithout delay; and the confidant, as she went along, had\naccidentally dropped it.\n\nThe jeweller was much pleased at finding it, as it afforded him an\nexcellent method of justifying himself in the mind of the confidant,\nand bringing the matter to the point he wished. As he finished\nreading it, he perceived the slave herself, who was looking about\nwith great distress and anxiety to recover it. He directly folded it\nup, and put it in his bosom, but the confidant, having observed his\nmotions, ran up to him; \u201cSir,\u201d said she, \u201cI have dropped the\nletter, which you had just now in your hand; I beg you to have the\ngoodness to return it me.\u201d The jeweller pretended not to hear her,\nand continued walking on, till he got home, without answering a\nword: he did not shut the door after him, that the confidant, who\nstill followed him, might, if she pleased, come in. This she did not\nfail to do, and when she had reached his apartment, she said to him,\n\u201cSir, you can make no use of the letter you have found, and you\nwould have no difficulty in giving it me again, if you knew from\nwhom it came, and to whom it is addressed. Give me leave to tell you\nalso, that you do not act justly by detaining it.\u201d\n\nBefore he returned any answer to the slave, the jeweller made her\nsit down; he then said to her, \u201cIs it not true, that the letter in\nquestion is from Schemselnihar, and that it is addressed to the\nprince of Persia?\u201d The slave, who did not expect this question,\nchanged colour; \u201cThis inquiry seems to embarrass you,\u201d continued\nhe, \u201cbut understand that indiscreet curiosity is not my motive for\nasking this; I could have given you the letter in the street, but I\nwished to induce you to follow me here, because I am desirous of\nexplaining my motives to you. Tell me, is it just to impute a\ndisastrous event to any one who has not in the most distant manner\ncontributed to it. This, however, is exactly what you did, when you\ntold the prince of Persia, that I advised Ebn Thaher to leave Bagdad\nfor his own security. I will not, however, lose time in justifying\nmyself to you; it is enough that the prince of Persia is fully\npersuaded of my innocence in this point. I will only say, that\ninstead of having aided Ebn Thaher in his departure, I am extremely\nmortified at it; not so much through my friendship for him, as\nthrough compassion for the situation in which he left the prince,\nwhose intercourse with Schemselnihar he made me acquainted with. As\nsoon as I was certain that Ebn Thaher was no longer in Bagdad, I ran\nand presented myself to the prince, with whom you found me; I\ninformed him of this news, and, at the same time, offered him the\nsame services which Ebn Thaher had afforded him. I have succeeded in\nmy design, and provided you place as much confidence in me as you\ndid in Ebn Thaher, it will be your own fault if I am not equally\nuseful. Give an account to your mistress of what I have now said to\nyou, and assure her, that though I may lose my life by engaging in\nso dangerous an enterprise, I shall never repent having sacrificed\nmyself for two lovers so worthy of each other.\u201d\n\nThe confidential slave listened to what the jeweller said with great\nsatisfaction. She requested him to pardon her for the bad opinion\nshe had entertained of him, which arose merely from the zeal she\nfelt for Schemselnihar\u2019s interests. \u201cI much rejoice,\u201d added\nshe, \u201cthat the Favorite and the prince of Persia have been so\nfortunate as to find in you so proper a person to supply the place\nof Ebn Thaher: and I will not fail to give my mistress a favorable\naccount of the strong inclination you have to serve her.\n\nAfter the confidant had thus expressed the pleasure it afforded her\nto find the jeweller so disposed to be useful to Schemselnihar and\nthe prince of Persia, he took the letter out of his bosom and gave\nit her. \u201cTake it,\u201d he cried, \u201cand carry it immediately to the\nprince; and then come back this way, that I may see the answer which\nhe sends. And do not also forget to give him an account of our\nconversation.\u201d The slave took the letter, and carried it to the\nprince of Persia, who answered it without any delay. She then\nreturned to the jeweller\u2019s, to show him the answer, which\ncontained these words:\n\n\u201cTHE PRINCE OF PERSIA TO SCHEMSELNIHAR.\n\n\u201cYour dear letter has produced a great effect upon me: but yet not\nso great as I could wish. You endeavour to console me for the loss\nof Ebn Thaher. Alas! however sensible I may be of it, this is only\nthe least part of the evils I endure. You know these evils; and you\nknow, that your presence can alone cure them. When, alas, will the\nperiod arrive, in which I can enjoy that dear leisure without the\ndread of being again deprived of it? How distant does it appear to\nme! Rather, perhaps, we ought not to flatter ourselves, that we\nshall ever meet again. You tell me to take care of myself. I will\nobey you, since I have made every inclination of my heart\nsubservient to you. Farewell.\u201d\n\nWhen he had read this letter, the jeweller returned it to the\nconfidant, who, as she was departing, said to him; \u201cI am going,\nsir, to induce my mistress to place the same confidence in you which\nshe did in Ebn Thaher. To-morrow you will have some intelligence\nfrom me.\u201d And he saw her, in fact, arrive the very next day with\ngreat satisfaction marked in her countenance. \u201cThe sight of you\nalone,\u201d said he, \u201cproves to me, that you found Schemselnihar in\nthe disposition of mind you wished.\u201d--\u201cIt is true,\u201d she\nanswered, \u201cand you shall hear the manner in which I brought it\nabout. I found her yesterday,\u201d continued the confidant, \u201cwaiting\nfor me with the greatest impatience. I put the letter of the prince\ninto her hand, and she read it, while her eyes were bathed in tears.\nAs I perceived she was going to give herself up to her accustomed\ngrief, \u2018Madam,\u2019 said I, \u2018it is, without doubt, the departure\nof Ebn Thaher which so much afflicts you: but permit me to conjure\nyou, in the name of God, not to alarm yourself any more on that\nsubject. We have found another like himself, who has offered to\nengage in your service with equal zeal, and what is of more\nconsequence, with greater courage!\u2019 I then mentioned you to\nher,\u201d continued the slave, \u201cand told her the motives which\ninduced you to go to the prince of Persia. In short, I assured her,\nthat you would ever preserve the secret intercourse between her and\nthe prince inviolable, and that you were determined to aid their\nattachment with all your power. She appeared greatly consoled at\nthis speech, \u2018What obligation,\u2019 she exclaimed, \u2018ought we to\nfeel ourselves under to the excellent man you have mentioned! I wish\nto know him, to see him, to hear from his own lips what you have now\ntold me; and to thank him for his almost unheard-of generosity\ntowards persons who have not the slightest reason to expect him to\ninterest himself in so fervent a manner. His sight will afford me\npleasure; and I will omit nothing that I think will confirm him in\nhis good opinions and intentions. Do not neglect to go to him\nto-morrow morning and bring him here.\u2019 You must therefore, sir, if\nyou please, take the trouble to go with me to her palace.\u201d\n\nThis speech of the confidant\u2019s very much embarrassed the jeweller.\n\u201cYour mistress,\u201d he replied, \u201cmust permit me to say, that she\nhas not thought sufficiently of what she has required of me. The\nfree access which Ebn Thaher had to the caliph, gave him admission\nevery where; and the officers and attendants, who knew him, suffered\nhim to go backwards and forwards to the palace of Schemselnihar\nwithout molestation. But how dare I enter it! You must yourself see\nthat the thing is impossible. I entreat you, therefore, to explain\nto Schemselnihar the reasons which ought to prevent me from giving\nher this satisfaction, and represent to her all the unpleasant\nconsequences that might happen from it. And if she will consider the\nmatter again in the slightest degree, she will easily see, that she\nexposes me to a very great danger without the least use.\u201d\n\nThe confidential slave endeavoured to encourage the jeweller. \u201cDo\nyou suppose,\u201d she said, \u201cthat Schemselnihar is so regardless as\nto expose you, from whom she expects a continuance of the most\nimportant services, to the least danger, in ordering you to come to\nher? Recollect yourself; and you will find, there is not even the\nappearance of danger. Both my lady and myself are too much\ninterested in this affair to engage you in it without due\nconsideration. You may, therefore, very safely trust me to conduct\nyou: and after it is all finished, you will readily enough\nacknowledge, that your alarms are without any foundation.\u201d\n\nThe jeweller yielded to the arguments of the confidant; and got up\nto follow her. In spite, however, of all the courage he piqued\nhimself upon possessing, his fears so far got the better of him,\nthat he trembled from head to foot. \u201cFrom the state which I\nperceive you are in,\u201d cried she, \u201cI am sure you had better\nremain at home, and Schemselnihar pursue some other mode of seeing\nyou: and I have no doubt, from the great desire she feels, that she\nwill come and find you out herself. This being the case, sir, do not\ngo out; for I am convinced it will not be long before you will see\nher arrive.\u201d The confidant was not wrong in her conjectures; for\nshe had no sooner informed Schemselnihar of the fright of the\njeweller, than the latter instantly made preparations to go to his\nhouse.\n\nHe received her with every mark of the most profound respect. As\nsoon as she had sat down, for she was a little fatigued with her\nwalk, she took off her veil, and discovered so much beauty to the\neyes of the jeweller, that he instantly confessed, in his own mind,\nhow excusable it was in the prince of Persia to have devoted his\nheart to the Favorite of the caliph. She then accosted the jeweller\nin the kindest manner, and said to him, \u201cI could not possibly\nbecome acquainted with the great interest you take in the welfare of\nthe prince of Persia and myself, without instantly forming the\ndesign of thanking you in person; and I am truly grateful to Heaven\nfor having so soon, and so well, supplied the great loss we suffered\nin Ebn Thaher.\u201d\n\nSchemselnihar added many other obliging things in her speech to the\njeweller; and then returned to her palace. The jeweller himself\ninstantly went, and gave the prince of Persia an account of this\nvisit; who, when he saw him arrive, called out, \u201cI have been\nwaiting for you with the greatest impatience. The confidential slave\nhas brought me a letter from her mistress: but this letter has\nafforded me no comfort. Although the amiable Schemselnihar may\nendeavour to give me every encouragement, yet I dare not indulge my\nhopes, and my patience is quite exhausted. I know not what plan to\nfollow. The departure of Ebn Thaher has thrown me into despair. He\nwas my support; and, in losing him, I have lost every thing; for in\nthe free access he had to Schemselnihar, I did flatter myself with\nsome hopes.\u201d\n\nAt these words, which the prince uttered in a very expressive\nmanner, and so rapidly that the jeweller had no opportunity of\nputting in a word before, he said, \u201cNo one, prince, can take a\ngreater interest in your misfortunes than I do; and if you will have\nthe patience to listen to me, you will find, that I can afford you\nsome comfort. At this speech the prince held his tongue, and was\nattentive, \u201cI very clearly see,\u201d added the jeweller, \u201cthat the\nonly means of satisfying you, is to enable you to converse with and\nsee Schemselnihar without any restraint. This is a satisfaction I\nwish to procure you; and I will set about it to-morrow. It will not,\nI trust, be necessary to expose you to the risk of going to the\npalace of Schemselnihar? you know, from experience, how dangerous a\nplan that is. I am acquainted with a much more proper place for this\ninterview; and where you will both be in safety.\u201d When the\njeweller had finished this speech, the prince embraced him with the\ngreatest transport.\n\n\u201cYou reanimate, by this delightful promise,\u201d he exclaimed, \u201can\nunfortunate lover, who felt himself already condemned to death. From\nwhat I already hear, I am sure I have fully repaired the loss of Ebn\nThaher. Whatever you undertake will, I know, be done well; and I\ngive myself entirely up to your direction.\u201d\n\nAfter the prince had thanked the jeweller for the zeal he had shown\nin his service, the latter returned home; where the confidential\nslave of Schemselnihar came the next morning to seek him. He\ninformed her, that he had given the prince of Persia some hopes of\nseeing Schemselnihar very soon. \u201cI am come expressly,\u201d she\ncried, \u201cto concert some measures with you for that purpose. It\nappears to me,\u201d she added, \u201cthat this very house is well adapted\nfor their meeting.\u201d--\u201cI should not have the least objection to\ntheir coming here,\u201d replied the jeweller, \u201cbut I think they will\nbe much more at liberty in another house which I have, and which is\ninhabited by no one. I will immediately have it handsomely furnished\nto receive them.\u201d--\u201cThis being the case,\u201d rejoined the slave,\n\u201cnothing more remains to be done, but to get the Favorite to agree\nto it. I will go and speak to her on the subject, and will return in\na very short time, and give you her answer.\u201d\n\nIt was not long before she came back; and she told the jeweller,\nthat Schemselnihar would not fail to be at the appointed place\ntowards the close of the day. She at the same time put a purse into\nhis hands, and told him, it was to procure an excellent collation.\nThe jeweller directly carried the slave to the house where the\nlovers were to meet, that she might know where it was, and be able\nto conduct her mistress thither: and, as soon as they parted, he\nwent to borrow from his friends some gold and silver plate, some\ncarpets, some very rich cushions, and other furniture, with which he\nornamented the house in the most magnificent manner. When he had got\nevery thing in readiness, he went to the prince of Persia.\n\nImagine to yourself the joy of the prince, when the jeweller\ninformed him, that he was come for the purpose of conducting him to\na house which was prepared on purpose for his and Schemselnihar\u2019s\nreception. This intelligence made him forget all his vexations, all\nhis disappointments, and all his sufferings. He put on a most\nmagnificent dress, and went out, without even one attendant, with\nthe jeweller, who led him through many unfrequented streets to his\nhouse, in order that no one might observe them, where he introduced\nhim, and where they remained in conversation till the arrival of\nSchemselnihar.\n\nThey did not wait a great while for this too doting fair-one. She\narrived directly after prayers at sun-set, accompanied by her\nconfidential and two other slaves. It would be useless to attempt to\nexpress to you the excess of joy these two lovers evinced at the\nsight of each other; the delineation is almost impossible. They sat\ndown upon a sofa, and at first looked at each other without being\nable to utter a single word, so much were their minds absorbed in\nmutual contemplation. But the use of their speech was no sooner\nreturned, than they made ample amends for their former silence. They\nexpressed themselves in so tender and affecting a manner, that even\nthe jeweller, the confidant, and the two slaves, could not refrain\nfrom shedding tears. It was necessary, however, for the jeweller to\ndry his tears, and to think about the collation, which he set before\nthem with his own hands. The lovers eat and drank but very slightly;\nafter which they returned to the sofa, and Schemselnihar asked the\njeweller, if he happened to have a lute, or any other instrument.\nThe jeweller, who took care to provide every thing which he thought\nmight afford them pleasure, immediately brought a lute. The Favorite\nspent a few moments in tuning it, and then began to sing.\n\nWhile Schemselnihar was thus delighting the prince of Persia, by\nexpressing her love for him in words which she composed at the\nmoment, they suddenly heard a great noise; and a slave, whom the\njeweller had brought with him, instantly rushed in, frightened to\ndeath, and said, that some people were forcing the door; that he had\ndemanded of them who it was, when, instead of returning any answer,\nthey redoubled their blows. The jeweller, greatly alarmed, left\nSchemselnihar and the prince of Persia to go and inform himself of\nthe truth of this bad news. He went as far as the court, when,\nthrough the obscurity of the place, he observed a troop of men,\narmed with scimitars, who had already forced the door, and were\ncoming directly towards him. The jeweller got up close to the wall,\nas quickly as possible, and, without being observed, he saw them\npass by, to the number of ten.\n\nAs he thought he could be of no use in assisting the prince of\nPersia and Schemselnihar, he contented himself with lamenting their\nsad situation, and took flight as fast as possible. He ran out of\nhis own house, and went for safety to that of a neighbour, who was\nnot yet retired for the night; not doubting, that this unforeseen\nand violent attack was made by order of the caliph, who had by some\nmeans been informed of the place of appointment between the Favorite\nand the prince of Persia. The house, to which he fled for safety,\nwas not so far distant, but that he heard the noise they made at his\nown; and this noise continued till midnight. Then, as every thing\nappeared to him to be silent, he requested his neighbour to lend him\na sabre, and, armed in this manner, he sallied forth. He went to the\ndoor of his own house; and, entering the court, perceived, with\ngreat alarm, a man, who demanded who he was. He instantly recognised\nthe voice of his slave. \u201cHow have you been able,\u201d cried the\njeweller, \u201cto escape being taken by the guard?\u201d--\u201cSir,\u201d\nreplied the slave, \u201cI concealed myself in the corner of the court,\nand I came out as soon as the noise had ceased. But it was not the\nguard that broke in your house; they were robbers, who, for some\ndays past, have infested this quarter of the city, and pillaged\nalmost every one. They have, without doubt, remarked, that some rich\nfurniture has been brought here; and this was certainly their\nobject.\u201d\n\nThe jeweller thought the conjecture of his slave too probable. He\nexamined the house, and found, in fact, that the robbers had taken\naway the beautiful furniture of the apartment in which he had\nreceived Schemselnihar and her lover; and had carried off all the\ngold and silver plate, not leaving an individual thing behind them.\nAt this sight he was quite in despair. \u201cOh, heavens!\u201d he\nexclaimed, \u201cI am undone, without the chance of redress or\nrecovery. What will my friends say, and what excuse can I make them,\nwhen I shall inform them the thieves have broken open my house, and\nrobbed me of every thing they had so generously lent me? How can I\never compensate them for the loss they have suffered through me?\nBesides, what can have become of Schemselnihar and the prince of\nPersia? This affair will make a great noise, and it infallibly must\nreach the ears of the caliph. He will be informed of this\nassignation, and I shall be the victim of his rage.\u201d The slave,\nwho was very much attached to his master, tried to console him. With\nregard to Schemselnihar,\u201d he said, \u201cthere is no doubt but that\nthe robbers would be contented with despoiling her of her valuables,\nand you may be assured she will return to her palace with her\nslaves: and the same will probably be the fate of the prince of\nPersia. You have every reason, therefore, to hope, that the caliph\nwill remain in total ignorance of this adventure. As for the loss\nwhich your friends have suffered, it is a misfortune you cannot\nhelp, nor were able to avoid. They very well know, that the robbers\nare here in great numbers, and that they have had the boldness to\npillage, not only the houses I have mentioned to you, but many\nothers belonging to the principal noblemen of the court; and they\nare not ignorant, that in spite of the orders which have been\nissued, to seize them, not one of them has hitherto been taken,\nnotwithstanding all the exertions and diligence that have been used.\nYou will make them every recompense in returning to your friends the\nfull value of the things you have been robbed of, and you will then\nstill have, God be praised, a tolerable fortune remaining.\u201d\n\nWhile they were waiting till it was day-light, the jeweller made the\nslave mend the door of the house that had been forced, as well as he\ncould. After this, he went back with his slave to that he commonly\nlived in; making the most melancholy reflections all the way he\nwalked along. \u201cEbn Thaher,\u201d said he to himself, \u201chas been\nwiser than I have: he has foreseen this misfortune, into which I\nhave blindly run headlong. I wish to God I had never taken any part\nin an intrigue which may perhaps cost me my life.\u201d\n\nIt was hardly day when the report of this house having been broken\nopen and pillaged spread itself through the city, and was the cause\nof a great number of the jeweller\u2019s friends and neighbours\nassembling at his habitation; the most part of whom, under the\npretext of expressing their sorrow for this accident, only came to\nhear the account more at large. He did not omit to thank them for\nthe kindness of their inquiries: and he had, at least, the\nconsolation of finding, that no one mentioned either the prince of\nPersia or Schemselnihar, which led him to hope, that they were\nreturned home, or had retired to some place of safety.\n\nWhen the jeweller was again alone, his people served up a repast;\nbut he could not eat any thing. It was now about mid-day; when one\nof his slaves came and informed him, there was a man at the door,\nwhom he did not know, who said, he wanted to speak with him. As the\njeweller did not wish to admit an entire stranger into his house, he\ngot up and went to speak to him at the door. \u201cAlthough you do not\nknow me,\u201d said the man, \u201cI am not unacquainted with you, and I\nam come to you upon a most important affair.\u201d At these words the\njeweller requested him to come into the house. \u201cBy no means,\u201d\nreplied the stranger, \u201cyou must, if you please, take the trouble\nto go with me to your other house.\u201d--\u201cHow came you to know,\u201d\nanswered the jeweller, \u201cthat I have any other house besides\nthis?\u201d--\u201cI am very well acquainted with that,\u201d said the\nstranger; \u201cand therefore you have only to follow me, and fear\nnothing; I have something to communicate to you that will give you\npleasure.\u201d The jeweller then went with him, but informed him, by\nthe way, in what manner his house had been robbed, and that it was\nnot in a state in which to receive any one.\n\nWhen they had arrived opposite to the house, and the stranger saw\nthat the door was half broken, he said to the jeweller, \u201cI see,\nindeed, that you have spoken the truth; I will conduct you, then, to\na place where we shall be better accommodated.\u201d Having said this,\nthey continued walking on, nor did they stop during the remainder of\nthe day. Fatigued with the distance they had come, vexed at seeing\nnight so near at hand, and wondering at the silence which the\nstranger kept respecting the place they were going to, the jeweller\nbegan to lose all his patience, when they arrived at an open place,\nwhich led down to the Tigris. As soon as they were on the banks of\nthat river they embarked in a small boat, and passed over to the\nother side. The stranger then conducted the jeweller down a long\nstreet, where he had never before been; and, after passing through I\nknow not how many unfrequented lanes, he stopped at a door, which he\nopened. He desired the jeweller to go in, shut the door after him,\nand fastened it with a large iron bar. He then conducted him into an\napartment, where there were ten other men, who were not less\nstrangers to the jeweller than the one who had brought him there.\n\nThese ten men received the jeweller without much ceremony. They\ndesired him to sit down, which he did. He had, indeed, great\noccasion for a seat, for he was not only fatigued and out of breath\nfrom his long walk, but the alarm with which he was seized at\nfinding himself with people apparently fully adequate to inspire it,\nwas so great, that he was hardly able to stand. As they only waited\nfor the chief, before they went to supper, it was served up, when he\nmade his appearance. They first washed their hands, and compelled\nthe jeweller to do the same, and also to sit down at table with\nthem. After supper was over, they asked him, if he was aware with\nwhom he was conversing. The jeweller answered he was not, and did\nnot even know either the quarter of the city or the place he was in.\n\u201cRelate to us, then,\u201d they said, \u201cyour adventure of last\nnight, and do not conceal any thing from us.\u201d The jeweller was\nmuch astonished at this speech, and answered, \u201cYou are, probably,\ngentlemen, already acquainted with it.\u201d--\u201cTrue,\u201d replied they,\n\u201cthe young man and young lady who were with you yesterday evening,\nhave related it to us; but we wish, nevertheless, to know it from\nyour own lips.\u201d\n\nNothing more was wanting to make the jeweller understand, that he\nwas now speaking to the very robbers who had broken open and\npillaged his house. \u201cGentlemen,\u201d said he, \u201cI am in great\ndistress about that young man and young lady, can you give me any\ninformation concerning them?\u201d--\u201cBe in no fear,\u201d answered they,\n\u201con their account; they are in a place of safety, and are quite\nwell.\u201d Having said this, they pointed out two small apartments to\nhim, in which they assured him they were kept separate. \u201cThey\ninformed us,\u201d added the strangers, \u201cthat you were the only\nperson who were acquainted with their affairs and interested about\nthem. As soon, therefore, as we knew that, we took all possible care\nof them on your account. So far from having made use of the least\nviolence towards them, we have, on the contrary, done them every\nservice in our power, and no one has ever wished to treat them ill:\nwe assure you, also, of the same treatment, and you may place the\nfullest confidence in us.\u201d\n\nEncouraged by this speech, and delighted to find that Schemselnihar\nand the prince of Persia were in safety, at least with respect to\ntheir lives and persons, the jeweller endeavoured to engage the\nrobbers still further in their service. He praised and flattered\nthem, and returned them a thousand thanks. \u201cI acknowledge,\ngentlemen,\u201d said he to them, \u201cthat I have not the honor of\nknowing you; but it is a very great happiness to me, that you are\nnot unacquainted with me, and I cannot sufficiently thank you for\nthe gratification this acquaintance on your part has procured me.\nNot to mention a word of the great humanity and kindness of this\naction, I see very clearly, that it is only among men such as you,\nthat a secret can be faithfully kept, where there is any danger of a\ndiscovery to be dreaded; and if there be any enterprise of a more\ndifficult nature than common, you well know how to carry it through,\nby your alacrity, your courage, and your intrepidity. Relying upon\nthese qualifications, to which you have so just a claim, I shall\nmake no difficulty in relating my history to you, and also that of\nthe two persons whom you found at my house, with all the\ndistinctness and truth you can require.\u201d\n\nAfter the jeweller had taken all these precautions to interest the\nrobbers about every thing he was going to reveal to them, that he\nthought might be of advantage, he gave them a complete detail,\nwithout omitting a single circumstance of the attachment and\nadventures of the prince of Persia and Schemselnihar, from the very\nbeginning till the meeting he had procured them at his house.\n\nThe robbers were in the greatest astonishment at what they heard.\n\u201cWhat,\u201d they cried, when the jeweller had concluded his\nnarration, \u201cis it possible, that this young man is the illustrious\nAli Ebn Becar, prince of Persia, and this lady the beautiful and\ncelebrated Schemselnihar?\u201d The jeweller swore that he had told\nthem nothing but the strict and literal truth; and added, that they\nought not to think it strange, that persons of their rank were very\nunwilling to make themselves known.\n\nUpon this assurance, the robbers all went, one after the other, and\nthrew themselves at the feet of Schemselnihar and the prince of\nPersia, entreating them to grant them a pardon; and protesting, that\nnothing which had happened should have taken place if they had known\nthe rank of the guests before they had broken open the jeweller\u2019s\nhouse. \u201cAnd we will now endeavour,\u201d they added, \u201cto make some\nreparation for the fault we have committed.\u201d They then returned to\nthe jeweller, \u201cWe are very sorry,\u201d said they to him, \u201cthat we\nare unable to restore every thing we have taken from you, as some\npart of it is no longer at our disposal; we beg of you, therefore,\nto be satisfied with the plate and silver articles, which we will\nimmediately return to you.\u201d\n\nThe jeweller thought himself very fortunate at the favor they, by\nthese means, did him. When, therefore, the robbers had restored what\nthey promised, they requested the prince of Persia and Schemselnihar\nto come, and informed them, as well as the jeweller, that they were\nready to conduct them back to a certain place, from whence each\nmight return to his own house; but before they did this, they wished\nto engage each of them, by an oath, not to discover them. The prince\nof Persia, Schemselnihar, and the jeweller, all said they were ready\nto pledge their words; but if the robbers particularly wished it,\nthey would swear solemnly to preserve the whole transaction a most\nprofound secret. The robbers, upon this, perfectly satisfied with\ntheir oath, went out with them.\n\nAs they were going along, the jeweller, feeling much disturbed at\nnot seeing either the confidant or the other two slaves, went up to\nSchemselnihar, and requested her to inform him, if she knew what was\nbecome of them. \u201cI know nothing about them,\u201d she replied; \u201call\nI can tell you is, that they carried us with them from your house,\nthat we were conducted across the river, and at last led to the\nhouse where you found us.\u201d\n\nThis was all the conversation which the jeweller had with\nSchemselnihar; they then suffered themselves to be escorted by the\nrobbers, together with the prince, and they soon came to the side of\nthe river. The robbers immediately took a boat, embarked with them,\nand landed them on the opposite bank.\n\nAt the instant in which the prince of Persia, Schemselnihar, and the\njeweller, were getting on shore, they heard a great noise, caused by\nthe horse-patrole coming towards them, who arrived at the moment\nthey were landed, and while the robbers were rowing back to the\nother side with all strength.\n\nThe officer of the guard demanded of the prince, Schemselnihar, and\nthe jeweller, where they were coming from at that late hour, and who\nthey were. As they were all in a state of considerable alarm, and\ntherefore fearful of saying any thing that might lead them into\ndifficulties, they remained silent. It was, however, absolutely\nnecessary to make some answer; and this the jeweller took upon\nhimself, as his mind was not quite so disturbed. \u201cSir,\u201d he\nreplied, \u201clet me, in the first place, assure you, that we are\npeople of character, who live in the city. The men, who are in the\nboat from whence we have just landed, are robbers, who last night\nbroke open the house where we were. They despoiled it of every\nthing, and carried us with them. During the whole of this time, we\nmade use of every means in our power, by persuasion and entreaties,\nand have at last succeeded in obtaining our liberty, and in\nconsequence of this, they brought us to this spot. Nay, they even\ndid more, and restored to us a part of the plunder they had taken,\nand which we now have with us.\u201d He then showed to the officer the\nparcel of plate the robbers had returned to him.\n\nThe commander of the patrole was by no means satisfied with this\nanswer of the jeweller. He went up both to him and the prince of\nPersia, \u201cTell me,\u201d said he to them, looking in their faces,\n\u201cthe strict truth; who is this lady? How came you acquainted with\nher, and in what quarter of the city do you live?\u201d\n\nThese questions very much embarrassed them, and they knew not what\nanswer to make. Schemselnihar, however, got over the difficulty. She\ntook the officer aside, and no sooner spoke to him, than he got off\nhis horse, and showed her every mark of great respect and honor. He\ndirectly also ordered some of his attendants to bring two boats.\n\nWhen these were come, the officer desired Schemselnihar to embark in\none, and the prince and jeweller went into the other. Two of his\nattendants were also in each, with orders to conduct them wherever\nthey wished to go. The two boats then began to steer a different\ncourse: and we will now only attend to that in which the prince of\nPersia and the jeweller were.\n\nThe prince, in order to save the persons whom the officer had\nordered to conduct them home, some trouble, told them he would take\nthe jeweller home with him, and informed them of the part of the\ncity where he lived. Upon this information, the attendants rowed the\nboat towards the shore, close to the caliph\u2019s palace. The prince\nof Persia and the jeweller, although they durst not discover it,\nwere in the greatest possible alarm. Notwithstanding they had heard\nthe order which the officer had given, they nevertheless were fully\npersuaded they were going to be conducted to the guard-house for the\nnight, and that they should be brought before the caliph in the\nmorning.\n\nThis was, however, by no means the intention of their conductors:\nfor as soon as they had landed; as they were obliged to return to\ntheir party, they transferred them to an officer belonging to the\ncaliph\u2019s guard, who sent two soldiers with them to attend them by\nland to the prince of Persia\u2019s house, which was at a considerable\ndistance from the river. They at length arrived there, but so worn\nout with labor and fatigue they could scarcely move.\n\nIn addition to this excess of weariness, the prince of Persia felt\nso much afflicted at the unfortunate and unpleasant interruption he\nand Schemselnihar had experienced, and which seemed for ever to\nannihilate even the hope of another interview, that in sitting down\non the sofa he absolutely fainted. While most of his people were\nemployed in assisting to recover him, the rest surrounded the\njeweller, and requested him to inform them what had happened to the\nprince, whose absence had occasioned them the greatest anxiety.\n\nThe jeweller, who took good care to discover nothing to them they\nought not to know, told them, that the adventure was a very\nextraordinary one; but that he had not, at that time, sufficient\nleisure to give them the relation, and that they would be of greater\nuse in assisting the prince. The latter fortunately returned at this\nmoment to his senses, and those persons, therefore, who had so\nrecently asked the questions, went to a distance, and showed the\ngreatest respect; and, at the same time, evinced much joy that his\nfainting fit had lasted but a short time.\n\nAlthough the prince of Persia had recovered his recollection, he\nremained in such a weak state, that he could not open his lips for\nthe purpose of speaking. He answered only by signs, even to his\nrelations, who spoke to him. He continued in the same situation on\nthe next morning, when the jeweller took his leave of him. The\nprince answered him only by a motion of his eye; at the same moment\nhe took him by the hand; and, as he observed, that he was incumbered\nwith the bundle of plate which the robbers had returned to him, he\nmade a sign to one of his attendants to take and carry it home for\nhim.\n\nHis family had expected the return of the jeweller with the greatest\nimpatience, during the whole of the day he had gone out with the man\nwho had called to inquire for him, and of whom they were entirely\nignorant; and, when the time in which he ought to have returned was\nelapsed, they were convinced some accident even worse than the\nrobbery had happened to him. His wife, his children, and servants,\nwere all in the greatest alarm, and were still in tears when he\narrived. Their joy at seeing him was great for the moment, but it\nwas soon accompanied with pain and regret at finding him so much\naltered in so short a time. The excessive fatigue of the preceding\ndays and having passed the whole of the night without sleep, and in\nthe midst of alarms, were the causes of this change, and many of his\npeople, for the moment, hardly knew him again. As he felt himself\nvery much weakened, he remained two whole days at home without once\nstirring out; during which time he saw only his most intimate\nfriends, to whom he had ordered free admission.\n\nOn the third day, the jeweller, who felt his strength\nre-established, thought that a walk in the open air would assist his\nrecovery. He went, therefore, to the shop of a rich merchant, with\nwhom he had been upon a friendly footing for some length of time. As\nhe got up to take his leave and go away, he perceived a female, who\nmade him a sign, and he instantly recognised her as the confidential\nslave of Schemselnihar. This sight affected him with such a mixture\nof joy and alarm, that he went out of the shop without noticing her.\nShe, however, followed him, as he was convinced she would, because\nthe place they were then in was not proper for conversation. As he\nwalked rather quickly, the confidant could not overtake him, and,\ntherefore, from time to time called out to him to stop. He heard her\nperfectly well, but after what had happened to him, he did not\nchoose to speak to her in public, through the dread of giving rise\nto any suspicion that he had any acquaintance with Schemselnihar.\nFor it was very well known all over Bagdad, that this slave belonged\nto the Favorite, and that she employed her upon every occasion. He\ncontinued to walk at the same rate till he came to a mosque, which\nwas but little frequented, and where he knew there would not be any\none at this time. The slave followed him into the mosque, and they\nhad there an opportunity of a long conversation without any\ninterruption.\n\nBoth the jeweller and the confidant of Schemselnihar felt great\npleasure in again seeing each other, after the singular adventure of\nthe robbers; and the fear each was in for the other, not to mention\nthe alarm they all were in on their own accounts. The jeweller\nwished the confidential slave to inform him, in the first instance,\nby what means she and the two slaves had been able to make their\nescape, and if she had gained any intelligence of Schemselnihar\nsince he had seen her. The confidant herself, however, was so very\neager to learn what had happened to him since their unexpected\nseparation, that he was obliged to satisfy her. \u201cThis,\u201d said he,\nwhen he finished his relation, \u201cis all that you wished to know\nfrom me; now, therefore, I beg of you, inform me, in your turn, what\nI before desired you.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs soon as I saw the robbers make their appearance,\u201d said the\nconfidant, \u201cI took them for some soldiers belonging to the\ncaliph\u2019s guard; imagining that the caliph had been informed of the\nexcursions of Schemselnihar, and that he had sent them with orders\nto kill her, the prince of Persia, and all of us. I, therefore,\ninstantly ran up to the terrace on the top of your house, while the\nrobbers went into the apartment where the prince and Schemselnihar\nwere; the other two slaves also made haste to follow my example. We\ncontinued going on from the terrace of one house to another, till we\ncame to one belonging to some people of good character, who received\nus with great kindness, and with whom we passed the night.\n\n\u201cThe next morning, after thanking the master of the house for the\nfavor he had done us, we returned to Schemselnihar\u2019s palace. When\nwe arrived, we were in the greatest confusion; and felt the more\ndistressed, as we were entirely ignorant of the destiny of these two\nunfortunate lovers. The other female attendants of Schemselnihar\nwere much surprised at seeing us return without their mistress. We\ntold them we had previously agreed among ourselves, that we had left\nher at the house of a lady, who was one of her friends; and that she\nwould send for us again, to accompany her back, when she intended to\nreturn. With this excuse they were quite satisfied.\n\n\u201cIn the mean time, I passed the day in the greatest uneasiness.\nWhen night came on, I opened the small private gate, and saw a boat\nupon the canal that branched off from the river, and terminated at\nthe gate. I called out to the boatman, and begged him to row on each\nside of the river, and look if he could not see a lady; and, if he\nmet with one, to bring her over.\n\n\u201cWe waited (for the two slaves were with me, and as much\ndistressed as myself,) in expectation of his return till midnight,\nwhen the same boat came back, with two other men in it and a woman,\nwho was lying down in the stern. When the boat reached the shore,\nthe two men assisted the lady in getting up and landing. I\nimmediately discovered her to be Schemselnihar; and my joy at seeing\nand finding her again was greater than I can possibly express to\nyou. I instantly gave her my hand, to assist her in getting out of\nthe boat, and she had no little need of my assistance, for it was\nwith difficulty that she supported herself; as soon as she was on\nshore, she whispered in my ear, and in a tone which evinced her\nsufferings, desired me to go and get a purse, containing a thousand\npieces of gold, and give it to the two soldiers who accompanied her.\nI then gave her in charge to the two slaves to help her along, and\nafter desiring the soldiers to wait a moment, I ran for the purse,\nand returned with it almost instantly. I gave it to them, paid the\nboatman, and then shut the gate.\n\n\u201cI soon overtook Schemselnihar, who had not yet reached her\napartment. We lost no time in undressing and putting her to bed,\nwhere she continued all night in such a state, as if her soul was on\nthe eve of quitting its habitation.\n\n\u201cThe next day her other attendants expressed a great desire to see\nher; but I told them she had returned home very much fatigued, and\nhad great want of repose to recruit her strength. In the mean time,\nthe other two slaves and myself afforded her all the assistance and\ncomfort we could devise, and which she could possibly expect from\nour zeal. At first she seemed determined not to eat any thing, and\nwe should have despaired of her life, if we had perceived that the\nwine we from time to time gave her, did not very much support and\nstrengthen her. At length, by means of our repeated entreaties, and\neven prayers, we got her to eat something.\n\n\u201cAs soon as I saw that she was able to speak without injury to\nherself, for she had hitherto done nothing but shed tears, mixed\nwith sighs and groans, I requested her to do me the favor of\ninforming me by what fortunate accident she escaped from the power\nof the robbers. \u2018Why do you ask me,\u2019 she replied, with a\nprofound sigh, \u2018to bring to my recollection a subject that causes\nme so much affliction? I wish to God the robbers had taken my life,\ninstead of preserving me. My evils would then have been at an end:\nbut now my sufferings will, I know, long continue to torment me.\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018Madam,\u2019 I answered, \u2018I beg of you not to refuse me. You\ncannot be ignorant, that the unhappy sometimes derive a degree of\nconsolation from a relation even of their most painful adventures.\nWhat I request, then, will be of service to you, if you will have\nthe goodness to comply.\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018Listen then,\u2019 she said, \u2018to a narrative of circumstances\nthe most distressing that can possibly happen to any one so much in\nlove as I am, and who thought herself almost at the completion of\nher wishes. When I saw the robbers enter, with a sabre in one hand\nand a poniard in the other, I concluded the very last moment of my\nexistence was at hand, and that the prince of Persia was in equal\ndanger. I did not indeed lament my own death from the satisfaction I\nfelt, that we should die together. Instead, however, of instantly\nfalling upon us, and plunging their weapons into our hearts, as I\nfully expected, two of the robbers were ordered to guard us, while\nthe others were engaged in packing up whatever they could find in\nthe room where we were, and in the other apartments. When they had\ndone this, and had taken all the plunder upon their shoulders, they\nwent out, and made us go with them.\n\n\u201c\u2018While we were on the way, one of those, who accompanied us,\ndemanded our names. I told him, that I was a dancer. He asked the\nsame question of the prince, who said, that he was a citizen.\n\n\u201c\u2018When we had arrived at their dwelling, we experienced new\nalarms. They first collected round me, and after examining my dress,\nand the valuable jewels with which I was adorned, they seemed very\nmuch to doubt my rank. \u2018A dancing girl,\u2019 said they, \u2018is not\nlikely to be dressed like you. Tell us truly who you are.\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018As they found I was not inclined to give them any answer, they\nput the same question to the prince of Persia. \u2018Inform us,\u2019 they\ncried, \u2018who you are. We see well enough, that you are not a common\nperson, as you wish us to believe by your former answer.\u2019 He,\nhowever, gave them no greater satisfaction than I had done. He only\ntold them, that he had come on a visit to a certain jeweller, whose\nname he mentioned, in order to amuse himself, and that the house\nwhere they found us belonged to him.\n\n\u201c\u2018I know that jeweller,\u2019 cried one of the robbers, who seemed\nto have some authority among them; \u2018and I am under some\nobligations to him, although he is not perhaps aware of it: I know,\nalso, that he has another house. To-morrow I will make it my\nbusiness to bring him hither, and we will not release you till we\nknow from him who you are. In the mean time, be assured that no harm\nshall be done to you.\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018The jeweller was brought here the next day, and as he thought\nto oblige us, and in fact he did so, he informed the robbers\nprecisely who we were. They immediately came and begged my pardon,\nand I believe they did the same to the prince, who was in another\napartment. They protested to me, at the same time, that if they had\nknown that the house where they discovered us belonged to the\njeweller, they would not have broken it open. They then took us all\nthree, and conducted us to the banks of the Tigris; they made us go\non board a boat, by which we crossed the water; but, at the very\ninstant of landing, a party of the guard came up to us on horseback.\n\n\u201c\u2018I took the commander aside, told him my name, and also that on\nthe evening before, as I was visiting one of my friends, the robbers\nmet and stopped me, and then carried me with them; and that it was\nnot till I had informed them who I was, that they would release me.\nThat on my account, also, they set at liberty the two persons he\nthen saw with me, because I assured them I knew who they were. The\nofficer of the guard immediately alighted, as a mark of his respect,\nand after expressing his joy at being able to oblige me in any\nthing, he ordered two boats to come to the shore, into one of which\nhe put me and two of his people, whom you saw, and who escorted me\nhither. The prince of Persia and the jeweller embarked in the other\nwith two more of his soldiers, who went with and conducted them\nsafely home.\n\n\u201c\u2018I hope,\u2019 added Schemselnihar, with her eyes swimming in\ntears, as she finished this account, \u2018that no fresh misfortune has\nhappened to them since our separation, and I firmly believe, that\nthe grief and distress of the prince is equal to mine. The jeweller,\nwho has served us with so much zeal and affection, deserves, at\nleast, to be recompensed for the loss he has sustained through his\nfriendship for us; do not, therefore, fail to take him to-morrow\nmorning, as from me, two purses with a thousand pieces of gold in\neach; and gain, at the same time, some intelligence from him\nconcerning the prince of Persia.\u2019\n\n\u201cWhen my good mistress had concluded her story, I endeavoured, on\nher giving me this last order, to obtain some information of the\nprince of Persia, to persuade her to make use of every method to\nconquer her feelings after the danger she had just encountered, and\nfrom which she had escaped only, as it were, by a miracle. \u2018Make\nno reply,\u2019 she called out, \u2018but do as I command you.\u2019\n\n\u201cI was, therefore, obliged to hold my tongue, and immediately set\nout to obey her orders. I first proceeded to your house, where I did\nnot find you; and, from the uncertainty whether I should meet with\nyou at the place where they told me you were gone, I was on the\npoint of going to the prince of Persia\u2019s, but was afraid to make\nthe attempt. I left the two purses, as I went past, with a person of\nmy acquaintance. If you will wait here a little while for me, I will\ngo and fetch them.\u201d\n\nThe confidential slave then departed, but returned to the mosque,\nwhere she had left the jeweller, almost directly. \u201cHere,\u201d said\nshe, giving him the two purses, \u201ctake these, and make a\ncompensation to your friends for their losses.\u201d--\u201cThere is much\nmore,\u201d replied the jeweller, \u201cthan is necessary for that\npurpose: but I dare not refuse the present, which so kind and\ngenerous a lady wishes to make to the humblest of her slaves. I beg\nyou to assure her, that I shall for ever preserve the recollection\nof her kindness.\u201d He then made an agreement with the confidant,\nthat she should come and inquire for him at the house where she had\nfirst met him, whenever she had any thing to communicate from\nSchemselnihar, or wished to gain any intelligence of the prince of\nPersia. After this they separated.\n\nThe jeweller returned home very well satisfied, not only with the\nample sum of money he had received for the purpose of making up the\nloss his friends had suffered, but also from the idea, that he was\nsure no person in Bagdad knew that the prince of Persia and\nSchemselnihar had been discovered in his other house, which had been\nrobbed. It is true, he had acquainted the robbers themselves with\nit, but he was tolerably secure of their secrecy, from its being\nmutual. Besides, they, he thought, did not mix sufficiently with the\nworld to fear any danger from them, even if they did divulge it. The\nnext morning he saw those friends, to whom he was under such\nobligations, and he had no difficulty in giving them perfect\nsatisfaction. And, after all, he had enough money remaining to\nfurnish his other house again very properly. He did this, and sent\nsome of his domestics to inhabit it. While thus employed, he quite\nforgot the danger which he had so lately escaped from; and in the\nevening he went to visit the prince of Persia.\n\nThe officers and attendants of the prince, who received him, told\nhim he arrived very opportunely, for that the prince, since he left\nhim, was in such a state as to alarm them for his life; and that\nthey had not been able to get him to speak a single word. They\nintroduced him into his chamber without making the least noise; and,\nhe found the prince lying in his bed, with his eyes shut, and in a\nstate which very much excited his compassion. He saluted him, took\nhim by the hand, and exhorted him to keep up his spirits.\n\nThe prince of Persia perceived that it was the jeweller who spoke to\nhim; he opened his eyes, and gave him such a look as plainly evinced\nhow much he was afflicted, and how much more he now suffered than\nwhen he first saw Schemselnihar. He took hold of him, and pressed\nhis hand as a mark of his friendship; and, at the same time said,\nthough in the most feeble tone of voice, how much he felt himself\nobliged to him for the trouble he took in coming to see so\nunfortunate and wretched a being as he was.\n\n\u201cTalk not, I beseech you, prince,\u201d said the jeweller, \u201cof the\nobligations you are under to me. I wish, most earnestly, that the\ngood offices which I endeavor to do you were attended with more\nsuccess. Let us only think of your health. From the state you are\nnow in, I fear you suffer yourself to be too much depressed, and\nthat you do not take so much nourishment as is absolutely\nnecessary.\u201d\n\nThe attendants who were in waiting, seized this opportunity to\ninform the jeweller, that they had tried every method in their power\nto induce him to eat something, but all their efforts were\nineffectual, and that the prince had taken nothing for a great\nlength of time. This compelled the jeweller to request the prince of\nPersia to suffer his servants to bring some nourishment for him to\ntake, and after much entreaty he at length obtained his consent.\n\nWhen the prince of Persia had eaten, through the persuasions of the\njeweller, much more than he had hitherto done, he ordered his people\nto retire, that he might be alone with him. And after they were gone\nout, he addressed these words to him: \u201cAdded to the misfortune\nwhich overwhelms me, I feel very great pain for the loss that you\nhave suffered from your regard to me; and, it is but just, that I\nshould think of some means to recompense you: but in the first\nplace, after requesting you most earnestly to pardon me, I entreat\nyou to inform me, if you have heard any thing of Schemselnihar,\nafter I was compelled to separate myself from her.\u201d\n\nAs the jeweller had before received the whole account from\nSchemselnihar\u2019s confidential slave, he now related what he knew of\nher arrival at her own palace, and of the state she had been in from\nthat moment, till she felt herself so much better as to be able to\nsend her confidant to get some intelligence of him.\n\nTo this speech of the jeweller the prince answered only by his sighs\nand tears. He then made an effort to get up; he called his people,\nand went himself to the room where he kept his valuables, and\nordered it to be opened; he then made them take out many pieces of\nrich furniture and plate, and ordered them to be carried to the\njeweller\u2019s.\n\nThe jeweller wished to decline accepting the present of the prince\nof Persia; but although he represented to him, that Schemselnihar\nhad already sent him much more than sufficient to replace every\nthing that his friends had lost, the prince nevertheless would be\nobeyed. The only thing, therefore, the jeweller could do, was to\nacknowledge how much he felt confused at his great liberality, and\nto assure him, he could not be sufficiently thankful for his\nkindness. He then wished to take his leave; but the prince desired\nhim to remain, and they passed the greatest part of the night in\nconversation.\n\nThe jeweller saw the prince again the next morning before he went\naway, when the latter made him sit down near him. \u201cYou know very\nwell,\u201d said he, \u201cthat there must be an end to every thing. The\nsole object and end of a lover is to obtain possession of her he\nloves, without restraint: if he once loses sight of this hope, it is\ncertain, that he can no longer wish to live. This, you must be well\nconvinced, is the miserable situation in which I am. Twice, when I\nhave fancied myself at the very consummation of my wishes, at that\nvery instant have I been torn from the object of my affections in\nthe most cruel manner. I have now, therefore, only to think of\ndeath. I would myself be the cause of its immediate presence, but\nthat my religion prevents my becoming a self-murderer. I feel,\nhowever, that I have no occasion to hasten its approach; because I\nam well convinced I shall not have long to expect it.\u201d With these\nwords he concluded his speech, and then gave full scope to his\ntears, nor did he endeavour to suppress his sighs and his\nlamentations.\n\nThe jeweller, who knew not what better method to pursue, to lead his\nattention from this hopeless and despairing train of thinking, than\nby recalling Schemselnihar to his recollection, and holding out some\nslight ray of hope, told him, that he was afraid the confidant was\nalready come; and it would not, therefore, be right that he should\nlose any time in going home. \u201cI permit you to go,\u201d said the\nprince, \u201cbut if you see her, I entreat you to urge her to assure\nSchemselnihar, that if I die, as I expect will very soon be the\ncase, I shall adore her with my last breath, nor will my affection\ncease even in the tomb.\u201d\n\nThe jeweller then returned home, and remained there, in hopes that\nthe slave would soon make her appearance. She, in fact, arrived a\nfew hours after; but bathed in tears, and in the greatest disorder.\nGreatly alarmed at seeing her in this condition, the jeweller\neagerly inquired what was the matter.\n\n\u201cWe are all undone,\u201d cried she; \u201cSchemselnihar, the prince of\nPersia, you, myself, every one of us are lost. Listen to the\nterrible news I learnt yesterday, when I left you and returned to\nthe palace.\n\n\u201cSchemselnihar had ordered one of the two slaves, who were with us\nat your house, to be punished for some fault or other. Enraged at\nthis ill-treatment, this slave, finding a door of the palace open,\nran out, and we have no doubt but that she went and told every thing\nto one of the eunuchs of our guard, who has afforded her a retreat.\n\n\u201cNor is this all: the other slave, her companion, is also fled,\nand has taken refuge in the palace of the caliph, to whom, we have\nevery reason to believe, she has revealed all she knew; and what\nconfirms this opinion is, that the caliph sent this morning twenty\neunuchs to bring Schemselnihar to his palace. I found the means to\nsteal away, and to come and give you information of all this. I know\nnot what has passed, but I conjecture nothing good. Whatever it may\nbe, I entreat you to be quite secret.\n\nThe confidant then added, that she thought it would be proper to go,\nwithout losing a moment, and find the prince of Persia, and to\ninform him of the whole affair, that he might hold himself in\nreadiness for any turn the event might take; and also that he might\nbe true and faithful to the common cause. She said not another word,\nbut suddenly went away, without even waiting for an answer.\n\nAnd what indeed could the jeweller have answered in the state this\nspeech put him in! He remained motionless, like a person stunned by\na blow. He was nevertheless aware, that the business required\ndecisive and prompt measures. He, therefore, made all the haste he\ncould to the prince of Persia\u2019s, and as soon as he saw him, he\naccosted him in a way that instantly showed he was the messenger of\nbad news. \u201cPrince,\u201d he cried, \u201carm yourself with patience,\nconstancy, and courage; prepare for an attack, the most dreadful you\nhave ever encountered.\u201d\n\n\u201cTell me,\u201d exclaimed the prince, \u201cin two words, what has\nhappened, and do not thus keep me in suspense. I am ready to die, if\nit be necessary.\u201d\n\nThe jeweller then related to him every thing he had heard from the\nconfidential slave. \u201cYou see,\u201d added he, \u201cthat your\ndestruction is inevitable. Get up then, and endeavour instantly to\nsave yourself. The time is precious. You ought not to expose\nyourself to the rage of the caliph, still less to confess any thing,\nalthough you should be in the midst of torments.\u201d\n\nVery little more would at this moment have actually destroyed the\nprince, so much was he already broken down by affliction, sorrow,\nand terror. He at length recollected himself, and inquired of the\njeweller what plan he advised him to pursue in so critical a\nconjuncture, and when he had only an instant to take advantage of\nit. \u201cThere is nothing to be done,\u201d replied the jeweller, \u201cbut\nto get on horse-back as soon as possible, take the road to Anbar,\nand endeavour to arrive there before daylight to-morrow. Let as many\nof your people accompany you as you think necessary, and some good\nhorses, and suffer me to save myself with you.\u201d\n\nThe prince of Persia, who knew of no better method to pursue, gave\norders to have prepared barely as much as was necessary for the\njourney; carried some money and jewels with him, and after taking\nleave of his mother, set out, and hastened as much as possible to\nget at a distance from Bagdad, in company with the jeweller, and the\nattendants he had chosen.\n\nThey travelled the rest of the day, and most of the following night,\nwithout making any stop on the road, till about two or three hours\nbefore day, when the fatigue of so long a journey, and the absolute\ninability of their horses to proceed, compelled them to alight, and\ntake some little repose.\n\nThey had hardly had time to breathe, before they were attacked by a\nconsiderable troop of robbers. They defended themselves for some\ntime with the greatest courage, till all the attendants of the\nprince were killed: the prince and the jeweller then laid down their\narms, and yielded at discretion. The robbers gave them their lives;\nand after taking their horses and baggage, they rifled and even\nstripped their persons, and then retiring with their plunder, left\nthem in the same place.\n\nThe robbers were no sooner at some distance, than the prince said to\nthe jeweller, who was in the utmost distress, \u201cWell, what think\nyou of our late adventure, and the state we are now left in? Do you\nnot rather wish that I had remained at Bagdad waiting there for my\ndeath, in what manner soever it might have been\ninflicted!\u201d--\u201cPrince,\u201d replied the jeweller, \u201cwe must submit\nto the decrees of the Almighty. It is his will that we should suffer\naffliction upon affliction. Our business is not to murmur, but to\nreceive every thing, whether good or evil, from his hands with\nabsolute submission. Let us not, however, stop here; but proceed,\nand endeavour to find out some place, where we shall be able to\nobtain relief under our misfortune.\u201d\n\n\u201cLet me alone,\u201d cried the prince of Persia, \u201cand suffer me to\nend my days in this place; for of what consequence is it where I\nbreathe my last. Perhaps, at the very instant we are now speaking,\nSchemselnihar is herself no more; and it is neither my wish nor even\nin my power, to live a moment after her.\u201d The jeweller at length,\nwith much intreaty, persuaded him to move. They walked on for a long\ntime, and at last came to a mosque, which they found open. They went\nin, and passed the rest of the night there.\n\nAt day-break, there was only one person came into the mosque. He\nsaid his prayers, and when he had finished them, as he was going out\nhe perceived the prince of Persia and the jeweller, who were seated\nin one corner. He went up to them, and saluted them with great\ncivility. \u201cYou seem to me,\u201d he said to them, \u201cif I may judge\nfrom your appearance, to be strangers.\u201d The jeweller, who took\nupon himself to speak, answered, \u201cYou are not wrong in your\nsupposition. Last night, in coming along the road from Bagdad, we\nwere robbed, as you may conjecture from the state we are in; and we\nhave great need of assistance, but know not to whom to\napply.\u201d--\u201cIf you will take the trouble,\u201d replied the stranger,\n\u201cto come to my house, I will very readily give you all the help\nand assistance in my power.\u201d\n\nOn hearing this obliging offer, the jeweller turned towards the\nprince of Persia, and whispered in his ear, that he thought this man\ndid not know either of them, and that they had some reason to think\nit possible another might come, who would recognise them. \u201cWe\nought not, therefore,\u201d said he, \u201cto refuse the favor which this\ngood man does us.\u201d--\u201cYou are master,\u201d replied the prince, \u201cI\nagree to every thing you wish.\u201d\n\nAs the stranger saw the prince and the jeweller consulting together,\nhe thought that they made some difficulty in accepting the proposal\nhe had made them. He asked, therefore, on what they had determined,\n\u201cWe are ready to follow you,\u201d replied the jeweller, \u201cbut what\naffords us the greatest distress is, that we are almost naked, and\nare therefore ashamed to appear in this condition.\u201d Fortunately,\nhowever, the man had sufficient clothes about him, to be able to\nbestow enough on them to cover them in their way to his house. And\nthey were no sooner arrived, than their host ordered some clothes to\nbe brought for each of them; and, as he naturally imagined that they\nwere greatly in want of food, and would also be much more at ease by\nthemselves, he sent a female slave with a variety of dishes. They\nscarcely, however, touched any thing, particularly the prince, who\nwas reduced to such a languid state, and was so worn out, that the\njeweller felt considerable alarms for his life.\n\nTheir host visited them several times during the day; but he left\nthem early in the evening, as he knew they stood in great need of\nrepose. The jeweller, however, was obliged, almost immediately, to\ncall him again, to help him in attending on the prince of Persia,\nwho, he thought, was very near dying. He perceived that his\nrespiration was difficult and rapid, and from this he judged he had\nonly a few moments to live. He went up to him, when the prince said,\n\u201cIt is, as you must perceive, all over with me; and I am well\nsatisfied, that you should be a witness to the last sigh I shall\never breathe; I resign my life with much satisfaction, nor need I\ninform you why I do so. You know it. All the regret I feel is, that\nI do not breathe my last in the arms of my dearest mother, who has\nalways shown the tenderest affection for me; and for whom, I trust,\nmy respect has ever been such as was proper. She will suffer much,\nfrom not having the melancholy consolation of closing my eyes, and\neven of burying me with her own hands. Tell her, I beg of you, the\npain I suffer; and request her, as from me, to have my body conveyed\nto Bagdad, chat she may water my grave with her tears, and may\nafford me the benefit of her prayers.\u201d He did not forget the\nmaster of the house where he was; and thanked him for the generous\nreception he had given him, and after requesting that his body might\nbe preserved in his house, till they came to bury it, he expired.\n\nThe day after the death of the prince of Persia, the jeweller took\nadvantage of a large caravan, which happened at that time to be\ngoing to Bagdad; where he arrived in safety. He immediately went to\nhis own house, and having changed his dress, he proceeded to that of\nthe deceased prince of Persia, where they were all much alarmed at\nnot seeing the prince himself come back with him. He desired the\nattendants to inform the prince\u2019s mother, that he wished to speak\nto her; and it was not long before they introduced him into a hall,\nwhere she was surrounded by many of her females. \u201cMadam,\u201d said\nthe jeweller on entering, but in a tone and manner that evidently\nproved he was the messenger of ill news, \u201cmay God preserve you,\nand heap abundance of his favors upon you. You are not ignorant,\nthat the Almighty disposes of us as he pleases.\u201d\n\nThe lady gave the jeweller no time to say more, \u201cAh,\u201d she\nexclaimed, \u201cyou come to announce the death of my son!\u201d She\ninstantly uttered the most melancholy cries, which, together with\nthose made by her women, renewed the grief, and made the tears of\nthe jeweller flow afresh. She continued to suffer these torments,\nand remained a long time overcome by affliction, before she would\npermit the jeweller to go on with what he had to say. She at length\nsuppressed for a time her lamentations and tears, and begged him to\ncontinue his account, and not to conceal any circumstance of this\nmelancholy separation. He satisfied her; and when he had concluded,\nshe asked him if the prince her son had not charged him with any\nthing in particular to say to her, when he was at the extremity of\nhis life. He assured her, that he only expressed the greatest regret\nat breathing his last at a distance from her, and that the only\nthing he wished was, that she would take care and have his body\nbrought to Bagdad. Early, therefore, the next morning, she set out,\naccompanied by all her women, and a considerable part of her slaves.\n\nWhen the jeweller, who had been detained by the mother of the prince\nof Persia, had seen her take her departure, he returned home in the\nmost melancholy state of mind: his eyes cast down, and himself\ndeeply regretting the death of so accomplished and amiable a prince,\nin the very flower of his age.\n\nAs he was walking along, meditating thus within himself, a woman\ncame up and stopped directly before him. He lifted his eyes, and\nperceived the confidential slave of Schemselnihar, dressed in\nmourning, and her eyes bathed in tears. The sight renewed his\naffliction to a great degree, and without even opening his lips to\nspeak to her, he continued walking on, till he came to his own\nhouse, to which the confidant followed him, and entered at the same\ntime.\n\nThey both sat down, and the jeweller began the conversation, by\nasking her, sighing deeply at the same time, if she had already been\ninformed of the death of the prince of Persia, and if it was for him\nthat she wept. \u201cAlas, no,\u201d she answered: \u201cis then this\ncharming prince dead? He has not indeed long survived his adorable\nSchemselnihar. Lovely spirits,\u201d added she, addressing the departed\nlovers, \u201cin whatever place you may be, you are now sufficiently\nsatisfied in being able, for the future, to love each other without\nany obstacle. Your bodies were an invincible hindrance to your\nwishes, and Heaven has only freed you from them to enable you to be\nunited in soul.\u201d\n\nThe jeweller, who was hitherto ignorant of the death of\nSchemselnihar, and who had not as yet attended to the circumstance\nof the confidant\u2019s being in mourning, felt an additional pang when\nhe learnt this intelligence. \u201cSchemselnihar dead too!\u201d he\nexclaimed. \u201cIs she no more?\u201d--\u201cSuch indeed is her fate,\u201d\nreplied her slave, renewing her tears. \u201cIt is for her that I am in\nmourning. The circumstances attending her death are singular, and it\nis proper that you should be made acquainted with them. But previous\nto my giving you a narrative of this, I beg of you to inform me of\nevery thing relative to the death of the prince of Persia, whose\nloss I shall continue all my life to lament, as well as that of my\ndear and amiable mistress of Schemselnihar.\n\nThe jeweller satisfied the confidant in every particular she wished\nto know, and as soon as he had finished his account, beginning from\nthe time she left him to the moment in which the prince\u2019s mother\nbegan her journey for the purpose of bringing her son\u2019s body to\nBagdad, she went on as follows: \u201cI have already told you how the\ncaliph sent for Schemselnihar to his own palace. It was true, as we\nhad reason to believe, that the caliph had been informed of the\nattachment and meeting between Schemselnihar and the prince of\nPersia by the two slaves, whom he had separately questioned. You may\nalready perhaps imagine, that he was in the greatest rage with the\nFavorite; and that he showed strong marks of jealousy and revenge\nagainst the prince of Persia. By no means. He thought not for an\ninstant about him. He only pitied Schemselnihar. Nay, he attributed,\nas it is thought, what had happened only to himself, and to the\npermission which he had given her to go freely about the city,\nunaccompanied by any eunuchs. At least we cannot form any other\nconjecture, from the extraordinary manner in which he conducted\nhimself towards her from first to last; as you shall hear.\n\n\u201cThe caliph received her with an open countenance, and when he\nperceived the traces of that grief with which she was overwhelmed,\nbut which nevertheless did not in the least diminish her beauty, for\nshe appeared before him without any symptoms either of surprise or\nfear. \u2018Schemselnihar,\u2019 said he to her, with his usual accustomed\ngoodness, \u2018I cannot bear that you should appear before me with a\ncountenance so strongly impressed by sorrow. You know with what\nardour I have always loved you: You must be convinced of its\nsincerity by all the proofs I have given you of it. I am not\nchanged; for I still love you more than ever. You have some enemies,\nand these enemies have made some ill reports of the manner in which\nyou conduct yourself; every thing, however, that they can say of\nyou, has not made the least impression upon my mind. Drive away then\nthis melancholy, and dispose yourself to entertain me this evening\nwith something as amusing and diverting as you used to do.\u2019 He\ncontinued to say many other obliging things to her, and then\nconducted her into a magnificent apartment near his own; where he\nrequested her to wait for him.\n\n\u201cThe wretched Schemselnihar was sensibly affected at so many\nproofs of the caliph\u2019s concern for her person: but the more she\nfelt herself under obligations to him, the more was her bosom\npenetrated with grief at being separated, perhaps for ever, from the\nprince of Persia, without whom she was convinced she could not exist.\n\n\u201cThis interview between the caliph and Schemselnihar,\u201d continued\nthe confidant, \u201ctook place while I was coming to speak to you; and\nI learnt the particulars of it from my companions, who were present.\nAs soon, however, as I left you, I hastened back to Schemselnihar,\nand was witness to what passed in the evening. I found my mistress\nin the apartment I have mentioned; and as she was very sure I was\ncome from your house, she desired me to approach her; and, without\nbeing overheard by any one, she said to me, \u2018I am much obliged to\nyou for the service you have just now rendered me: I feel that it\nwill be the last.\u2019 This was all she uttered, and I was not in a\nplace where I could say any thing by way of endeavouring to afford\nher consolation.\n\nThe caliph in the evening entered Schemselnihar\u2019s palace to the\nsound of instruments, which were touched by the females belonging to\nthe Favorite, when a collation was instantly served up. The caliph\ntook Schemselnihar by the hand, and made her sit near him upon a\nsofa. To comply with this action had such a violent effect upon her\nfeelings, that in a few moments after we saw her expire. She was in\nfact hardly seated, before she fell backwards. The caliph thought\nthat she had only fainted, nor had we at first any other idea. We\ngave her every assistance in our power; but she never breathed\nagain. This then was the manner in which we suffered our great loss.\n\n\u201cThe caliph honored her with his tears, which he was unable to\nrestrain; and before he retired to his apartment he gave orders that\nall the musical instruments should be absolutely destroyed, which\nwas accordingly done. I remained near the body the whole night, and\nboth washed and prepared it for burial with my own hands, almost\nbathing it with my tears. It was the next day interred, by the\ncommand of the caliph, in a magnificent tomb, which he had before\nordered to be built in a spot that Schemselnihar had herself chosen.\nAnd since,\u201d added the slave, \u201cyou have told me the body of the\nprince of Persia is to be brought to Bagdad, I am determined that it\nshall be placed in the same tomb with that of the Favorite.\u201d\n\nThe jeweller was very much astonished at this resolution of the\nconfidant. \u201cYou do not surely recollect,\u201d said he, \u201cthat the\ncaliph will never suffer it.\u201d--\u201cYou may believe the thing\nimpossible,\u201d replied she, \u201cbut I assure you, it is not. And you\nwill agree with me, when I have informed you that the caliph has\ngiven their freedom to all the slaves that belonged to\nSchemselnihar, with a pension to each of them sufficient to support\nthemselves; and that he has moreover appointed me to take care of,\nand watch her tomb, with a considerable salary both for its repair\nand my subsistence. Besides, the caliph, who is not ignorant of the\nmutual attachment of Schemselnihar and the prince of Persia, as I\nhave already told you, and who is not now offended or hurt at it,\nwill never have any objection to it.\u201d In answer to this, the\njeweller had nothing to say; he only requested the confidant to\nconduct him to the tomb, that he might offer up his prayers there.\nWhen he arrived, he was greatly surprised at seeing a crowd of\npeople of both sexes, who had collected there from all parts of\nBagdad. He could not even get near it; and could only pray at some\ndistance. When he had finished his prayers, he said to the confidant\nin a satisfactory tone of voice, \u201cI do not now think it impossible\nto accomplish what you so properly planned. We have only to make\nknown the various facts we are acquainted with, concerning the\nFavorite and the prince of Persia, and particularly the death of the\nlatter, which took place almost at the same instant with that of\nSchemselnihar.\u201d Before his body arrived, all Bagdad agreed in\ndemanding, that they should not be separated in the grave. The\nscheme succeeded, and on the day in which it was known the body\nwould arrive, a multitude of people went out even twenty miles to\nmeet it.\u201d\n\nThe confidant waited at the gate of the city, where she presented\nherself before the mother of the prince of Persia, and requested her\nin the name of all the inhabitants, who so ardently desired it, to\nallow the bodies of the two lovers, whose hearts formed but one,\nfrom the commencement of their attachment to the last moment of\ntheir lives, to be united in one tomb. The lady agreed to it; and\nthe body was carried to the tomb of Schemselnihar, an immense number\nof people of all ranks following it; and then placed by her side.\nFrom that time all the inhabitants of Bagdad, and even strangers\nfrom all parts of the world, where mussulmen are known, have never\nceased from feeling a great veneration for that tomb, and going to\noffer up their prayers at its foot.\n\n\u201cThis, sire,\u201d said Scheherazad\u00e8 in this place, \u201cis what I had\nto relate to your majesty concerning the amours of the beautiful\nSchemselnihar, the Favorite of the caliph Haroun Alraschid, and the\namiable Ali Ebn Becar, prince of Persia.\u201d\n\nWhen Dinarzad\u00e8 perceived the sultana, her sister, had concluded her\nspeech, she thanked her most kindly for the pleasure she had\nafforded her by the recital of so interesting a history: \u201cIf the\nsultan,\u201d replied Scheherazad\u00e8, \u201cwould suffer me to live till\nto-morrow, I would relate to him the history of prince Camaralzaman,\n[14] which he would find still more agreeable.\u201d She was then\nsilent; and Schahriar, who could not yet determine to give orders\nfor her death, deferred it, in order to listen to the new story,\nwhich the sultana began to relate, on the following night.\n\n\n\n\nTHE HISTORY\nOF THE AMOURS OF CAMARALZAMAN, PRINCE OF THE ISLE OF THE CHILDREN OF\nKHALEDAN, AND OF BADOURA, PRINCESS OF CHINA.\n\n\nAbout twenty days sail from the coast of Persia, sire, there is, in\nthe open sea, an island, which is called the Isle of the Children of\nKhaledan. This island is divided into several large provinces, with\nmany large flourishing and well-peopled towns scattered over them,\nand forms altogether a very powerful kingdom. It was formerly\ngoverned by a king, named Schahzaman, who had four wives, as was the\ncustom; all daughters of kings, and sixty concubines.\n\nSchahzaman esteemed himself the happiest sovereign on the whole face\nof the earth, on account of the tranquillity and prosperity of his\nreign. One thing alone affected his happiness; he was already far\nadvanced in years, and he had no children, notwithstanding he had so\ngreat a number of wives. He could not account in any way for this\ncircumstance; and in the moments of his affliction he considered it\nas the greatest misfortune that could befal him, to die without\nleaving a successor to the throne, who was descended from him. He,\nfor a considerable time, concealed the tormenting anxiety that\npreyed upon him; and he suffered so much the more as he endeavoured\nto assume an air of cheerfulness. At length he broke silence; and\none day having complained of his misfortune in the bitterest terms\nof sorrow, in a private conversation he had with his grand vizier,\nhe asked him if he knew of any means to remedy so great an evil.\n\n\u201cIf what your majesty requires,\u201d replied this wise minister,\n\u201cdepended on the common interference of human wisdom, you might\nsoon have the gratification you so ardently desire; but I confess,\nmy experience and knowledge is not equal to solve what you ask; to\nGod alone you must apply in such cases; in the midst of our\nprosperity, which often makes us forget what we owe him, he\nsometimes mortifies us on some interesting point, that we may turn\nour thoughts to him, acknowledge his universal power, and ask of him\nthat which we cannot obtain but by his interference. You have\namongst your subjects some men, who devote themselves to the\nparticular profession of knowing and serving him, and lead a life of\npenance and hardship for the love of him: my advice is, that your\nmajesty should bestow alms on them, and request them to join their\nprayers to yours; perhaps amongst so great a number, one may be\nsufficiently pure and acceptable to God, to obtain from him the\ncompletion of your wishes.\u201d\n\nThe King approved this advice, for which he thanked his grand\nvizier. He ordered alms to a considerable amount to be presented to\neach of these communities of people, consecrated to God; he then\ndesired the superiors of them to come to him, and after having\nregaled them with a repast suited to their frugal manner of living,\nhe declared his intention, and begged them to acquaint the devotees\nof it also, who were under their authority.\n\nSchahzaman obtained from Heaven what he so much desired, and which\nwas soon evident by the pregnancy of one of his wives, who, at the\nexpiration of nine months, presented him with a son. To testify his\ngratitude, he sent fresh presents to the societies of devout\nmussulmen, which were worthy of his dignity and greatness; and the\nbirth of the prince was celebrated by public rejoicings for a whole\nweek, not only in his capital but throughout his extensive\ndominions. The young prince was taken to him immediately on his\nbirth, and he thought him so very beautiful, that he gave him the\nname of Camaralzaman, which means the moon of the age.\n\nPrince Camaralzaman was educated with all possible attention, and\nwhen he had reached a proper age, the sultan appointed him a prudent\ngovernor and able preceptors. These persons, distinguished by their\nsuperior understandings, found in him a docile and intelligent\ndisposition, capable of receiving all the instruction they wished to\ngive him, either for the forming of his morals, or the cultivation\nof his mind, in such acquirements as a prince in his situation ought\nto be possessed of. And, when of a more advanced age, he learned\nvarious exercises with the same degree of facility; and acquitted\nhimself with so much grace and address, that he charmed every\nbeholder, but more particularly the sultan his father.\n\nWhen the prince had attained the age of fifteen years, Schahzaman,\nwho loved him with the greatest tenderness, and of which he gave him\nevery day new and stronger proofs, conceived the design of bestowing\non him the most striking mark of his affection, by descending from\nthe throne himself, and raising his son to that distinguished\nsituation. He communicated it to his grand vizier: \u201cI fear,\u201d\nsaid he, \u201cthat in the idleness of youth, my son will lose not only\nthose advantages which nature has bestowed on him, but also such as\nhe has so successfully acquired by the good education I have given\nhim. As I am now advanced to an age to make me think of retiring\nfrom the world, I have almost resolved to give up the government to\nhim, and to pass the rest of my days in the satisfaction of seeing\nhim reign. I have laboured a long time, and I now want repose.\u201d\n\nThe grand vizier would not then represent to the sultan all the\nreasons that might dissuade him from putting this design into\nexecution; on the contrary, he appeared to concur in his wish.\n\u201cSire,\u201d replied he, \u201cthe prince is still too young, I think,\nto be charged at so early a period with a burden so heavy as that of\ngoverning a powerful state. Your majesty is fearful that he may be\ncorrupted, if suffered to lead a life of inactivity and indolence,\nand indeed with reason; but to remedy that evil, would it not in\nyour opinion be more proper to marry him first? Marriage is likely\nto render his affections steady, and to prevent his entering into\ndissipation; added to that, your majesty might allow him admittance\nto your councils, by which he would learn by degrees to sustain the\nbrilliancy and weight of your crown with dignity; and when\nsufficiently qualified, and you by experience found him equal to the\nundertaking, you might still resign it in his favor.\u201d\n\nSchahzaman thought this advice from his prime minister very\nreasonable and prudent; he therefore summoned his son, prince\nCamaralzaman, to attend him as soon as the grand vizier had taken\nhis leave.\n\nThe prince, who hitherto had only seen the sultan at certain stated\nhours, without requiring a summons, was rather surprised al this\norder. Instead, therefore, of presenting himself before him in his\nusual free manner, he saluted him with great respect, and stopped as\nsoon as he was in his presence, fixing his eyes on the ground.\n\nThe sultan perceived the restraint of the prince; \u201cMy son,\u201d said\nhe, in a tone intended to inspire him with confidence, \u201cdo you\nknow on what account I sent for you?\u201d--\u201cSire,\u201d replied the\nprince, modestly, \u201cGod alone can penetrate into the recesses of\nthe heart: I shall learn the reason from your majesty\u2019s lips with\nthe greatest pleasure.\u201d--\u201cI did it to acquaint you,\u201d resumed\nthe sultan, \u201cthat I wish you to marry: what do you think of it?\u201d\n\nPrince Camaralzaman heard these words with great concern. He was\nquite disconcerted; a cold damp arose on his face; and he knew not\nhow to reply. After some moments passed in silence he said, \u201cSire,\nI entreat you to pardon me, if I appear confused at the declaration\nyour majesty has just made; I did not expect it at my very youthful\nage. I do not even know, whether I shall ever be able to submit\nmyself to the bonds of marriage, for I am well aware of the\nembarrassment and trouble occasioned by women; besides which, I have\nfrequently read in our authors of their arts, their cunning, and\ntheir perfidy. Perhaps I may not always remain of this opinion; at\nany rate I feel, that I should require a considerable length of time\nto induce me to agree to what your majesty requires of me.\u201d\n\nThis answer of the prince extremely afflicted the sultan his father.\nThis monarch felt real grief at finding in his son so great a\nrepugnance to matrimony. He did not, however, think proper to treat\nit as disobedience, nor to make use of the authority of a parent; he\ncontented himself with saying, \u201cI will not use any undue influence\nover you on this subject; I give you time to think of it, and to\nconsider, that a prince, destined as you are to govern a large\nkingdom, ought in the first place to turn his thoughts to provide a\nsuccessor in his own family. In giving yourself this satisfaction\nyou will afford me a very great one, who shall love to see myself\nlive over again in you and in the children, who are to prolong my\nrace.\u201d\n\nSchahzaman said no more to prince Camaralzaman. He allowed him free\nentrance to the councils of state, and in every other respect gave\nhim reason to be satisfied with his conduct towards him. At the\nexpiration of a year he took him aside; \u201cWell, my son,\u201d said he,\n\u201chave you remembered to make your reflections on the design I\nformed last year, of marrying you? Will you still refuse me the joy\nI should experience from your compliance with my wishes, and do you\nintend that I should die without experiencing this satisfaction?\u201d\n\nThe prince appeared less discontented than on the former occasion,\nand did not long hesitate to reply with firmness in these words,\n\u201cI have not, sire, omitted to reflect upon the subject; I gave it\nall the attention which it deserves; but, after having maturely\nconsidered it; I am still more confirmed in my resolution to live\nwithout any matrimonial engagement. In fact, the numberless evils\nwhich women have from time immemorial been the occasion of in the\nuniverse, as I have been well informed by our histories, and the\ndaily accounts I hear of their cunning and malice, are the motives\nwhich determine me never to have any connexion with them. Therefore\nyour majesty will pardon me, if I dare to assure you, that any\narguments you may use, to endeavour to persuade me to marry, will be\nfruitless.\u201d Here he ceased, and left the presence of the sultan in\nan abrupt manner, without even waiting for him to return an answer.\n\nAny other monarch besides Schahzaman would with difficulty have\nrestrained himself from using violence, after the rude and obstinate\nway in which the prince, his son, had expressed himself, and would\nhave ordered him some punishment; but he tenderly loved him, and\nwished to employ every gentle means of persuasion before he had\nrecourse to more rigid methods. He communicated this new cause of\nsorrow which Camaralzaman had given to him, to his prime minister.\n\u201cI have followed your advice,\u201d said he, \u201cbut my son is still\nmore adverse to matrimony than he was the first time I spoke to him\non the subject; and he explained himself in such a determined\nmanner, that I needed all my reason and moderation to restrain my\nanger. Fathers who pray for children as ardently as I did, are\nmadmen and fools, who seek to deprive themselves of that repose and\nquiet which they might otherwise have tranquilly enjoyed. Tell me, I\nentreat you, by what means I can reclaim a mind so rebellious to my\ndesires.\u201d\n\n\u201cSire,\u201d replied the grand vizier, \u201ca great many things are\naccomplished through the medium of patience; perhaps this may not be\nof a nature to be conquered by such means; but your majesty will not\nhave to reproach yourself with being too precipitate, if you consent\nto allow the prince another year to form his determination. If,\nduring this interval, he does not return to his duty, you will have\na much greater satisfaction in the consciousness of having employed\nno method, but that of paternal kindness, to obtain his consent. If,\non the contrary, he persists in his obstinacy, then, when the year\nis expired, I think your majesty will be fully justified in\ndeclaring to him, before the whole council, that the good of the\nstate requires his marriage. It is not possible that he should be\nwanting in respect towards you before an assembly of enlightened and\ncelebrated men, which you honour with your presence.\u201d\n\nThe sultan, who so passionately and ardently wished to see his son\nmarried, that so long a delay appeared ages to him, had some\ndifficulty in consenting to wait so much longer. He, however, was\npersuaded by the arguments of the grand vizier, which he could\nneither contradict nor disapprove.\n\nWhen the prime minister had retired, the sultan Schahzaman went to\nthe apartment of the mother of prince Camaralzaman, to whom he had\nlong since imparted the ardent desire he had of marrying his son.\nWhen he had related to her the painful disappointment he had just\nmet with from his second refusal, and also the indulgence he still\nintended to grant him by the advice of his grand vizier, he added,\n\u201cI know, madam, that he has more confidence in you than in me,\nthat you converse with him, and that he listens to you with more\nfamiliarity; I entreat you, therefore, to take an opportunity to\nspeak to him seriously on this subject; and to make him sensible,\nthat if he persists in his obstinacy, he will oblige me at last to\nhave recourse to extremities, which I should be sorry to adopt, and\nwhich would make him repent of his disobedience.\u201d\n\nFatima, for this was the name of the prince\u2019s mother, informed\nCamaralzaman, the first time she had any conversation with him, that\nshe had been acquainted with his fresh refusal to marry, which he\nhad testified to the sultan; and expressed herself much chagrined at\nhis having occasioned his father so great a cause for anger.\n\u201cMadam,\u201d replied Camaralzaman, \u201cdo not, I entreat you, renew\nmy grief on this affair; I fear, that in my present state of mind, I\nmight be guilty of saying something disrespectful to you.\u201d Fatima\nknew by this answer, that the wound was too recent to continue the\nsubject; she therefore dropped it for the present.\n\nSome time after this, Fatima thought she had met with an opportunity\nof renewing it, and with more prospect of success in obtaining a\nhearing. \u201cMy son,\u201d said she, \u201cif it be not painful to you,\npray tell me what are the reasons that have given you so great an\naversion to marriage. If you have none stronger than the art and\nwickedness of women, believe me, you could not have chosen any more\nweak or unreasonable. I will not undertake the defence of artful\nwomen, for that there are numbers of that description, I am well\npersuaded; but it is the most flagrant injustice to accuse the whole\nsex of this crime. Surely my son, you do not form your opinion from\nthe few examples which your books mention, and who have, I confess,\noccasioned great disorder and confusion in the world; such, I will\nnot attempt to justify; but why, on the other hand, do not you\nremark also, the many monarchs, sultans, and inferior princes, whose\ntyranny, barbarity, and cruelty excite the deepest horror in those\nhistories, which I have read as well as yourself. For one woman, who\nhas been guilty of such crimes, you will find a thousand of these\nbarbarians and tyrants. And do you think the poor women who have the\nmisfortune to be married to these wretches, and who are, perhaps,\ngood and prudent wives, can be very happy?\u201d\n\n\u201cMadam,\u201d replied Camaralzaman, \u201cI do not doubt, that there is\nin the world a great number of prudent, good, and virtuous women, of\ngentle dispositions and good morals. Would to God they all resembled\nyou! But what deters me is the doubtful choice a man is obliged to\nmake, when marrying; or rather the dread, that he is often deprived\nof the liberty of making that choice himself.\n\n\u201cLet us suppose,\u201d continued he, \u201cthat I had consented to form\na matrimonial engagement, as the sultan my father so impatiently\nwishes; what wife would he give me? a princess, in all probability,\nwhom he would request of some neighbouring prince, and who would, no\ndoubt, think it a great honor. Handsome or ugly, she must be\nreceived; but even supposing she excels every other princess in\nbeauty, who can ensure that her mind will be equal to her person?\nThat she will be gentle, obliging, affable, and engaging? that her\nconversation will not be frivolous; of dress, of ornaments, of\nappearance, and a thousand other trifles, which must create contempt\nin a man of good sense? In a word, that she is not proud, haughty,\nirascible, disdainful, and one who will ruin a whole kingdom by her\nfrivolous expenses in dresses, jewels, trinkets, or in tasteless and\nempty magnificence.\n\n\u201cNow you see, madam, on one subject only, how many things there\nare to give rise to my antipathy to matrimony; but even if this\nprincess be so perfect and so accomplished, that she is\nirreproachable on all these points, I have a great number of reasons\nstill stronger than any I have expressed, to make me continue in the\nsame opinion, and adhere to my resolution.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat, my son!\u201d exclaimed Fatima, \u201ccan you add more objections\nto those you have already stated? I was going to answer you, and\nrefute your arguments with one word.\u201d--\u201cThat need not prevent\nyou, madam,\u201d replied the prince, \u201cI shall probably have some\nreply to make to your answers.\u201d\n\n\u201cI was going to say, my son,\u201d resumed Fatima, \u201cthat it is easy\nfor a prince, who should have the misfortune to marry a princess,\nsuch as you describe, to leave her, and also to adopt such measures\nas might prevent her ruining the state.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, madam,\u201d said prince Camaralzaman, \u201cand do you not\nconsider what a cruel mortification it must be to a prince to be\nunder the necessity of having recourse to such extremities? Is it\nnot much better both for his peace of mind, and for his reputation,\nnot to expose himself to it?\u201d\n\n\u201cBut, my son,\u201d replied Fatima, \u201cfrom the way you treat this\nmatter, I conclude that you intend to be the last king of the race\nfrom which you are descended; and which has so gloriously filled the\nthrone of the island of the children of Khaledan.\u201d\n\n\u201cMadam,\u201d continued the prince, \u201cI have no wish of surviving\nthe king my father. Even should I die before him, he ought not to be\nsurprised, since there are so many examples of children dying before\ntheir parents. But it is always glorious for a race of kings to\nfinish with a prince so worthy of being a sovereign as I should\nendeavour to be, by imitating my predecessors and him, with whom the\nline began.\u201d\n\nAfter this, Fatima frequently had conversations of the same nature\nwith the prince, her son: and she left no means untried, by which\nshe hoped to eradicate his aversion. But he confuted all the reasons\nshe could produce, by others equally strong, to which she knew not\nwhat to reply; and he remained unshaken in his determination.\n\nThe year passed on, and prince Camaralzaman, to the great regret of\nthe sultan Schahzaman, did not show the least appearance of having\naltered his sentiments. At length one day, when the grand council\nmet, and the first vizier, the other viziers, the principal officers\nof the crown, and the generals of the army were assembled, the\nsultan thus addressed the prince: \u201cIt is now a long time, my son,\nsince I expressed to you the anxious desire I have of seeing you\nmarried: and I expected from you a greater attention to the wishes\nof a father who required of you nothing but what was reasonable.\nAfter so long a resistance on your part, which has entirely\nexhausted my patience, I now repeat the same thing to you, in the\npresence of my council. It is not only, that by persisting in your\nrefusal, you disoblige your father, but the welfare of my dominions\nrequires your compliance, and all these nobles join with me in\nrequesting it. Declare your sentiments before them, that from the\nanswer you make me, I may know what measures to adopt.\n\nPrince Camaralzaman answered with so little temper, or rather with\nso much warmth, that the sultan, justly irritated by the behaviour\nof his son before the full council, exclaimed, \u201cWhat, undutiful\nson! have you the insolence to speak thus to your father and your\nsultan?\u201d He immediately ordered him to be arrested by the officers\npresent, and to be conducted to an ancient tower which had been long\nneglected, where he was confined, with only a bed and very little\nfurniture, a few books, and one slave to attend him.\n\nCamaralzaman, satisfied with having the liberty of amusing himself\nwith his books, looked on his imprisonment with indifference.\nTowards evening, he washed himself, repeated his prayers, and after\nhaving read some chapters in the Koran with the same tranquillity as\nif he had been in his own apartment in the palace of the sultan, he\nlay down without extinguishing his lamp, which he left by his\nbed\u2019s side, and fell asleep.\n\nIn this tower there was a well, which, during the day, formed a\nretreat for a fairy, called Maimoun\u00e8, the daughter of Damriat, the\nking or chief of a legion of Genii. It was about midnight when\nMaimoun\u00e8 lightly darted to the top of the well, to prepare for her\nnightly excursion, as was her usual custom, and wander about the\nworld, wherever curiosity might lead her. She was much surprised to\nsee a light in the chamber of Camaralzaman. She entered it; and\nwithout being stopped by the slave, who was stationed at the door,\nshe approached the bed, the magnificence of which attracted her\nattention, but her surprise was much increased, at observing that\nsomebody was in it.\n\nCamaralzaman\u2019s face was half concealed by the covering of the bed.\nMaimoun\u00e8 raised it a little, and beheld the handsomest youth she\nhad ever seen in any part of the habitable world, through all of\nwhich she had frequently traversed. \u201cWhat brilliancy,\u201d said she\nto herself, \u201cor rather what a prodigy of beauty must those eyes\ndisplay, when no longer concealed, as they now are, by such\nwell-formed eye-lids! What cause can he have given to be treated in\na manner so unworthy of his rank?\u201d for she had already heard of\nhis disgrace, and did not doubt who it was.\n\nMaimoun\u00e8 could not cease admiring the beauty of prince\nCamaralzaman; at length, however, having gently kissed him on the\ncheek, and on the middle of his forehead, without waking him, she\nreplaced the covering as it was before, and took her flight through\nthe air. When she had risen very high towards the middle region, she\nwas suddenly struck with the sound of wings, which inclined her to\nfly to the quarter from whence it came. On approaching she found it\nto be a Genius, who occasioned the noise; but one of those who had\nrebelled against God. Maimoun\u00e8 was, on the contrary, one of those,\nwhom the great Solomon had compelled to acknowledge his power.\n\nThis Genius, who was named Danhasch, and who was the son of\nSchamhourasch, recognised Maimoun\u00e8, though not without very great\nterror. In fact, he knew that she possessed considerable superiority\nover him, in consequence of her submission to God. He would fain,\ntherefore, have avoided this meeting, but he found he was so close\nto her, that he must either encounter a battle, or submit.\n\nDanhasch was the first to speak; \u201cGood Maimoun\u00e8,\u201d said he, in a\nsupplicating tone, \u201cswear to me, by the great name of God, that\nyou will not hurt me, and I promise you on my part not to annoy\nyou.\u201d\n\n\u201cCursed Genius,\u201d cried Maimoun\u00e8, \u201cwhat harm canst thou do to\nme? I fear thee not. But I will grant thee this favor, and I make\nthe oath thou requirest. Now tell me whence thou comest, what thou\nhast seen, and what thou hast done this night?\u201d--\u201cBeautiful\nlady,\u201d replied Danhasch, \u201cwe meet opportunely for you to hear\nsomething wonderful. Since you wish it, I will tell you that I come\nfrom the extremity of China, where its coast overlooks the farthest\nislands of this hemisphere. But, charming Maimoun\u00e8,\u201d interrupted\nDanhasch, who trembled with fear in the presence of this fairy, and\nhad some difficulty in speaking before her, \u201cyou promise at least\nto forgive me, and to permit me to depart, when I shall have\nsatisfied your curiosity?\u201d\n\n\u201cGo on, go on, wretch,\u201d replied Maimoun\u00e8, \u201cand fear nothing.\nDost thou think I am as perfidious as thyself, and that I am capable\nof breaking the terrible oath I have taken? take care only to relate\nnothing but what is true; otherwise I will cut thy wings, and shall\ntreat thee as thou deservest.\u201d\n\nDanhasch felt a little relieved by these words of Maimoun\u00e8; \u201cmy\ndear lady,\u201d continued he, \u201cI will tell you nothing but what is\nvery true; have but the goodness to listen to me. The country of\nChina, from whence I come, is one of the largest and most powerful\nkingdoms in the world; and attached to it are the most extreme isles\nof this hemisphere, of which I spoke just now. The present king is\nnamed Gaiour, who has an only daughter, the most beautiful creature\nthat ever was beheld on earth, since this world has been a world.\nNeither you, nor I, nor the genii of your party, nor of mine, nor\nall mankind put together, can find proper terms, words sufficiently\nexpressive, or eloquence suited to convey the most distant idea of\nwhat she is in reality. Her hair is of a fine brown, and of such a\nlength, that it reaches below her feet, and in such abundance, that\nwhen she wears it in curls on her head, it resembles a fine bunch of\ngrapes, of which the fruit is of an extraordinary size. Under her\nhair appears her well-formed forehead, as smooth as the finest\npolished mirror; her eyes even with it, a brilliant black, and full\nof fire; the nose, neither too long nor too short; the mouth small\nand tinted with vermillion; her teeth are like two rows of pearls,\nwhich surpass the finest in whiteness; and when she opens her mouth\nto speak, she utters a sweet and agreeable voice, and expresses\nherself in words which prove the liveliness of her wit. The most\nbeautiful alabaster is not whiter than her bosom. In short, by this\nfeeble sketch, you may easily suppose, that there is not a more\nperfect beauty in the world.\n\n\u201cWhoever is not well acquainted with the king her father would\nimagine, from the various proofs of affection he is continually\ngiving her, that he is enamoured of her. The most tender lover was\nnever known to do so much for the most beloved mistress, as he has\ndone for his daughter. In fact, the most violent jealousy never\ninvented so much, as his care to render her inaccessible to every\none, except the fortunate person who is destined to marry her; and\nthat she might not feel the retreat irksome, to which he has\nconfined her, he has had seven palaces built for her, which surpass\nin magnificence every thing that was ever heard of.\n\n\u201cThe first palace is composed of rock crystal, the second of\nbronze, the third of the finest steel, the fourth of another kind of\nbronze, more precious than either the first or steel, the fifth of\ntouchstone, the sixth of silver, and the seventh of massive gold. He\nhas furnished them in the most sumptuous style, each in a manner\nappropriate to the materials of which it is built. Nor has he\nforgotten to embellish the gardens, which are attached to them, with\nevery thing that can delight the senses; smooth lawns, or pastures\nenamelled with flowers; fountains, canals, cascades; groves thickly\nplanted with trees, through which the rays of the sun never\npenetrate, and all differently disposed in each garden. In short,\nKing Gaiour\u2019s paternal love alone has induced him to incur this\nenormous expence.\n\n\u201cThe fame of this princess\u2019s incomparable beauty has induced the\nmost powerful of the neighbouring kings to demand her in marriage by\nthe most solemn embassies. The King of China received all their\nproposals with the same degree of ceremony; but as he had determined\nnot to marry the princess except with her own entire consent; and as\nshe did not approve of any of the offers made her, the ambassadors\nreturned unsuccessful with respect to the purport of their mission,\nyet all highly gratified by the civilities and attentions they had\nreceived.\n\n\u201cSire,\u201d would the princess say to the king of China, \u201cyou wish\nto marry me, and you think by so doing to make me happy. I know your\nmotive, and feel obliged to you for your kindness. But where should\nI find such superb palaces and such delicious gardens, unless in the\nterritories of your majesty? Added to which, by your goodness, I am\nunder no restraint, and I receive the same honors as are paid to\nyour own person. These are advantages which I should not enjoy in\nany other part of the world, whatever prince I might be united to.\nHusbands ever will be masters, and I am not of a disposition to\nbrook command.\u201d\n\n\u201cAfter several fruitless embassies, one at last arrived from a\nking, who was richer and more powerful than any who had before\napplied. The king of China proposed him to his daughter, and\nenlarged on all the advantages which would result from such an\nalliance. The princess entreated him to dispense with her\ncompliance, urging the same reasons as on former occasions.\n\n\u201cHe pressed her to accede; but instead of obeying, she forgot the\nrespect due to the king, her father, and angrily replied, \u2018Sire,\nspeak to me no more of this, nor of any other marriage; if you\npersist in your importunities, I will plunge a dagger in my heart,\nand thus free myself from them.\u2019\n\n\u201cThe king of China, extremely irritated against the princess,\nreplied, \u2018My daughter, you are mad, and as such I must treat\nyou.\u2019 In fact, he had her confined to an apartment in one of his\npalaces, and allowed her only ten old women to associate with and\nattend on her, the principal of whom was her nurse. Then, that the\nneighbouring kings, who had sent embassies to request her, might not\nentertain any farther prospects of obtaining her, he dispatched\nenvoys to announce to them all her absolute determination against\nmarriage. And as he supposed that she really had lost her senses, he\ncommanded the same envoys to make known in each court, that, if\nthere were any physician sufficiently skilful to restore her, he\nshould obtain her in marriage as a recompense.\n\n\u201cBeautiful Maimoun\u00e8,\u201d continued Danhasch, \u201cthings are at\npresent in this situation, and I do not fail to go regularly every\nday to contemplate this wonderful beauty, whom I should grieve to\ninjure in the slightest degree, notwithstanding my natural malicious\ninclinations. I entreat you to come and see her; it is well worth\nthe trouble. When you are convinced by your own eyes that I do not\ntell an untruth, I am sure you will feel obliged to me for having\nshown you a princess, who has no equal in beauty. I am ready to\nconduct you to her, and you have only to command.\u201d\n\nInstead of replying to Danhasch, Maimoun\u00e8 burst into a loud fit of\nlaughter, which continued for some time, and which very much\nastonished Danhasch, who did not know to what cause to attribute it.\nHaving at last however composed herself, she said, \u201cYes, yes, thou\nthinkest to impose on me. I thought thou wast going to tell me of\nsomething very surprising and extraordinary, and thou talkest to me\nonly of a blear-eyed wench. Fye, fye! What wouldst thou say then,\nwretch, if thou hadst seen the beautiful prince I have just been\nlooking at, and whom I love as he deserves? He indeed is rather\ndifferent. Thou wouldst be mad for love of him.\n\n\u201cAmiable Maimoun\u00e8,\u201d replied Danhasch, \u201cmay I inquire who this\nprince can be, whom you speak of?\u201d--\u201cKnow,\u201d said the fairy,\n\u201cthat nearly the same thing has happened to him as to the princess\nthou hast been talking of. The king his father would marry him by\nforce; after long and repeated importunities he has frankly\ndeclared, that he would not agree to it. For this reason he is at\nthis moment imprisoned in an ancient tower, where I take up my\nabode, and where I have had an opportunity of admiring him.\u201d\n\n\u201cI will not absolutely contradict you,\u201d resumed Danhasch,\n\u201cbut, my dear lady, you will give me leave, until I have seen your\nprince, to think, that no mortal, either male or female, can equal,\nor even approach the beauty of my princess.\u201d--\u201cPeace, wretch,\u201d\nreplied Maimoun\u00e8, \u201cI tell thee again that thou art\nwrong.\u201d--\u201cI will not obstinately oppose you,\u201d added Danhasch;\n\u201cthe only means of convincing you whether I speak truth or not, is\nto accept the proposal I have made you to come and see my princess,\nand afterwards to show me your prince.\u201d--\u201cThere is no occasion\nfor me to take so much trouble,\u201d said Maimoun\u00e8, \u201cthere is\nanother method, by which we can both be satisfied; that is to bring\nthy princess and place her by the side of my prince on his bed. We\ncan then easily compare them with each other, and thus settle our\ndispute.\u201d\n\nDanhasch consented to do as the fairy desired, and was going\ninstantly to set off for China, but Maimoun\u00e8 stopped him;\n\u201cStay,\u201d said she, \u201ccome with me first, that I may show thee\nthe tower where thou art to bring thy princess.\u201d They flew\ntogether to the tower, and when Maimoun\u00e8 had shown it to Danhasch,\nshe said, \u201cNow go and fetch thy princess; be quick, and thou wilt\nfind me here. But listen, I intend thou shalt pay me a forfeit if my\nprince turns out to be handsomer than thy princess. I will also pay\nthee one, if thy princess is the most beautiful.\u201d\n\nDanhasch, having quitted the Fairy, flew to China, and returned with\ninconceivable swiftness, bearing the beautiful princess along with\nhim fast asleep. Maimoun\u00e8 received her, and introduced her into the\nchamber of prince Camaralzaman, where they placed her on the bed by\nhis side.\n\nWhen the prince and princess were thus close to each other, a grand\ncontest arose on the pre-eminence of their beauty, between the\nGenius and the Fairy. They stood for some time admiring and\ncomparing them in silence. Danhasch was the first to speak: \u201cNow\nyou are convinced,\u201d said he to Maimoun\u00e8, \u201cI told you that my\nprincess was more beautiful than your prince. Have you any doubts\nremaining?\u201d\n\n\u201cHow! any doubts?\u201d cried Maimoun\u00e8, \u201cYes, truly I doubt it.\nThou must be blind not to see, that my prince is infinitely superior\nto thy princess. She is beautiful, I confess; but do not hurry\nthyself: compare them well one with the other, without prejudice,\nand then thou wilt see that it is as I say.\u201d\n\n\u201cWere I to compare them for any length of time,\u201d replied\nDanhasch, \u201cI should think no otherwise than I do. I saw what I now\nsee from the first glance, and time would show me no more than what\nis now visible to my eyes. This, however, will not prevent me from\ngiving up my judgment to yours, charming Maimoun\u00e8, if you wish\nit.\u201d--\u201cIt shall not be so,\u201d interrupted the Fairy. \u201cI will\nnever suffer a cursed Genius, such as thou art, to show me favor. I\nwill submit the contest to an arbitrator, and if thou dost not\nconsent, I win the cause by your refusal.\u201d\n\nDanhasch, who was ready to show any degree of complaisance to\nMaimoun\u00e8, had no sooner consented, than the fairy struck the ground\nwith her foot. The earth opened, and instantly a hideous Genius\nappeared, who was hunchbacked, lame, and blind with one eye; having\nsix horns on his head, and his hands and feet hooked. As soon as he\nwas out, and the ground had closed again, he perceived Maimoun\u00e8,\nand threw himself at her feet; and kneeling on one knee, he asked\nwhat she desired of his very humble services.\n\n\u201cRise, Caschcasch,\u201d said she, for this was the name of the\nGenius, \u201cI sent for you hither to be judge in a dispute, which\nexists between me and this cursed Danhasch. Cast your eye on that\nbed, and tell us impartially, which appears to you the most\nbeautiful, the young man, or the young lady?\u201d\n\nCaschcasch looked very attentively at the prince and princess, and\nshowed every mark of great surprise and admiration. After having\nexamined them very accurately for a long time, without being able to\nmake up his mind; \u201cMadam,\u201d said he to Maimoun\u00e8, \u201cI confess to\nyou, that I should deceive you, and betray myself, if I were to tell\nyou, that I thought one of them more handsome than the other. The\nmore I examine them, the more each seems to me to have separately\nthat sovereign perfection of beauty which they jointly possess: and\nneither has the least defect, which we can assert the other to be\nfree from, and consequently superior. If there be, in truth, any\ndifference between them, there seems to be only one mode of\ndiscovering that difference. And this mode is, to wake them one\nafter the other, and to agree, that the person who feels for the\nother the most violent love, and proves it by the strongest and most\nardent expressions, as well as by the general conduct, shall be\nconsidered in some point or other to be less beautiful.\u201d\n\nThe proposal of Caschcasch was approved of, both by Maimoun\u00e8 and\nDanhasch. Maimoun\u00e8 then changed herself into a flea, and jumped\nupon the neck of Camaralzaman. She gave him so sharp a bite, that he\nawoke, and put his hand to the place, but he caught nothing, for\nMaimoun\u00e8, prepared for this, had jumped away, and taking her\noriginal form, invisible, however, like the other two Genii, to all\nbut themselves, stood by in order to witness what was going forward.\n\nIn drawing back his hand, the prince let it fall upon that of the\nprincess of China. He opened his eyes and expressed great surprise\nat seeing a lady by the side of him; and one, too, who possessed\nsuch beauty. He lifted his head up and supported it on his elbow, in\norder the better to observe her. The great youth of the princess,\njoined to her incomparable beauty, kindled in an instant a flame in\nhis heart, to which he had hitherto been a stranger, and excited\nsensations which he had till now looked upon with aversion.\n\nA passion of the most animated kind now occupied his soul; and he\ncould not help exclaiming, \u201cWhat beauty! what charms! Oh my heart,\nmy soul,\u201d and saying this, he kissed her forehead, her cheeks, and\nher lips, with so little precaution, that it must have broken her\nslumbers, if she had not, through the enchantment of Danhasch, slept\nmore soundly than usual.\n\n\u201cWhat, my beautiful creature,\u201d said the prince, \u201cwill not\nthese marks of the love of Camaralzaman disturb your repose? Whoever\nyou may be, he is not unworthy of your affection.\u201d He was then\ngoing to wake her in good earnest, but he suddenly stopped himself,\n\u201cThere cannot be a doubt,\u201d he exclaimed, \u201cbut that this is the\nperson to whom the sultan, my father, wished to marry me. He has\nbeen much to blame, not to let me see her sooner; I should not then\nhave offended him, both by my disobedience, and my public behaviour\ntowards him; and he would thus have spared himself the contusion\nwhich I have caused him.\u201d Prince Camaralzaman repented most\nheartily of the fault he had been guilty of; and was again upon the\npoint of waking the princess of China, \u201cperhaps indeed,\u201d added\nhe, \u201cthe sultan, my father, wished to surprise me; and has\ntherefore sent this lady to ascertain whether I really have so great\nan aversion to marriage as I have always shown. Who knows if he may\nnot have brought her here himself, and may even now be concealed, in\norder to see how I conduct myself, and make me ashamed of my former\ndissimulation. This second fault would be much worse than my first;\nI will therefore satisfy myself with this ring in remembrance of\nher.\u201d\n\nThe princess of China had a very beautiful ring on her finger; and\nas the prince concluded his speech, he drew it quietly, and put one\nof its own in its place. He then turned his back, and it was not\nlong before, through the enchantment of the Genii, he fell into as\ndeep a sleep as he was in at first.\n\nAs soon as prince Camaralzaman\u2019s eyes were completely closed,\nDanhasch, in his turn, transformed himself into a flea, and bit the\nprincess directly under her lip. She awoke suddenly, and starting up\nopened her eyes: how great was her astonishment at finding herself\nin bed with a man. From surprise, she passed to admiration; and from\nadmiration to excess of joy, which was very apparent as soon as she\nsaw that it was a young, handsome, and well-made man.\n\n\u201cWhat!\u201d she exclaimed, \u201care you the person, whom the king, my\nfather, has destined for my husband? How unfortunate am I at not\nhaving known this before! I should then never have been deprived for\nso long a time of a husband, whom it is impossible not to love with\nmy whole soul. Awake, and rouse yourself; it but ill becomes a\nhusband to sleep thus soundly on the very first night of his\nnuptials.\u201d\n\nHaving said this, the princess shook prince Camaralzaman by the arm\nin so violent a manner, that he must have awoke, if Maimoun\u00e8 had\nnot at that very instant heightened his sleep by means of\nenchantment. She shook him in this manner several times; then, as\nshe found she could not prevent him from sleeping, she called out,\n\u201cWhat can possibly have happened to you? What rival, jealous of\nour mutual happiness, has had recourse to magic; and thus thrown you\ninto this insurmountable fit of stupefaction, from whence it seems\nalmost impossible you should ever be roused.\u201d She then took hold\nof his hand, and tenderly kissing it, she perceived the ring which\nhe had on his finger. It appeared so like her own, that she was\nconvinced it was the very same; and at the same moment observed,\nthat she herself had on a different one. She could not comprehend\nhow this exchange had been effected; but she did not for an instant\ndoubt, that it was a sure proof of her marriage. Fatigued with the\nuseless efforts she had made to wake him; and satisfied, as she\nthought, that he could not leave her; \u201cSince I am unable to rouse\nyou out of your sleep,\u201d she cried, \u201cI will continue no longer to\nattempt to interrupt it. We shall see each other again.\u201d Then\nkissing his cheek as she pronounced these last words, she lay down,\nand in a short time fell asleep.\u201d\n\nWhen Maimoun\u00e8 perceived that she might speak without any danger of\nwaking the princess of China; \u201cWell, wretch,\u201d she said to\nDanhasch, \u201chast thou observed, then, and art thou convinced, that\nthy princess is less beautiful than my prince? Get along, I forgive\nthee the wager thou hast lost; but another time, believe me, when I\nassert any thing.\u201d Then turning towards Caschcasch, \u201cAs for\nyou,\u201d added she, \u201cI thank you. Do you and Danhasch take the\nprincess, and carry her to her bed, where he brought her from.\u201d\nDanhasch and Caschcasch executed the orders of Maimoun\u00e8, while the\nlatter retired to her well.\n\nWhen prince Camaralzaman awoke the next morning, he looked on each\nside of him to see if the lady, whom he had found by him in the\nnight, was still there; but when he perceived she was gone, he said\nto himself, \u201cIt is as I suspected; the king, my father, wished to\nsurprise me: I am, however, happy that I was aware of it.\u201d He then\ncalled the slave, who was still asleep, and desired him to make\nhaste and dress himself, without saying a word to him on what\naccount he was in such a hurry. The slave brought a bason and water;\nthe prince then washed himself, and after saying his prayers, he\ntook a book and continued to read for some time.\n\nAfter he had thus finished his usual occupations, Camaralzaman\ncalled the slave towards him, \u201cCome here,\u201d he said, \u201cand be\nsure you do not tell me a falsehood. Inform me how the lady, who\nslept with me last night, came here, and who brought her.\u201d\n\n\u201cPrince,\u201d replied the slave, in the greatest astonishment, \u201cof\nwhat lady are you speaking?\u201d--\u201cOf her, I tell you,\u201d answered\nthe prince, \u201cwho either came or was brought here, and who passed\nthe night with me.\u201d--\u201cPrince,\u201d returned the slave, \u201cI swear\nto you, that I know nothing about the matter. How could any lady\npossibly get in, as I slept at the door?\u201d--\u201cThou art a lying\nrascal,\u201d replied the prince, \u201cand art in league with some one to\nvex and distress me.\u201d Saying this he gave him a blow, and knocked\nhim down; then, after having trampled on him, he tied the rope of\nthe well round his body, and let him down into it, and plunged him\nseveral times in the water: \u201cI will drown thee,\u201d cried he, \u201cif\nthou dost not immediately acquaint me who the lady is, and who\nbrought her.\u201d\n\nThe poor slave extremely embarrassed, and half in and half out of\nthe water, thought the prince had certainly lost his senses through\ngrief, and that he could only escape by telling an untruth.\n\u201cPrince,\u201d said he, in a supplicating tone, \u201cgrant me my life,\nI conjure you, and I promise to tell you exactly how the matter\nstands.\u201d\n\nThe prince drew up the slave, and commanded him to speak. When he\nwas out of the well, \u201cPrince,\u201d said the slave, trembling, \u201cYou\nmust be sensible that I cannot satisfy you in the state I am now in;\nallow me time to change my dress.\u201d--\u201cI grant it thee,\u201d replied\nthe prince, \u201cbut be quick; and take care thou dost not disguise\nthe truth from me.\u201d\n\nThe slave went out, and after having fastened the door on the\nprince, he ran to the palace, wet as he was. The king was engaged in\nconversation with his grand vizier; and was complaining of the\nrestless night he had passed in consequence of the disobedience and\nill-judged rashness of the prince his son, in thus opposing his will.\n\nThe minister endeavoured to console him, and convince him, that the\nprince, by his disrespectful behaviour, had justly merited the\npunishment he endured; \u201cSire,\u201d said he, \u201cyour majesty ought\nnot to repent of having arrested him. If you will have the patience\nto suffer him to remain in prison, you may be assured that he will\nlose this youthful impetuosity, and that he will at length submit to\nwhatever you may require of him.\u201d\n\nThe grand vizier had just uttered these words, when the slave\npresented himself before king Schahzaman: \u201cSire,\u201d said he, \u201cI\nam sorry to be obliged to announce to your majesty a piece of\nintelligence that will no doubt occasion you great sorrow. What the\nprince says of a lady, who slept with him last night, together with\nthe manner in which he treated me, as your majesty may perceive, too\nplainly prove that he is not in his senses.\u201d He then gave a detail\nof every thing that prince Camaralzaman had said, and of the\nexcesses he had committed on his person, in terms which confirmed\nthe truth of the account.\n\nThe king, who was not prepared for this new cause for affliction,\nexclaimed to the grand vizier, \u201cThis is, indeed, an incident of\nthe most distressing nature, and very different from the hopes you\nflattered me with just now. Go, lose not a moment, and examine\nyourself the whole of this affair, and then come and inform me of\nwhat you discover.\u201d The grand vizier immediately obeyed. When he\nentered the chamber of the prince, he found him seated with a book\nin his hand, which he was reading with apparent composure. He\nsaluted him: and seating himself by his side, \u201cI am very angry\nwith the slave that attends you,\u201d said he, \u201cfor having alarmed\nyour father by the intelligence he has just now brought\nhim.\u201d--\u201cWhat is this intelligence,\u201d inquired the prince,\n\u201cthat has occasioned my father so much alarm? I have much more\nreason to complain of my slave.\u201d\n\n\u201cPrince,\u201d replied the vizier, \u201cHeaven avert that what he has\njust said of you be true! The tranquil state in which I find you,\nand in which may God preserve you, convinces me there is no truth in\nhis report.\u201d--\u201cPerhaps,\u201d replied the prince, \u201che has not\nexplained himself properly; but as you are here, I am glad to have\nan opportunity of asking you, who must know something about the\nmatter, where the lady is who slept with me last night.\u201d\n\nThe grand vizier was quite astonished at this inquiry. \u201cPrince,\u201d\nsaid he, \u201cdo not be surprised at the astonishment you see me in at\nthis question. How can it be possible, not only that any lady, but\nthat any man whatever, could have penetrated into this place in the\nnight, to which there is no other entrance but by the door, and even\nthen he must trample over your slave, who was guarding it? I entreat\nyou to collect your thoughts, and I am persuaded you will find it is\nonly a dream that has left a strong impression on your mind.\u201d\n\n\u201cI shall pay no attention to your arguments,\u201d resumed the\nprince, in a more elevated tone of voice: \u201cI will absolutely know\nwhat is become of this lady; I am here in a situation to make you\nobey me.\u201d This firmness of speech and manner embarrassed the grand\nvizier more than can be expressed; and he now only thought of the\nbest means to extricate himself. He tried the prince with gentle\nmeans, and asked him, in the most humble and conciliating manner, if\nhe had himself seen the lady.\n\n\u201cYes, yes,\u201d replied the prince, \u201cI saw her, and soon perceived\nthat you had instructed her in ways to tempt me. She played the part\nyou allotted her vastly well; not to say a word, to pretend to\nsleep, and to take herself away, as soon as I fell asleep again. You\nknow it all, I dare say; she has not failed giving you an account of\nthe whole transaction.\u201d--\u201cPrince,\u201d resumed the grand vizier,\n\u201cI swear to you, that all you have been relating was unknown to\nme, and that neither the king, your father, nor I, sent you the lady\nyou mention; we should never have had such an idea. Allow me once\nmore to say, that this lady could only appear to you in a dream.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou come to mock me too,\u201d cried the prince angrily, \u201cand to\ntell me that what I have seen was only a dream!\u201d He then seized\nhim by the beard, and beat him most unmercifully, till his strength\nquite failed him. The poor grand vizier bore all this treatment from\nprince Camaralzaman very respectfully. \u201cHere am I,\u201d said he to\nhimself, \u201cprecisely in the same situation as the slave; happy\nshall I be, if, like him, I can escape from so great a danger.\u201d\u2019\nWhile the prince was still employed in beating him, he cried, \u201cI\nentreat you, prince, to listen to me for one moment.\u201d The prince,\ntired of this occupation, suffered him to speak.\n\n\u201cI own to you, prince,\u201d said the grand vizier, as soon as he had\nliberty to speak, \u201cthat your suspicions are not unfounded; but you\nwell know, that a minister is compelled to execute the orders of the\nking his master. If you will have the goodness to suffer me to go, I\nam ready to take any message to him with which you will entrust\nme.\u201d--\u201cI give you leave to go,\u201d replied the prince. \u201cTell my\nfather that I will marry the lady whom he sent, or brought me, and\nwho slept with me last night. Be expeditious, and bring me the\nanswer.\u201d The grand vizier made a profound reverence on quitting\nhim; but he could hardly be satisfied of his safety, till he was out\nof the tower, and had fastened the door after him. He presented\nhimself before king Schahzaman with an air of sorrow which alarmed\nhim. \u201cWell,\u201d said the monarch, \u201cin what state did you find my\nson?\u201d--\n\n\u201cSire,\u201d replied the vizier, \u201cwhat the slave related to your\nmajesty is but too true.\u201d He then gave him an account of the\nconversation he had had with Camaralzaman, of the rage the prince\nhad been in, when he attempted to convince him that the lady he\nspoke of could not possibly have slept with him, of the cruel\ntreatment he had met with from him, and of the excuse by which he\nhad escaped from his fury.\n\nSchahzaman, who was the more grieved at this circumstance, as he had\nalways loved the prince with the greatest tenderness, wished to\ninvestigate the truth of it himself: he repaired to the tower, and\ntook the grand vizier with him. Prince Camaralzaman received his\nfather with the greatest respect. The king sat down, and having made\nthe prince sit next him, he asked him many questions, to which he\nreplied with perfect good sense, and from time to time he looked at\nthe vizier, as if to say, that the prince, his son, was not deranged\nin his intellects as he had asserted; but that he must himself be\ndeficient in this respect.\n\nAt length the king mentioned the lady. \u201cMy son,\u201d said he, \u201cI\nbeg you to tell me who this lady is, who they say slept with you\nlast night.\u201d--\u201cSire,\u201d replied Camaralzaman, \u201cI entreat your\nmajesty not to add to the vexation I have already encountered on\nthis subject; rather do me the favor to bestow her on me in\nmarriage. Whatever aversion I may hitherto have evinced against\nwomen, this young and beautiful lady has so charmed me, that I feel\nno difficulty in avowing my weakness. I am ready to receive her from\nyour hands, with the deepest sense of my obligation to you.\u201d\n\nKing Schahzaman was thunder-struck at this answer from the prince,\nwhich, as it appeared to him, was so inconsistent with the good\nsense he had shown in former answers. \u201cYou speak to me in a way,\nmy son,\u201d said he, \u201cthat astonishes me beyond measure. I swear to\nyou, by the crown which is to adorn your brow when I shall be no\nmore, that I know nothing of the lady you talk of. I have not been\naccessary to her visit, if any one has been with you; but, how is it\npossible that she should have penetrated into this tower without my\nconsent? as to what my grand vizier said to you, he only invented a\nstory to appease you. It must have been a dream; recollect yourself,\nI conjure you, and be careful to ascertain the fact.\u201d\n\n\u201cSire,\u201d resumed the prince, \u201cI should be for ever unworthy of\nthe goodness of your majesty, if I refused to give faith to the\nsolemn assurance you have given me; but I request you to have the\npatience to listen to me, and then judge, if what I shall have the\nhonor of relating to you can be a dream.\u201d\n\nPrince Camaralzaman then told the king, his father, in what manner\nhe had waked in the night. He gave him an exaggerated description of\nthe beauty and charms of the lady he had found by his side,\nconfessed the love which had so instantaneously inflamed his breast,\nand related all his fruitless endeavours to awaken her. He did not\neven conceal what had made him awake; and that he fell asleep again\nafter he had made the exchange of his ring for that of the lady.\nWhen he concluded, he took the ring from his finger, and presented\nit to the king, \u201cSire,\u201d added he, \u201cmine is not unknown to you,\nfor you have seen it several times. After this, I hope you will be\nconvinced that I have not lost my senses, as they would fain\npersuade you is the case.\u201d\n\nThe king was so fully convinced of the truth of what the prince had\nrecounted to him, that he had nothing to reply. Added to which, his\nastonishment was so excessive, that he remained a considerable time\nincapable of uttering a single word.\n\nThe prince took advantage from these moments of silent wonder.\n\u201cSire,\u201d continued he, \u201cthe passion I feel for this charming\nperson, whose precious image is so deeply engraven on my heart, has\nalready risen to so violent a pitch, that I am sure I have not\nstrength to endure it. I humbly supplicate you to feel compassion\nfor the state I am in, and to procure me the unspeakable happiness\nof possessing and calling her mine.\u201d\n\n\u201cAfter what I have now heard, my son,\u201d replied king Schahzaman,\n\u201cand what I see by this ring, I can no longer doubt the reality of\nyour love, and that you did absolutely see the lady who gave birth\nto it. Would to God I knew her! You should be gratified this very\nday, and I should be the happiest of fathers. But where am I to seek\nher? How, and by what means, could she enter here, without either my\nconsent or knowledge? Why did she come only to sleep with you, to\nshow you her beauty, to inflame you with love while she slept, and\ndisappear as soon as you fell asleep again? I cannot comprehend this\nstrange adventure, and if Heaven does not assist us, it will be the\nmeans of reducing both you and me to the grave.\u201d He then took the\nprince by the hand, and added, in a mournful accent, \u201cCome, my\nson, let us go and mingle our lamentations together; you, for loving\nwithout hope; I, for seeing your affliction, without possessing the\nmeans of relieving it.\u201d\n\nSchahzaman took the prince out of his prison, and conducted him to\nthe palace, where the prince, quite in despair at feeling so violent\na passion for an unknown lady, instantly took to his bed. The king\nshut himself up from all society for several days, to weep with his\nson, and desisted entirely from attending to the usual concerns of\nhis kingdom.\n\nHis prime minister, who was the only one to whom he had allowed free\nentrance, came one day to represent to him, that his whole court, as\nwell as the people, began to murmur at not seeing him, as usual,\nadministering justice, as was his daily custom; and that he would\nnot be answerable for the discontents and disorders that might arise\nin consequence of his seclusion. \u201cI entreat your majesty,\u201d\ncontinued he, \u201cto pay some attention to these complaints. I am\npersuaded, that your presence only serves to nourish the affliction\nof the prince, as his presence increases yours; but you must not\nsuffer every thing to go to decay. Allow me to propose to you, to\nremove with the prince to the castle on the little island, that is\nat a short distance from the port, and to have an audience twice\na-week only. This avocation will oblige you to quit the prince\noccasionally, while the beauty of the spot, the delicious air, and\nthe charming prospects of the surrounding country, will enable him\nto support these short absences with more patience.\u201d\n\nThe king approved of this advice, and as soon as the castle, which\nhad not been inhabited for some time, was furnished and prepared for\nhis reception, he removed thither with the prince, whom he never\nleft, excepting for the two stipulated audiences. He passed the rest\nof the time by the side of his pillow, sometimes endeavouring to\nconsole him, and sometimes sharing his affliction.\n\nWhile these things were passing in the capital of king Schahzaman,\nthe two Genii, Danhasch and Caschcasch, had reconducted the princess\nof China to the palace, where the king, her father, had confined\nher, and placed her in her bed.\n\nThe next morning, when she awoke, the princess of China looked about\non each side of her, and when she perceived that prince Camaralzaman\nwas no longer near her, she called her women, in a voice which made\nthem all run quickly to her, and surround her. Her nurse approached\nher pillow, and asked her what she desired, and if any thing had\nbefallen her.\n\n\u201cTell me,\u201d replied the princess, \u201cwhat is become of the young\nman who slept with me last night, and whom I love so\ntenderly.\u201d--\u201cMy princess,\u201d said the nurse, \u201cwe cannot\ncomprehend your meaning, unless you explain yourself more\nclearly.\u201d--\u201cThe fact is,\u201d resumed the princess, \u201cthat a\nyoung man of the most beautiful and elegant form that can be\nconceived, slept by my side last night; I caressed him for a\nconsiderable time, and did all I could to wake him, without effect.\nI ask you where he is?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo doubt you do this to joke us, my princess,\u201d replied the\nnurse; \u201cwill you please to rise now?\u201d--\u201cI speak seriously,\u201d\nsaid the princess, \u201cand I will know where he is.\u201d--\u201cBut, my\ndear princess,\u201d rejoined the nurse, \u201cyou were alone when we put\nyou to bed last night; and no one has entered this place to sleep\nwith you, at least that we know of.\u201d\n\nThe princess of China\u2019s patience was quite exhausted, she seized\nher nurse\u2019s head, and gave her repeated slaps and blows. \u201cThou\nshalt tell me, thou old witch,\u201d cried she, \u201cor I will murder\nthee.\u201d The nurse exerted herself to get out of her hands; she at\nlength succeeded, and instantly ran to find the queen of China, the\nmother of the princess. She presented herself before her, with tears\nin her eyes, and her face swelled and disfigured: this excited great\nsurprise in the queen, who inquired what was the cause of her being\nin such a condition.\n\n\u201cMadam,\u201d said the nurse, \u201cyou see the effects of the treatment\nI have just received from the princess; she would have destroyed me\nentirely if I had not escaped as I did.\u201d She then related to her\nthe cause of her anger, and subsequent violent behaviour, at which\nthe queen was no less surprised than afflicted. \u201cYou see,\nmadam,\u201d added she, \u201cthat the princess is out of her senses. You\nmay judge of it yourself, if you will take the trouble of coming to\nsee her.\u201d\n\nThe queen of China was too tenderly attached to her daughter, not to\nfeel extremely interested in what she had just heard from the nurse;\nand immediately went to the princess. She seated herself next her,\nwhen she got into the apartment where she was confined; and, after\nhaving inquired if she was in good health, she asked her what\nsubject for discontent she had with her nurse, to induce her to\ntreat her so cruelly as she had done. \u201cIndeed, my daughter,\u201d\nsaid she, \u201cyou acted wrong, and a princess of your rank ought\nnever to suffer herself to be so led away by passion, as to commit\nsuch excesses.\u201d\n\n\u201cMadam,\u201d replied the princess, \u201cI plainly perceive that your\nmajesty also is come to mock me; but I solemnly declare, that I\nshall have neither peace nor rest till I have married the amiable\nand charming youth who slept with me last night. You certainly must\nknow who he is; and I beg you to let him come again.\u201d\n\n\u201cMy dear daughter,\u201d replied the queen, \u201cyou astonish me; and I\ncannot understand what you mean.\u201d The princess forgot the respect\nshe owed to her mother, and answered, \u201cMadam, the king, my father,\nand you have persecuted me for some time, to compel me to marry,\nwhen I had no wish of changing my state; this wish has at length\ntaken possession of my breast, and I will absolutely either marry\nthe young man I told you of, or kill myself.\u201d\n\nThe queen attempted to succeed by gentle methods. \u201cYou well know,\nmy dear child,\u201d said she, \u201cthat you are alone in your chamber,\nand that no man can possibly enter it. But instead of listening to,\nthe princess interrupted her, and was guilty of such extravagant\nexcesses, that the queen was obliged to leave her to indulge her\ngrief, and acquaint the king with what had happened.\n\nThe king of China wished to be personally convinced of the truth of\nthis business. He, therefore, immediately repaired to the apartment\nof the princess, and asked her if what he had been informed of was\ntrue. \u201cSire,\u201d replied she, \u201clet us not talk of that; only do\nme the favor to suffer the husband, who slept with me last night, to\nreturn to me.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat!\u201d exclaimed the king, \u201chas any one slept with you the\nlast night?\u201d--\u201cHow can you ask me, sire, if any one slept with\nme?\u201d interrupted the princess, without allowing him time to\ncontinue; \u201cyour majesty cannot be ignorant of it. He is the\nhandsomest young man that was ever beheld under heaven. I entreat\nyou to send him to me again; do not refuse me, I conjure you. That\nyour majesty may not entertain any doubts of my having seen this\nyouth,\u201d added she, \u201cof my having slept with him, caressed him,\nused every effort to awaken him, without success, look, if you\nplease, at this ring.\u201d She held out her hand, and the king of\nChina knew not what to think, when he perceived that it was the ring\nof a man. But as he could not comprehend the least what she said,\nand he had confined her originally because she was mad, he had now\nthought her still worse than before. So without saying any thing\nmore to her, lest he should enrage her to commit violence on her own\nperson, or on any one who might approach her, he had her chained and\nmore closely confined, and ordered, that no one, except her nurse,\nshould attend her, and that a strong guard should be placed at her\ndoor.\n\nThe king of China, quite inconsolable for the misfortune that had\nbefallen the princess, his daughter, which he believed to be\nmadness, considered what methods should be taken to effect her\nrecovery. He assembled his council, and after having made known the\nstate in which she was, he added, \u201cIf any one who is here present,\nis sufficiently skilful to undertake her cure, and succeeds, I will\nbestow her on him in marriage; and will make him the heir of my\ncrown and dominions.\u201d\n\nThe desire of possessing so beautiful a princess, together with the\nhope of governing, at some future period, so large and powerful a\nkingdom as that of China, made a strong impression on the mind of an\nemir, who was present, although he was already far advanced in\nyears. As he was well-skilled in magic, he flattered himself he\nshould succeed; and, therefore, offered his services to the king.\n\u201cI consent,\u201d replied the monarch, \u201cbut I must first inform\nyou, that it is on condition of your losing your head if you do not\nsucceed: it would not be fair that you should be able to acquire so\ngreat and enviable a recompense without any risk on your part. What\nI propose to you will, in the same way, be proposed to all who shall\npresent themselves after you, in case you do not agree to the\ncondition, or do not succeed.\u201d\n\nThe emir accepted the proposal, and the king himself conducted him\nto the apartment of his daughter. The princess covered her face as\nsoon as she perceived the emir. \u201cSire,\u201d said she, \u201cyour\nmajesty surprises me, by bringing into my presence a man who is\nunknown to me, and to whom, as you well know, our holy religion\nforbids me to expose myself.\u201d--\u201cMy daughter,\u201d replied the\nking, \u201cdo not suffer your delicacy to be wounded by his presence;\nhe is one of my emirs, who requests you in marriage.\u201d--\u201cSire,\u201d\nresumed she, \u201cThis is not the husband you have already bestowed on\nme, whose faith is pledged to me by the ring I wear: be not offended\nif I refuse to accept any other.\n\nThe emir expected to find the princess committing violent actions,\nand saying extravagant things. He was much surprised to find her\ncollected and tranquil; and to hear her utter such good sense; he\ntherefore was soon convinced, that she had no other madness than a\nstrong attachment to some object who had engaged her love. He did\nnot, however, dare to explain his real sentiments to the king, for\nhe could not have endured the idea, that his daughter had bestowed\nher heart on any other than the man whom he should present to her.\n\u201cBut,\u201d said the emir, prostrating himself at the feet of the\nking, \u201cSire, after what I have just heard from the lips of the\nprincess, it would be useless for me to undertake to cure her. I\nhave no remedies that can be of any service to her disease; my life,\ntherefore, is at the disposal of your majesty.\u201d The king,\nirritated by this avowal of inability from the emir, and by the\ntrouble he had occasioned him, ordered his head to be struck off.\n\nSome days after this, that he might not have to reproach himself\nwith having neglected any thing that could conduce to the recovery\nof the princess, this monarch ordered it to be proclaimed in his\ncapital, that if there were any physician, astrologer, or magician,\ninhabiting it, who was sufficiently experienced in his profession to\nrestore her to her senses, he might present himself for that\npurpose, on the before-mentioned condition of losing his head if he\nfailed in the attempt. He sent an order to have the same\nproclamation published in all the principal towns in his dominions,\nand also in the courts of the neighbouring princes.\n\nThe first who presented himself was an astrologer and magician, whom\nthe king ordered to be conducted to the prison of the princess by an\neunuch. The astrologer drew out from a little bag he had brought\nunder his arm, an astrolabe, a small globe, a chafing-dish, various\nkinds of drugs proper for fumigation, a copper vessel, together with\nseveral other things; and he desired to have some fire.\n\nThe princess of China asked the meaning of all this apparatus.\n\u201cPrincess,\u201d said the eunuch, \u201cit is to conjure the evil\nspirit, that possesses you, to confine him in this copper vessel,\nand throw him into the sea.\u201d\n\n\u201cCursed astrologer,\u201d cried the princess, \u201cknow, that I want\nnone of these preparations; I am perfectly in my senses, and it is\nthou who art mad. If thy power extends thus far, bring me only him I\nlove, and thou wilt serve and oblige me beyond expression.\u201d--\u201cIf\nthat is the case,\u201d replied the astrologer, \u201cI can be of no use,\nprincess; the king, your father, can alone give you relief.\u201d He\nthen replaced in his bag all that he had taken out, truly mortified\nat having so inconsiderately undertaken to cure an imaginary disease.\n\nWhen the eunuch had re-conducted the astrologer before the king of\nChina, he did not wait for the eunuch to speak to the king, but he\naddressed himself immediately to him. \u201cSire,\u201d said he, in a firm\ntone, \u201cyour majesty published it to the world, and confirmed me\nalso in opinion, that the princess, your daughter, was mad; and I\nhad no doubt of being able to restore her to her senses by means of\nthe secrets I am acquainted with; but I was not long with her before\nI was convinced, that her only malady is violent love; and my art\ndoes not extend so far as to cure love-sickness; your majesty can\nprescribe the remedy better than any one, if you will please to give\nher the husband she wishes.\u201d The king, enraged by what he supposed\nto be insolence in the astrologer, immediately commanded his head to\nbe struck off.\n\nBut, not to weary your majesty with so many repetitions, I will only\nsay, that, what with astrologers, physicians, and magicians, one\nhundred and fifty successively presented themselves, and shared the\nsame fate; and their heads were ranged over each gate of the city.\n\nThe nurse of the princess of China had a son, named Marzavan, the\nfoster-brother of the princess, whom she had nursed and brought up\nwith her. Their friendship, during their infancy, had been so\nintimate, that they treated each other as brother and sister as long\nas they lived together; and even after their more advanced age,\nobliged them to be separated.\n\nAmong the various sciences which Marzavan had cultivated from his\nearliest youth, his inclination had led him more particularly to the\nstudy of judicial astrology, geomancy, and other secret sciences; in\nall of which he had made considerable proficiency. Not satisfied\nwith the information he could obtain from the masters, under whose\ntuition he was, he began to travel as soon as he felt himself\nsufficiently strong to bear the fatigue. There was no one celebrated\nfor learning in any science or art that he did not seek, even in the\nmost distant countries; and continued to associate with them, until\nhe had gained from them all the information and intelligence he\nrequired.\n\nAfter an absence of several years, Marzavan at length returned to\nthe capital of China. The heads which he observed ranged over the\ngate at which he entered the city surprised him very much. As soon\nas he was arrived at his house, he inquired the reason of their\nbeing placed there; but, above all, he was anxious to be informed of\nthe health of the princess, his foster-sister, whom he had not\nforgotten. As the answer to his first question implied that to his\nsecond also, he was soon made acquainted with what occasioned him\nmuch pain; but he waited for his mother, the princess\u2019s nurse, to\ngive him full information of the whole affair. Although she was so\nmuch engaged in her attendance on the princess, yet she had no\nsooner learnt the arrival of her beloved son, than she contrived to\nsteal away to embrace and pass a few moments with him. After having\nrelated to him, with tears in her eyes, the pitiable state the\nprincess was reduced to, and the reason why the king of China had\nordered her to be thus treated, Marzavan asked her, if she could not\nprocure him a secret interview, without the knowledge of the king.\nThe nurse meditated for some minutes; she then said, \u201cI cannot say\nany thing to such a proposition at present; but expect me to-morrow\nat this hour, and I will give you an answer.\u201d\n\nAs no one except the nurse had access to the apartment of the\nprincess, without first obtaining permission of the eunuch who\ncommanded the guard at the door, the nurse, knowing that he had been\nonly lately appointed to that office, and was ignorant of what had\npreviously taken place at court, addressed herself to him. \u201cYou\nknow,\u201d said she, \u201cthat I have nursed and brought up the princess\nfrom her earliest infancy; but, perhaps, you do not also know, that\nI nursed a daughter of my own at the same time, who was of the same\nage. She is lately married, and the princess, who still does her the\nhonor of feeling attached to her, desires to see her; but she wishes\nan interview could be contrived without any one seeing her come in\nor go out.\u201d\n\nThe nurse was going to add more, but the eunuch stopped her.\n\u201cEnough,\u201d said he, \u201cI will always, with the greatest pleasure,\ndo every thing in my power to oblige the princess: you may either\ntell your daughter to come, or go yourself to conduct her hither at\nnight, after the king has retired; the door shall be open to you.\u201d\nAs soon as night came on, the nurse went to her son Marzavan. She\ndisguised him in woman\u2019s clothes, so that no one could have\ndiscovered him to be the other sex, and took him with her. The\neunuch, who had no suspicion that he was not her daughter, opened\nthe door and let them both go in.\n\nBefore she presented Marzavan to the princess, the nurse went to\nher. \u201cMadam,\u201d said she, \u201cthis is not a woman, whom you see; it\nis my son Marzavan, who is just arrived from his travels, and whom I\nhave found means to introduce into your chamber, disguised by this\ndress. I hope you will not refuse him the honor of paying his\nrespects to you.\u201d\n\nAt the name of Marzavan the princess expressed great joy. \u201cCome\nforward, brother,\u201d cried she to Marzavan, \u201cand take off that\nveil; it is not forbidden to a brother and sister to see each other\nuncovered.\u201d Marzavan saluted her with great respect, but without\nallowing him time to say any thing, \u201cI am delighted,\u201d continued\nthe princess, \u201cto see you again in good health, after an absence\nof so many years, during which time no one ever received any\nintelligence from you, nay, not even your good mother.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am infinitely obliged to you for your kindness, my princess,\u201d\nreplied Marzavan. \u201cI expected and hoped on my arrival to receive\nbetter accounts of you than those I have heard, and which I witness\nthe truth of with the greatest affliction. I feel very happy,\nhowever, that after the repeated failure of so many others, I am\narrived in time to administer the remedy you are in need of for your\ndisorder. If I should derive no other advantage of my studies and\ntravels than that of being instrumental to your recovery; I should\ndeem it sufficient recompense.\u201d\n\nAs he uttered these words, Marzavan drew out a book and other things\nhe had furnished himself with, which he supposed would be necessary,\nfrom the accounts his mother had given him of the indisposition of\nthe princess. She no sooner perceived these preparations than she\nexclaimed, \u201cWhat, brother, are you too of the number of those who\nimagine that I am mad? Listen to me, and be undeceived.\u201d\n\nThe princess then related to Marzavan all her history, without\nomitting the most trifling circumstance, nor even that of the ring,\nwhich had been exchanged for hers, and which she showed him. \u201cI\nhave disguised nothing from you,\u201d continued she, \u201cin what I have\ntold you; I acknowledge, that there is something mysterious, which I\ncannot comprehend, and leads them all to suppose, that I am not in\nmy right senses; but they pay no attention to the other\ncircumstances, which are exactly as I have related.\u201d\n\nWhen the princess had ceased speaking, Marzavan, who was filled with\nwonder and astonishment, remained for some time with his eyes fixed\non the ground, and unable to pronounce a syllable. At length raising\nhis head, he said, \u201cIf, princess, what you have now told me be\ntrue, as indeed I am persuaded it is, I do not despair of procuring\nyou the gratification you so anxiously desire. I only entreat you to\narm yourself with patience for some time longer, until I shall have\nvisited those countries which I have not yet been in; when you hear\nof my return, be assured, that he, for whom you now sigh with so\nmuch love and tenderness, will not be very distant from you.\u201d\nHaving said this, Marzavan took his leave of the princess, and set\nout on the following day.\n\nMarzavan travelled from city to city, from province to province, and\nfrom island to island. Wherever he went, he heard of nothing but the\nprincess Badoura, (thus was the princess of China called) and of her\nextraordinary history. At the expiration of four months our\ntraveller arrived at Torf, a large and populous maritime town, where\nhe no longer heard of the princess Badoura, but every one was\ntalking of prince Camaralzaman, who was said to be ill; and whose\nhistory was nearly similar to that of the princess of China.\nMarzavan experienced a transport of joy that cannot be described; he\ninquired in what part of the world this prince resided, and he was\ntold the place. There were two ways to it, one by land, and the\nother by sea, the latter of which was the shortest. Marzavan chose\nthis, and embarked in a merchant vessel, which had a good voyage\ntill within sight of the capital of the kingdom of Schahzaman. But,\nunfortunately, through the unskilfulness of the pilot, as the vessel\nwas entering the harbour, it struck on a rock, went to pieces, and\nsunk just in sight of the castle in which prince Camaralzaman passed\nhis life, and where his father, king Schahzaman, was at that moment\nconversing with his grand vizier.\n\nMarzavan could swim extremely well; he therefore did not hesitate to\nthrow himself into the sea, and he steered his course to the castle\nof king Schahzaman, where he was received, and every assistance\ngiven him, according to the orders of the grand vizier, who had\nreceived the king\u2019s commands so to do. He had his dress changed,\nand was treated with the greatest kindness: when he had recovered\nfrom his fatigue, he was conducted before the grand vizier, who had\ndesired to see him.\n\nAs Marzavan was a youth of a good person and engaging air, this\nminister treated him with the utmost civility on receiving him, and\nsoon conceived a great esteem for him, from the sensible and proper\nanswers he made to all the questions he asked him; he discovered\nalmost insensibly, that he had numberless sources of information; at\nlength he could not refrain from saying to him, \u201cI plainly\nperceive, from conversing with you, that you are not a man of common\nunderstanding; would to God, that in the course of your travels, you\nhad learned some secret that could cure a young man, whose illness\nhas plunged this court in the deepest affliction for some time\npast.\u201d\n\nMarzavan replied, that if he were made acquainted with the disease\nwhich the person was labouring under, perhaps he might be able to\nfind a remedy for it. The grand vizier then explained to Marzavan\nthe state in which prince Camaralzaman was; taking up his history\nfrom the very beginning. He concealed nothing from him; his so much\nwished-for birth, his education, the desire of king Schahzaman to\nsee him married at an early age, the extraordinary aversion the\nprince had shown to enter into an engagement of so serious a nature,\nhis behaviour before the council, his subsequent imprisonment, the\nextravagant excesses he committed in prison, which had suddenly\nchanged into a violent love for an unknown lady, for which there was\nno other foundation than a ring, which, as the prince pretended, had\nbelonged to this lady, who, perhaps, was not in existence; in short,\nthe vizier related every circumstance with the most faithful\nexactness.\n\nThis account gave Marzavan great joy, because, in consequence of his\nshipwreck, he had so fortunately met with the object of his search\nand inquiry. He felt convinced, beyond any doubt, that prince\nCamaralzaman was the person, with whom the princess of China was so\ndeeply enamoured, and that this princess was no less the object of\nthe prince\u2019s ardent vows. He did not mention his thoughts to the\ngrand vizier; he only said to him, that if he saw the prince, he\nshould be better able to judge what remedies it might be necessary\nto administer. \u201cFollow me,\u201d said the vizier, \u201cyou will find\nthe king with him, who has already expressed a wish of seeing you.\u201d\n\nThe first thing that met the eyes of Marzavan, when he entered the\nchamber, was the figure of the prince lying in his bed, with a\nlanguishing air, and his eyes closed. Notwithstanding the situation\nin which he found him, and regardless of king Schahzaman, who was\nseated by the side of the bed, as well as of the prince, whom such\nan exclamation might have alarmed and agitated, he cried,\n\u201cHeavens! nothing on earth can bear a stronger resemblance.\u201d He\nmeant the resemblance of the princess of China; for, in fact, there\nwas a great similitude in their features.\n\nThese words of Marzavan excited the curiosity of prince\nCamaralzaman, who opened his eyes and looked at him. Marzavan, who\nhad great quickness of invention, took advantage of this moment, and\ninstantly repeated some extempore complimentary verses, although in\nso mysterious a sense, that the king and grand vizier did not\ncomprehend the meaning of them. He so well explained what had\nhappened to him with the princess of China, that the prince\nentertained no doubt of his knowing her, and being able to give him\nsome information respecting her; and he felt a degree of joy at the\nhope of hearing of her, that soon displayed itself in his eyes and\ncountenance. When Marzavan had finished his compliment, the prince\ntook the liberty of making signs to his father to rise from his\nseat, and permit Marzavan to take his place.\n\nThe king, delighted to see in his son a change which flattered him\nwith hope, arose, and taking Marzavan by the hand, obliged him to\nsit down in the place he had just quitted. He asked him who he was,\nand from whence he came; and after Marzavan had replied, that he was\na subject of the king of China, and that he was then come from his\ndominions; \u201cGod grant,\u201d said the king to him, \u201cthat you may\nrestore my son to health, and divert his mind from the profound\nmelancholy in which it is absorbed; my obligations to you will be\nwithout bounds, and the proofs of my gratitude shall be so\nextensive, that the whole world shall know, that no service was ever\nbefore so largely recompensed.\u201d As he concluded these words, he\nleft the prince at liberty to converse with Marzavan, whilst he was\nrejoicing with his grand vizier at so fortunate an occurrence.\n\nMarzavan approached very close to prince Camaralzaman, and speaking\nto him in a low voice; \u201cPrince,\u201d said he, \u201cthe time is come\nthat you should cease to afflict yourself so piteously. The lady for\nwhom you suffer, is well known to me; she is the princess Badoura,\ndaughter to the king of China, whose name is Gaiour. I am certain of\nthe fact from what she has herself related to me of her adventure,\nand from what I have already learned of yours. The princess does not\nsuffer less from love of you, than you do from your affection\ntowards her.\u201d He then related all that he knew of the history of\nthe princess, since the fatal night of their almost incredible\ninterview: he did not omit also to inform him of the punishment\ninflicted, by order of the king of China, on all those who undertook\nto cure the princess Badoura of her supposed madness, when they\nfailed of success. \u201cYou are the only one,\u201d continued he, \u201cwho\ncan accomplish her perfect recovery, and you may, therefore, present\nyourself for that purpose, without fear of incurring the dreadful\npenalty. But before you can undertake so long a journey, you must be\nin good health yourself; we will then take the necessary measures\nfor the performance of it. Endeavour, therefore, to regain your\nstrength as quickly as possible.\u201d\n\nThis discourse of Marzavan instantly produced a wonderful effect:\nprince Camaralzaman was so comforted by the hope which had just been\npoured into his bosom, that he felt sufficiently strong to get up,\nand he entreated the king, his father, to permit him to dress\nhimself, with an air and countenance which gave him inexpressible\njoy.\n\nThe king embraced Marzavan, to express his thanks, without inquiring\nthe means by which so surprising a change was instantaneously\neffected; and immediately went out of the room with the grand\nvizier, to proclaim this agreeable intelligence. He ordered public\nrejoicings for several days; he distributed presents to his officers\nand the populace, gave alms to the poor, and had all prisoners set\nat liberty. In short, nothing but joy and mirth reigned in the\ncapital, and which very soon spread its influence throughout the\ndominions of king Schahzaman.\n\nPrince Camaralzaman, who felt extremely weakened by continual want\nof sleep, and by his long abstinence from almost all kinds of food,\nsoon recovered his usual health. He no sooner found himself\nsufficiently re-established to be able to support the fatigue of so\nlong a journey, than he took Marzavan in private, and said to him,\n\u201cMy dear Marzavan, it is now time to put in execution the promise\nyou have made me. The impatience I feel to see this charming\nprincess, and to put an end to the singular torments she endures for\nmy sake, would soon, I plainly feel, reduce me to the state in which\nyou first saw me, if we were not to set out, immediately. One\ncircumstance alone afflicts me, and makes me fear there may be\ndelay: that is, the tender affection of my father, who will never be\nable to grant me permission to leave him. This will drive me to\ndespair, if you cannot devise some scheme to obviate it. You see\nthat he will never suffer me to be out of his sight.\u201d The prince\ncould not refrain from tears as he pronounced these last words.\n\n\u201cPrince,\u201d replied Marzavan, \u201cI have before now foreseen the\ngreat obstacle you mention; it remains with me to act so that he\nwill not prevent our going. The original intention of my journey was\nto procure remission of her grief and sufferings to the princess of\nChina, which I owed to the mutual friendship that has united us\nalmost from our birth, and to the zeal and affection with which it\nis my duty to serve her. I should fail in that duty were I to\nneglect any means of obtaining consolation for her, and for you at\nthe same time, if I did not employ all the address I am capable of\nfor that purpose. Hear, then, what I have conceived to obviate the\ndifficulty of obtaining the king\u2019s permission to accomplish what\nwe both so earnestly desire. You have not yet been out, since I\narrived here; express to him a wish to take some exercise, and ask\nhis leave to go on a little hunting excursion, for two or three\ndays, with me; there is no reason to suppose he will refuse you:\nwhen he has granted your request, you will give orders to have two\ngood horses ready for each; one to ride on, the other for relay, and\nleave the rest to me.\u201d\n\nThe next day, prince Camaralzaman watched his opportunity; he told\nthe king, his father, how much he wished to take an airing, and\nbegged him to allow him to hunt for a day or two with Marzavan. \u201cI\ndo not object to it,\u201d replied the king, \u201cprovided, however, that\nyou promise me, not to remain out longer than one night. Too much\nexercise at first might be injurious, and a longer absence would be\npainful to me.\u201d The king gave orders for the best horses to be\nchosen for him, and took care himself, that nothing should be\nwanting for his expedition. When every thing was ready, he embraced\nhim, and having earnestly recommended him to the care of Marzavan,\nhe let him depart.\n\nPrince Camaralzaman and Marzavan reached an open country, and, to\ndeceive the two grooms that led the relay of horses, they pretended\nto hunt, and got as distant from the city as possible. At night they\nstopped at a caravansera, where they supped and slept till about\nmidnight. Marzavan, who was the first to wake, called prince\nCamaralzaman, without waking the grooms. He begged him to give him\nhis dress, and to put on another, which one of the grooms had\nbrought for him. They each mounted the horses of relay, and Marzavan\nleading one of the groom\u2019s horses by the bridle, they set out in a\nquick pace.\n\nAt day-break, the travellers found themselves in a forest, at a\nplace where the road divided in four. At this spot Marzavan begged\nthe prince to wait for him a moment, and rode into the thickest of\nthe forest. He there killed the groom\u2019s horse, tore the dress\nwhich the prince had on the preceding day, and dipped it in the\nblood: when he returned to the prince, he threw it into the middle\nof the road where it divided.\n\nThe prince asked Marzavan what was his design by so doing. \u201cWhen\nthe king, your father,\u201d replied Marzavan, \u201cperceives that you do\nnot return to-night, as you promised, or learns from the grooms that\nwe set out without them, while they were asleep, he will undoubtedly\nsend people out different ways to search for us. Those who come this\nway, and find this bloody vest, will conclude, that some beast of\nprey has devoured you, and that I have made my escape, to avoid the\nking\u2019s anger and resentment; he, thinking from their account, that\nyou are no longer in existence, will desist from his researches\nafter us, and thus afford us the opportunity of continuing our\njourney without interruption, and the fear of being pursued. It is\ntrue, that the stratagem is a violent one, to occasion so tender a\nparent the afflicting alarm of having lost a son whom he doatingly\nloves; but the joy of your father will be beyond all bounds, when he\nshall again discover you to be alive and happy.\u201d--\u201cWise\nMarzavan,\u201d cried the prince, \u201cI cannot but approve so ingenious\nan invention, and feel additional obligations to you for having put\nit in execution.\u201d\n\nThe prince and Marzavan, well supplied with valuable jewels to\ndefray their expences, continued their travels by land and by sea,\nand met with no other obstacle than the length of time, which\nnecessarily must elapse, before they could reach their place of\ndestination.\n\nThey at length arrived at the capital of China, where Marzavan,\ninstead of conducting the prince to his own house, made him alight\nat a public khan for the reception of travellers. They remained\nthere three days, to recover from the fatigue of the journey; and\nduring this interval, Marzavan had an astrologer\u2019s dress made for\nthe prince to disguise himself in. When the three days were expired,\nthey went together to the bath, where Marzavan made the prince put\non the astrologer\u2019s dress, and when they left the bath, he\nconducted him within sight of the palace of the king of China, and\nthere left him, to go and acquaint his mother, the nurse of princess\nBadoura, of his arrival, that she might prepare the princess for the\ninterview.\n\nThe prince, instructed by Marzavan in what he was to do, and\nfurnished with every implement necessary for his assumed dress and\ncharacter, approached the gate of the palace; and stopping before\nit, cried out with a loud voice, in the hearing of the guard and\nporters, \u201cI am an astrologer, and I come to complete the cure of\nthe illustrious princess Badoura, daughter of the great and puissant\nmonarch Gaiour, king of China, according to the conditions proposed\nby his majesty, to marry her, if I succeed; or to lose my life, if I\nfail.\n\nThe novelty of this address instantly assembled a multitude of\npeople round prince Camaralzaman, besides the guard and porters\nbelonging to the palace. In fact, it was a long time since either\nphysician, astrologer, or magician had presented himself, after so\nmany tragical examples of people who had failed in their enterprise.\nThey supposed the race was extinct, or, at least, that there were no\nmore so foolish as to expose themselves to almost certain death.\n\nOn observing the elegant figure of the prince, his noble air, and\nthe extreme youth which was discernible in his countenance, every\none present felt compassion for him. \u201cWhat are you thinking of,\nsir?\u201d said those, who were nearest to him; \u201cwhat can be your\nmotive for thus exposing to certain death, a life which seems to\npossess such flattering hopes? Have not the heads, which you have\nseen ranged at the top of the gates of the city, inspired you with\nhorror? In the name of God, abandon this useless and fatal design,\nand withdraw.\u201d\n\nThe prince remained firm, notwithstanding all these remonstrances,\nand instead of listening to the entreaties of these people, as he\nsaw that no one appeared to introduce him, he repeated the same\nwords as before, with an oath, which made every one shudder; and\nthey all exclaimed, \u201cHe is resolved to die; may God have pity on\nhis youth and on his soul!\u201d He called out a third time, and the\ngrand vizier then came himself, by order of the king of China.\n\nThis minister conducted him into the presence of the king. The\nprince no sooner perceived the monarch seated on his throne, than he\nprostrated himself, and kissed the earth before him. Of all those\nwhose immeasurable presumption had brought their heads to his feet,\nthe king had not yet seen one so worthy of his attention, and felt\nunfeigned compassion for Camaralzaman, when he considered the danger\nto which he exposed himself. He even conferred greater honour on\nhim; he desired him to approach and seat himself by his side.\n\u201cYoung man,\u201d said he, \u201cI have some difficulty in believing,\nthat at your youthful age you can have acquired sufficient\nexperience to dare to undertake the cure of my daughter. I wish you\nmay be able to succeed; I would bestow her on you in marriage, not\nonly without repugnance, but, on the contrary, with the greatest\npossible pleasure and joy, whereas I should have felt truly unhappy,\nif any of those who have applied before you had obtained her. But I\nmust declare to you, although it gives me pain to inform you of this\ncondition, that if you fail, neither your youth, nor your noble and\nengaging appearance, can mitigate the penalty; and you must lose\nyour head.\u201d\n\n\u201cSire,\u201d replied prince Camaralzaman, \u201cI have infinite\nobligations to your majesty for the honour you confer on me, and for\nthe kindness you show to one who is an entire stranger to you. The\ncountry I come from is not so distant from your dominions, for its\nname to be unknown there, and therefore render me indifferent to the\nobject I have in view. What would be said of my want of firmness,\nwere I to abandon so generous and praiseworthy a design after having\nundergone so much danger and fatigue as I have already encountered?\nWould not your majesty lose that esteem which you already entertain\nfor me? If I am to lose my life in the attempt, sire, I shall at\nleast die with the satisfaction of not losing that esteem after\nhaving obtained it; I entreat you then not to let me remain any\nlonger in my present state of impatience, but to let me prove the\ninfallibility of my art by the means I am now ready to employ.\u201d\n\nThe king of China commanded the eunuch, who was the guard of the\nprincess Badoura, and was then present, to conduct prince\nCamaralzaman to the apartment of his daughter. But before he\ndeparted, he told him he was still at liberty to relinquish his\nenterprise. The prince, however, would not listen to him; he\nfollowed the eunuch with a resolution, or rather with an ardour,\nwhich astonished all.\n\nPrince Camaralzaman went with the eunuch; and when they had reached\na long gallery, at the end of which was the princess\u2019s apartment,\nthe prince finding himself so near the dear object which had made\nhim shed so many tears, and heave so many fruitless sighs, hastened\nhis pace and got before the eunuch; who also advanced quicker, and\nhad some difficulty to overtake him: \u201cWhere are you a going so\nfast?\u201d said he, taking hold of his arm. \u201cYou cannot get in\nwithout me. You must be very desirous to get rid of life, to run so\neagerly into the arms of death. Not one of the astrologers I have\nseen and conducted, where you will arrive but too soon, have shown\nso much anxiety.\u201d\n\n\u201cFriend,\u201d said prince Camaralzaman, looking at the eunuch, and\nslackening his pace, \u201cthe reason is, that all the astrologers you\nspeak of, were not so sure of their science as I am of mine; they\nwere certain of losing their lives if they did not succeed, and they\nwere not sure of success; they had, therefore, some reason to\ntremble as they approached the place where I am going, and where I\nam convinced I shall meet with happiness.\u201d As he pronounced these\nwords they reached the door. The eunuch opened it, and took the\nprince into a large room, which led to the chamber of the princess,\nand was divided from it only by a slight door. Before he entered,\nthe prince stopped, and speaking in a tone of voice much lower than\nbefore, lest he should be heard in her apartment, \u201cTo convince\nyou,\u201d said he to the eunuch, \u201cthat neither presumption, caprice,\nnor the fire of youthful ardour, have stimulated me to this\nenterprise, I submit two ways to your choice: which do you\nprefer--that I should cure the princess while in her presence, or\nhere, without going any farther, and without even seeing her?\u201d\n\nThe eunuch was extremely astonished at the confidence with which the\nprince spoke to him: he ceased to insult him, and speaking\nseriously, \u201cIt does not matter,\u201d said he, \u201cwhether it be here\nor there. In whatever manner you accomplish the business, you will\nacquire immortal glory, not only in this kingdom, but over all the\nhabitable world.\u201d--\u201cThen,\u201d replied the prince, \u201cit is better\nthat I cure her without seeing her, that you may be witness of my\nskill. Whatever may be my impatience to see a princess of such high\nrank, and who is to be my wife, I will nevertheless, to gratify you,\ndeprive myself for some moments of so great a pleasure.\u201d As he was\nfurnished with every thing which was the distinguishing\ncharacteristic of an astrologer, he drew out his writing apparatus\nand some paper, and wrote the following note to the princess of\nChina:\n\n\u201cPRINCE CAMARALZAMAN TO THE PRINCESS OF CHINA.\n\n\u201cAdorable princess! the amorous prince Camaralzaman does not tell\nyou of the inexpressible woes he has endured since the fatal night\nwhen your charms deprived him of that liberty which he had resolved\nto maintain to the end of his life. He only assures you, that he\ngave you his heart during your sweet sleep; a sleep that prevented\nhis viewing the animated brilliancy of your eyes, notwithstanding\nall his efforts to induce you to open them. He even had the\npresumption to place his ring upon your finger, as a token of his\nlove, and to take yours in exchange, which he sends you enclosed in\nthis note. If you will condescend to return it him as a reciprocal\npledge of yours, he will esteem himself the happiest and most\nfortunate of lovers. But should you not comply, your refusal will\nmake him submit to the stroke of death with so much the more\nresignation, as he will receive it for the love he bears you. He\nawaits your answer in your anti-chamber.\u201d\n\nWhen prince Camaralzaman had finished this note, he made a small\npacket of it with the princess\u2019s ring, which he enclosed in it,\nwithout letting the eunuch see what it contained; then giving it to\nhim, he said, \u201cTake this, friend, and carry it to your mistress.\nIf she is not cured the moment she has read this note and seen its\ncontents, I allow you to proclaim to the world, that I am the most\nworthless and impudent astrologer either of the past, the present,\nor the future age.\u201d\n\nThe eunuch went into the princess\u2019s chamber, and presenting the\npacket from prince Camaralzaman, he said to her, \u201cPrincess, an\nastrologer, who, if I am not mistaken, has more assurance than any\nwho have yet appeared, is just arrived; and pretends, that you will\nbe cured as soon as you read this note, and see what it encloses. I\nwish he may be neither a liar, nor an impostor.\u201d The princess\nBadoura took the packet and opened it with the utmost indifference;\nbut as soon as she saw the ring, she scarcely allowed herself time\nto read it. She got up precipitately, and with an extraordinary\neffort, broke the chain which confined her, ran to the door, and\nopened it. The princess instantly recollected the prince, as he did\nher. They ran into each other\u2019s arms with the tenderest embraces,\nand without being able to utter a word from excess of joy; they\nlooked at each other for a considerable time with emotions not to be\ndescribed, and mingled with surprise at the singularity of their\ninterview, after their former meeting, neither of which could they\ncomprehend. The nurse, who had run out with the princess, made them\ngo into the chamber, where the princess returned her ring to the\nprince, \u201cTake it,\u201d said she, \u201cI could not keep it without\nreturning yours, which I am resolved not to part with to the end of\nmy life. They cannot either of them be better disposed of.\u201d\n\nThe eunuch, in the mean time, was gone to acquaint the king of China\nwhat had passed. \u201cSire,\u201d said he, \u201call the physicians,\nastrologers, and others, who have hitherto presented themselves to\nundertake the recovery of the princess, were only ignorant fools.\nThis last has not made use either of magic books, or of conjurations\nof wicked spirits, or of perfumes, or other things, as they did; he\nhas cured her without even seeing her.\u201d He related the manner in\nwhich he had proceeded, and the king, most agreeably surprised, went\nimmediately to the apartment of the princess, whom he tenderly\nembraced; he embraced the prince also, took hold of his hand, and\njoining it to that of the princess, \u201cHappy stranger,\u201d cried he,\n\u201cwhoever you may be, I keep my promise, and give you my daughter\nin marriage. But it is not possible to persuade me, that you are\nwhat you appear to be, and what you wished to make me believe.\u201d\n\nPrince Camaralzaman thanked the king in the most submissive terms,\nthe better to express his gratitude. \u201cAs for what I am, sire,\u201d\ncontinued he, \u201cit is true, that I do not practise astrology for my\nprofession, as your majesty very rightly judged; I only put on the\nhabit of that character to ensure my success in deserving and\nobtaining an honorable alliance with the most powerful monarch in\nthe universe. I am a prince by birth, the son of a king and a queen:\nmy name is Camaralzaman, and my father is called Schahzaman, and\nreigns over the well-known islands of the Children of Khaledan.\u201d\nHe then related his adventures, and the miraculous origin of his\nlove for the princess: that her affection for him was conceived at\nthe same time, both of which were fully proved by the exchange of\nthe two rings.\n\n\u201cSo extraordinary a history,\u201d cried the king, \u201cdeserves to be\nhanded down to posterity. I will have it written; and after having\ndeposited the original amongst the archives of my kingdom, I will\nmake it public, that from my dominions it may pass to the\nneighbouring nations.\u201d The ceremony of the nuptials was performed\non that very day; and the most solemn festivities and rejoicings\ntook place throughout the extensive dominions of China. Marzavan was\nnot forgotten: the king granted him free access to the court;\nbestowing on him an honorable charge, with the promise of raising\nhim, in future, to others more considerable.\n\nPrince Camaralzaman and the princess Badoura each arrived at the\nsummit of their wishes, enjoyed the blessings of the married state,\nand for several months the king of China did not cease from\ntestifying his happiness by continual feasts and entertainments.\n\nIn the midst of these pleasures, prince Camaralzaman had a dream one\nnight, in which he thought he saw king Schahzaman, his father, in\nbed, on the point of death, saying: \u201cThis son, whom I brought into\nthe world, whom I have so tenderly cherished, has abandoned me, and\nhe is the cause of my death.\u201d He awoke with a deep sigh, which\nwaked the princess also, and made her inquire what occasioned his\nunhappiness.\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d cried the prince, \u201cperhaps at this very moment that I\nam speaking, the king, my father, breathes no more.\u201d He then told\nher his reason for giving way to such melancholy thoughts. The\nprincess, who had no object but to give him pleasure, and who knew\nthat his earnest desire to revisit his father once more might\ndiminish the satisfaction he felt at residing with her in a country\nso distant from his native home, said nothing at the time of her\nintentions, but on that very day she availed herself of an\nopportunity of speaking to the king of China in private. \u201cSire,\u201d\nsaid she, respectfully kissing his hand, \u201cI have a favor to\nrequest of your majesty; and I entreat you not to refuse it me. But\nlest you should imagine that the prince, my husband, has any part in\nmy solicitations, I must first assure you, that he is not acquainted\nwith my intention. It is to permit me to accompany him to see my\nfather-in-law, king Schahzaman.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhatever sorrow such a separation may occasion me,\u201d replied the\nking, \u201cI cannot disapprove such a resolution; it is worthy of you,\nnotwithstanding the fatigue you must experience from so long a\njourney. Go, I give my consent; but it is only on condition that you\nremain no longer than one year at the court of king Schahzaman. He\nwill not, I hope, object to this proposal, and that we should each\nsee you by turns; he his son and daughter-in-law, and I my daughter\nand son-in-law.\u201d The princess announced this consent to\nCamaralzaman, who was much rejoiced at it, and thanked her for this\nnew proof of her affection towards him.\n\nThe king of China gave orders for the necessary preparations for the\njourney, and when every thing was ready he set out with them, and\naccompanied them for several days. They at length separated, not\nwithout many tears being shed on either side; the king embraced them\ntenderly, and after having begged the prince to continue to love his\ndaughter with the same affection he then bore her, he left them to\ncontinue their journey, and returned himself to his capital, hunting\nby the way.\n\nThe prince and princess had no sooner dried their tears, than they\nanticipated the joy that king Schahzaman would experience in seeing\nand embracing them, and what they also would feel at being with him.\n\nAfter they had been travelling about a month, they arrived on a\nplain of vast extent, planted from space to space with trees, which\nformed a very agreeable shade. As the heat on that day was\nexcessive, prince Camaralzaman thought it expedient to encamp on it.\nHe asked the princess Badoura if she had any objection to it, who,\nin reply, said, that she was at that moment going to make the same\nrequest of him. They immediately alighted in this beautiful spot;\nand as soon as their tents were pitched, the princess, who had been\nresting in the shade, retired to hers, while Camaralzaman went to\ngive orders to the rest of the party. In order to be more at her\nease, she took off her girdle, which her women placed by her side;\nshe then fell asleep through fatigue, and her attendants left her.\n\nWhen prince Camaralzaman had given all necessary orders, and made\nthe requisite arrangements in the camp, he returned to the tent, and\nas he perceived that the princess had fallen asleep, he came in and\nsat down, without making any noise. While he was thus sitting, with\nthe intention of sleeping himself also, the girdle of the princess\ncaught his eye. He examined the different diamonds and rubies with\nwhich it was enriched, one by one; and he perceived a small silk\npurse, sewn neatly to the girdle, and tied with a piece of twist. On\ntouching it, he felt that it contained something hard: curious to\nknow what it was, he opened the purse, and took out a cornelian,\nupon which there were different figures and characters engraven, all\nof which were unintelligible to him. \u201cThis cornelian,\u201d said he\nto himself, \u201cmust certainly be of very great value, or my princess\nwould never carry it about with her, and take such great care not to\nlose it.\u201d In fact, this cornelian was a talisman, which the queen\nof China had given to her daughter to ensure her happiness, which\nshe would ever enjoy, as long as she wore this about her.\n\nIn order to examine this talisman the better, as the tent was rather\ndark, prince Camaralzaman went to the outside; when, as he was\nholding it in his hand, a bird made a sudden dart from the air upon\nit and carried it away.\n\nNothing could exceed the astonishment and grief of the prince, when\nhe perceived the talisman thus unexpectedly taken from him by the\nbird. This accident, the most afflicting that could have befallen\nhim, and occasioned to by an ill-timed curiosity, deprived the\nprincess of a precious gift; this reflection rendered him for some\nminutes motionless.\n\nThe bird having flown away with his prize alighted on the ground at\na little distance, with the talisman still in his beak. Prince\nCamaralzaman went towards him in the hope of his dropping it; but as\nsoon as he approached, the bird flew a little way and then stopped\nagain. The prince continued to pursue him; the bird then swallowed\nthe talisman and took a longer flight. He again followed him,\nthinking to kill him with a stone. The farther the bird got from\nhim, the more was Camaralzaman determined not to lose sight of him\nand obtain the talisman.\n\nOver hills and valleys the bird drew the prince after him for the\nwhole day, always getting farther from the spot where he had left\nthe princess Badoura; and at the close of day, instead of perching\nin a bush, in which Camaralzaman might have surprised him during the\nnight, he flew to the top of a high tree, where he was in safety.\n\nThe prince, extremely mortified at having taken so much useless\ntrouble, deliberated whether he should return to his camp.\n\u201cBut,\u201d thought he, \u201chow shall I return? Shall I climb the\nhills and traverse the valleys over which I came? Shall I not lose\nmy way in the dusk of the evening, and will my strength hold out?\nAnd even if I could, should I venture to present myself before the\nprincess without her talisman?\u201d Absorbed by these disconsolate\nreflections, and overcome with fatigue, with hunger, thirst, and\nsleep, he laid down and passed the night at the foot of the tree.\n\nThe next morning Camaralzaman was awake before the bird had quitted\nthe tree, and he no sooner saw him take his flight than he got up to\npursue him, and followed him the whole of that day with as little\nsuccess as he had done on the preceding one, eating occasionally of\nthe herbs and fruits he met with in his way. He did the same till\nthe tenth day, always keeping his eye on the bird, and sleeping at\nnight at the foot of the tree where it perched on its highest\nbranches.\n\nOn the eleventh day, the bird constantly flying on, and Camaralzaman\nas constantly pursuing, they arrived at a large city. When the bird\nwas near the walls, he rose very high above them, and bending his\nflight to the other side, the prince entirely lost sight of him, and\nwith him the hope of ever recovering the talisman of the princess\nBadoura.\n\nAfflicted as he was in so many ways, and hopeless of procuring\nrelief to his sorrows, he entered the city, which was built on the\nsea-shore, with a very fine harbour. He walked for a considerable\ntime along the streets, not knowing either where he was, or where to\ngo; at length he arrived at the harbour. Still more uncertain what\nto do, he walked along the shore, till he came to the gate of a\ngarden, which was open, when he stopped. The gardener, who was a\ngood old man, engaged with his labour, happened to raise his head at\nthe same moment; he had scarcely perceived him, and known him to be\na stranger and a mussulman, before he invited him to go in quickly\nand shut the gate. Camaralzaman did as he desired, and going up to\nthe gardener, asked him why he had made him take this precaution.\n\u201cIt is,\u201d replied the gardener, \u201cbecause I see that you are a\nstranger just arrived, and a mussulman; and this city is inhabited\nfor the most part by idolaters, who have a mortal aversion against\nmussulmen, and treat even the few that are here very ill, who\nprofess the religion of our prophet. You, I suppose, are ignorant of\nthis circumstance, and I look on it as a miracle, that you should\nhave proceeded so far as this without meeting with any disagreeable\nadventure. In fact, these idolaters are above all things attentive\nto observe mussulmen strangers who arrive; and to make them fall\ninto some snare, if they are not aware of their wickedness. I praise\nGod, that he has conducted you into a place of safety.\u201d\n\nCamaralzaman thanked this good man very gratefully for the retreat\nhe so generously offered to shelter him from insult. He was going to\nsay more, but the gardener interrupted him: \u201cLet us have no more\ncompliments,\u201d said he, \u201cyou are fatigued, and you must want\nfood; come and rest yourself. He took him into his little house, and\nafter the prince had eaten a sufficiency of what the gardener had\nset before him, with a cordiality that quite won his heart, he\nbegged of him to have the goodness to tell him the reason of his\ncoming.\n\nCamaralzaman satisfied his curiosity, and when he had finished his\nstory, in which he disguised nothing, he asked, in his turn, by what\nmeans he might get back to the dominions of the king, his father;\n\u201cFor,\u201d added he, \u201cwere I to attempt to rejoin the princess,\nhow should I find her, after eleven days, that I have been separated\nfrom her by so extraordinary an adventure. How do I know even that\nshe still exists?\u201d At this sorrowful reflection he could not avoid\nbursting into tears.\n\nIn answer to what the prince had asked, the gardener told him, that\nthe city he was then in, was a whole year\u2019s journey distant from\nthose countries where mussulmen lived, and which were governed by\nprinces of their religion; but that by sea he might reach the isle\nof Ebony in a much shorter time; and that from thence it would be\nmore easy to pass to the Islands of the Children of Khaledan: that\nevery year a merchant ship sailed to the Isle of Ebony, and that he\nmight avail himself of that opportunity to return from thence to the\nIslands of the Children of Khaledan. \u201cIf you had arrived some days\nsooner,\u201d continued he, \u201cyou might have embarked in that which\nsailed this year. But if you will wait till that of next year sails,\nand like to live with me, I offer you my house, such as it is, with\nall my heart.\u201d\n\nPrince Camaralzaman esteemed himself very fortunate in having thus\nmet with an asylum, in a place where he neither knew any one, nor\nhad any interest to form acquaintances. He accepted the offer, and\nremained with the gardener; and while he waited the departure of a\nmerchant vessel for the Isle of Ebony, he employed himself in\nworking in the garden during the day; and the nights, when nothing\nprevented his thoughts from fixing on his dear princess Badoura, he\npassed in sighs, tears, and lamentations. We will leave him in this\nplace to return to the princess Badoura, whom we left sleeping in\nher tent.\n\nThis princess slept for some time, and on waking was surprised that\nprince Camaralzaman was not with her. She called her women, and\nasked them if they knew where he was. Whilst they were assuring her\nthat they had seen him go into the tent, but had not observed his\nquitting it, she perceived, on taking up her girdle, that the little\nbag was open, and that the talisman was no longer in it. She did not\ndoubt that the prince had taken it out to examine it, and that he\nwould bring it back. She expected him till night with the greatest\nimpatience, and could not comprehend what could oblige him to be\nabsent from her so long. When she perceived that night was come on,\nand that it was already quite dark, and yet he did not return, she\ngave herself up to the deepest affliction. She uttered a thousand\ncurses, both on the talisman and on him who made it; and if respect\nhad not restrained her tongue, she would even have indulged in\nimprecations against the queen, her mother, for having made her so\nfatal a present. Although she was distracted at this event, so much\nthe more afflicting, as she could form no conception why the\ntalisman should be the cause of the prince\u2019s departure, she did\nnot lose her presence of mind, but, on the contrary, formed a\ncourageous design, not common with people of her sex.\n\nNone, but the princess and her women, knew of Camaralzaman\u2019s\ndisappearance; for at that time his people had all retired, and were\nsleeping in their tents. As she feared they might betray her if his\nabsence came to their knowledge, she endeavoured to subdue her\ngrief, and commanded her women not to say or do any thing that might\ncreate the slightest suspicion. She then changed her dress for one\nof Camaralzaman\u2019s, whom she resembled so strongly, that his people\nsupposed it to be him on the following morning, when she made her\nappearance, and commanded them to pack up the baggage, and proceed\non their journey. When all was ready, she made one of her women take\nher place in the litter, and she herself mounted her horse, and they\nset off.\n\nAfter a journey of several months by land, as well as by sea, the\nprincess, who had continued the disguise of prince Camaralzaman, in\norder to reach the Islands of the Children of Khaledan, arrived at\nthe capital of the Isle of Ebony, the reigning king of which was\nnamed Armanos. As those of her people, who disembarked the first to\nseek a lodging for her, had published in the town, that the vessel\nwhich was just arrived bore prince Camaralzaman, who was returning\nfrom a long voyage, and whom bad weather had obliged to make for\nthis port, the intelligence soon reached the palace of the king.\n\nKing Armanos, accompanied by the greatest part of his court,\nimmediately set out to receive the princess, and met her just as she\nhad left the vessel, and was going to the lodging that was engaged\nfor her. He received her as the son of a king who was his friend and\nally, with whom he had always lived on terms of amity, and conducted\nher to his palace, where he lodged her and her whole suit,\nnotwithstanding her earnest entreaties to be permitted to have a\nlodging to herself. He conferred upon her all the honors imaginable,\nbesides regaling her for three days with extraordinary magnificence.\n\nWhen the three days were expired, king Armanos finding that the\nprincess, whom he still supposed to be prince Camaralzaman, talked\nof re-embarking, and continuing her voyage, and being quite charmed\nwith a prince who appeared to him so handsome and well-made, and\npossessed of so much wit and knowledge, spoke to her in private.\n\u201cPrince,\u201d said he, \u201cat the advanced age to which you see I am\narrived, with little hope of living much longer, I endure the\nmortification of not having a son, to whom I can bequeath my\nkingdom. Heaven has bestowed on me one only daughter, who is\npossessed of such beauty as cannot be matched but with a prince of\nsuch high birth and such mental as well as personal accomplishments\nas distinguish you. Instead, therefore, of preparing to return to\nyour own country, accept her from my hands, together with my crown,\nwhich I from this moment resign in your favor, and remain with us.\nIt is now time for me to repose, after having borne the weight of it\nfor so many years; I cannot do it with more satisfaction to myself,\nthan at a period when I am likely to see my state governed by so\nworthy a successor.\u201d\n\nThis generous offer of the king of the Island of Ebony, to give his\nonly daughter in marriage to the princess Badoura, who, being a\nwoman, could not accept her, and of giving up to her all his\ndominions, occasioned her a degree of embarrassment which she little\nexpected. After having told the king that she was Camaralzaman, and\nhaving supported the character with so much plausibility, she\nthought it would be unworthy of a princess of her rank to undeceive\nhim, and to declare, that instead of being the prince himself, she\nwas only his wife. But if she refused him, she had just reason to\nfear, from the extreme desire he had evinced for the completion of\nthe marriage, that he might change his friendship and good-will\ntowards her into enmity and hatred, and might even attempt her life.\nBesides which, she could not be certain that she should find\nCamaralzaman at the court of king Schahzaman, his father.\n\nThese considerations, together with that of acquiring a kingdom for\nthe prince, her husband, in case she should ever rejoin him,\ndetermined Badoura to accept the proposals of king Armanos. Having,\ntherefore, remained for some minutes without speaking, she thus\nreplied, her face being at the same time overspread with blushes,\nwhich the king attributed to her modesty, \u201cSire, I am under\ninfinite obligations to your majesty, for the good opinion you have\nconceived of my person, and for the honor you do me, by conferring\non me so great a favor, which I am by no means deserving of, yet\ndare not refuse. But, Sire,\u201d added she, \u201cI cannot accept so\ngreat an alliance, except on condition, that your majesty will\nassist me with your counsels; and that I undertake nothing that you\nshall not previously have approved of.\u201d\n\nThe marriage being thus agreed on and concluded, the ceremony of the\nnuptials was postponed to the following day; and the princess\nBadoura took that opportunity of acquainting her officers, who still\nsupposed her to be prince Camaralzaman, of what was to take place,\nthat they might not be astonished at it; and she assured them, that\nthe princess Badoura had given her consent. She spoke of it to her\nwomen also, charging them to continue faithful to the secret.\n\nThe king of the Island of Ebony, overjoyed at having acquired a\nson-in-law, with whom he was so well satisfied, assembled his\ncouncil on the morrow, and declared, that he bestowed the princess,\nhis daughter, in marriage, on prince Camaralzaman, whom he had taken\nwith him, and seated next him; that he resigned his crown to him,\nand enjoined them to accept him as their king, and to pay him\nhomage. When he had concluded, he descended from the throne, and\nmade the princess Badoura ascend and take his place, where she\nreceived the oaths of fidelity and allegiance from the principal\nnobles, who were present.\n\nAt the conclusion of the council, the new king was solemnly\nproclaimed throughout the city; rejoicings for several days were\nordered, and couriers dispatched to all parts of the kingdom, that\nthe same ceremonies and the same demonstrations of joy might be\nobserved.\n\nIn the evening, the whole palace was in festivity, and the princess\nHaiatalnefous, for this was the name of the daughter of the king of\nthe Island of Ebony, was conducted to the princess Badoura, whom\nevery one supposed to be a man, with a magnificence truly royal. The\nceremonies being completed, they were left alone, and retired to\nrest.\n\nThe next morning, while the princess Badoura received the\ncompliments of a large assembly of courtiers on her marriage and\naccession to the throne, king Armanos and his queen repaired to the\napartment of the new queen, their daughter, to inquire how she\npassed the night. Instead of making any reply, she fixed her eyes on\nthe ground, and by the expression of sorrow which overspread her\ncountenance, plainly showed, that she was dissatisfied.\n\nIn order to console the princess Haiatalnefous, the king said to\nher, \u201cMy dear daughter, let not this afflict you; when prince\nCamaralzaman landed here, he only sought to return, as soon as\npossible, to king Schahzaman, his father. Although we have prevented\nhim from putting his design in execution, by means, with which he\nmust be well satisfied, we must nevertheless conclude, that he feels\nmuch disappointment at being so suddenly deprived even of the hope\nof ever seeing him again, or any one belonging to his family. You\nmay, therefore, expect, when these emotions of filial tenderness are\na little subsided, that he will behave towards you as a good\nhusband.\u201d\n\nThe princess Badoura, under the assumed name of Camaralzaman, and\nking of the island of Ebony, passed the whole of that day, not only\nin receiving the compliments of her court, but also in reviewing the\nregular troops belonging to the household, and in several other\nroyal functions, with a dignity and ability which acquired her the\napprobation of all those who witnessed it.\n\nThe night was advanced, when she entered the apartment of queen\nHaiatalnefous, and she soon perceived, by the restraint with which\nthe latter received her, that she recollected the preceding night.\nShe endeavoured to dissipate her sadness by a long conversation,\nthat she held with her, and in which she employed all her eloquence,\nof which she had a considerable share, to persuade her that she\nloved her excessively. She at last gave her time to go to bed, and\nduring this interval, she began to say a prayer; but she remained so\nlong thus employed, that Haiatalnefous fell asleep. She then ceased\nfrom praying, and lay down by her side, without waking her, as much\nafflicted at the necessity she was under of acting a character which\ndid not become her, as the loss of her beloved Camaralzaman, whom\nshe unceasingly lamented. She arose the next morning at break of\nday, before Haiatalnefous awoke, and went to the council, dressed in\nthe royal robes.\n\nKing Armanos did not fail to see the queen, his daughter, again on\nthat day, and he found her in tears. He required no further proof,\nto be satisfied of the cause of her affliction. Quite indignant at\nthis affront, for such he conceived it, the cause of which he could\nnot comprehend; \u201cDaughter,\u201d said he, \u201chave patience for one\nnight more; I have elevated your husband to my throne, but I shall\nfind the means of abasing him, and of banishing him from hence with\nshame and ignominy, if he does not behave to you properly. In my\npresent anger, at seeing you treated with such neglect, I do not\nknow whether I shall be satisfied with so moderate a punishment. It\nis not to you, but to my person that he offers so unpardonable an\naffront.\u201d\n\nThe princess Badoura returned to the chamber of Haiatalnefous as\nlate that evening as on the preceding one. She conversed with her in\nthe same manner, and was then going to say her prayer, while she\nwent to bed; but Haiatalnefous prevented her, and obliged her to sit\ndown again. \u201cWhat!\u201d said she, \u201cI see you intend to treat me\nthis night as you did the two former ones. Tell me, I entreat you,\nin what I can have displeased you; I, who not only love, but adore\nyou, and esteem myself the happiest of all the princesses of my\nrank, for having so amiable a prince as you are for my husband? Any\nother besides me would have a good opportunity of revenge by\nabandoning you to your luckless fate for so indignant an affront to\nmy person; but even did I not love you as I do, I am too\ncompassionate for the misfortunes even of those who are totally\nindifferent to me, not to warn you, that the king, my father, is\nextremely irritated with your mode of proceeding; and that he only\nsuspends his anger till to-morrow, when you will feel its just\neffects, if you continue this usage of me. I conjure you not to\ndrive a princess to despair, who cannot avoid loving you.\u201d\n\nThis speech occasioned inexpressible embarrassment to the princess\nBadoura. She could not doubt the sincerity of Haiatalnefous; the\ncoolness which king Armanos had shown her on that day, fully proved\nhis displeasure. The only method that occurred to her of justifying\nher conduct, was to confess her sex to Haiatalnefous. But although\nshe had foreseen that she should be obliged to make this\ndeclaration, yet the uncertainty, whether this princess would take\nit in good part made her tremble. But at last, when she reflected\nthat if prince Camaralzaman was still alive, he must necessarily\nstop at the Isle of Ebony, in his way to the dominions of\nSchahzaman, that she ought to preserve herself for him, and that she\ncould only do it by discovering herself to the princess\nHaiatalnefous, she hazarded this confession.\n\nAs Badoura had remained silent and confused, Haiatalnefous, becoming\nimpatient, was going to continue, when she prevented her by these\nwords: \u201cToo amiable and charming princess,\u201d said she, \u201cI\nconfess I am in fault; and I freely condemn myself: but I hope you\nwill pardon me; and that you will not violate the secret I am going\nto entrust you with for my justification.\u201d At the same moment\nBadoura uncovered her bosom: \u201cSee, princess,\u201d continued she,\n\u201cif a woman and a princess, such as you are yourself, does not\ndeserve your pardon; I am persuaded you will grant it with good-will\nwhen I shall have related to you my history; and above all, when you\nare made acquainted with the misfortune which has obliged me to act\na deceitful part.\u201d\n\nWhen the princess Badoura had concluded her narration, and made\nherself known to the princess of the Isle of Ebony, she entreated\nher a second time not to betray her secret, and to agree to continue\nthe deceit, and pretend, that she was really her husband, until the\narrival of prince Camaralzaman, whom she hoped shortly to see again.\n\n\u201cPrincess,\u201d replied Haiatalnefous, \u201cit would indeed be a\nsingular destiny, if so happy an union as yours has been, should be\nof such short duration, after a mutual affection, conceived and\npreserved with so many miraculous adventures. I join my wishes to\nyours, that Heaven may soon re-unite you. Be assured, in the mean\ntime, that I will most religiously preserve the secret you have\nentrusted me with. I shall feel the greatest pleasure at being the\nonly person in the great kingdom of the Isle of Ebony, who really\nknows you, while you govern it with the wisdom you have displayed at\nthe commencement of your reign. I asked you to love me, but now I\ndeclare to you that I shall be fully satisfied, if you do not refuse\nme your friendship.\u201d After this conversation, the two princesses\ntenderly embraced, and with a thousand demonstrations of reciprocal\nfriendship, they lay down to rest.\n\nIt was a custom in this island, that the consummation of royal\nmarriages should be made known to the public. The princesses,\nhowever, found some means of overcoming this difficulty; and not\nonly the female attendants of the princess Haiatalnefous were the\nnext morning deceived, but also king Armanos, the queen, his\nconsort, and his whole court. And from this time the princess\nBadoura continued to govern the kingdom in great tranquillity, to\nthe complete satisfaction of the king and all his subjects.\n\nWhile these things were in this situation in the Isle of Ebony\nbetween the princess Badoura and Haiatalnefous, king Armanos, the\nqueen, the court, and the rest of the people in the kingdom, prince\nCamaralzaman was still in the city of idolaters, with the gardener,\nwho had offered him a retreat.\n\nOne morning very early, while the prince was preparing to work in\nthe garden, as was his usual custom, the good old gardener prevented\nhim. \u201cThe idolaters,\u201d said he to him, \u201chave a grand festival\nto-day, and as they abstain from all kinds of labour, to pass it in\npublic assemblies and rejoicings, they will not suffer mussulmen\neither to work; and the latter, to preserve peace and amity with\nthem, enter into their amusements, and are present at the various\nspectacles, which are well worthy of notice: so you may allow\nyourself a little rest to-day. I shall leave you here, and as the\ntime approaches for the merchant vessel, which I mentioned to you,\nto sail for the Island of Ebony; I am going to see some friends, and\nwill inquire of them what day it is to set sail, and at the same\ntime I will arrange matters for your embarking on it.\u201d The\ngardener put on his best dress and went out.\n\nWhen prince Camaralzaman found himself alone, instead of partaking\nof the public rejoicings which enlivened the whole city, the state\nof inactivity he remained in brought to his mind in stronger colours\nthe sad recollection of his ever beloved princess. Absorbed by his\nmelancholy reflections, he sighed and moaned as he walked along the\ngarden; when the noise made by two birds, who had perched on a tree\nnear him, attracting his attention, inclined him to lift up his head\nand stop.\n\nCamaralzaman observed that these birds were fighting desperately,\npecking each other with their beaks, and in a few minutes he saw one\nof them fall dead at the foot of a tree. The bird who remained\nconqueror resumed his flight, and soon disappeared.\n\nAt the same moment, two other birds of a larger size, who had seen\nthe combat from a distance, arrived from a different quarter, and\nalighted, one at the head, the other at the feet of the deceased,\nlooked at him for a considerable time, shaking their heads in a way\nwhich showed their grief, and then dug a grave for him with their\nclaws, in which they buried him.\n\nAs soon as the birds had again filled the grave with the earth, they\nflew away, and a short time after returned, holding in their beaks,\none by the wing and the other by a claw, the criminal bird, who\nuttered dreadful screams, and made violent efforts to escape. They\nbrought him to the grave of the bird he had in his rage destroyed,\nand there, sacrificing him to the just punishment he merited for the\ncruel murder he had committed, they deprived him of life by pecking\nhim with their beaks. They then tore open his body, drew out the\nentrails, and leaving the corpse on the ground, flew away.\n\nCamaralzaman remained in silent admiration the whole time this\nsurprising spectacle continued. He approached the tree where the\nscene had taken place, and casting his eyes on the entrails, which\nlay scattered on the ground, he perceived something red appearing\nout of the stomach of the bird that had been torn to pieces. He took\nup the mangled remains of the body, and taking out the red substance\nwhich had attracted his notice, he found it to be the talisman of\nthe princess Badoura, his dear and tenderly beloved princess, which\nhad cost him so much anxiety, pain, and regret, since this bird had\nflown away with it. \u201cCruel bird,\u201d cried he, looking at it,\n\u201cyou delighted in evil actions, and I have no little cause to\ncomplain of the grief you have occasioned me. But in proportion to\nwhat I have suffered through you, so much do I wish well to those\nwho have revenged my injuries by revenging the death of their\ncompanion.\u201d\n\nIt is not possible to express the joy of prince Camaralzaman at this\nadventure. \u201cDearest princess,\u201d he exclaimed again, \u201cthis\nfortunate moment, in which I thus redeem what is so valuable to you,\nis no doubt a happy presage that announces my meeting with you in\nthe same unexpected manner, and perhaps even sooner than I dare to\nhope. Blessed be the day in which I taste such happiness, and which,\nat the same time, flatters me with the delightful prospect of the\ngreatest pleasure I can enjoy.\u201d\n\nAs he finished these words Camaralzaman kissed the talisman, and,\nwrapping it up carefully, tied it round his arm. During his extreme\naffliction he had passed almost every night without closing his\neyes, and in the midst of tormenting reflections. He slept very\ntranquilly the whole of that which succeeded this happy event; and\nthe next morning at break of day, putting on his working dress, he\nwent to the gardener for his orders, who begged him to cut and root\nup a particular tree, which he pointed out to him, as being old and\nno longer bearing fruit.\n\nCamaralzaman took an axe, and set to work. As he was cutting a part\nof the root, he struck something, which seemed to resist, and made a\nloud noise. He removed the earth and discovered a large plate of\nbrass, under which he found a stair-case with ten steps. He\nimmediately descended, and when he had reached the bottom, he saw\nhimself in a sort of cave, or vault, about fifteen feet square, in\nwhich he counted fifty large bronze jars, ranged round it, each with\na cover. He uncovered them all, one after the other, and found them\nfilled with gold dust. He then left the vault, quite overjoyed at\nhaving discovered so rich a treasure; he replaced the plate over the\nstaircase, and continued to root up the tree, while he waited for\nthe gardener\u2019s return.\n\nThe gardener had been informed on the preceding day, that the\nvessel, which sailed annually to the Isle of Ebony, was to depart in\na very few days; but those who had given him this intelligence,\ncould not acquaint him with the precise day; they promised, however,\nto do so on the morrow. He had been to gain the information he\nwanted, and returned with a countenance which displayed the joy he\nfelt at being the bearer of such good news to Camaralzaman.\u201d \u201cMy\nson,\u201d said he to him, for by his great age he claimed the\nprivilege of addressing the prince in such familiar terms,\n\u201crejoice, and hold yourself in readiness to embark in three days;\nthe vessel will sail on that day without fail, and I have agreed\nwith the captain about your passage and departure.\u201d\n\n\u201cIn my present situation,\u201d replied Camaralzaman, \u201cyou could\nnot announce to me any thing of so agreeable a nature. But, in\nreturn, I have to communicate to you also a piece of news, which\nwill give you great pleasure. Take the trouble of following me, and\nyou will see the good fortune that Heaven sends you.\u201d Camaralzaman\nconducted the gardener to the spot, where he had rooted up the tree,\nand made him go down into the vault; when he had shown him the\nnumber of jars it contained, all filled with gold dust, he expressed\nhis joy, that God had thus recompensed his virtue, and all the\nfatigue and pain he had undergone for so many years.\n\n\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d replied the gardener. \u201cDo you suppose,\nthen, that I will possess myself of all this treasure? No, it is all\nyour own; I have no pretensions to any part of it. During eighty\nyears that I have worked in this garden since my father\u2019s death, I\nhave never chanced to discover it. It is a sign that it was destined\nfor you alone, since God permitted you to find it; it is more\nappropriate to a prince, like you, than to me, who am on the brink\nof the grave, and want nothing more. God sends it you very\nopportunely, at the time that you are about to return to the states\nwhich are to belong to you, and where you will make a good use of\nit.\u201d\n\nPrince Camaralzaman would not give up to the gardener in generosity,\nand they had a great contest on this point. He, at length, solemnly\nprotested that he would not touch any of the gold, unless the\ngardener retained half for his share, to which he with some\ndifficulty consented; and they divided the jars, twenty-five to each.\n\nThe division being made, \u201cMy son,\u201d said the gardener, \u201cthis is\nnot enough; we must now devise some plan for embarking these riches\non the vessel, and taking them with you so secretly as not to give\nany suspicion of them, otherwise you might run a risk of losing\nthem. There are no olives in the Isle of Ebony, and those, which are\ntaken from here, are in great request. As you know I have a good\nprovision of those I have gathered from my own garden, you must take\nthe fifty jars, and fill them half way with the gold dust, and the\nother half with olives up to the top, and we will have them taken to\nthe ship, when you yourself embark.\n\nCamaralzaman adopted this advice, and employed himself the rest of\nthe day in filling and arranging the fifty jars; and as he feared\nthat he might lose the talisman of the princess Badoura by wearing\nit constantly on his arm, he had the precaution to put it in one of\nthese jars, on which he set a mark to know it again. When he had\ncompleted his work, and the jars were ready for removal, as night\nwas approaching, he went home with the gardener, and entering into\nconversation with him, related the battle of the two birds, and the\ncircumstances attending this adventure, by which he had recovered\nthe talisman of the princess Badoura; the gardener was not less\nsurprised than rejoiced at this account, for his sake.\n\nWhether it was on account of his great age, or that he had taken too\nmuch exercise on that day, the gardener passed a bad night; his\nillness increased on the following day, and on the third morning he\nfound himself still worse. As soon as it was day, the captain of the\nvessel himself, together with some of his seamen, came and knocked\nat the garden gate. Camaralzaman opened it, and they inquired for\nthe passenger who was to embark on board their vessel. \u201cI am\nhe,\u201d replied the prince: \u201cthe gardener, who took my passage, is\nill and cannot speak to you; however, pray come in and take away\nthese jars of olives, together with my baggage, and I will follow\nyou as soon as I have taken my leave of him.\u201d\n\nThe seamen carried away his jars and baggage, and on leaving\nCamaralzaman desired him to follow them immediately; \u201cThe wind is\nfair,\u201d added the captain, \u201cand I only wait for you to set\nsail.\u201d\n\nAs soon as the captain and seamen were gone, Camaralzaman returned\nto the gardener to bid him farewell, and thank him for all the good\noffices he had received from him; but he found him at the point of\ndeath, and he had scarcely obtained from him the profession of his\nfaith, according to the custom of good mussulmen, on the article of\ndeath, than he saw him expire.\n\nThe prince being under the necessity of embarking immediately, used\nthe utmost diligence in performing the last duties to the deceased.\nHe washed the body, wrapped it in the sepulchral clothes, and having\ndug a grave in the garden, for as Mahometans were barely tolerated\nin the city of idolaters, they had no public cemetery, and buried it\nhimself, which employed him till the close of the day. He then set\nout, without losing any more time, to embark; and to use great\ndispatch, he took the key of the garden with him, intending to\ndeliver it to the proprietor; or, if he could not accomplish that,\nto give it to some trusty person, in the presence of witnesses, to\nremit it to him. But when he arrived at the harbour, he was informed\nthat the ship had weighed anchor some time, and it was already out\nof sight. They added, that it had waited for him three full hours\nbefore it set sail.\n\nAs you may suppose, Sire, Camaralzaman was vexed and distressed to\nthe utmost degree, at finding himself obliged to remain in a\ncountry, where he had no motive for wishing to form any\nacquaintance, and to wait another year before the opportunity he had\njust lost, would again present itself. What mortified him still more\nwas, that he had parted with the talisman of the princess Badoura,\nwhich he now gave up for lost. He had no other method to pursue, but\nto return to the garden he had left, to rent it of the landlord to\nwhom it belonged, and to continue the cultivation of it, while he\ndeplored his misfortune. As he could not support the fatigue of all\nthe labour it required, he hired a boy to assist him; and that he\nmight not lose the other share of the treasure, which came to him by\nthe death of the gardener, who had died without heirs, he put the\ngold dust into fifty other jars, and covered them with olives as he\nhad done before, that he might take them with him, when the time\ncame for him to embark.\n\nWhile prince Camaralzaman was beginning another year of pain,\nsorrow, and impatience, the vessel continued its voyage with a\nfavorable wind, and arrived without any misfortune al the capital of\nthe Isle of Ebony.\n\nAs the palace was on the sea-shore, the new king, or rather the\nprincess Badoura, who perceived the vessel, while sailing into port,\nwith all its flags flying, inquired what ship it was, and was told,\nthat it came every year from the city of idolaters at that season,\nand that it was in general laden with very rich merchandize.\n\nThe princess, who in the midst of all the state and splendor that\nsurrounded her, had her mind constantly occupied with the idea of\nCamaralzaman, conceived, that he might have embarked on board that\nvessel, and the thought occurred to her of going to meet him when he\nlanded, not intending to make herself known to him, for she was\nconvinced he would not recognise her, but to observe him, and take\nthe measures she thought most proper for their mutual discovery.\nUnder pretence therefore of inspecting the merchandize, and even of\nbeing the first to see and to choose the most valuable for herself,\nshe ordered a horse to be brought her. She went to the harbour,\naccompanied by several officers, who happened to be with her, and\nshe arrived at the moment that the captain came on shore. She\ndesired him to come to her, and inquired of him from whence he had\nsailed, how long he had been at sea, what good or unfortunate\nincidents he had met with during his voyage, if he had amongst his\npassengers any stranger of distinction, and above all with what his\nvessel was laden.\n\nThe captain gave satisfactory answers to all these questions; as for\nthe passengers, he assured her there were none besides the\nmerchants, who were accustomed to trade thither, and that they\nbrought very rich stuffs from different countries, linens of the\nfinest texture, painted as well as plain, precious stones, musk,\nambergris, camphor, civet, spices, medicinal drugs, olives, and\nseveral other articles.\n\nThe princess Badoura happened to be passionately fond of olives. She\nhad no sooner heard them mentioned, than she said to the captain,\n\u201cI will take all you have on board; order them to be unladen\nimmediately, that I may make the bargain for them. As for the other\nmerchandize, you will inform the owners to bring me the most\nbeautiful and valuable of their goods, before they show them to any\none.\u201d\n\n\u201cSire,\u201d replied the captain, who took her for the king of the\nIsle of Ebony, which in fact she was, in her feigned character,\n\u201cthere are fifty large jars of olives, but they belong to a\nmerchant, who remained behind. I had informed him of my departure,\nand even waited for him some time. But as I found he did not come,\nand that his delay prevented my profiting by a favorable wind, I\nlost all patience, and set sail.\u201d--\u201cLet them be put ashore\nnevertheless,\u201d replied the princess, \u201cthis shall not prevent our\nmaking the bargain.\u201d\n\nThe captain sent his boat to the ship, and it soon returned,\nbringing the jars of olives. The princess inquired what the value of\nthe fifty jars might be in the Isle of Ebony; \u201cSire,\u201d replied\nthe captain, \u201cthe merchant is very poor; your majesty will confer\na great obligation on him by giving him a thousand pieces of\nsilver.\u201d--\u201cThat he may be perfectly satisfied,\u201d said the\nprincess, \u201cand in consideration of his great poverty, you shall\nhave a thousand pieces of gold counted out to you, which you will\ntake care to give him.\u201d She gave orders for the payment of this\nsum, and after she had desired the jars to be taken away, she\nreturned to the palace.\n\nAs night approached, the princess Badoura retired to the interior\npalace, and went to the apartment of the princess Haiatalnefous,\nwhere she had the fifty jars of olives brought to her. She had\nopened one to taste them, and to eat of them herself; and poured\nsome into a dish, when, conceive her astonishment, at finding the\nolives mixed with gold dust. \u201cWhat a wonderful adventure!\u201d\nexclaimed she. She immediately ordered the other jars to be opened,\nand emptied in her presence by the women of Haiatalnefous, and her\nsurprise increased, as she perceived that the olives in each jar\nwere mixed with the gold dust. But when that was emptied in which\nCamaralzaman had deposited the talisman, her emotions on seeing it\nwere so strong, that she was quite overcome, and fainted away.\n\nThe princess Haiatalnefous and her women ran to her assistance, and\nby throwing water on her face, at length brought her to herself.\nWhen she had recovered her senses, she took up the talisman, and\nkissed it several times; but as she did not choose to say any thing\nbefore the princess\u2019s women, who were ignorant of her disguise,\nand as it was time to retire to rest, she dismissed them.\n\u201cPrincess,\u201d said she to Haiatalnefous, as soon as they were\nalone, \u201cafter what I have related to you of my adventures you no\ndoubt guessed, that it was on beholding this talisman that I\nfainted. It is mine, and the fatal cause of the separation that has\ntaken place between my beloved husband, prince Camaralzaman, and\nmyself. It was the occasion of an event so painful for both, and I\nam certain it will be the means of our speedy re-union.\u201d\n\nThe next morning, as soon as day had appeared, the princess Badoura\nsent for the captain of the vessel. When he was come, she said to\nhim, \u201cI beg you to give me a more satisfactory account of the\nmerchant, to whom the olives belonged, that I bought yesterday. I\nthink you told me, that you left him behind in the city of\nidolaters; can you inform me what was his occupation there?\u201d\n\n\u201cSire,\u201d replied the captain, \u201cI can acquaint your majesty with\nit, as I know it for certain. I had agreed about his passage with a\ngardener, who was extremely old, and he told me that I should find\nhim in his garden, the situation of which he pointed out to me,\nwhere he worked under him; this made me say to your majesty, that he\nwas poor. I went to this very garden to seek him, and tell him that\nI was going to embark, and spoke to him myself.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf this be the case,\u201d said the princess, \u201cyou must set sail\nagain to-day, and return to the city of idolaters, to search for\nthis young gardener, and bring him here, for he is my debtor; if you\nrefuse, I declare that I will confiscate not only all the goods\nwhich belong to you, and those of the merchants you have on board,\nbut will also make your life and that of the merchants responsible\nfor it. At this moment, they are going by my command to place the\nseal on the magazines where they are deposited, and which shall not\nbe taken off until you have delivered into my hands the young man I\nrequire. This is what I had to say to you. Go, and obey my orders.\u201d\n\nThe captain had nothing to reply to this command, the non-execution\nof which was to involve him and the merchants in so severe a\npunishment. He imparted it to them, and they were no less anxious\nthan himself for the immediate departure of the vessel: he stored it\nwith water and provisions for the voyage, which was done with so\nmuch expedition, that he set sail on that very day.\n\nThe ship had a very good voyage, and the captain managed so well, as\nto arrive by night at the city of idolaters. When he was as near\nland as he thought necessary, he did not cast anchor, but while the\nvessel lay to, he got into his boat, and rowed to shore at a spot a\nlittle distance from the harbour, from whence he went to the garden\nof Camaralzaman, accompanied by six of his most resolute seamen.\n\nThe prince was not asleep; his separation from the beautiful\nprincess of China overwhelmed him as usual with affliction, and he\ndetested and cursed the moment when he had suffered himself to be\ntempted by curiosity even to touch, much more to examine her girdle.\nHe passed, in this manner, the hours which should have been\ndedicated to repose, when he heard a knocking at the gate of the\ngarden. He went half dressed to open it, and he had scarcely\npresented himself, when the captain and sailors, without speaking a\nword, seized and conducted him by main force to the boat, and took\nhim to the ship, which set sail again as soon as they had\nre-embarked.\n\nCamaralzaman, who had till then preserved a profound silence, as\nwell as the captain and seamen, now asked the captain, whose\nfeatures he recollected, what reason he had for dragging him away\nwith so much violence. \u201cAre you not a debtor to the king of the\nIsland of Ebony?\u201d inquired the captain in his turn. \u201cI a debtor\nto the king of the Island of Ebony!\u201d exclaimed Camaralzaman, with\namazement, \u201cI do not know him, I never had any dealings with him,\nnor even ever set my foot in his dominions.\u201d--\u201cYou must know\nthat matter better than I can,\u201d replied the captain, \u201cbut you\nwill speak to him yourself; however, remain here quietly, and have\npatience.\u201d\n\nThe vessel had as successful a voyage in conducting Camaralzaman to\nthe Isle of Ebony, as it had experienced in going for him to the\ncity of idolaters. Although night had closed when they got into\nport, the captain nevertheless did not delay going on shore to take\nprince Camaralzaman to the palace, where he requested to be\npresented to the king.\n\nThe princess Badoura, who had already retired into the inner palace,\nwas no sooner informed of his return, and of the arrival of\nCamaralzaman, than she went out to speak to him. As soon as she had\ncast her eyes on her beloved prince, for whom she had shed so many\ntears since their separation, she instantly recognised him, even in\nhis labourer\u2019s dress. As for the prince, who trembled in the\npresence of a king, as he believed him to be, to whom he was to\nanswer for an imaginary debt; he had not the least idea that he was\nthen in her presence, whom he desired so ardently to rejoin. Had the\nprincess followed her inclinations, she would have run to him, and\ndiscovered herself by her tender embraces; but she restrained her\nemotions, as she thought it for the interest of both that she should\ncontinue to sustain the character of king for some time longer,\nbefore she made herself known. She contented herself with\nrecommending him particularly to the care of an officer, who was\npresent, charging him to be attentive, and treat him well until the\nfollowing day.\n\nWhen the princess Badoura had ordered every thing that related to\nprince Camaralzaman, she turned towards the captain, to recompence\nhim for the important service he had rendered her, by desiring\nanother officer to go immediately and take off the seal which had\nbeen placed on his merchandise, as well as that of the merchants,\nand dismissed him with a present of a rich and precious diamond,\nwhich fully repaid him the expence of the second voyage. She told\nhim also, that he might keep the thousand pieces of gold, which had\nbeen paid for the jars of olives, and that she should know how to\nsettle the matter with the merchant he had just brought her.\n\nShe at length returned to the apartment of the princess of the Isle\nof Ebony, to whom she related the subject of her joy; begging her\nnevertheless not to disclose the secret, and entrusting her with the\nmeasures she thought it necessary to adopt, before she discovered\nherself to prince Camaralzaman, or acknowledged who he himself was.\n\u201cThere is,\u201d added she, \u201cso great a distance between the rank\nof a great prince as he is, and that of a gardener, that there might\nbe some danger attending his passing from one of the lowest degrees\nof the people to the very highest, however justice might demand such\nan act.\u201d Far from being faithless to her promise, the princess of\nthe Isle of Ebony concurred with her in the design she had formed.\nShe even assured her, that she would contribute all in her power to\nforward it, if she would inform her of what she wished her to do.\n\nThe next day the princess of China, under the name, habit, and\nauthority of king of the Isle of Ebony, after taking care to have\nprince Camaralzaman conducted to the bath very early in the morning,\nand dressed in the robe of an emir, or governor of a province,\nintroduced him into the council, where he attracted the attention of\nall the nobles, who were present, by his elegant and majestic air,\nand well-formed person.\n\nThe princess Badoura herself was charmed to see him again, as\namiable as he had so often appeared to her; and she felt additional\ninterest in extolling him to the council. After he had taken his\nplace in the rank of emirs, according to her directions: \u201cMy\nlords,\u201d said she, addressing the other emirs, \u201cCamaralzaman,\nwhom I this day present to you as your colleague, is not unworthy of\nthe situation he occupies amongst you. I have had sufficient\nexperience of his worth in my travels, to be able to answer for him;\nand I can assure you, that he will make himself known to, and\nadmired by you, as much for his valour, and a thousand other good\nand amiable qualities, as by the superior greatness of his mind.\n\nCamaralzaman was extremely surprised, when he heard the king of the\nIsle of Ebony, whom he little suspected to be a woman, much less his\nadored princess, call him by his name; and assure the assembly that\nhe knew him, when he was himself convinced, that he had never met\nhim in any place: he was still more astonished at the unexpected\npraise the king bestowed on him.\n\nThis praise, however, although pronounced by royal lips, did not\ndisconcert him; he received it with a modesty that proved he\ndeserved it, but that it did not excite his vanity. He prostrated\nhimself before the throne of the king, and when he arose, he said,\n\u201cSire, I cannot find words to express my thanks to your majesty\nfor the great honor you have conferred on me, much less for all your\nkindness. I will exert myself, to the utmost of my abilities, to\ndeserve both the one and the other.\u201d\n\nWhen he left the council, the prince was conducted by an officer to\na large mansion, which the princess Badoura had already ordered to\nbe furnished, and prepared for his reception. He there found\nofficers and servants ready to receive his commands, and a stable\nfilled with very fine horses; the whole suited to the dignity of an\nemir, which had just been conferred on him; and when he went into\nhis closet, his steward presented him with a coffer full of gold for\nhis expenses. The less he was able to guess from what quarter this\ngood fortune came, the greater was his surprise and admiration: but\nhe never entertained the least suspicion that it was his own\nprincess who was the cause of the whole.\n\nAt the end of two or three days, the princess Badoura, to afford\nCamaralzaman more frequent access to her person, as well as to raise\nhim to higher distinction, bestowed on him the office of grand\ntreasurer, which had become vacant. He acquitted himself in this new\noffice with so much integrity, at the same time conferring\nobligations on every one, that he acquired not only the friendship\nof all the nobles about the court, but also won the hearts of the\ncommon people by his rectitude and generosity.\n\nCamaralzaman would have been the happiest of men, to find himself in\nsuch high favour with a king, who, as he supposed, was an entire\nstranger to him, and thus to obtain the esteem of every one, which\ndaily increased, had he possessed his princess also. But in the\nmidst of all his splendour he never ceased lamenting her loss, and\nthat he could gain no information respecting her in a country, where\nhe concluded she must have passed some time, since he had been\nseparated from her by an accident, so unfortunate for both. He might\nhave suspected something, if the princess Badoura had retained the\nname of Camaralzaman, which she assumed with his dress. But when she\nascended the throne, she changed it for that of Armanos, in\ncompliment to the former king, her father-in-law. So that she was\nnow known only by the name of King Armanos the younger, and there\nwere only a few courtiers who remembered the name of Camaralzaman,\nwhich she bore on her first arrival at the Island of Ebony.\nCamaralzaman had not yet had sufficient intercourse with them to\nlearn this circumstance; but he might in the end have been informed\nof it.\n\nAs the princess Badoura feared that it might so happen; and as she\nwished Camaralzaman to be indebted to her only for the discovery,\nshe resolved at length to put an end to her own torments, and to\nthose she well knew he suffered. In fact, she had remarked, that\nwhenever she conversed with him on the affairs relating to his\noffice, he frequently heaved deep sighs, which could only be silent\naddresses to her. She herself lived in a state of constant\nrestraint, which she was determined to put a period to without\nfurther delay. Besides which, the friendship of the nobles, the zeal\nand affection of the people, every thing contributed to persuade her\nthat the crown of the Island of Ebony might be placed on his head\nwithout any obstacle.\n\nThe princess Badoura had no sooner formed this resolution, in\nconcert with the princess Haiatalnefous, than she spoke to prince\nCamaralzaman, in private, on the same day: \u201cCamaralzaman,\u201d said\nshe, \u201cI wish to converse with you on an affair, which will require\nsome discussion, and on which I want your advice. As I think I\ncannot do it more conveniently than at night, come to me this\nevening; tell your people not to wait for you, and I will provide\nyou with a bed.\u201d\n\nCamaralzaman did not fail to repair to the palace at the hour\nappointed by the princess. She took him with her into the inner\npalace, and having told the chief of the eunuchs, who was preparing\nto follow her, that she did not require his attendance, and that he\nhad only to keep the door fastened, she conducted him into a\ndifferent apartment from that of the princess Haiatalnefous, in\nwhich she was accustomed to sleep.\n\nWhen the prince and princess were in a chamber, which contained a\nbed, and had fastened the door, the princess took the talisman out\nof a little box, and presented it to Camaralzaman: \u201cIt is not long\nsince an astrologer gave me this talisman,\u201d said she, \u201cand as I\nknow you to be well informed in every science, you perhaps can tell\nme its peculiar properties.\u201d Camaralzaman took the talisman, and\napproached a light, to examine it. He no sooner recognised it, than,\nwith a degree of surprise which delighted the princess, he\nexclaimed, \u201cAh, sire, your majesty asks me the properties of this\ntalisman? Alas! its properties are such, as to make me die with\ngrief and sadness, if I do not shortly find the most charming and\namiable princess that was ever beheld under heaven, to whom this\ntalisman belonged, and which was the cause of my losing her. The\nadventure was of so singular a nature, that the recital of it would\nexcite your majesty\u2019s compassion for a husband and a lover so\nunfortunate as I am, if you would have the patience to listen to\nit.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou will relate it to me some other time,\u201d replied the\nprincess, \u201cbut I am very happy,\u201d added she, \u201cto tell you, that\nI know something concerning it: wait for me here, I will return in a\nmoment.\u201d\n\nSaying this, the princess went into a closet, where she took off the\nroyal turban, and having in a few minutes put on a woman\u2019s dress,\ntogether with the girdle she wore on the day of their separation,\nshe returned to the chamber where she had left the prince.\n\nCamaralzaman instantly knew his dear princess. He ran to her, and\nembracing her with the utmost tenderness, \u201cAh,\u201d cried he, \u201chow\nmuch I am obliged to the king for having surprised me so\nagreeably.\u201d--\u201cDo not expect to see the king again,\u201d replied\nthe princess, embracing him in her turn, and with tears in her eyes,\n\u201cin me you behold the king: sit down, that I may explain to you\nthis enigma.\u201d\n\nThey seated themselves, and the princess related to Camaralzaman the\nresolution she had formed in the plain, where they had encamped\ntogether for the last time, when she discovered that she waited for\nhim in vain; in what manner she had executed it until her arrival at\nthe Isle of Ebony, where she had been obliged to marry the princess\nHaiatalnefous, and to accept the crown, which king Armanos had\noffered her in consequence of the marriage; that the princess, whose\nmerits she spoke of in the most exaggerated terms, had received the\ndeclaration she had made of her sex in a favourable manner; and at\nlast acquainted him with the adventure of the talisman, found in one\nof the jars of olives and gold dust, which she had purchased, and\nwhich had induced her to send for him to the city of idolaters.\n\nWhen the princess Badoura had concluded, she begged the prince to\ninform her by what accident the talisman had occasioned his\ndeparture; he satisfied her curiosity, and when he had finished, he\ncomplained to her, in an affectionate manner, of her cruelty in\nmaking him languish so long a time. She gave him the reasons we have\nalready heard, after which, as the night was far advanced, they went\nto bed.\n\nThey arose the next morning, as soon as it was day; the princess no\nlonger wore the royal robe, but resumed her own dress, and when she\nwas ready, she dispatched the chief of the eunuchs, to request king\nArmanos, her father-in-law, to take the trouble of coming to her\napartment.\n\nWhen king Armanos arrived, he was very much surprised to see a lady,\nwho was totally unknown to him; and the grand treasurer, who was not\nallowed to enter the inner palace, any more than the other nobles\nbelonging to the court. When he had taken his seat, he inquired for\nthe king.\n\n\u201cSire,\u201d replied the princess, \u201cyesterday I was king; to-day I\nam nothing more than the princess of China, the wife of the true\nprince Camaralzaman, who is the true son of king Schahzaman. If your\nmajesty will have the patience to listen to our separate histories,\nI flatter myself you will not condemn me for having conceived and\ncontinued a deceit of so innocent a nature.\u201d King Armanos granted\nher an audience, and listened to her with the utmost astonishment,\nfrom beginning to end.\n\nWhen she had concluded the history of their adventures, \u201cSire,\u201d\nadded she, \u201calthough the liberty, granted by our religion to men\nto have several wives, is not very agreeable to our sex, yet if your\nmajesty will consent to give the princess Haiatalnefous, your\ndaughter, in marriage to prince Camaralzaman, I will cheerfully\nresign the rank and quality of queen, which properly belongs to her,\nand will myself be content with the second rank. Even if this\npreference were not her due, I should have insisted on her accepting\nit, after the obligation I am under to her, for having so generously\nkept the secret with which I entrusted her. If your majesty\u2019s\ndetermination depends upon her consent, I have already obtained\nthat, and am certain she will be happy.\u201d\n\nKing Armanos listened with every mark of admiration to this\ndiscourse of the princess Badoura; and when she had finished\nspeaking, he turned to prince Camaralzaman, \u201cMy son,\u201d said he to\nhim, \u201csince the princess Badoura, your wife, whom I had hitherto\nconsidered as my son-in-law, in consequence of a deception which I\nknow not how to complain of, has offered to share your bed with my\ndaughter, I have nothing to do but to inquire if you also are\nwilling to marry her, and will accept the crown, which the princess\nBadoura would well deserve to wear for the rest of her life, if she\ndid not prefer resigning it through her love for\nyou.\u201d--\u201cSire,\u201d replied Camaralzaman, \u201chowever strong my\ndesire of seeing the king, my father, may be, the obligations I owe\nto your majesty and to the princess Haiatalnefous are so great and\npowerful, that I cannot refuse you any thing.\u201d\n\nCamaralzaman was proclaimed king, and married the same day with the\ngreatest magnificence; and he was thoroughly satisfied with the\nbeauty, wit, and affection of the princess Haiatalnefous.\n\nThe two queens continued to live together in the same friendship and\nunion which they had hitherto done, and were each well contented\nwith the equality which king Camaralzaman observed in his conduct\ntowards them, in sharing his bed with them alternately.\n\nThey each presented him with a son in the same year, and nearly at\nthe same period, and the birth of the two princes was celebrated by\npublic rejoicings. Camaralzaman gave the name of Amgiad, or \u201cthe\nmost glorious,\u201d to the first, whom the queen Badoura had borne,\nand that of Assad, or \u201cthe most happy,\u201d to him whom the queen\nHaiatalnefous had brought into the world.\n\n\n\n\nTHE HISTORY\nOF PRINCE AMGIAD, AND OF PRINCE ASSAD.\n\n\nThese two princes were brought up with great care. And when they\nwere of a proper age, they had each the same governor, and the same\nmasters in all those sciences and branches of the polite arts which\nking Camaralzaman wished them to be skilled in. The same person also\ntaught them both the same personal exercises. The great regard they\nshowed for each other, even from their infancy, produced a certain\nuniformity in all their thoughts and actions, which in itself tended\nstill to augment their friendship.\n\nWhen they were far enough advanced in years for each of them to have\na separate house and establishment, they were so strongly attached\nto each other, that they requested their father to suffer them to\nhave but one between them. They obtained their wishes; and in this\nmanner they had the same officers appointed for each, the same\nattendants, the same equipage, the same apartment, and the same\ntable. Camaralzaman indeed insensibly placed so implicit a\nconfidence both in their ability and their ideas of rectitude, that,\nwhen they were about nineteen years old, he did not hesitate to\nappoint them alternately to preside at the council, whenever he was\nfor a few days engaged in hunting.\n\nAs these two princes were of equal beauty, both in face and person,\nand had always been esteemed so from their infancy, the two queens\nfelt an almost incredible attachment to them; yet it nevertheless\nhappened, that the princess Badoura had a greater affection for\nAssad, the son of queen Haiatalnefous, than she had for Amgiad, her\nown son: and in the same manner queen Haiatalnefous was much fonder\nof Amgiad than she was of her own son Assad.\n\nThe queens each thought at first that this affection only proceeded\nfrom the great friendship they had for each other. But as the\nprinces advanced in age, this regard, which commenced in friendship,\nchanged to a more tender feeling, and at length became the most\nviolent love. The princes, indeed, appeared in their eyes possessed\nof so many accomplishments, that they were absolutely blinded and\nled away by their charms. All the infamy of their passion was well\nknown to them, and they made the greatest efforts to resist it: but\nthe freedom and familiarity with which they saw the princes every\nday, and the continued habit they always had of admiring them from\ntheir earliest infancy, of praising them, and of caressing them,\nwhich it was scarcely in their power to break themselves of,\ninflamed their passions to such a degree, that they could get no\nrest, and lost all their appetite. To heighten their misfortune, as\nwell as that of the princes, the latter had not, so much were they\never accustomed to their manners, the slightest suspicion of this\nhateful and horrid attachment.\n\nAs the two queens had not entrusted each other with the secret of\ntheir passion, and as neither of them had the audacity openly to\nmake a declaration of it in person to the prince whom she loved,\nthey both agreed, though unknown to each other, to explain it by\nletter. And in order to execute this fatal design, they took\nadvantage of the absence of king Camaralzaman, who was gone for a\nfew days on a hunting party.\n\nThe day after the king\u2019s departure, prince Amgiad presided at the\ncouncil, and was employed two or three hours in the afternoon in\nhearing complaints and administering justice. As he came out from\nthe council, and was going back to the palace, an eunuch took him\naside, and gave him a letter from queen Haiatalnefous. Amgiad\nimmediately opened it, and read its contents with the greatest\ndegree of horror. \u201cWhat,\u201d cried he to the eunuch, the moment he\nhad perused it, and drawing his sabre, \u201cis this the fidelity you\nowe to your king and master?\u201d And, in saying this, he struck off\nhis head.\n\nHe had no sooner done this, than Amgiad went in the greatest\npossible rage to find his mother, queen Badoura, and with an air\nthat plainly showed his anger, held out the letter to her, and\ninformed her of the contents; first telling her from whom it came.\nInstead, however, of listening to him, the queen herself began to be\nangry. \u201cBe assured, my son,\u201d she replied, \u201cthat what you tell\nme is nothing but a calumnious falsehood. Queen Haiatalnefous is\nboth prudent and wise, and indeed I consider it a great act of\nboldness in you to speak against her with so much insolence.\u201d To\nthis speech of the queen, the prince said, \u201cYou are both equally\nwicked, and were it not for the respect I owe to the king, my\nfather, this day should be the last which Haiatalnefous has to\nlive.\u201d\n\nFrom the manner in which prince Amgiad conducted himself, queen\nBadoura might easily judge what she had to expect from prince Assad,\nwho was equally virtuous, and who would not, therefore, receive the\nsimilar declaration more favorably, which she intended to make to\nhim. This, however, did not prevent her from pursuing her detestable\nplan; the next day, therefore, she wrote a letter to him, which she\nentrusted to an old woman, who had free admission into the palace.\n\nThis old woman chose the moment that prince Assad left the council,\nwhere he went to preside in turn, as a proper opportunity to execute\nher commission. The prince took the letter, and without even giving\nhimself time to finish the perusal of it, he was so transported with\nrage, that he drew his sabre, and punished the old woman as she\ndeserved. He then ran to the apartment of queen Haiatalnefous, his\nmother, with the letter in his hand. He was going to show it her,\nbut she did not give him time, either for that, or even to open his\nlips. \u201cI know what you want of me,\u201d she cried, \u201cbut you are\nequally as impertinent as your brother Amgiad. Go, retire; and never\nagain appear in my presence.\u201d\n\nAssad was in the utmost astonishment at these words, which he was\ntotally unprepared for: and they put him into so violent a rage,\nthat he was upon the point of showing the most direful marks of it;\nhe, however, had the resolution to restrain himself, and retired\nwithout reply, lest any thing should escape him, unworthy of his own\ngreatness of soul. As prince Amgiad had not mentioned his having\nreceived a letter the day before, Assad went to his brother to chide\nhim for his silence, and to mingle his own grief with his; for from\nwhat his own mother said, he easily conjectured she was not less\ncriminal than queen Badoura.\n\nThe two queens were driven almost to desperation at finding the\nprinces possessed of so much virtue, which, instead of bringing them\nback to a sense of their duty, made them, in fact, renounce every\nnatural and maternal feeling. They consulted together how they\nshould be able to destroy their sons. They made their women believe,\nthat the princes had themselves endeavoured to violate their\npersons; and attempted to pass off this trick for a reality by the\ntears they shed, as well as the lamentations and invectives they\nuttered. They went and slept in the same bed, as if the resistance\nthey thus pretended to have made, had driven them to the greatest\ndistress.\n\nWhen king Camaralzaman returned the next day from the chase, he was\nin so great astonishment at finding the two queens in bed together,\nbathed in tears, and in a condition they so well knew how to feign,\nthat it excited his compassion. He eagerly inquired of them what had\nhappened to them.\n\nTo this question the cunning queens only answered by redoubling\ntheir sighs and groans, when, at length, after the greatest\nentreaty, queen Badoura broke silence, and said, \u201cConsidering,\nsire, the deep yet proper grief with which we are afflicted, we\nought not even to expose ourselves to the light of the sun, after\nthe outrage which the princes, your sons, with a brutality almost\nwithout example, have attempted. By a conspiracy, altogether\nunworthy of their illustrious birth, they have had the boldness and\ninsolence during your absence to attempt our honour. We entreat your\nmajesty not to make any further inquiries, our grief is sufficient\nto explain the rest.\u201d\n\nThe king then ordered the two princes to be called, and would\nabsolutely have killed them with his own hand, if old king Armanos,\nhis father-in-law, who happened to be present, had not prevented\nhim. \u201cWhat, my son,\u201d he cried out, \u201care you going to do? Do\nyou wish to embrue your hands, nay your very palace, with your own\nblood? There are other means of punishing them, if they are really\nguilty of any crime.\u201d In this manner he endeavoured to appease\nhim, and entreated him thoroughly to examine, whether it was quite\ncertain they had committed the crime which was laid to their charge.\n\nIt was no difficult task for Camaralzaman so far to get the better\nof his rage as to refrain from being the executioner of his own\nchildren. Having, however, ordered them to be arrested, he desired\nan emir, called Giondar, to come in the evening to him; and he then\ncommanded him to conduct the princes to the outside of the city, in\nwhat part, and to any distance he pleased, and there to take their\nlives. As a proof also of having executed the orders he thus\nreceived, Giondar was not to return without their clothes.\n\nGiondar continued travelling the whole night; and the next morning,\nas he got off his horse, he informed the princes, with tears in his\neyes, of the order he had received. \u201cThis command, princes,\u201d\nsaid he to them, \u201cis most cruel; and to me it is a mortification\nof the most painful kind, to have been chosen for the executioner. I\nwish to God that I could avoid it.\u201d--\u201cDo your duty,\u201d replied\nthey, \u201cwe know well enough that you are not the cause of our\ndeath; and sincerely pardon you.\u201d In saying this they embraced and\ntook an eternal farewell of each other with so much tenderness and\naffection, that it was a long time before they could separate.\nPrince Assad was then the first, who prepared himself to receive his\ndeath from the hands of Giondar. \u201cBegin with me,\u201d said he,\n\u201cthat I may not have the grief of seeing my dear brother Amgiad\nexpire.\u201d Amgiad opposed this plan, and Giondar was unable, without\nagain renewing his tears, to witness their amiable contest, which so\nevidently proved the sincerity and strength of their mutual\naffection.\n\nThis interesting dispute was at last terminated by their entreating\nGiondar to bind them both together, and place them in such a way,\nthat they might both, as nearly as possible, receive their death at\nthe same moment. \u201cDo not refuse,\u201d they said to him, \u201cto afford\ntwo unfortunate brothers the consolation of dying together, who\nhave, not excepting even their innocence in this affair, from their\nearliest infancy, possessed every thing in common.\u201d Giondar\ngranted the two princes what they wished. He bound them, and having\nplaced them, as he thought, in the most convenient manner to strike\noff both their heads at one blow, he asked them if they had any\nrequest to make to him before their death. \u201cThere is only one\nthing,\u201d answered the princes, \u201cwhich we wish you to do; and that\nis, to assure the king, our father, upon your return, that we die\ninnocent: but that we nevertheless do not impute to him the crime of\nshedding our blood. We know, indeed, that he is not acquainted with\nthe truth of what we are accused.\u201d Giondar promised not to fail\ndoing what they desired, and at the same instant drew out his\nscimitar; his horse, who was fastened to a tree, alarmed at this\naction, and also at the glittering of the blade, broke his bridle,\nand began to gallop over the country at full speed.\n\nThis horse was very valuable, and also very richly caparisoned, and\nGiondar did not at all like the thoughts of losing him. Vexed,\ntherefore, at this accident, instead of cutting off the heads of the\nprinces, he threw down his scimitar and ran after his horse,\nendeavouring to catch him. The horse, who was both vigorous and\nplayful, galloped about for some time just before Giondar, and led\nhim, by the pursuit, close to a wood, into which he ran. The emir\nfollowed him; when the neighing of the horse disturbed a lion, who\nwas asleep. The lion instantly roused himself, but instead of\npursuing the horse, he ran directly at Giondar, as soon as he\nperceived him.\n\nHe then thought no more of his horse, but was in the greatest\ndistress how to save his own life. He endeavoured to avoid the\nattack of the lion, who never lost sight of him, and kept pursuing\nhim among the trees. \u201cGod,\u201d said he to himself in this\nextremity, \u201cwould not have inflicted this punishment upon me, if\nthe princes, whom I have been ordered to kill, were not innocent.\nUnfortunately, too, I have not my scimitar to defend myself with.\u201d\n\nDuring the absence of Giondar, the two princes experienced the most\nburning thirst, brought on by the fear of death, which they felt,\nnotwithstanding their manly and generous resolution to submit to the\ncruel order of their father. Prince Amgiad then observed to his\nbrother that they were not far from a spring of water, and proposed\nto him to unbind themselves and go and drink. \u201cIt is not worth the\ntrouble, my brother,\u201d said Assad, \u201cto quench our thirst for the\nfew moments we have to live: we shall have to support it only for a\nshort time longer.\u201d Without, however, paying any attention to this\nspeech, Amgiad unbound both himself and his brother, though against\nthe inclination of the latter. They went to the spring; and when\nthey had thus refreshed themselves they heard the roaring of the\nlion, accompanied by the most piercing cries, issue from the wood\ninto which Giondar had run after his horse. Amgiad instantly took up\nthe scimitar which Giondar had thrown down. \u201cBrother,\u201d he cried\nout, \u201clet us hasten to the assistance of the unfortunate Giondar;\nperhaps we may arrive in time to deliver him from the danger he\nseems to be in.\u201d\n\nThe two princes lost no time; and they arrived at the very instant\nin which the lion had pulled Giondar down to the ground. No sooner\ndid the animal observe prince Amgiad approaching with his scimitar\nin his hand, than he let his prey go and ran at him with the\ngreatest fury. The prince waited to receive him with intrepidity and\ncoolness, and gave him a blow, with so much strength and skill, that\nthe lion fell instantly dead at his feet.\n\nAs soon as Giondar perceived that he was indebted for his life to\nthe two princes, he threw himself at their feet, and thanked them\nfor the great favor and assistance they had shown him, in a manner\nthat evinced the strongest gratitude. \u201cPrinces,\u201d said he to them\nwhen he got up, while his tears fell upon their hands, \u201cGod\nforbid, that I should ever attempt to take your lives after the\nessential help you have afforded me in saving my own. It shall never\nbe said, that the emir Giondar was capable of such black\ningratitude.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe service we have done you,\u201d replied the princes, \u201cought by\nno means to prevent you from executing your orders. Go and take your\nhorse; and let us return to the spot where you left us.\u201d They had\nnow no difficulty in catching the horse, whose alarm and spirit was\nmuch abated, and who stopped of himself. In spite, however, of every\nthing they could urge to Giondar, as they were returning towards the\nspring, either by entreaty or prayer, they could not persuade him to\nbe the instrument of their death. \u201cThe only thing that I take the\nliberty to ask of you,\u201d said he, \u201cand which I beg you not to\nrefuse, is to accommodate yourselves as well as you can with my\nclothes between you, and to let me have yours; and then to save\nyourselves at such a distance, that the king, your father, may never\nagain even hear your names mentioned.\u201d\n\nThe princes at length complied with all his wishes; and after having\ngiven him both their dresses, they put on as much as he could spare\nof his clothes. Giondar then obliged them to take whatever money he\nhad about him, and departed.\n\nAfter the emir had left the princes, he passed through the wood,\nwhere he dipped their clothes in the blood of the lion, and then\ncontinued his way to the capital of the Isle of Ebony. On his\narrival, king Camaralzaman asked him if he had faithfully executed\nthe orders he had received. \u201cSire,\u201d replied Giondar, presenting\nthe bloody habits of the two princes to him, \u201cbehold the\nproofs.\u201d--\u201cInform me,\u201d said the king, \u201cin what manner they\nbehaved on suffering the punishment I ordered to be inflicted on\nthem.\u201d--\u201cThey received it, sire,\u201d answered Giondar, \u201cwith\nthe most exemplary fortitude; and with such perfect resignation to\nthe decrees of God, as fully proved the sincerity of their belief in\ntheir religion. Above all, they showed towards your majesty the\ngreatest respect, and most entire submission to your order for their\ndeaths. \u201cWe die innocent,\u201d they exclaimed, \u201cbut we do not\nmurmur at our fate. We receive our death from the hands of God, and\nwe heartily forgive the king our father. We well know he is ignorant\nof the truth!\u201d Camaralzaman was sensibly affected at the account\ngiven by Giondar. He then thought he would examine the clothes of\nhis sons, and began by feeling in the pockets of Amgiad; where he\nfound a letter, which he opened and read. No sooner did he discover,\nnot only by the handwriting, but by a small lock of hair which was\nwithin side, that it came from queen Haiatalnefous, than he\nabsolutely groaned aloud. He then, with trembling hands, examined\nthose of prince Assad, and finding there the letter of queen\nBadoura, his astonishment had such a violent and sudden effect upon\nhim, that he fainted.\n\nNever did any one show greater signs of grief than did Camaralzaman\nwhen he recovered his senses. \u201cWhat have you been guilty of, O\nbarbarous father,\u201d he exclaimed, \u201cyou have even destroyed your\nown offspring. Innocent sons! could not your sense, your modesty,\nyour obedience, your entire submission to his wishes, nor even your\nvirtues, defend you from his rage? Blind misguided parent, do you\nthink that the earth ought even to bear you after so execrable a\ncrime? I have brought this abomination on myself; and it is the\npunishment which God has inflicted upon me for not persevering in my\nhatred against women, which I possessed from my very birth. I will\nnot, ye detestable women, wash away your crime with your blood; no,\nyou are not even worthy of my anger: but may heaven itself pour\ndestruction on my head if ever I see you again!\u201d\n\nThe king kept his oath most religiously. He ordered, on the very\nsame day, the two queens to be each conveyed to a separate\napartment, where they always remained well guarded; and, during the\nrest of his life he never went near them.\n\nWhile Camaralzaman was thus afflicting himself for the loss of the\nprinces, his sons, of which he was himself the cause by his too\nprecipitate conduct, the two princes wandered about the most desert\nplaces; endeavouring to avoid every trace of human habitations, for\nfear of meeting with any living being. They supported themselves\nupon herbs and wild fruits, and drank only bad rain water, which\nthey found in the excavations and holes of rocks. And when night\napproached, they slept only by turns, in order to guard against wild\nbeasts.\n\nAt the end of about a month, they came to the foot of a dreadfully\nsteep mountain, composed entirely of a sort of black stone, and, as\nit appeared to them, quite inaccessible. At. length, however, they\nperceived a path; but they found it so narrow and difficult, that\nthey durst not attempt to pursue it. Through the hopes of\ndiscovering another less rugged and steep, they kept coasting, as it\nwere, round the foot of the mountain, for about five days. All the\ntrouble, however, that they took, was to no purpose; and, they were\ncompelled to return to the same path they had at first neglected. It\nappeared to them so absolutely impracticable, that they took a long\ntime to consult whether they should attempt to ascend it or not.\nThey, at last, encouraged each other, and began to mount.\n\nThe farther they advanced the higher and steeper the mountain seemed\nto be; and they were more than once tempted to abandon their\nenterprise. As soon as either perceived that the other was tired, he\nstopped; and they took breath together. Sometimes they were both so\nfatigued, that all their strength failed them; they then gave up all\nthoughts of proceeding, and expected to die through weariness, and\nthe consequences of exertion. Then again in a little time, as their\nstrength returned, they acquired fresh courage, animated each other,\nand resumed their way.\n\nIn spite, however, of all their diligence, their perseverance, and\ntheir exertions, they were unable to reach the summit while it was\nday. Night overtook them, and prince Assad found himself so fatigued\nand worn out, that he suddenly stopped. \u201cMy dear brother,\u201d he\nsaid to Amgiad, \u201cI can go no farther; but must die in this\nspot.\u201d--\u201cLet us rest ourselves here,\u201d replied Amgiad, stopping\nat the same time, \u201cas long as you please, and get fresh courage\nand strength. You may observe, that we have not much farther to\nascend; and the moon will favor our progress.\u201d\n\nAfter having rested for above half an hour, Assad made a fresh\neffort; and they arrived at the summit of the mountain, where they\nagain sat down for some time. Amgiad was the first to rise, and\ngoing a little forward, he observed a tree at a short distance. He\nwent up, and found it to be a pomegranate-tree, the branches of\nwhich were almost borne down with the weight of the fruit. A\nfountain, or small stream, also washed the foot of the tree. He\ninstantly ran to inform Assad of this good news, and led him to the\nborder of the fountain under the tree. They refreshed themselves\nvery much by eating a pomegranate, and then fell asleep.\n\nThe next morning when the princes awoke, Amgiad said to Assad,\n\u201cLet us proceed, brother, on our way; I see this mountain is much\nless rugged and steep on this side than it was on the other, and we\nhave now only to descend.\u201d Assad, however, was so fatigued with\nthe labors of the preceding day, that it required at least three\ndays for him entirely to recover. They passed this time in\nconversation, as they had done on similar occasions; all their\ndiscourse, however, constantly related to the excessive and\nunnatural passions of their mothers, which had reduced them to so\ndeplorable a state. \u201cBut,\u201d said they, \u201cif God has declared\nhimself in our favor in so evident a manner, we ought to bear our\nmisfortunes with patience, and to console ourselves with the hope\nthat they will be one day at an end.\u201d\n\nThe three days passed away, and the brothers then pursued their\njourney. As the mountain on this side did not form one regular\ndescent, but was broken by some considerable surface of even ground\nseveral times before they could arrive at its base, it took them\nfive days to reach the plain. They at length discovered a large\ncity, the sight of which exceedingly delighted them, \u201cDo you not\nthink, my brother,\u201d said Amgiad to Assad, \u201cthat it would be\nbetter for you to remain in some place without the town, where, on\nmy return, I shall be able to find you, while I go and learn in what\ncountry we are, what is the name of the place, and what language is\nspoken there? When I come back, too, I will bring some fresh\nprovisions with me. It is, therefore, I think, much the best that we\ndo not go together, in case there should be any danger.\u201d--\u201cI\nhighly approve of your opinion,\u201d replied Assad, \u201cit is both\nprudent and wise; but, my dear brother, if one of us must separate\nhimself from the other for this purpose, I will never suffer you to\nbe the person; you must permit me to undertake it. What agony should\nI not endure, were any accident to happen to you!\u201d--\u201cBut,\nbrother,\u201d answered Amgiad, \u201cought not I to fear the very same\nthing on your account which you do for me? I entreat you, therefore,\nto suffer me to go; and do you wait patiently for me in this\nplace.\u201d--\u201cI will never permit it,\u201d said Assad, \u201cand if any\nthing should happen to me, I shall, at least, have the consolation\nof knowing that you are in safety.\u201d Amgiad was at length obliged\nto consent, and he sat down under some trees at the foot of the\nmountain.\n\nPrince Assad took some money out of the purse, of which Amgiad had\nthe charge, and continued his journey to the town. He had not walked\nfar in the first street he came to, before he met with a venerable\nlooking old man, well dressed, and with a cane in his hand. As he\ndid not doubt but that he was a person of some consequence, and,\ntherefore, one not likely to deceive him, he accosted him. \u201cI\nshall be much obliged to you, sir,\u201d said Assad, \u201cif you will\ninform me which is the way to the market-place.\u201d\n\nThe old man looked at the prince with a smiling countenance, and\nsaid to him, \u201cMy son, you seem to be a stranger; otherwise surely\nyou would not put that question to me.\u201d--\u201cYes, sir,\u201d replied\nAssad, \u201cI am indeed a stranger.\u201d--\u201cYou are welcome,\u201d added\nthe old man, \u201cand our country ought to esteem itself highly\nhonored, that a young man of such an appearance as yours, takes the\ntrouble to come and visit it. Pray inform me what business takes you\nto the public market-place?\u201d--\u201cSir,\u201d replied Assad, \u201cit is\nnear two months since my brother and I set out from a very distant\ncountry. We have been all this time on our journey, and arrived here\nonly yesterday. My brother was so much fatigued with the length of\nthe way, that he remains at the bottom of the mountain, while I am\ncome to inquire about, and purchase some provisions for us both.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou could not possibly have arrived, my son,\u201d replied the old\nman, \u201cmore opportunely, and I heartily rejoice at it, from my\nregard for you and your brother. I have this very day given a great\nentertainment to many of my friends, and there is a great quantity\nof provisions left untouched by any one. Come home, therefore, with\nme, and I will give you abundance to eat, and when you shall have\nsatisfied yourself, I will add as much more as will be sufficient\nfor yourself and brother for many days. You have no occasion,\ntherefore, to take the trouble of going and spending your money in\nthe market; travellers, you know, have seldom too much. Besides,\nwhile you are satisfying your hunger, I will inform you of all the\npeculiarities and customs of our city, which I am better able to do\nthan most people. A person like me, who has been invested with all\nthe most honorable offices with distinction and credit to himself,\nought not to be ignorant of them. You may, indeed, think yourself\nparticularly fortunate in having addressing yourself to me, in\npreference to any other person; for I am truly sorry to say, that\nall our inhabitants are not like myself; some of them, I assure you,\nare very wicked. Come then, and I will show you the difference\nbetween an honest man, as I am, and those who boast of their\ncharacter without possessing any qualification to entitle them to a\ngood one.\u201d--\u201cI am infinitely obliged to you,\u201d answered prince\nAssad, \u201cfor the kindness and good intentions you express for me. I\nput myself entirely under your protection, and am ready to go\nwherever you please.\u201d\n\nThe old man continued walking on, with the prince by his side,\nlaughing in his sleeve all the time; and for fear Assad should\nperceive it, he conversed with him on many subjects, that he might\ncontinue to have the same good opinion of him he at first had\nformed. Among other things, he said, \u201cI must confess to you, that\nit is a fortunate circumstance, that you addressed me in preference\nto any other person. I thank God that I have met you; you will know\nwhy I say this so earnestly when you have got to my house.\u201d\n\nThe old man at length arrived at home, and introduced Assad into a\nlarge room, where he saw forty old men, sitting in a circle, round a\nlighted fire, to which they were paying their adorations. Prince\nAssad felt not less horror at thus seeing human beings, so far\ndeprived of their reason, as to offer that reverence to the creature\nin preference to the Creator, than he experienced fear at seeing\nhimself so deceived, and in such an abominable and wicked place.\n\nWhile the prince stood quite motionless in the spot where he was,\nthe artful old man, who had brought him, saluted the other forty.\n\u201cFervent and devout adorers of fire,\u201d said he to them, \u201cthis\nis a most happy day for us. Where is Gazban?\u201d added he, \u201clet him\ncome in.\u201d As these words were spoken in a loud tone of voice, a\nblack who heard them, without the room, immediately made his\nappearance. This black, who was in fact Gasban, no sooner perceived\nthe disconsolate Assad, than he understood for what purpose he was\ncalled. He ran towards him, and with a blow that he gave him,\nknocked him down; he then bound his arms with the most surprising\nquickness. He had no sooner done this, than the old man called out,\n\u201cCarry him below, and do not fail to tell my daughters, Bostana\nand Cavama, to take particular care, and give him enough of the\nbastinado every day, with only one piece of bread night and morning\nfor him to subsist upon. This will be quite enough for his mere\nexistence till the departure of the vessel for the blue sea, and the\nmountain of fire; we will offer him as a most acceptable sacrifice\nto our divinity.\u201d\n\nThe old man had no sooner given these cruel orders, that Gazban\nseized Assad in the most rough and brutal manner, and made him go\ndown under the room, and after leading him through several doors,\nthey came to a dungeon, into which they descended by twenty steps,\nand in which the black fastened him by his legs to a large and very\nheavy chain. As soon as he had done this, Gazban went to inform the\nold man\u2019s daughters; their father had, however, already spoken to\nthem himself. \u201cMy daughters,\u201d he said to them, \u201cgo down below,\nand bestow the bastinado in the manner you know that every\nmussulman, whom I make captive, ought to receive it; and do not\nspare him. You cannot, by any better means, evince, that you are\ntrue worshippers of fire.\u201d\n\nBostana and Cavama, having been brought up with the greatest\ndetestation of all mussulmen, accepted this office with joy. They\nimmediately went down to the dungeon, and having stripped Assad,\nthey beat him so inhumanly, that he was covered with blood, and at\nlast fainted. After this merciless action, they placed a piece of\nbread and a jar of water by his side, and left him. It was a long\ntime before the prince returned to his senses, and he then only shed\ntorrents of tears, in deploring his miserable fate; consoling\nhimself, however, with the idea, that this misfortune had not\nhappened to his brother Amgiad.\n\nIn the mean time, prince Amgiad waited for his brother at the foot\nof the mountain till sun-set with the greatest impatience. When he\nfound, that one, two, three, and even four hours of the night were\ngone, and that Assad did not make his appearance, he began to be in\nthe greatest agitation, and even despair. He passed the night in\nthis most distressing and anxious state, and as soon as day\nappeared, he set out towards the town. He was at first very much\nastonished at seeing so few mussulmen. He stopped the first he met,\nand asked him what was the name of the place. He was informed, it\nwas called the city of the Magi, because the Magi, who were\nidolaters of fire, resided in great numbers in it, and that there\nwere very few mussulmen. He inquired also how far they reckoned it\nto the Isle of Ebony; when he was told for answer, that by sea it\nwas about four months voyage, and a year\u2019s journey by land. The\nperson, to whom he had addressed himself, after having satisfied him\nin these particulars, abruptly left him, and continued his road, as\nhe was in haste.\n\nAmgiad, who had not been more than six weeks in coming from the Isle\nof Ebony with his brother Assad, could not comprehend how they had\ncome so far in so short a time, unless it were by enchantment, or\nthat the road over the mountain which they had traversed was much\nshorter, though not at all frequented, on account of its difficulty\nand danger. In walking about the town, he stopped at the shop of a\ntailor, whom, by his dress, he knew to be a mussulman, as he had\nalso known the former person whom he had accosted. After having made\nhis compliments to him, he sat down and informed him of the cause of\nthe great distress he was in.\n\nWhen prince Amgiad had finished, the tailor said to him, \u201cIf your\nbrother has fallen into the hands of any one of the Magi, you may\nmake up your mind never to see him again. He is gone past recovery;\nand I advise you to console yourself, and only to endeavour to\npreserve yourself from the same disgraceful fate. To assist you in\nthis, you may, if you please, remain with me; and I will inform you\nof all the cunning and artful tricks of the Magi, in order that you\nmay be upon your guard against them, when you go out.\u201d Amgiad was\ngreatly afflicted at the loss of his brother. He accepted the\ntailor\u2019s offer, and thanked him a thousand times for the kindness\nhe showed him.\n\nThis prince did not go out of the house for a whole month except in\ncompany with the tailor. At the end of this time he risked going\nalone to the bath. As he returned, he passed through a street, where\nhe did not see a single person, except a lady whom he met, and who\ncame up to him.\n\nThis lady, observing him to be a handsome and well-made young man,\nand fresh from the bath, lifted up her veil, and asked him with a\nsmiling countenance where he was going; casting at the same time a\nmost enticing glance on him. Amgiad was unable to resist the\nappearance of so many charms, and in reply said, \u201cI am going to my\nown house, or to yours, whichever you like best.\u201d--\u201cSir,\u201d\nanswered the lady, with an engaging smile, \u201cladies of my rank and\ndisposition never carry men home with them, they only accompany them\nto their houses.\u201d\n\nAmgiad was in the greatest embarrassment at this answer, which he\ndid not in the least expect. He was afraid of taking the liberty to\ncarry her to the house of his host, who would be much scandalized at\nit, and he should thus run the risk also of losing his protection,\nwhich was so necessary in a town where so many precautions were to\nbe taken. The little experience, also, he had in the town, made him\nignorant of any place to which he might carry her; he could not,\nhowever, resolve to let his good fortune escape him. In this\nuncertain state he determined to leave every thing to chance; and\nwithout answering the lady a word, he went on, and she followed him.\n\nPrince Amgiad walked on for a long time from street to street, from\none cross way to another, and from square to square. They were at\nlast both greatly fatigued with walking so much, when they came down\na street, which was terminated by a large door, belonging to a house\nof considerable appearance, with a bench, or seat, on each side of\nit. Amgiad sat down on one to take breath, and the lady, even more\ntired than he, sat down on the other.\n\n\u201cIs this your house?\u201d said she to prince Amgiad, as soon as he\nwas seated.--\u201cYou see it is, madam,\u201d replied the prince.--\u201cWhy\ndo you not then open the door?\u201d added she, \u201cWhat do you wait\nfor?\u201d--\u201cMy charming creature,\u201d answered Amgiad, \u201cit is\nbecause I have not the key. I left it with my slave, to whom I gave\nsome commission; and he is not yet returned from executing it. And\nas I ordered him after that to go and purchase some provisions for a\ngood dinner, I am afraid that we shall have to wait a considerable\ntime.\u201d\n\nThe difficulty in which the prince found himself in thus endeavoring\nto complete his adventure, began to damp his passion, and make him\nrepent of his enterprise. He therefore made use of that evasive\npretence, in hopes that the lady would take offence at it, and in\nher anger would leave him, to go and seek her fortune in some other\nplace; but he was mistaken. \u201cWhat an impertinent slave is\nyours,\u201d said she, \u201cto make you wait thus; I will chastise him\nmyself as he deserves, if you do not punish him well when he comes\nback. It is not indeed quite the thing for me to remain here alone\nat the door with a man.\u201d Having said this, she got up, and took a\nlarge stone, in order to break the lock, which, according to the\ncustom of that country, was made of wood, and not very strong.\n\nAmgiad knew not what to do, nor how to prevent her intention.\n\u201cMadam,\u201d he cried, \u201cwhat are you going to do? Do me the favor\nto have a little more patience.\u201d--\u201cWhat are you afraid of?\u201d\nsaid she. \u201cIs not the house your own? There is no great harm in\nbreaking a wooden lock; and its place is easily supplied.\u201d She\nthen broke the lock; and as soon as the door was open, she entered\nand walked on before. When the prince saw the house broken open, he\ngave himself up for lost. He hesitated whether he should go in, or\nendeavour to make his escape in order to free himself from a danger\nwhich seemed to him to be almost inevitable: and he was on the point\nof determining upon the latter plan, when the lady came back and\nfound he was not going in. \u201cWhat are you about,\u201d she said,\n\u201cthat you do not come into your own house?\u201d--\u201cI am looking,\nmadam,\u201d he answered, \u201cto see if my slave is returning; because I\nam afraid we shall find nothing ready.\u201d--\u201cCome, come,\u201d added\nshe, \u201cwe can wait much better within, than standing here in\nexpectation of his arrival.\u201d\n\nThe prince, though much against his will, then went into a very\nlarge and handsome paved court. From this they ascended by a few\nsteps to a grand vestibule, where both he and the lady perceived a\nlarge open room handsomely furnished, and one table set out with\nnumerous excellent dishes; another, covered with a variety of fine\nfruits; and a sideboard, well supplied with wine. When Amgiad saw\nthese preparations, he no longer doubted that his destruction was\nnear at hand. \u201cIt is all over with you, poor Amgiad,\u201d said he to\nhimself: \u201cyou will not long survive your dear brother Assad.\u201d\nThe lady, on the contrary, was delighted with this agreeable sight.\n\u201cWhat, sir!\u201d she cried, \u201cyou were fearful that nothing was\nready; and you may now perceive, that your slave has even exceeded\nhis orders, and done more than you thought? But, if I do not deceive\nmyself, these preparations are for some other lady, and not intended\nfor me. Well, never mind; let her come; I promise you, not to be\njealous at it. The only favor that I ask of you is, that you will\nsuffer me to wait upon you both.\u201d\n\nAmgiad could not help laughing at the pleasantry of the lady,\nnotwithstanding the melancholy and painful sensations he felt.\n\u201cMadam,\u201d said he, totally absorbed in the afflicting reflections\nthat preyed upon his mind, \u201cI assure you, that you are much\nmistaken in your conjectures: this is only my common fare.\u201d As he\ncould not resolve to sit down at a table that had not been prepared\nfor him, he was going to a sofa, but the lady prevented him. \u201cWhat\nare you about?\u201d she cried; \u201cafter having gone into the bath, you\nought to be almost famished with hunger. Come, let us sit down at\nthe table, and eat and enjoy ourselves.\u201d\n\nThe prince was obliged to do as the lady liked. They therefore sat\ndown, and began to eat. After the first mouthful or two, she took a\nbottle and glass, and poured out some wine. She drank the first\nglass to the health of Amgiad. Having done this, she filled the same\nglass again, and presented it to the prince, who did the same.\n\nThe more he reflected upon the adventure, the more astonished was he\nat finding not only that the master of the house did not make his\nappearance, but that not a single domestic was to be discovered,\nalthough the house itself was so handsome, and so richly furnished.\n\u201cMy happiness and good fortune will be extraordinary indeed,\u201d\nsaid he to himself, \u201cif the master should not make his appearance\nat all, and I should safely get out of this intrigue.\u201d While these\nthoughts continued to be uppermost in his mind, as well as others of\na more distressing nature, the lady continued to eat and to drink,\nfrom time to time obliging him also to do the same. They were\nalready come to the fruit, when the master of the house arrived.\n\nIt was, in fact, the master of the horse to the king of the Magi,\nand whose name was Bahadar. This house belonged to him, but he had\nanother, in which he commonly lived. He only made use of this, to\nreceive three or four chosen friends in, and for this purpose every\nthing was brought from his other; and this was exactly what had been\ndone that day by some of his people, who had left it only a few\nmoments before Amgiad and the lady came there.\n\nBahadar himself arrived without any attendants, and in disguise, as\nwas his usual custom, and he came rather before the time on which he\nhad appointed to meet his friends. He was not a little surprised at\nfinding the door of his house forced open. He went in, therefore,\nwithout making any noise; and as he heard some people talking and\nenjoying themselves in the eating room, he crept round by the wall,\nand put his head half into the room, to see who they were. And as he\nobserved only a young man and a female, who were eating at the\ntable, which had been prepared for himself and his friends, and that\nthe mischief they had done was not so great as he expected, he\nresolved to divert himself with them.\n\nThe lady, who had her back turned towards the door, did not perceive\nBahadar; but Amgiad saw him the very first instant, while he was in\nthe act of drinking. At sight of him, he instantly changed colour,\nand fixed his eyes upon Bahadar, who made him a sign not to say a\nword, but to come and speak to him. Amgiad drank his glass, and got\nup. \u201cWhere are you going?\u201d inquired the lady. \u201cRemain here a\nmoment, I beg of you, madam,\u201d replied he, \u201cI will be back\ninstantly: a trifling business obliges me to go out.\u201d The prince\nfound Bahadar waiting for him in the vestibule; and they both went\ndown into the court, that the lady might not hear their conversation.\n\nWhen they were got into the court, Bahadar asked the prince by what\nmeans he came with the lady to his house; and why he had forced the\ndoor? \u201cSir,\u201d replied Amgiad, \u201cI must in your eyes appear very\nmuch to blame: but if you will have the patience to hear my story, I\nhope you will be convinced of my innocence.\u201d He then went on, and\nrelated to Bahadar, in a few words, every thing as it exactly was,\nwithout disguising a single circumstance: and to prove to him that\nhe was unable to commit so disgraceful an action as that of breaking\nopen a house, he did not even conceal from him that he was a prince,\nor his motives for coming to the city of the Magi.\n\nBahadar, who was passionately fond of foreigners, was highly\ndelighted at having an opportunity of obliging one of so high a rank\nand illustrious a quality as Amgiad. In fact, his air, his manners,\nhis chosen and correct conversation, left no doubt of the perfect\ntruth of his account. \u201cPrince,\u201d said he, \u201cI am excessively\nhappy, at thus finding an occasion of obliging you, from so\naccidental, singular, and pleasant a meeting as the present. So far\nfrom disturbing your festivity, I shall take a great pleasure in\ncontributing all in my power to your satisfaction. Before I inform\nyou any further on this subject, I must tell you, that I am master\nof the horse to the king, and that my name is Bahadar. I have\nanother house, in which I commonly live, and this is the place where\nI sometimes come to enjoy myself without any ceremony with my\nfriends. You have made your lady believe that you have a slave,\nthough in fact you have none. I will be that slave; and that I may\nnot distress you by this proposal, nor you wish to excuse yourself\nfrom having it so, I repeat again to you, that I particularly wish\nit, and you shall hereafter know my motives for this conduct.\n\n\u201cGo then, and again take your place, and continue to divert\nyourself; and when, after some time, I shall return, and shall\npresent myself before you, dressed like a slave, quarrel well with\nme, and do not be afraid even of striking me. I will attend upon you\nall the time you are at table, and even till night. You shall both\nsleep here; and to-morrow morning you shall send the lady back in\nthe most honorable manner. After this, I will endeavor to render you\nsome services of greater consequence. Go, then, and lose no time.\u201d\nAmgiad wished to make some reply, but Bahadar would not suffer it,\nand compelled him to go back directly to the lady.\n\nAmgiad had scarcely returned to the room where he had left the lady,\nthan the friends whom Bahadar had invited arrived. He requested\nthem, as a favor, to excuse him from entertaining them at that time;\ngiving them to understand, that they would approve of his conduct\nwhen they should know the cause, and which they should be informed\nof the first opportunity. They were no sooner gone, than he went\nout, and procured the habit of a slave, in which he dressed himself.\n\nThe prince rejoined the lady, highly delighted at having thus\nfortunately stumbled, as it were, upon a house belonging to a person\nof so much consequence, and one who treated him in this unpleasant\nsituation so kindly. \u201cMadam,\u201d said he, as he again sat down to\nthe table, \u201cI beg you a thousand pardons for my incivility, and\nthe bad humor in which I felt myself on account of my slave\u2019s\nabsence. The rascal shall pay for it well; I will let him see, that\nhe shall not be absent so long a time with impunity.\u201d--\u201cDo not\nlet this disturb you,\u201d replied the lady, \u201cit will only be so\nmuch the worse for him. If he commits any faults, he will suffer for\nit. Trouble yourself no more about him, but let us only think of\nenjoying ourselves.\u201d\n\nThey continued at table with much more pleasure and delight than\nbefore, because Amgiad was no longer uneasy at any consequence that\nmight have arisen from the indiscretion of the lady, who ought not\nto have forced the door, although it had even belonged to Amgiad. He\ndid not now feel himself in a worse humor than the lady herself; and\nwhile they continued to drink more than they eat, they amused\nthemselves with saying a thousand pleasant and humorous things, till\nthe arrival of Bahadar, in his disguise.\n\nHe came in like a slave, who was much mortified at finding his\nmaster with company before he returned. He immediately threw himself\nat his feet, and kissing the ground, begged his pardon for being so\nlate. And when he got up, he stood still with his hands crossed, and\nhis eyes cast down, waiting for what he was commanded to do.\n\u201cImpudent fellow,\u201d cried Amgiad, in a tone and manner of voice\nas if he were in a great passion, \u201ctell me, if there is in the\nwhole world a worse slave than yourself? Where have you been? What\nhave you been about, not to come back till this time of\nday?\u201d--\u201cMy lord,\u201d replied Bahadar, \u201cI entreat your pardon; I\nam now come from executing the orders you gave me; and I did not\nthink you would return so early.\u201d \u201cYou are a rascal,\u201d said the\nprince, \u201cand I will give you a good beating, to teach you not to\ntell falsehoods, and be so negligent of your duty.\u201d He then got\nup, took a stick, and gave him three or four very slight blows,\nafter which he returned to the table.\n\nThe lady, however, was not satisfied with this trifling punishment.\nShe got up in her turn, and taking the stick, she beat Bahadar so\nunmercifully, that the tears came into his eyes. Amgiad was\nexcessively hurt at the liberty which she allowed herself; and the\nmanner in which she had treated one of the first officers of the\nking. He kept calling out that she had beaten him quite enough, but\nshe nevertheless went on striking him. \u201cLet me alone,\u201d she\ncried, \u201cI wish to satisfy myself, and teach him not to be absent\nso long another time.\u201d She continued to beat him with so much\nviolence, that Amgiad was forced to get up, and take the stick out\nof her hands; which he had some difficulty in doing. When she found\nshe could not longer beat him, she sat down in her place, and kept\nsaying a thousand abusive things to him.\n\nBahadar dried his tears, and remained standing behind them to pour\nout their wine. As soon as he saw that they had finished both eating\nand drinking, he took away all the things, cleaned out the room, put\nevery thing in its proper place; and when night came on, he lighted\nup the candles. Every time that he went out, or came in, the lady\ndid not fail to scold at, threaten, and abuse him; all of which was\ndone to the great discontent of Amgiad, who would willingly have\nprevented her, but was afraid of saying a word. When it was the\nproper time to retire to rest, Bahadar prepared a bed for them upon\nthe sofa, and then went to another apartment, where he, in a very\nshort time, fell asleep through the great fatigue he had undergone.\n\nAmgiad and the lady continued in conversation for at least half an\nhour longer; and before they retired to rest, the latter having\noccasion to pass through the vestibule, heard Bahadar, who was\nalready fast asleep, snore very loud. As she had observed that there\nwas a scimitar hanging up in the room where they had been feasting,\nshe went back and said to Amgiad, \u201cI beg of you to do one thing\nfor love of me.\u201d--\u201cWhat can I do to serve you?\u201d replied the\nprince.--\u201cOblige me, by taking this scimitar,\u201d added she, \u201cand\ngo and cut off the head of your slave.\u201d\n\nThis proposal excited the greatest astonishment in the prince; and\nhe had no doubt, but that the quantity of wine she had drank was the\ncause of it. \u201cMadam,\u201d he replied, \u201clet us not regard my slave;\nhe is not worthy of your thoughts: I have punished him, and so have\nyou also; let this be sufficient. Besides, I am very well satisfied\nwith him upon the whole, as he is not in general accustomed to be\nguilty of these faults.\u201d--\u201cThat is of no consequence to me,\u201d\nreplied the enraged female, \u201cI wish the rascal dead, and if he is\nnot to be killed by your hands, he shall by mine.\u201d Having said\nthis, she took up the scimitar, drew it from the scabbard, and ran\nout, to put her diabolical design in execution.\n\nAmgiad followed and overtook her in the vestibule, \u201cYou must be\nsatisfied, madam,\u201d he cried, \u201csince you insist upon it. I am,\nhowever, determined, that no one but myself shall kill my slave.\u201d\nAs soon as she had given him the scimitar, he said, \u201cFollow me,\nand do not make any noise for fear of waking him.\u201d They went into\nthe chamber where Bahadar was; but, instead of aiming the blow at\nhim, Amgiad directed it at the lady, whose head fell upon Bahadar.\nIf the noise made by the action of cutting off the lady\u2019s head\nwould not have disturbed his sleep, the head itself gave him a\nsufficient blow to rouse him. Astonished at seeing Amgiad standing\nby him with the bloody scimitar in his hand, and the headless body\nof the female upon the ground, Bahadar eagerly inquired the meaning\nof all this. The prince related every thing to him exactly as it had\npassed, and in conclusion, he added, \u201cTo prevent this enraged\ncreature from taking your life, I could discover no other sure\nmethod than destroying her own.\u201d\n\n\u201cSir,\u201d replied Bahadar, impressed with the greatest gratitude,\n\u201cpersons of your rank and generous character are not capable of\ngiving aid to any actions of so wicked a nature. You are my\npreserver, and I cannot sufficiently thank you.\u201d So great was his\nsense of the obligation, that he instantly embraced him. \u201cBefore\nthe day breaks,\u201d said he, \u201cthis body must be carried out. I will\nundertake to do this.\u201d Amgiad, however, opposed it: and said that\nhe would take that charge upon himself, as he had been the cause of\nher death. \u201cA stranger in this place, like you, will not be so\nwell able to manage it,\u201d replied Bahadar. \u201cLeave it to me, and\ndo you retire to rest. If I do not return before day-break, you may\nbe assured that the watch has surprised me. For fear this should\nhappen, I will now make over to you, in writing, this house, and all\nit contains, and you may live here at your ease.\u201d\n\nAs soon as Bahadar had written what was sufficient to transfer the\nhouse to Amgiad, and had put this deed of gift into his hands, he\ntook the lady\u2019s body and head, and inclosed them in a sack. He\nthen threw it across his shoulders, and walked along, from street to\nstreet, towards the sea. He had not, however, proceeded very far,\nbefore he encountered the officer of the police, who was going his\nrounds in person. His attendants stopped Bahadar, and, opening the\nsack, discovered the body and head of the murdered lady. The\nmagistrate, who knew the master of the horse notwithstanding his\ndisguise, carried him home with him; as he durst not put a person of\nhis high rank and dignity to death, without acquainting the king\nwith it. The next morning, therefore, he took Bahadar into the royal\npresence. The king had no sooner been informed, from the report of\nthe officer, of this cruel action, which, as appeared from all the\ncircumstances, Bahadar had been guilty of, than he loaded him with\nabuse. \u201cIs this the way,\u201d he cried, \u201cthat you murder my\nsubjects, in order to plunder them, and then throw their bodies into\nthe sea, to prevent the discovery of your tyranny? Let them be freed\nfrom such a monster, and hang him.\u201d\n\nNotwithstanding the conscious innocence of Bahadar, he received the\nsentence of death with perfect resignation, and said not a word in\nhis own justification. The judge reconducted him to prison, and\nwhile the gibbet was preparing, he sent criers to publish in all the\nquarters of the city, the justice, which was going to be executed at\nnoon, on the grand master of the horse, for having committed murder.\n\nPrince Amgiad, who ineffectually waited for Bahadar, was in\ninexpressible consternation, when he heard the crier proclaiming\nthis sentence from the house in which he was. \u201cIf any one is to\ndie for the death of so wicked a woman,\u201d said he to himself, \u201cit\nis not Bahadar who should suffer, but myself; and I cannot bear that\nthe innocent should be punished for the guilty.\u201d Without further\ndeliberation, he went immediately to the spot, where the execution\nwas to take place; and mingled with the crowd, which was collecting\nfrom all parts.\n\nAs soon as Amgiad saw the judge make his appearance, leading Bahadar\nto the gibbet, he went and presented himself before him: \u201cMy\nlord,\u201d said he, \u201cI come to declare to you, and assure you, that\nthe master of the horse, whom you are going to lead to execution, is\nquite innocent of the death of the lady for which he is to suffer.\nIt was I who committed this crime, if a crime indeed it can be\ncalled, to deprive a detestable woman of life, who was on the point\nof murdering the master of the horse; the thing happened thus.\u201d\n\nWhen prince Amgiad had informed the judge of the manner in which the\nlady had accosted him on his coming out of the bath; of her being\nthe cause of his breaking into the house of Bahadar, and of all that\nhad passed, until he found himself obliged to cut off her head to\nsave the life of Bahadar, the judge suspended the execution, and\ntook them both before the king.\n\nThe monarch desired to be informed of the whole affair by Amgiad\nhimself; and in order to exculpate himself, as well as the master of\nthe horse the better, he took advantage of the opportunity to relate\nthe whole of his history, together with that of prince Assad, his\nbrother, from the beginning up to the present time.\n\nWhen the prince had concluded his narrative, the king said to him,\n\u201cI am very much pleased, prince, that this affair has afforded me\nthe opportunity of becoming acquainted with you: I not only grant\nyou your life and pardon, together with that of the master of the\nhorse, whose good intention towards you I commend and admire, and\nwhom I re-establish in his office; but I also confer on you the\ndignity of grand vizier, to console you for the unjust, although\nexcusable treatment you have experienced from the king, your father.\nAs for prince Assad, I give you free permission to exercise all the\nauthority you are invested with, to discover where he is.\u201d\n\nAfter Amgiad had thanked the king of the city of the Magi, and\nentered into his office of grand vizier, he made use of every method\nhe could devise to find the prince, his brother. He proclaimed, by\nmeans of the public criers, in all quarters of the city, the promise\nof a considerable reward to any one who should bring Assad to him,\nor even give him information where he might be found. He employed\npeople to make inquiries in all parts; but notwithstanding all his\nresearches, he could obtain no intelligence of him.\n\nAssad, in the mean time, was constantly chained down in the dungeon,\nwhere he had been confined through the artifice of the old man; and\nBostana and Cavama, his daughters, continued to treat him in the\nsame cruel and inhuman manner. The solemn festival of the idolaters\nof fire drew near: the vessel, which usually sailed to the mountain\nof fire, was equipped for that purpose, and a captain, named Behram,\nwho was a zealous promoter of the religion of the Magi, undertook to\nlade it with merchandise. When it was ready to put to sea, Behram\ncontrived for Assad to be placed in a case half full of merchandise,\nleaving sufficient space between the planks to admit air for him to\nbreathe; and then had the case let down into the hold of the ship.\n\nBefore the vessel set sail, the grand vizier Amgiad, who had been\ninformed that the worshippers of fire made it an annual custom to\nsacrifice a mussulman on the fiery mountain, and that Assad, who had\nprobably fallen into their hands, might be the destined victim of\nthis bloody ceremony, wished to inspect the vessel. He went in\nperson, and ordered all the seamen and passengers to come on deck,\nwhile his people searched the vessel; but Assad was too well\nconcealed to be discovered.\n\nThe search being concluded, the ship left the harbour, and when it\nwas in the open sea, Behram took Assad out of his case, but kept him\nconfined by a chain; fearing, that as he was not ignorant of the\nfate to which he was destined, he might, in despair, throw himself\nheadlong into the sea.\n\nAfter some days sail, the wind, which had hitherto been favorable,\nbecame suddenly contrary; and increased to such a violent degree,\nthat it at length terminated in a furious tempest. The vessel not\nonly lost its track, but Behram and the pilot did not know where\nthey were; and were fearful every moment of dashing on a rock, and\ngoing to pieces. During the height of the storm, they discovered\nland, and Behram knew it to be the situation of the harbour and\ncapital of queen Margiana, which occasioned him great vexation and\nsorrow.\n\nThe fact was, that queen Margiana, who was a mussulman, professed a\nmortal enmity to the idolaters of fire. She not only did not\ntolerate one in her dominions, but she would not even suffer any of\ntheir vessels to come into her port.\n\nIt was, however, totally out of the power of Behram to avoid making\nfor the harbour of this city, unless he had exposed himself to the\ndanger of being cast away on the dangerous rocks which lined the\nshore. In this extremity, he held a council with his pilot and\nseamen: \u201cMy lads,\u201d said he, \u201cyou see the necessity we are\nreduced to. Of two things we must choose one; we must either be\nswallowed up by the waves, or take refuge with queen Margiana; but\nyou well know her implacable hatred to our religion, and to all who\nprofess it. She will not fail to seize our ship, and condemn us all\nto death, without mercy. I see but one remedy, which may perhaps\nsucceed. I propose, that we take off the chains from the mussulman\nwho is with us, and dress him as a slave. When queen Margiana sends\nfor me to appear before her, and asks me what I trade in, I will\ntell her that I am a merchant who sells slaves, that I have sold all\nI had, with the exception of one only, whom I have reserved for\nmyself, as a sort of secretary, because he can read and write. She\nwill desire to see him; and as he is well-looking, and moreover is\nof her religion, she will be moved with compassion for him, and\nwill, no doubt, propose to purchase him of me, on condition,\nhowever, that we shall remain in her harbour until the weather is\nfair. If you can mention a better plan, speak, and I will hear\nyou.\u201d The pilot and seamen applauded it very much, and it was put\nin practice.\n\nBehram ordered prince Assad\u2019s chains to be taken off; and had him\nneatly dressed as a slave who was in the office of writer, or\nsecretary, to his ship, in which character he wished him to appear\nbefore the queen. Assad was scarcely dressed and prepared for his\npart, when the vessel entered the harbour, and cast anchor. As soon\nas queen Margiana, whose palace was situated near the sea, so that\nthe garden extended along the shore, had perceived the ship at\nanchor in the port, she sent to the captain to come to her; and,\nthat she might the sooner gratify her curiosity, she went to meet\nhim in the garden.\n\nBehram, who expected this summons, went on shore with prince Assad,\nhaving first exacted a promise from him, of confirming what he\nshould say of his being a slave and secretary to the ship; they were\nconducted before the queen, and Behram, throwing himself at her\nfeet, described to her the necessity he had been under of taking\nrefuge in her harbour; he then told her, that he was a merchant\ndealing in slaves, and that Assad, whom he had brought with him, was\nthe only one remaining; but that he kept him for himself in the\ncapacity of secretary.\n\nMargiana had felt a predilection for Assad from the first moment she\ncast her eyes on him; and she was delighted to hear that he was a\nslave. Determined, therefore, to purchase him at whatever price, she\nasked Assad his name. \u201cGreat queen,\u201d replied he, with tears in\nhis eyes, \u201cDoes your majesty wish to know the name I formerly\nbore, or that by which I am now called?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat, have you two names?\u201d inquired the queen. \u201cAlas!\u201d\nresumed the prince, \u201cI have indeed; I was formerly called Assad,\nor the most happy, but my name now is Motar, or one destined for\nsacrifice.\u201d\n\nMargiana, who could not understand the true meaning of this reply,\nsupposed he applied it to his present state of slavery; and at the\nsame time discovered he had a ready wit. \u201cAs you are a\nsecretary,\u201d said she afterwards, \u201cI conclude you can write very\nwell; let me see some of your writing.\u201d Assad, who was provided\nwith an ink-horn, which was fastened to his girdle, and some paper,\nfor Behram had not forgotten these circumstances, the better to\npersuade the queen that he was in reality what she believed him to\nbe, withdrew to a little distance, and wrote the following\nsentences, which bore some relation to his miserable condition.\n\n\u201cThe blind man avoids the ditch into which the clear-sighted\nstumbles. The ignorant man elevates himself to the highest dignities\nby speeches which signify nothing; while the wise man remains\nneglected as the dust, though possessed of the greatest eloquence.\nThe mussulman is in the deepest misery, notwithstanding his riches,\nbut the infidel triumphs in the midst of his prosperity. We must not\nhope that things will change; the Almighty decrees that they should\nremain in their present state.\u201d\n\nAssad presented the paper to queen Margiana, who did not bestow less\ncommendation on the morality of the sentences, than on the beauty of\nthe writing; in short, nothing more was requisite to inflame her\nheart and make her feel unfeigned compassion for the unfortunate\nyouth. She had no sooner finished reading it, than she addressed\nherself to Behram; \u201cChoose which you will do,\u201d said she,\n\u201ceither sell me this slave or give him to me; perhaps you may find\nit most to your advantage to do the latter.\u201d Behram replied, in a\nvery insolent manner, that he had no choice to make, for that he\nwanted his slave and should therefore keep him.\n\nMargiana, irritated by this behaviour, said no more to Behram, but\ntaking Assad by the arm, made him walk before her, till they reached\nthe palace, when she sent to acquaint Behram, that she should\nconfiscate all his property, and set fire to his vessel in the\nmiddle of the harbour if he attempted to pass the night there. He\nwas obliged to return to his vessel truly mortified; and, to prepare\nwith the utmost diligence for sailing, although the tempest had not\nentirely subsided.\n\nThe queen having, on her return to the palace, ordered supper to be\ninstantly served, conducted prince Assad to her apartment, where she\nmade him sit next her. Assad wished to decline it, saying that so\ngreat an honor was not to be conferred on a slave. \u201cOn a slave!\u201d\nexclaimed the queen, \u201ca moment since and you were one, but you are\nnow no longer a slave. Sit down next me, I tell you, and relate your\nhistory to me; for I am certain, by what you wrote just now, as well\nas by the insolence of that merchant, that it must be very\nextraordinary.\u201d\n\nPrince Assad obeyed; and when he was seated, \u201cMost powerful\nqueen,\u201d said he, \u201cyour majesty is not mistaken; my history is\nindeed extraordinary, and more so perhaps than you can imagine. The\ngrief, the almost inconceivable torments I have undergone, and the\ncruel species of death to which I was destined, and from which you\nhave delivered me with truly royal generosity, will convince you of\nthe magnitude of your kind office, which will be indelibly impressed\non my memory. But before I enter on this detail, which can only\nexcite horror, you must permit me to begin from the earliest date of\nmy misfortunes.\u201d\n\nAfter this preface, which very much increased the curiosity of\nMargiana, Assad began by acquainting her of his royal birth,\ntogether with that of his brother, prince Amgiad, of their\nreciprocal friendship, of the odious passion conceived for them by\ntheir mothers-in-law, which so suddenly changed into an implacable\nhatred, and thus became the origin of their singular adventures. He\nthen told her of the anger of the king, his father, of the almost\nmiraculous manner in which their lives had been preserved, and\nlastly, of the irreparable loss he had sustained in his brother, and\nthe long and cruel imprisonment he was but just relieved from, only\nto be immolated on the fiery mountain.\n\nWhen Assad had finished his relation, Margiana, more than ever\nirritated against the idolaters of fire, said to him, \u201cPrince,\nnotwithstanding the aversion I have always felt against the\nworshippers of fire, I have nevertheless conducted myself with great\nhumanity towards them; but after the barbarous treatment you have\nexperienced from them, and their execrable design of sacrificing you\nas a victim to the object of their idolatory, I henceforth declare\nimplacable war against them.\u201d She would have indulged her\ninvectives still further on this subject, had not supper been\nserved; and she sat down to table with prince Assad, charmed with\nhis presence, and delighted to hear him; being already prejudiced in\nhis favor by a rising flame, which she purposed to take an early\nopportunity of disclosing to him. \u201cPrince,\u201d said she, \u201cyou\nmust now make up for all the fasting and bad meals which the\npitiless worshippers of fire obliged you to endure. You want\nnourishment after so many sufferings.\u201d Saying these and other\nwords of the same nature, she helped him repeatedly both to eat and\ndrink; the repast lasted a considerable time, and Assad drank some\nglasses more than he could well bear. When the table was cleared,\nAssad wished to breathe the fresh air, and took the opportunity of\ngoing out when the queen did not perceive him. He went down into the\ncourt, and seeing the gate of the garden open he entered it.\nAttracted by the various beauties of the spot, he walked about for\nsome time. He at length went towards a fountain, which formed one of\nthe principal ornaments of the garden, and washed his hands and face\nin it to refresh himself; then sitting down to rest himself on the\nlawn which bordered it, he insensibly fell asleep.\n\nNight was approaching, and Behram, who did not wish to afford\nMargiana an opportunity of executing her menaces, had already\nweighed anchor, not a little vexed at having lost Assad, and being\nthus frustrated in his hope of sacrificing his victim. He\nendeavoured, however, to console himself with the reflection that\nthe storm had ceased, and that a land-breeze favored his departure.\nAs soon as he had got out of the harbour with the assistance of his\nboat, before he drew it up into the ship, \u201cMy lads,\u201d said he to\nthe sailors who were in it, \u201cStay a little and don\u2019t come up\nyet; I am going to give you the casks to fetch water, and I will\nwait for you just off the shore.\u201d The sailors, who did not know\nwhere they should be able to procure any, excused themselves from\ngoing; but Behram, while he was speaking with the queen in the\ngarden, had remarked the fountain: \u201cGo ashore at the garden of the\npalace,\u201d said he, \u201cget over the wall, which is not breast high,\nand you will find plenty of water in the bason that is in the middle\nof the garden.\u201d\n\nThe sailors went on shore in the place described to them by Behram,\nand each having taken a cask on his shoulders, they easily got over\nthe wall. As they approached the bason, they perceived a man lying\nasleep on the bank; and when they drew nearer they discovered him to\nbe Assad. They divided into two parties; and whilst one set was\nfilling the casks as quietly, and with the greatest dispatch\npossible, the other had surrounded Assad, and watched to secure him\nin case he should wake. He did not, however, disturb them, and when\nthe casks were filled, and hoisted on the shoulders of those who\nwere to carry them, the others seized him and took him away before\nhe had time to recollect himself; they conveyed him over the wall,\nput him in the boat along with their casks, and rowed with all their\nstrength to the ship. When they had nearly reached it, they cried\nout, with repeated bursts of joy, \u201cCaptain, order your hautboys\nand your drums, we bring you back your slave.\u201d\n\nBehram, who could not conceive how his seamen had been able to find\nand retake Assad, and who could not discern him in the boat, owing\nto the darkness of the night, waited with impatience for their\ncoming on board to inquire what they meant; but when he saw the\nprince before him, he could not contain himself for joy; and without\nstaying to be informed how they had managed to succeed in so\nvaluable a capture, he put on his irons again, and ordering his boat\nto be hauled up as quickly as possible, he bent his course full sail\ntowards the mountain of fire.\n\nMargiana, in the mean time, was in the greatest alarm; she did not\nfeel uneasy at first, when she perceived the absence of prince\nAssad, as she did not doubt he would soon return, she waited\npatiently for him; but finding that after a considerable time had\nelapsed, he did not make his appearance, she began to be very\nuneasy. She commanded her women to search for him, which they did,\nbut to no purpose, and they could bring her no intelligence of him.\nNight came on, and she had him sought for with lights, but still as\nineffectually.\n\nIn the state of impatience and alarm which Margiana experienced, she\nwent herself to look for the prince by the light of flambeaux, and\nas she observed that the garden gate was open, she went in with her\nwomen, supposing he might be there. Passing near the fountain, she\nobserved a slipper on the bank, which, when examined, she, as well\nas her women, knew to be one of those worn by the prince. This\ncircumstance, added to the quantity of water spilt on the edge of\nthe bason, led her to conclude that Behram might have taken him away\nby force. She immediately sent to inquire if his ship was still in\nthe harbour; and as she was informed that he had sailed just before\nthe night came on, that he had stopped for some time off the shore,\nand that his boat had been to fetch water from her garden, she\ninstantly dispatched a messenger to the commander of ten ships of\nwar, which were always kept in port fully equipped and ready to sail\non the shortest notice, to acquaint him, that she intended to embark\nthe following day, about an hour after sun-rise.\n\nThe commander was diligent in obeying her orders; she assembled the\ncaptains and other officers, the sailors and soldiers; and every\nthing was ready by the appointed hour. She embarked, and when her\nsquadron got out to sea and was in full sail, she declared her\nintention to the commander, \u201cYou must use all expedition,\u201d said\nshe, \u201cand pursue the merchant vessel which sailed from the harbour\nyesterday evening. I give it up as your prize, if you take it; but\nif you do not succeed, your life shall be the forfeit.\u201d\n\nThe ten ships chased Behram\u2019s vessel for two whole days, without\nbeing able to get within sight of it. On the third they discovered\nit at break of day; and by noon they had surrounded it so that it\ncould not escape. The cruel Behram had no sooner perceived the ten\nvessels than he concluded it must be the squadron of queen Margiana\nin pursuit of him, and he immediately inflicted the bastinado on\nprince Assad; for he had continued that practice daily, from the\ntime he had left the city of the Magi; and he now repeated his\nchastisement with more violence than usual. He was extremely\nembarrassed, when he found he was on the point of being surrounded\non all sides. If he kept Assad, he proved himself culpable. If he\ndeprived him of life, he was fearful that some mark might remain to\ndiscover his guilt. He had him unchained, and the prince was then\nmade to go up from the hold of the ship, where he was confined, and\nappear before him. \u201cIt is thou,\u201d said he, \u201cwho art the cause\nof our being pursued,\u201d and, on saying this, he threw him into the\nsea.\n\nPrince Assad could swim very well, and made use of his hands and\nfeet with so much success, that, assisted by the waves, which bore\nhim towards the shore, he had sufficient strength to hold out till\nhe reached land. When he was in safety, the first thing he did was\nto return thanks to God for having delivered him from so great a\nperil, and again favoured his escape from the hands of the idolaters\nof fire. He then undressed himself, and having wrung the water from\nhis clothes, he spread them on a rock to dry. This was soon\neffected, as well from the heat of the sun, as from that of the\nrock, which had received considerable warmth from the power of its\nrays.\n\nHe laid down for some time, deploring his miserable fate, ignorant\nof the country in which he was, and uncertain which way to go. He\nthen took up his clothes, put them on, and without leaving the coast\nhe began to proceed, and continued walking till he came to a road,\nwhich he followed. He pursued this path or road, for ten days,\nthrough a country that seemed to be without inhabitants: and in\nwhich he found nothing but wild fruits, and a few plants along the\nbanks of the rivulets, on which he lived. He at last arrived at a\ntown, which he immediately knew to be the city of the Magi, where he\nhad been so ill used, and where his brother Amgiad was grand vizier.\nAt this he was much rejoiced; but was determined to address himself\nto no one, whom he knew to be a worshipper of fire, but only to\nspeak to mussulmen; for he remembered to have remarked a few of the\nlatter as he came into the city the first time. As it was late, and\nhe knew very well that all the shops were shut up, and that few\npeople were abroad at that hour, he resolved to go into a\nburial-place, which was close to the town, and pass the night there,\nas there were many tombs in it that were built like mausoleums. In\nlooking about he discovered one, of which the door was open. He went\nin, and determined to remain there.\n\nWe will now return to the vessel of Behram. It was not a great while\nafter he had thrown Assad into the sea, before it was surrounded on\nall sides by the fleet of Margiana. He was first boarded by the ship\nin which the queen herself was; and as he was not able to make any\nresistance, Behram at her approach hauled down his sails as a mark\nof having surrendered.\n\nMargiana immediately went on board the vessel, and asked Behram\nwhere the secretary was whom he had the audacity either to take\naway, or to make others carry him from her palace. \u201cQueen,\u201d\nreplied Behram, \u201cI swear to your majesty, that he is not on board\nmy vessel: if you will order it to be searched you will then know my\ninnocence.\u201d\n\nMargiana commanded the vessel to be searched with the greatest\npossible strictness; but he whom she was so desirous of finding, as\nmuch for the love she had for him, as from her natural goodness of\ndisposition, could not be found. She was even on the point of\nkilling Behram with her own hand; but she restrained herself, and\nwas satisfied with confiscating the vessel and all its cargo, and\nputting him and all the sailors afloat in their open boat, with the\nchance of reaching the shore. Having landed, Behram and his crew\nwent on, and happened to arrive at the city of the Magi on the very\nsame night in which Assad had taken refuge in the burial-ground, and\nretired to the tomb. As the gate of the city was shut, he was also\nobliged to have recourse to the cemetery, and to find some tomb to\nwait in, till day appeared, and the gate was again open.\n\nUnfortunately for Assad, Behram came to that in which he was. He\nwent in, and saw a man asleep, with his head wrapped in his clothes.\nThe prince awoke at the noise, and lifting up his head, demanded who\nwas there. Behram immediately recognised him: \u201cAh, ah,\u201d said he,\n\u201cis it then you, who are the cause of my being ruined for the rest\nof my life. You have escaped being sacrificed this year, but you\nshall not evade it again on the following.\u201d Having said this, he\nthrew himself upon him, put his handkerchief into his mouth, to\nprevent his calling out, and then made his sailors bind him.\n\nThe next morning, as soon as the gate of the city was open, it was\nvery easy for Behram to carry Assad back to the old man\u2019s house,\nwho had so completely deceived him by his cunning tricks; and by\ntaking him through unfrequented streets, as few people were yet\nrisen, he was sure of not being discovered. As soon as he arrived\nthere, he took him into the same dungeon from whence he had before\nbeen brought, and then went and informed the old man of the\nunfortunate cause of his return, and the bad success of his voyage.\nThe wicked wretch did not forget to impress his two daughters very\nstrongly with the necessity of ill-treating the unfortunate prince\nin a still worse manner, if possible, than before.\n\nAssad was extremely surprised at finding himself again in the same\nplace where he had already suffered so much; and in expectation of\nthe same tortures, from which he thought himself delivered for ever.\nHe wept, and was lamenting the hardness of his destiny, when he saw\nBostana enter the dungeon with a stick in her hand, a piece of\nbread, and a pitcher of water. He trembled at the sight of this\nmerciless creature, and groaned aloud when he reflected upon the\ndaily torments he was again to endure for another whole year, before\nhe was to be led to his most horrible kind of death.\n\nBostana, however, did not treat the unfortunate Assad in so cruel a\nmanner as she had done, when he was in this prison the former time.\nThe lamentations, the complaints, and the continual prayers of the\nprince to spare him, joined to his tears, were at length so\npowerful, that Bostana could not avoid being softened by them, and\neven to mingle her tears with his. \u201cSir,\u201d she said to Assad, as\nshe again covered his shoulders, \u201cI ask you a thousand pardons for\nthe cruelty with which I have before treated you, and of which I\nhave again made you feel the ill effects. Hitherto I have been\nafraid of disobeying my father, who is so unjustly enraged against\nyou, and who is determined upon your destruction. But I now detest\nand abhor his barbarity. Console yourself, therefore, for your evils\nare at an end; and I am going to repair all my crimes, the enormity\nof which I am well aware of, by better treatment. You have hitherto\nlooked upon me as an infidel; you must for the future regard me as a\nmussulman. I have already received much instruction from a female\nslave, who attends me; I hope that you will complete what she has\nbegun. To prove to you my good intentions, I ask pardon of the true\nGod for all my offences against, and ill treatment of, you; and I\nhave full confidence, that he will discover to me the means of\nrestoring you to your full liberty.\u201d\n\nThis speech afforded prince Assad great consolation; he offered up\nhis grateful thanks to God for instilling such kindness into the\nheart of Bostana, and converting her to the true religion. After\nfirst thanking her for the good opinion she had expressed for him,\nhe neglected nothing that he thought would confirm her in her new\nopinions; not only by endeavoring to instruct her still further in\nthe various doctrines of the mussulman religion, but even giving her\na long and faithful account of himself, of all his misfortunes, and\nhis illustrious descent. As soon as he was convinced of her firmness\nin the good resolutions she had taken, he asked her how she would be\nable to prevent her sister Cavama from becoming acquainted with this\nchange; and also from using him so ill, when it should be her turn;\n\u201cLet not that give you any pain,\u201d replied Bostana, \u201cI know\nvery well how to manage, so that she shall give herself no further\ntrouble about you.\u201d\n\nIn fact, Bostana found some means of preventing Cavama, every time\nshe expressed a wish to go into the dungeon. She herself, however,\nsaw the prince very often; and instead of carrying only bread and\nwater to him, as she was ordered, she brought him wine, and a\nvariety of excellent food, which was prepared by twelve mussulman\nslaves, who attended on her. She frequently also partook of his\nrepasts with him, and did every thing in her power to console him.\n\nSome days after prince Assad\u2019s return to the city of the Magi,\nBostana happened to be at the door of her house, when she heard the\npublic crier giving notice of something. As she could not understand\nwhat the crier said, because he was so far off, and as she observed\nhim coming up towards the house, she went in, but left the door a\nlittle open and listened. She saw him walking on before the grand\nvizier, Amgiad, prince Assad\u2019s brother, accompanied by several\nofficers of state: and with a great multitude of people following\nthem.\n\nThe crier had not gone many steps from the door before he made the\nfollowing proclamation in a loud tone of voice; _The most excellent\nand illustrious grand vizier, who is now present, comes in person to\ninquire after, and seek for, his dear brother, who has been\nseparated from him for more than a year. His person and description\nare as follows. If any person has given him a lodging at his house,\nor knows where he is, his Excellency commands them to bring him to\nhim, or to give him some information concerning him, and he promises\nto reward them handsomely. But if any one shall conceal and detain\nhim, and he shall afterwards be discovered, his Excellency declares\nthat he will punish such persons with death, together with their\nwives, their children, and all their family; and will also raze\ntheir houses to the ground._\n\nBostana no sooner heard these words than she instantly shut the\ndoor, and went to the dungeon, where Assad was. \u201cPrince,\u201d cried\nshe in a joyful manner, \u201cyour misfortunes are at length\nterminated, follow me as quickly as possible.\u201d Assad, whom she had\nreleased from his chains on the very first day that he had been\nbrought back to the dungeon, followed her into the street, and when\nthere, she instantly cried out, \u201cBehold him, behold him.\u201d The\ngrand vizier, who had not proceeded far, turned round. Assad\ninstantly recognised his brother, ran towards him, and fell into his\narms. Amgiad too knew him from the first moment, and embraced him.\nHe then made him mount the horse of one of his officers, who\nreturned on foot, and conducted him in triumph to the palace, where\nhe presented him to the king, who appointed him one of his viziers.\n\nBostana, who after this event did not wish to return to her\nfather\u2019s, whose house was razed to the ground the very same day,\nand did not leave prince Assad till he arrived at the palace, was\nsent to an apartment belonging to the queen. The old man, her\nfather, and Behram, as well as all their families, being brought the\nnext day before the king, he ordered them all to lose their heads.\nOn this, they threw themselves at his feet, and implored his mercy.\n\u201cYou shall have no mercy shown you,\u201d replied the king, \u201cunless\nyou renounce the adoration of fire, and embrace the mussulman\nreligion.\u201d By adopting this conduct, they saved their lives; and\nso also did Cavama, the sister of Bostana, and all their families.\n\nIn consideration of Behram\u2019s being converted to a mussulman, and\nin order to give him some recompense for the loss he had before\nsuffered, Amgiad made him one of his principal officers, and lodged\nhim at his own house. A few days after, when Behram was made\nacquainted with the adventures of his benefactor Amgiad and his\nbrother Assad, he proposed to fit out a vessel, and to carry them\nback to their father Camaralzaman. \u201cThere is no doubt,\u201d he said,\n\u201cbut that the king is by this time convinced of your innocence,\nand is impatient to see you again. Should, however, that not be the\ncase, it is very easy to be informed of it before you land, and\nthen, should he still continue in his unjust prepossession, you will\nfind no difficulty in returning.\u201d\n\nThe two brothers accepted Behram\u2019s offer. They mentioned their\ndesign to the king, who not only approved of it, but gave orders for\nthe immediate equipment of a vessel. Behram hastened the\npreparations as much as possible; and when he was ready to set sail,\nthe princes went and took leave of the king on the morning before\nthey embarked. While they were paying their compliments, and\nthanking the monarch for all his kindness to them, they heard a\ngreat bustle and tumult through the whole city; and at the same\nmoment an officer came, and said, that a very large army was\napproaching, and that no one could tell to whom it belonged.\n\nObserving the alarm that this bad news gave the king, Amgiad said to\nhim, \u201cAlthough, Sire, I am now come for the purpose of resigning\nthe office of grand vizier, with which you have honored me, I am,\nnotwithstanding, ready to take upon myself the charge of rendering\nyou any service in my power; and I entreat you to suffer me to go\nand see who this enemy is, that comes thus to attack you, in your\nvery capital, without having first declared war.\u201d The king begged\nhe would, and he instantly set out with very few attendants.\n\nIt was not long before prince Amgiad discovered the army, which\nappeared so formidable, and continued to approach. The advanced\nguards, who had received their orders, gave him a favorable\nreception, and conducted him before a princess, who stopped, with\nher whole army, to hold a conference with him. Prince Amgiad made\nher a most profound reverence; and asked her, if she came as a\nfriend or an enemy, and if she was an enemy, he requested to be\ninformed what cause of complaint she had against the king, his\nmaster. \u201cI come as a friend,\u201d she replied, \u201cand have no cause\nwhatever for complaint against the king of the Magi. His dominions\nand mine are situated in such a manner, that it is almost impossible\nwe can ever have any dispute together. I come only to require a\nslave, whose name is Assad, and who has been taken away from me by a\ncaptain belonging to this city, who is called Behram, and is the\nmost insolent of men. And I trust your king will afford me justice,\nwhen he shall know that my name is Margiana.\u201d\n\n\u201cPowerful queen,\u201d replied Amgiad, \u201cI am the brother of that\nslave whom you seem to search after with so much interest and\nconcern. I had lost him, and have now recovered him. Come with me,\nand I will give him up to you, and will likewise have the honor to\ninform you of every other particular. The king, my master, will be\ndelighted to see you.\u201d\n\nQueen Margiana then ordered her army to encamp in the spot where it\nthen was, and accompanied prince Amgiad through the city to the\npalace, where he presented her to the king. When the monarch had\nreceived her in the way she deserved, prince Assad, who was present,\nand who knew her the moment she appeared, came and paid his\ncompliments to her. She expressed great joy at seeing him again;\nwhen, at this very instant, some one entered, and announced to the\nking, that another army, much more powerful than the first, had made\nits appearance on the other side of the city. The king of the Magi\nseemed more alarmed now than he was when that belonging to Margiana\ncame in sight, as the present appeared much the most numerous, if he\nmight judge from the clouds of dust which its approach occasioned,\nand which seemed to spread itself through the whole air. \u201cWhat\nwill become of us, Amgiad?\u201d he cried; \u201cthere is a fresh army\napproaching to overwhelm us.\u201d The prince knew what the king meant;\nhe therefore mounted his horse, and rode as fast as possible to meet\nthis second army. He demanded of the first part of it which he\nencountered, to speak to their commander, and they conducted him\nbefore a king, as he instantly conjectured, from a crown, which he\nhad upon his head. As soon as he perceived him, although at some\ndistance, he alighted, and when he was come nearer, he prostrated\nhimself on the ground, and asked what he wished of the king, his\nmaster.\n\n\u201cI am called Gaiour,\u201d replied the monarch, \u201cand am king of\nChina. The desire of learning some intelligence of a daughter, named\nBadoura, whom many years since I gave in marriage to prince\nCamaralzaman, son of Schahzaman, king of the Islands of the Children\nof Khaledan, has been the cause of my leaving my dominions. I gave\nthis prince leave to go and see his father, with the charge of\ncoming to spend every other year with me, and bringing my daughter\nwith him. I have, however, for a great length of time, been unable\nto hear any thing of them. Your king, therefore, will much oblige an\nafflicted father, if he can give him the least information on the\nsubject.\u201d\n\nPrince Amgiad, who instantly knew by this speech, that it was his\ngrandfather, kissed his hand with great tenderness, and said to him,\n\u201cYour majesty will pardon this liberty, when you shall know, that\nI behave thus in order to pay my respects to you as my grandfather.\nI am the son of Camaralzaman, at this time king of the Island of\nEbony, and of queen Badoura, on whose account you are so much\ndistressed; and I do not doubt, but that they are at this time in\ntheir dominions, in perfect health.\u201d The king of China instantly\nembraced him in the most affectionate manner, so much was he\ndelighted at thus seeing his grandson. And this very unexpected and\nhappy meeting drew tears from the eyes of both. On asking what was\nthe reason of his being thus in a foreign country, prince Amgiad\nrelated his history, and that of his brother Assad. When it was\nfinished, \u201cMy son,\u201d replied the king of China, \u201cit is not\njust, that two princes, so innocent as you are, should experience\nany further bad effects from your ill-treatment. Console yourself; I\nwill carry back both you and your brother, and will make your peace.\nGo, and make my arrival known to your brother.\u201d\n\nWhile the king of China was ordering his army to encamp in the\nplace, where prince Amgiad encountered him, the latter went back to\ngive an account to the king of the Magi, who was waiting for him\nwith the greatest impatience. The king was extremely surprised to\nhear that so powerful a monarch as the king of China had undertaken\nsuch a long and painful journey through the desire of gaining some\nintelligence of his daughter, and that he should be so near his\ncapital. He immediately gave orders to have him handsomely treated,\nand made preparations to go and receive him in person.\n\nIn this interval, considerable clouds of dust seemed to arise from a\nthird side of the city, and the news soon came, that a third army\nwas approaching. This circumstance obliged the king to stop, and\nrequest Amgiad again to go and see what was the cause of it. The\nprince departed, and this time he took his brother Assad with him.\nThey discovered, that this was the army of Camaralzaman, their\nfather, who was come to search after them. He had shown signs of the\ngreatest grief at having destroyed them, when the emir Giondar at\nlast informed him in what manner he had preserved their lives. This\nmade the king resolve to go and discover them, in whatever country\nthey might be.\n\nThis afflicted father embraced the two princes with tears of joy,\nthe first he had for a long time shed, which had not been tinged\nwith the deepest affliction. The princes had no sooner informed him\nof the arrival of his father-in-law, the king of China, on the very\nsame day, than he went with them, accompanied by a very few\nattendants, to see him in his camp. They had not proceeded far on\ntheir road, before they perceived a fourth army, which seemed to\nadvance in perfect order, and to come from the side towards Persia.\nCamaralzaman desired his sons to go and see to whom that army\nbelonged; and said that he would wait for them where he was. They\ndeparted immediately, and when they got up to it, they presented\nthemselves to the king who commanded it. After saluting him with the\ngreatest respect, they asked him his motive for coming thus near to\nthe capital of the king of the Magi.\n\nThe grand vizier, who was present, took upon himself to return an\nanswer. \u201cThe monarch, to whom you have addressed yourself,\u201d he\nreplied, \u201cis called Schahzaman, king of the Islands of the\nChildren of Khaledan, who has travelled for a great length of time,\nwith all the attendants you see, in search of his son, prince\nCamaralzaman, who left his dominions many years ago, without making\nhim acquainted with it. If you should happen to know any thing\nrelative to him, you will afford the king the greatest possible\npleasure by giving him the information.\u201d To this speech the\nprinces made no other reply than that they would come back in a\nlittle time with an answer. They then set off at full speed to\nCamaralzaman, to announce to him the cause of the arrival of the\nlast army, and that it belonged to king Schahzaman, who was there in\nperson.\n\nAstonishment and joy, mixed with regret at having left the king, his\nfather, without taking leave of him, had so powerful an effect upon\nCamaralzaman, that he absolutely fainted, as soon as he learnt that\nhis father was so near him. He, at length, through the assistance of\nAmgiad and Assad, who did all they could to comfort him, returned to\nhis senses: and when he thought he had acquired sufficient strength,\nhe went and threw himself at his father\u2019s feet. A more tender or\naffecting interview between a parent and son had hardly ever been\nwitnessed. Schahzaman affectionately chided Camaralzaman for his\nunkindness in leaving him in so unfeeling and cruel a manner: and\nthe latter showed the deepest regret and compunction at the fault,\nwhich love alone had been the cause of.\n\nThe three kings and queen Margiana continued three days at the court\nof the king of the Magi, who entertained them in the most\nmagnificent and splendid manner. These three days were also\nremarkable for the marriage of prince Assad with queen Margiana, and\nprince Amgiad with Bostana, in consideration of the essential\nservice she had afforded prince Assad. At length, the three kings\nand queen Margiana with her husband, each retired to their separate\ndominions. With respect to prince Amgiad, the king of the Magi, who\nwas at a very advanced age, felt so strong an attachment to him,\nthat he placed his crown upon his head. Amgiad then used all his\nendeavors to abolish the idolatrous worship of fire, and instead of\nit to establish the mussulman religion throughout his kingdom.\n\n\n\n\nNOTES TO VOL. II.\n\n\nNote 1. The Arabian author diverts himself in this place, at the\nexpence of the Jews. This is the ass, which, according to the\nMahometans, Esdras rode upon, when he returned from the Babylonian\ncaptivity to Jerusalem.\n\nNote 2. In the French translation, which was adhered to in the text,\nthere seems to be an error; 150 measures (the quantity the young man\nhad) sold for 110 drachms, a measure, according to the Christian\nmerchant, must amount to 16,500 drachms, whereas it is said to be\nonly 5000; consequently the merchant\u2019s profit, which is there\nstated to be only 500, at ten drachms the measure, is in fact 1500;\nso also the 4,530 drachms mentioned a little farther on, ought to be\n15,000 drachms.\n\nNote 3. The bezestein is a sort of covered marketplace for\nmerchants, where the most valuable stuffs, jewels, &c. are sold.\n\nNote 4. The fountain of Zemsem is at Mecca; and, according to the\nMahometans, it is the very spring which God made to flow in favor of\nHagar, when Abraham compelled her to go and find one. This water was\ndrank through religious motives, and was frequently sent as presents\nto different princes, and their favorites.\n\nNote 5. A scherif is the same as a sequin, each of which is nearly\nequal to ten shillings of our money.\n\nNote 6. The year 653, means that year of the Hegira; an epoch, from\nwhich all the Mahometans reckon, and which corresponds to the year\n1255 of the Christian \u00e6ra. We may from hence conjecture, at least,\nthat these tales were in existence in Arabic at that time.\n\nNote 7. The Arabian author seems here to be in an error respecting\nthe year 7320. The 653d year of the Hegira and the 1255 after the\nbirth of Christ, corresponds with the 1557 of the epoch of the\nSeleucides, which is the same as that of Alexander the Great, and\nwhich is here denominated Iskander with the two horns, according to\nthe Arabic mode of expression.\n\nNote 8. The inns, or public places, where travellers and foreigners\nlodge, are called, \u201ckhans,\u201d in most of the eastern nations:\nsometimes \u201ccaravanseras,\u201d but these are chiefly, as their name\nseems to import, for the use of the caravans.\n\nNote 9. Mostanser Billah was raised to the dignity of caliph in the\n623d year of the Hegira, that is, in the year 1226 of the Christian\n\u00e6ra. He was the 36th caliph of the race of the Abassides.\n\nNote 10. See note 8 of the first volume.\n\nNote 11. Almost all the eastern nations, and particularly all the\nMahometans, are forbidden to drink wine after their meals.\n\nNote 12. The Bedouins are a tribe of wandering Arabs, who live in\nthe desert, and who constantly attack and plunder the caravans on\ntheir journey, if they are not sufficiently numerous and strong to\nresist them.\n\nNote 13. The word \u201cSchemselnihar,\u201d in Arabic, signifies the Sun\nof the Day.\n\nNote 14. The name of \u201cCamaralzaman,\u201d in Arabic, means the Moon\nof the Time, or the Moon of the Age.\n\n\nEND OF VOL. II.","title":"The Arabian Nights, Volume II of IV","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":131417}