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 1^1
 
 THE THOUSAND AND ONE 
 QUARTERS OF AN HOUR,
 
 THE THOUSAND AND ONE 
 QUARTERS OF AN HOUR 
 
 {TARTARIAN TALES). 
 
 EDITED BY 
 LEONARD C. SMITHERS 
 
 LONDON 
 
 JPRINTED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY 
 
 1914
 
 Copyright, 1897, 
 By thb Athbn;eum Publishing CO.
 
 
 / : 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 These very lively, ingenious, and entertaining imita- 
 tions of the "Arabian Nights" are confessed^' the 
 work of Thomas Simon Gueulette. He was born at 
 Paris in 1683, and held the office of substitute of the 
 royal procurator at the Chitelet Possessed of a very 
 fertile imagination, he produced a great number of 
 works of amusement. In the style of the fairy tales, 
 he made his Jibut with Les Soiries Bretonnes, or the 
 Evenings of Brittany, which appeared in 1712, and 
 on which Voltaire founded his celebrated Zadig. In 
 the year 1723 he produced the Thousand and One 
 Quarcers of an Hour, or the Tartarian Tales; which 
 were followed in the same year by the Chinese Tales, 
 or the Marvellous Adventures of the Mandarin Fum- 
 Hoam, and by the Sultanas of Guzarat, or the 
 Dreams of Men Awake, generally known under the 
 name of the Mogul Tales. He imitated the tales of 
 Count Hamilton, and, though his style is less bril- 
 liant, and his incidents have less of what the French 
 
 112S74i
 
 VI 
 
 call bizarrerie, the numerous stories which he has 
 produced abound in interesting situations, and are, 
 in general, true pictures of what they are intended 
 to represent. 
 
 The collection of Tales here given is generally the 
 work of Gueulette's own imagination; but he has 
 often introduced allusions to, and incidents from, 
 real Oriental fictions, and, in some instances from 
 the works of European novelists. 
 
 The tale of the Three Crump-Brothers he acknowl- 
 edges to have borrowed from the novels of Stra- 
 parola ; but asserts that it cost him great trouble to 
 vary and adapt it to his own purposes. Several 
 other novels, however, furnished subjects for these 
 tales, amongst which Le Grand notices several fab- 
 Haux, viz., the Judgment of Solomon, the Lay of 
 Hippocrates, and Le Chevalier de la Trappe. 
 
 Besides these works, he was author of a novel, 
 entitled Les Mhnoires de Mademoiselle Bontems, and 
 of several short pieces for the ThMtre Italien, the 
 profits of which he always resigned to the actors. 
 He edited Rabelais, and the ancient French romances 
 of Petit-Jean de Saintre, and Gerard comte de Nevers. 
 His character is described as gentle and lively, and 
 his company was generally sought after. He was of 
 a beneficent disposition; and on the death of his
 
 Vll 
 
 wife resigned the whole of his right to her fortune in 
 favour of her relations. Hospitality he practised to 
 a great extent ; and in his country house at Choisy- 
 le-Roi, he instituted a private theatre, where some of 
 the most distinguished of his friends performed. He 
 is said to have had a wonderful talent for puppet- 
 shows, and to have acted the part of Punch to per- 
 fection. His vivacity is reported to have often em- 
 broiled him with the clergy. He died at Doyen de 
 la Compagniet in the year 1768.
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 TALE OF KING SHAMS AL-DIN 
 
 Near Astrakhan lived a solitary darwaysh, who, return- 
 ing one evening from angling upon the banks of the river 
 Volga, was surprised to find on the threshold of his cell a 
 new-born child, and stark naked. He took it in his arms, 
 and ran to tell this accident to a tailor of Astrakhan, called 
 Kurban, from whom he was often used to receive alms. 
 
 The tailor's wife happily was brought to bed the very 
 night before of a daughter, which died the moment it came 
 into the world. She offered the breast to the child the 
 darwaysh had brought her, and forgetting as it were her 
 own daughter, turned her affection entirely to the little boy, 
 whom she named Shams al-Din. The tailor and his wife, 
 having had no children for near fifteen years, loved little 
 Shams al-Din with extreme tenderness ; and the boy, beUev- 
 ing himself their son, returned it with a respect and sub- 
 mission which augmented the affection they had for him. 
 When he was grown up, notwithstanding the inclination he 
 found in himself for arms, the sole will of Kurban engaged 
 him to learn the trade of a tailor ; and in less than two years 
 he made such extraordinary progress in that profession, 
 that only by looking at a person, without taking any meas- 
 ure, he could make a suit of clothes as exactly fit as the best 
 tailor in Astrakhan could make with ever so much measuring. 
 Shams al-Din's skill quickly made a noise all over the town : 
 
 I
 
 nobody was thought to have a tolerable good taste, if he was 
 not dressed in a suit of his making ; and most of the ladies 
 employed him without giving umbrage to their husbands, 
 because by seeing them only at a distance, he could in four 
 days' time bring them such a habit as they desired. 
 
 One day, as this young tailor was in his shop, an old 
 slave, accosting him, desired to speak with him in private. 
 Sir, said she, be so kind as to come along with me im- 
 mediately ; two of the handsomest ladies in all Astrakhan 
 have occasion for your service. Shams al-Din readily 
 promised to go with her. But this is not all, replied the 
 woman ; you must consent to have your eyes muffled, 
 otherwise I must not carry you along with me. Shams 
 al-Din was surprised at such a proposal; but resolving to 
 venture anything rather than miss seeing a couple of 
 beautiful ladies, he immediately went with the old woman. 
 She conducted him to a little house in the suburbs of 
 Astrakhan ; carried him into a parlor, and pulling out a 
 silk handkerchief embroidered with gold, presented him to 
 two black slaves, who had their sabres in their hands ; 
 ordered them to bind his eyes with that handkerchief, and 
 to conduct him to the place where he was expected : but 
 that if he showed the least curiosity to discover the way 
 they led him, they should that moment cut off his head. 
 This order frightened the young tailor. Fear nothing, said 
 the old woman to him ; provided you are wise and discreet, 
 your life is safe. He resumed his courage on these prom- 
 ises, suffered them to bind his eyes, and walked thus blind- 
 fold for the space of an hour ; when the slaves taking off his 
 muffler, he found himself in a hall magnificently lighted by 
 above a hundred wax tapers. 
 
 At the upper end of the hall was a throne of massy silver, 
 upon which sat three ladies, each covered with a veil, 
 through which it was nevertheless easy to perceive, that one 
 of them, though perfectly handsome, was about forty years
 
 old, and that nature had formed nothing so charm hig and 
 so complete as the other two, who seemed to be hardly 
 eighteen. A great number of female slaves, veiled in the 
 same manner, and ranged on each side of the throne, kept 
 a profound silence, and seemed respectfully to await the 
 command of the three ladies. After they had given the 
 tailor time to look about him and admire so much magnifi- 
 cence, the lady that appeared the eldest of the three rose 
 from the throne. Shams al-Din, says she, your reputation 
 has excited our curiosity. We have heard wonders con- 
 cerning your skill, and are willing to be judges of it our- 
 selves ; look well upon these two young ladies ; view their 
 shapes with attention : Dare you engage, without taking 
 any other measure, to make each of them a genteel suit of 
 clothes ? — Madam, replied the young tailor, I shall do my 
 endeavors to keep up the reputation I have with some 
 justice acquired : I have viewed these ladies enough ; order 
 me the silks, and in eight days' time you shall be satisfied. 
 
 The black slaves upon this led Shams al-Din into another 
 room, and opened twenty coffers, which v/ere all full of the 
 finest silks of the East : he chose what was necessary to 
 make the two habits complete. His eyes were again muf- 
 fled, and he was led to the house of the old woman, who 
 re-conducted him home. If you would have your good 
 fortune continue, said she to him at parting, do not seek to 
 know from whence you come, or for whom you are to 
 work : the least step you take towards such a discovery 
 will cost you your life. Think of nothing but how to execute 
 as soon as possible the orders you have received. I shall 
 fetch you again eight days hence, and carry you to the 
 same ladies, upon the former conditions. 
 
 The old woman having taken leave of Shams al-Din, he 
 went to bed, after he had neatly laid up the silks, resolving 
 to begin the suits at break of day : but he could not close his 
 eyes all the night ; the charms of one of the young ladies
 
 4 
 
 returned to his mind a thousand times. Two large blue 
 eyes, whose brightness shot through the obscurity of her veil, 
 had made such an impression upon his mind, that he was 
 no longer master of himself He got up, lighted his lamp, 
 and after having studied some time in what manner he 
 should cut out his silks, he hit upon a method so uncommon, 
 and withal so advantageous to the beauty of the two young 
 ladies, especially of her he admired, that he had very good 
 reason to believe they would be pleased with his perform- 
 ance. He then set to work with abundance of care and 
 diligence ; and the clothes being finished at the day ap- 
 pointed, the old woman who came to fetch him, committed 
 him with his eyes muffled into the hands of the two blacks, 
 who, after having led him through the same passages as 
 before, presented him to the three ladies, whom he found 
 seated upon the throne of silver. 
 
 Shams al-Din had no sooner opened his bundle and 
 spread out the habits, than they began to extol his wonder- 
 ful fancy. The two ladies, for whom they were made, 
 retired into a sort of wardrobe with four slaves. They re- 
 turned into the hall a few minutes afterwards without veils, 
 and in their new habits, but a thousand times more brilliant 
 than the full moon. As soon as they appeared, the hall 
 resounded with the applauses of the slaves, and the young 
 tailor was so struck with the charms of her to whom he had 
 consecrated his heart, that he fell backwards upon a sofa, 
 and was ready to die with the extreme pleasure he felt in 
 that moment. Indeed, the beauty of those ladies was so 
 great, that it could be compared to nothing but to that of 
 the houris. 
 
 They extolled Shams al-Din to the skies, praised the 
 invention and neatness of his work, gave him each of them 
 a purse of a hundred pieces of gold, and begged him to 
 make them two more suits, different from those whicli he 
 had now brought them. The young man went into the silk-
 
 5 
 
 room, chose five pieces of a very pretty fancy, made two 
 other suits more singular than had yet been seen, returned 
 at the eight days' end with the same ceremonies, received 
 greater applauses than before, two hundred pieces of gold, 
 and orders for choosing silks to make up more. In short, 
 this trade continued for seven weeks together, in which time 
 Shams al-Din had made up fourteen suits of clothes, and 
 received as many purses of gold ; when the passion he had 
 conceived for one of the two ladies grew so violent, that 
 notwithstanding the distance there appeared to be between 
 him and her, he resolved to declare his love. After having 
 considered a great while how he should go about it, he could 
 think of no other expedient but to put a letter for her in the 
 pocket of the next suit of clothes he should carry her. He 
 executed this design, and expressed what he felt for her in 
 terms so moving and so submissive, that he hoped, if she did 
 not accept of his heart, at least she would forgive his rash- 
 ness in offering it. 
 
 The letter had all the effect Shams al-Din could wish for. 
 The next time he appeared before his lady, instead of anger, 
 he read in her eyes something so sweet, that he had much 
 ado to refrain from throwing himself at her feet. He pre- 
 sented her with her clothes, she went out to try them, and 
 sent them back to him a moment afterwards, with word that 
 they were something too little. The young tailor, who well 
 knew that the clothes were as they should be, soon imagined 
 that this was only a feint to convey him an answer. He 
 pulled out his scissors and his needle, and pretending to 
 alter what was amiss, searched the pockets, and in one of 
 them found a letter, which he dexterously put up; and then 
 returned the habit, without having made the least alteration 
 in it : the lady was very well satisfied with it, and came again 
 into the hall. New orders were given to the young tailor, he 
 was re-conducted as usual, and the moment he was got home 
 he broke open the letter, in which he read what follows : " I
 
 6 
 
 could not, amiable Shams al-Din, be insensible to your 
 passion : you describe it in colors so lively and so natural, 
 that I should be afraid of offending our great Prophet if I 
 repaid it with ingratitude. I love you, and do not blush to 
 confess it. Everything in you pleases me ; and you should 
 quickly be happy if it depended upon me alone to crown 
 your love, which I believe is sincere and honorable ; but, 
 dear hght of my life, what tears must this confession cost you, 
 when you know that I am forever shut up in a place where 
 all things are designed for the pleasure of the king of Astra- 
 khan, and the unfortunate Zabd al-Katon must never hope 
 to be united with the tender Shams al-Din." 
 
 If the young tailor felt an infinite deal of joy at reading of 
 this letter, that joy was not unmixed with grief. Zabd al- 
 Katon was the finest woman in all Tartary, but it was impos- 
 sible not to know that she was the favorite of Al-Salah, king 
 of Astrakhan. Shams al-Din was too conversant among the 
 principal persons in the city, not to have heard talk of the 
 charms of that young lady, and her cruelty towards the king. 
 As that prince was above sixty years old, and Zabd al-Katon 
 hardly seventeen, she did not know how to reconcile herself 
 to sexagenary sighs ; and the king of Astrakhan, who loved 
 her with unparalleled ardor and delicacy, being unwilling to 
 make use of the authority he had over his slave, waited with 
 patience, till his unbounded complaisance should gain him 
 the fair one's heart. 
 
 Shams al-Din too plainly saw how impossible it was to 
 carry off Zabd al-Katon from his king ; this reflection threw 
 him into such a violent despair, that when the old slave came 
 to fetch him to the seraglio, she found him sick a-bed of a 
 violent fever. She ran and told this news to the three ladies. 
 They were very much alarmed at it ; and without consider- 
 ing the danger to which they exposed themselves, they 
 gained over the eunuchs, Avho had suffered the young tailor 
 to visit them so often, and by this means had Hberty to go
 
 out of the palace. Shams al-Din, who was resolved to use no 
 remedies whereby he might be cured, was in the greatest sur- 
 prise to see those ladies at his bed's head. He did his utmost 
 to show his acknowledgment of this favor ; when the eldest 
 of the three, having lifted up her veil for the first time, 
 spoke to him in these words : Your health, charming Shams 
 al-Din, is so dear to us, that we venture our own lives for 
 an opportunity of trying if there is no way to save yours ; we 
 beg you to tell us the cause of your illness, and perhaps we 
 may find out some remedy for it. The young tailor, seized 
 with respect, and touched with the beauty of that lady, who 
 felt a certain emotion she could not account for, raised him- 
 self up : Ah ! madam, replied he in a languishing voice, 
 however incurable I thought my distemper, your presence, 
 and that of these ladies, has poured a salutary balm into my 
 wounds. Grief alone was the illness which would have given 
 me my death ; but since you have the goodness to interest 
 yourself in the preservation of a miserable wretch, I abandon 
 the cruel resolution I had taken, and hope in less than six 
 days' time I shall be able to deliver these two ladies the 
 clothes they have commanded me to make for them. 
 Zabd al-Katon, affected with the young tailor's extraordinary 
 passion, pressed his hand. If that is possible, says she, with- 
 out endangering your health, pray endeavor, my dear Shams 
 al-Din, to keep your word with us ; you cannot imagine the 
 joy it will be to me in particular. The ladies, after this, got 
 up, and attended by the eunuchs, who had conducted them 
 quite to the tailor's house, returned to the palace. 
 
 Shams al-Din passed a night in so great an excess of 
 pleasure, that by the next morning he was in a condition to 
 begin the clothes. They were finished at the six days' end 
 as he promised, and the old woman, who often came to 
 inquire after his licalth, having put him into the hands of the 
 two blacks, they carried him to the hall, which at sight of 
 him resounded with a thousand shouts of joy. Shams al
 
 . 8 
 
 Din presented the habits to the ladies. They viewed them 
 over and over, and found them of a fancy so superior to 
 those which he had made before, that they were perfectly 
 charmed with them. To add to their magnificence, they 
 sent for a casket full of jewels, and ordered him to choose 
 some out to fix upon those clothes. The young tailor 
 obeyed their commands, and was fastening the sleeve of the 
 charming Zabd al-Katon with a clasp of diamonds, when on 
 a sudden the door of the hall burst open, and a man in 
 whose face was painted the height of fury, came directly 
 towards him with his sabre in his hand. Shams al-Din soon 
 perceived him to be the king of Astrakhan, and now looked 
 upon his death to be inevitable ; but not thinking it proper 
 to wait for the effect of that prince's revenge, nor to abandon 
 to his fury the three ladies to whom he was so much obliged, 
 he immediately seized a poniard set with diamonds, which 
 was in the casket, and without giving the king time to come 
 up, darted at him with so good an aim, that he gave him a 
 deep wound, which felled him to the earth. 
 
 Al-Salah in this condition had not strength enough to get 
 up. He called for help, and twelve black eunuchs running 
 in at his voice, he commanded them to seize Shams al-Din, 
 as likewise the three ladies and the two black slaves ; to 
 strip them to the waist, and to cut them to pieces with their 
 sabres. While the king was laid upon a sofa, and his sur- 
 geon sent for, the cruel orders he had given were in part 
 executed. They had now stripped all the criminals, who 
 were just ready to undergo that cruel sentence, when the 
 eldest of the three ladies, having by chance cast her eyes 
 upon the young Shams al-Din, and spied the mark of a 
 pomegranate which he had beneath the right pap : Ah, my 
 lord, says she, throwing herself at Al-Salah's feet, suspend, I 
 beseech you, for a moment, your just anger ! I alone am 
 guilty. The unfortunate Sntchumi your daughter, Zabd al- 
 Katon, and the young man, are innocent ; but destiny is not
 
 to be avoided ; and notwithstanding all the precaution you 
 have taken to escape the prediction of the astrologer, behold 
 that prediction at length accomplished by the unavoidable 
 dispensation of Providence. 
 
 The king, surprised at this discourse, caused his eunuchs 
 to retire j and after having ordered the ladies and tailor to 
 cover themselves, he commanded her who had just now 
 spoken to explain that enigma, which he was at a loss to 
 understand. This lady obeyed the king's commands, and 
 delivered herself in these terms : 
 
 HISTORY OF THE SULTANA DUGMI 
 
 You may, my lord, remember that at the time when I had 
 the happiness to please you, upon your consulting the famous 
 Abd al-Malik upon my pregnancy, that astrologer told you 
 I should bring forth a son who should give you your death, 
 and be the cause of his too, if the child were not killed as 
 soon as born. As Abd al-Malik's predictions always came 
 true, this gave you abundance of uneasiness ; and to prevent 
 the misfortune you were threatened with, you had me 
 watched with the utmost strictness. In vain I represented 
 to you the little credit that is to be given to a science so 
 uncertain as astrology ; you resolved to be present at my 
 labor, to hinder any deceit on my side. My tears had no 
 effect upon you ; you were inexorable : I could not dissuade 
 you from the cruel resolution you had taken to shed your 
 own blood, and I almost died away with grief and terror, at 
 seeing you enter my chamber with Abd al-Malik, at the 
 moment when you were assured I was just ready to be 
 brought to bed. But, my lord, you cannot have forgot that 
 I passed from the most violent uneasiness to the most exces- 
 sive joy, when, instead of a boy, I brought into the world the 
 unfortunate Sutchumi. Then you looked upon Abd al-Malik 
 with indignation : Ignorant or wicked astrologer, said you to
 
 10 
 
 him, your eyes inflamed with anger, I shall teach thee to 
 mock thy king in this manner. Thy malice had like to have 
 cost my dear Dugmi her life : but I will soon punish an in- 
 solent subject for his temerity. Upon this, Abd al-Malik, 
 continued the sultana, threw himself at your feet. My lord, 
 said he, do not begin with me to fulfil a prediction which 
 will prove but too true. Have but a moment's patience, and 
 you shall find that my science is not ill grounded. You did 
 not give the astrologer time to finish what he had to say ; 
 you severed his head from his body at one blow of your 
 sabre, and went out of the room, after having sent away the 
 daughter I had brought forth. 
 
 You could scarce, my lord, be got into your own apart- 
 ment, when I felt new pains. The woman who had assisted 
 me in my first came to me. She found I was going to bring 
 forth another child : she sent everybody out of my chamber 
 upon different pretences, and a moment afterwards I brouglit 
 forth a son, beauteous as the light. Nature, which had 
 formed nothing so complete, would not give me leave to 
 sacrifice him to you. My bowels rebelled against the cruelty 
 which I accused you of in my soul; I put my son, with 
 jewels to a considerable value, into the hands of the mid- 
 wife, and begged her to go immediately to seek a nurse for it 
 somewhere out of Astrakhan. Being now no longer watched, 
 it was easy for that woman to carry out my son, and I im- 
 patiently expected her return, that I might hear what was 
 become of him ; when, four days being past without seeing 
 anything of her, I was at last told, to my unspeakable grief, 
 that she was murdered a few leagues from Astrakhan. There 
 was no mention made of any child being found with her, and 
 that gave me some comfort ; but notwithstanding all the 
 secret search I have made ever since that time to find out 
 what was become of my son, I have never been able to learn 
 any news of him ; and I looked upon him as irrecoverably 
 lost, when at this moment, my lord; I know him in that
 
 II 
 
 young man, by the pomegranate upon his breast, as upon 
 that of Sutchumi, his twin sister. It was undoubtedly natural 
 sympathy, continued Dugmi, that acted in me, when passing 
 with your Majesty by Kurban's shop, about two months ago, 
 I of a sudden felt for that young tailor an extreme tender- 
 ness, which had nothing in it that was criminal, and of which 
 I knew not the secret cause. It is I alone, my lord, that 
 under the pretence of employing him to make clothes for 
 my daughter and the beautiful Zabd al-Katon, corrupted 
 your eunuchs to convey him into the palace : punish, there- 
 fore, in me the only instrument of all your misfortunes. 
 
 TALE OF KING SHAMS AL-DTN {Continued') 
 
 The king of Astrakhan was strangely surprised at this 
 story; and though the melancholy state he was in should 
 have made him think of nothing but revenge, he gave orders 
 to send immediately for the tailor and his wife, who passed 
 for the father and mother of Shams al-Din. While they were 
 gone for, the surgeon dressed the king's wound ; and it was 
 not without inconceivable anguish, that Shams al-Din read 
 in the surgeon's eyes that his life was in danger. The tailor 
 and his wife came at last. They confessed that the young 
 man was none of their son ; that he was brought to them 
 about eighteen years before by a solitary darwaysh, who told 
 them he found him stark naked in his little hut at his return 
 from angling in the river Volga, and that the good old man 
 died suddenly three months afterwards, without having been 
 able to give them any further information. 
 
 The day on which Shams al-Din had been carried to 
 Kurban agreeing exactly with that of Sutchumi's birth, and 
 the pomegranate upon his breast which was in the same 
 place as upon his twin sister, entirely convincing the king he 
 was his son, he caused him to come near, embraced him 
 affectionately, and ordered him to be covered with a sumptu-
 
 12 
 
 ous robe. If on one side Shams al-Din rejoiced at the 
 nobleness oi" his birth, on the other his soul was full of the 
 sharpest affliction. He threw himself at Al-Salah's feet : 
 My lord, he said, melting into tears, I wait impatiently for 
 death ; I cannot look upon myself without horror, after what 
 my hand has done : Purge the world of such a monster as I 
 am. This is the greatest and only favor you can show to a 
 son so guilty as I am. — No, no, my dear Shams al-Din, 
 replied the king, embracing him afresh, my death is not ow- 
 ing to any guilt of yours ; what is written upon the table of 
 light can never be avoided. Live, I command you, and 
 assemble this moment my wazirs and all the emirs of As- 
 trakhan : I will in their presence acknowledge you for my 
 son and for my successor. Shams al-Din having a thorough 
 sense of the goodness of the king his father, embraced his 
 knees with respect, and made but very little haste to execute 
 his orders ; but the Sultana Dugmi having immediately sent 
 out his commands by the twelve black slaves, the king's 
 chamber was soon filled with the principal persons of the 
 court. 
 
 That prince was laid upon his sofa. The angel of death is 
 not far from me, says he to them, and I find I shall quickly 
 sleep under the wing of the mercy of the Almighty. Behold, 
 wazirs, continued he with a feeble voice ; behold your mas- 
 ter, showing them the young Shams al-Din ; this is my son by 
 the Sultana Dugmi ; I command you to look upon him as 
 your king. 
 
 The wazirs and emirs were mightily astonished at the 
 approaching death of Al-Salah ; they were likewise ignorant 
 that the king had ever had a son ; but the sultana having 
 in a few words related to them the history of the young 
 tailor, they all prostrated themselves with their faces to the 
 ground, and swore by their heads to obey him till death. 
 This ceremony was hardly over, when the king made the 
 sultana, Sutchumi, and Zabd al-Katon draw near to his sofa :
 
 13 
 
 My dear Dugmi, said he to the first, I arn too sensible of the 
 injustice I did your charms in loving the beauteous Zabd al- 
 Katon, who never rewarded my passion with anything but 
 ingratitude ; you did not deserve this infidelity ft-om me : I 
 die with extreme regret for having broken the oaths I so 
 often made to be always yours. — Ah, my lord, replied 
 Dugmi, shedding plenteous tears, whatever tenderness I felt 
 for your Majesty I never wished to control you in your 
 pleasures. I loved you, my lord, for yourself; and you never 
 knew me behold with an eye of envy your new affection for 
 Zabd al-Katon. Whatever grief the loss of your heart was 
 to me, your being contented was enough to keep me from 
 murmuring at your sovereign will. The king's love for the 
 sultana redoubled at this moment. He embraced her ten- 
 derly. I will give you a proof, my dear Dugmi, said he, of 
 the truth of what I say ; the charming Zabd al-Katon no 
 longer touches me : and to give an undoubted mark of it, I 
 conjure her in your presence to give her hand to the prince, 
 my son. As for Sutchumi, the wazir Ibn-Bukr — The 
 king of Astrakhan could not any further explain his pleasure 
 with regard to his daughter. He died in the arms of the 
 sultana with these last words in his mouth. 
 
 It is impossible to paint the despair of Shams al-Din. 
 They had much ado to keep him from attempting his own 
 life. His mother, his sister, and Zabd al-Katon did not 
 leave him a moment ; the last particularly, being delivered 
 from a king whose troublesome though respectful love had 
 more than once made her tremble, used all her endeavors 
 to dispel Shams al-Din's sorrow. But insensible to all the 
 honors that were done to him, he fell into so profound a 
 melancholy, that his life was feared. Public prayers were 
 ordered in the Mosques of Astrakhan. They in some meas- 
 ure appeased the wrath of the great Prophet against the new 
 king. He found his mind more at peace in a few months ; 
 and after having nobly rewarded the tailor and his wife for
 
 14 
 
 the kindness they had ahvays shown him, he married Sut- 
 chumi to the wazir Ibn-Bukr, which was what he thought 
 the king his father meant by his last words, and pubhcly 
 espoused Zabd al-Katon himself. The prince spent nearly 
 five months with his wife in the most perfect felicity. The 
 days in her company seemed no more than moments ; but 
 this happiness was all of a sudden interrupted by frightful 
 dreams, which continually represented to his thoughts his 
 bleeding father. Zabd al-Katon to no purpose endeavored 
 by the most endearing behavior to efface from her hus- 
 band's mind the dark ideas with which it was filled. He 
 was incessantly torn with remorse for the murder he had 
 committed, and could think of no other way to put an end to 
 it than by taking a journey to Meccah. Zabd al-Katon, un- 
 willing to part with the king, begged that he would permit 
 her to go with him ; Shams al-Din, being unable to refuse 
 her that satisfaction, left his brother-in-law, the wazir Ibn- 
 Bukr, regent in his absence, recommended his mother and 
 sister to his care in the strongest terms, and set out from 
 Astrakhan. 
 
 After a tedious journey, in which the king and his wife 
 underwent a thousand fatigues, they at length arrived at 
 Meccah. There Shams al-Din walked seven times round 
 the temple ; and after having purified himself with the water 
 of the well called Zemzem, he went in the evening to Mount 
 Arafat, where he caused two hundred sheep to be slain, which 
 he distributed among the poor. From thence he took the 
 road to Al-Madinah, and performed his devotion in the most 
 holy Mosque : and afterwards, having offered a present ot 
 forty thousand pieces of gold, as he had done at Meccah, he 
 joined the Caravan and travelled towards Grand Cairo, where 
 they arrived without meeting with any accident. Shams al- 
 Din no longer felt the cruel agitations which so often inter- 
 rupted his slumbers. He began to enjoy an undisturbed 
 h:ippiness, and prepared to begin his journey towards his
 
 15 
 
 own kingdom, when the beauteous Zabd al-Katon was at- 
 tacked with a violent fever. This unlucky accident hindered 
 him from setting out with the Caravan, which could not defer 
 its journey ; but he soon had just reason to be alarmed, when 
 the distemper of his beloved wife increased to such a degree, 
 that her life was despaired of. The princess was almost two 
 days insensible, and recovered for some moments the use of 
 her speech only to pierce Shams al-Din's heart with the most 
 cruel affliction. I must leave you, my dear husband, said 
 she to him, embracing him with extreme tenderness, and I 
 conceive beforehand all the hon-or of such a separation ; but 
 you must be patient under the loss of me. You are decreed 
 for still greater misfortunes. This warning I give you from 
 the great Prophet, who appeared to me some hours ago. It 
 is good, said he to me, that princes should suffer some trials. 
 Adversity purifies their virtue, and they govern the better for 
 it. Shams al-Din shall quickly be convinced of this truth : 
 Bid him from me begin to prepare for it. This, continued 
 Zabd al-Katon, pouring forth tears in abundance, this is the 
 message I have to deliver to you : Summon up all your rea- 
 son, that you may not murmur at the orders of Providence 
 — Adieu, my dear Shams — The princess had not time to 
 conclude ; the angel v^^hich waited for her soul cut short her 
 speech. 
 
 Never was despair equal to that of the king of Astrakhan. 
 He could not be removed from the body of his spouse. He 
 was inconsolable for the loss of her, and knew no other 
 remedy than immediately to have a large box made, of cin- 
 namon wood, open only at the top towards the head ; in 
 this he put the body of Zabd al-Katon, and adorned it with 
 a great number of jewels ; then with his guard, which was 
 about five hundred men, he endeavored to overtake the 
 Caravan, which was gone but some days' joumey before him, 
 intending, as soon as he should come up with it, to have the 
 corpse of his dear wife embalmed. The prince had not been
 
 i6 
 
 two days upon his march, when he was surrounded by ahnost 
 two thousand Badawin. He made an incredible resistance ; 
 but all his followers being cut in pieces, without excepting 
 one, he himself fell among the number of the dead. The 
 Badawin, after their victory, fell to stripping their enemies. 
 They took everything they could find, and did not forget 
 the bier adorned with jewels, in which was the body of Zabd 
 al-Katon. Shams al-Din, who defended himself Hke a lion, 
 had, however, received never a wound that was mortal ; and 
 it was not so much the quantity of blood he had lost, as his 
 being quite tired out, that was the occasion of his falling 
 among the dead. When he had recovered his senses, he 
 was surprised to find himself alone, and in the midst of his 
 men, among whom there was not one that had the least sign 
 of life. What a sad spectacle was this for the king ! He 
 got up as well as he was able, and not forgetting his dear 
 spouse, he ran all over the field of battle, to see if the rob- 
 bers, after having taken away the jewels, might not have left 
 the box in which was the corpse of Zabd al-Katon. His 
 search was all in vain ; he almost died with grief at this new 
 loss. But at length, leaving a place which had been so fatal 
 to him, after having travelled an hour without knowing 
 whither he went, he came near to a little village, entering into 
 which he met an Imam, who at first was frightened to see a 
 man quite naked, and all covered with blood ; but Shams al- 
 Din having, without making himself known to him, informed 
 him that he was the only one of his company that had 
 escaped the cruelty of the Badawin, the Imam took pity on 
 him, carried him home to his house, and cured his wounds ; 
 and having afterwards given him some pieces of money, the 
 prince with them betook the way to his own kingdom. 
 
 After a long and painful journey, in which Shams al-Din 
 travelled sometimes alone, and sometimes with little cara- 
 vans, which assisted him in his necessities, he at length 
 reached a vast champaign country which was about half a
 
 17 
 
 league from Astrakhan. There he spied a nephew of the 
 wazir his brother-in-law, with a pretty numerous train ; and 
 running to him with open arms, Receive, said he, my dear 
 Zamin, receive the unhappy Shams al-Din, oppressed with 
 the most cruel misfortunes, and who for almost three years 
 has been exposed to such miseries as would strike you with 
 horror but to hear them. Zamin was surprised at the sight 
 of his king ; though the fatigues of the journey, the hardships 
 he had undergone, and the meanness of his habit had 
 altered him extremely, yet he could not help knowing him 
 again. He prostrated himself before him with all the 
 appearances of the sincerest respect ; and taking off his 
 own robe, he covered the prince with it, and conducted him 
 to the palace through the most private streets ; but what 
 was the amazement of Shams al-Din at his entrance there, 
 to see himself loaded with chains by the same Zamin, who 
 had but now been loading him with compliments ! Then 
 he learnt, to his inexpressible grief, that his cruel brother- 
 in-law Ibn Bukr, after having himself strangled his wife and 
 the sultana Dugmi, had seized the kingdom, massacred all 
 his faithful subjects, and those who opposed his usurpation ; 
 and that he himself must shortly expect the same fate. 
 Shams al-Din grew motionless at this news. At first he 
 gave himself up to fury and rage ; but presently calling to 
 mind the last words of Zabd al-Katon, he resigned himself 
 that moment to the Will of the Almighty. God, said he, is 
 great, He is just : I am not yet sufficiently punished for my 
 crimes ; but what had my mother and sister done to come 
 to so tragical an end? Their death, I hope, will not be 
 long unpunished. The prince had not ended these words, 
 when the usurper, followed by four ruffians, entered the 
 room. His presence startled Shams al-Din. Ah, barbar- 
 ous wazir, cried he, the moment he saw him, art thou come 
 to fill up the measure of thy guilt ? Cannot the blood of thy 
 wife and of my mother, which already rises up against thee, 
 
 2
 
 assuage thy fury ? Behold my liead ; strike I But remember 
 the day will come when I shall accuse thee of these enor- 
 mous crimes before the tribunal of the Great God ; and that 
 when the angels shall give testimony of the truth, all this 
 mighty power of thine, beneatli which my subjects groan and 
 tremble, shall not then preserve thee from being condemned, 
 and severely punished for thy execrable parricide. 
 
 These sharp reproaches quite confounded the usurper; 
 he had not strength enough now to command the death of 
 his lawful king ; his menaces terrified him ; he thought he 
 already saw the hand of God lifted over his head. He con- 
 tented himself with putting Shams al-Din out of a condition 
 ever to re-ascend the throne ; he caused a red-hot iron to 
 be rubbed over his eyes, which deprived him of sight, and 
 he afterwards sent him into a deep dungeon. There was 
 not a day passed wherein the king of Astrakhan, though 
 oppressed with miseries, and delivered up to the most 
 bitter affliction, did not pay respect to the decrees of Provi- 
 dence, and return thanks to God for having punished him 
 so gently for his crimes : but one night, when grief had for 
 some moments given way to sleep, he thought he saw in a 
 dream the great Prophet, with Zabd al-Katon in his hand, 
 assuring him of the change in his condition, and promising 
 he should one day enjoy a perfect happiness with his spouse. 
 Shams al-Din started up and waked ; but this dream seemed 
 to him so extraordinary, and to have so little foundation, 
 that he gave very little heed to it. It even added to his 
 sorrow ; but yet it was not long before he felt the effects of 
 one part of this prediction. 
 
 One morning, as the prince was performing his devotions 
 prostrate upon the earth, he heard the doors of his prison 
 open with a great noise. Imagining that somebody was 
 going to dispatch him, he did not alter his posture but 
 waited the blow with intrepidity, when two of his former 
 wazirs, whose zeal and virtue were sufficiently known to
 
 19 
 
 him, threw themselves at his feet. My lord, said one oi 
 them, embracing his knees, do you not remember the voices 
 of Mutamhid and Kubirgh, your faithful slaves? The un- 
 grateful wazir, on whom you heaped so many favors, 
 together with the traitor Zamin, have just now met with their 
 deaths by our hands. The people, tired out with his cruel- 
 ties, rejoice exceedingly at his death. They knew nothing 
 of your return, which we took care to inform them of; hav- 
 ing pretended to be of Ibn Bukr's party only that we might 
 in time be able to push him from the throne he had so 
 basely and cruelly usurped. Come then, my lord, and 
 once more fill it ; since all your subjects call for their law- 
 ful sovereign with the utmost impatience. Shams al-Din 
 praised God, and thanked the wazirs for their zeal. But 
 how, my v.'ise friends, said he, would you have me remount 
 my throne ? Is such an unhappy prince as I in a condition 
 to govern you? No, no, wazirs, choose from among you a 
 man that may be more capable of such a charge, and leave 
 me to mourn in secret for all my misfortunes. — Ah! my 
 lord, replied Mutam.hid, your contempt of greatness is a 
 sure sign that none is more worthy to govern than your- 
 self. We conjure you not to reject our entreaties ; we 
 are ready to sacrifice our lives and fortunes to defend you 
 upon a throne which you have already so worthily filled. 
 The king of Astrakhan, moved by these words, which 
 showed so much affection and loyalt}% put himself into the 
 hands of his two wazirs : they conducted him to the baths 
 of the palace ; and after having clothed him in a robe of 
 state, presented him to the people, who testified by a 
 thousand shouts of joy how impatient they had been to see 
 him again upon the throne of his ancestors. 
 
 Whatever satisfaction Shams al-Din took in hearing the 
 love his subjects had for him, he continually wept in secret 
 for the loss of his dear Zabd al-Katon, and for the priva- 
 tion of his sight. In vain the most skilful physicians and
 
 20 
 
 surgeons in Astrakhan tried all their art upon him. They 
 agreed, at last, that there were not the least hopes that he 
 would ever see again the light of the sun. There was one 
 of them only who told the king he remembered he had 
 formerly read in an old Arabian manuscript that there was 
 in the island of Sarandib a bird which might restore him to 
 sight ; but that besides the difficulties there were in finding 
 and coming near it, he would not warrant the manuscript 
 to be infallible. The bird, continued the physician, is 
 upon the top of a very high tree, all the leaves of which are 
 as hard as iron, and as sharp as razors. Some woman must, 
 in order to restore to sight her blind husband, undertake to 
 climb up this tree from branch to branch ; if her affection 
 for her husband has never suffered any alteration, the 
 leaves will soften to her touch, and she will easily climb to 
 the top, and draw in a golden vessel which hangs at the 
 bird's neck a liquor as white as milk, which distils per- 
 petually from its bill. This liquor the Arabian manuscript 
 affirms to be sovereign for restoring sight to those who 
 have been deprived of it by any accident whatsoever, 
 nay, even to those who have been born blind. After hav- 
 ing received this divine liquor, she shall come down from 
 the tree as easily as she climbed up ; but if the woman 
 who ventures to fetch this marvellous juice, has ever had 
 the least thought contrary to the purity of marriage, or has 
 ceased one moment to have an entire love for her husband, 
 she must expect nothing from her rash enterprise but certain 
 death. The leaves indeed will grow soft to let her climb 
 to the top of the tree ; but when she is to come down they 
 will resume their edge, and the woman, falling from bough to 
 bough, shall be hacked into a thousand pieces. I believe, my 
 lord, continued Abu Bakr, that this tree, if it is certainly ia 
 being, is still a virgin and untouched ; and that no woman 
 hitherto has offered herself to fetch a liquor, which is to oe 
 acquired with so much trouble and danger.
 
 21 
 
 Shams al-Din listened to this story with admiration. It is 
 not impossible, said he, that such a woman may be found in 
 this city, though such women are but very rare ; we must 
 try if we cannot find out so great a treasure. The wives of 
 all the blind men in Astrakhan were brought before the king ; 
 Abu Bakr in his presence declared to them what was to be 
 done, and Shams al-Din promised an unbounded reward to 
 her who could by this means restore him to sight : but there 
 was not one of them durst venture to climb the tree ; the 
 conditions were a little too delicate, and death too certain ; 
 they all in general refused to undergo so dreadful a proba- 
 tion. The other physicians of Astrakhan made a wonderful 
 jest of the king's credulity. This new kind of remedy, said 
 they, is an invention of Abu Bakr's, who would fain set up 
 for a man of prodigious learning ; he is mightily set upon 
 miracles, and always distinguishes himself by some new and 
 particular opinion. These words came to Abu Bakr's ears ; 
 they touched him to the quick. Shall my zeal for the king, 
 said he, to his wife and son, be turned into ridicule ? Well, 
 I myself will undertake a journey to Sarandib, to see if what 
 the manuscript report be true ; if, notwithstanding all my 
 wishes, I do not succeed in my enterprise, at least I shall 
 have the consolation of having done more for my prince 
 than all the other physicians of Astrakhan put together. 
 Nothing could divert Abu Bakr from his resolution ; the 
 length and difficulties of the voyage did not at all dishearten 
 him. He presented himself the next day before the king, 
 and informed him of his design. That prince highly com- 
 mended so noble an undertaking. He gave him everything 
 that was necessary for so tedious a voyage ; and promised 
 him, in case he died by the way, to take particular care of 
 his wife, and of his only son, whom he loved entirely. My 
 lord, said the physician, taking leave of Shams al-Din, if I 
 do not return in three years, you may believe that death, or 
 some strange accident wliich I cannot foresee, has obstructed
 
 22 
 
 the ardent desire I have to restore you to sight ; but a cer- 
 tain confidence which I have in the Arabian manuscript, 
 makes me hope my voyage will not be fruitless. At length 
 Abu Bakr set out for Sarandib ; and it was not without very 
 great envy that the other physicians saw the king so biassed 
 in his favor. 
 
 Shams al-Din, in the flower of his age, and blind as he 
 was, governed his subjects with admirable prudence. Shut 
 up in the recesses of his palace, he was incessantly thinking ^ 
 of the means to make them happy ; and laid it down to 
 himself as an unalterable law till the return of the physician 
 Abu Bakr, to appear in public but one hour every day, which 
 hour he divided into four parts. During the first he went to 
 the great Mosque of Astrakhan to pray ; the second, third, 
 and sometimes part of tlie fourth, were destined for doing 
 acts of charity, and receivin^the complaints of private per- 
 sons against the public officers, either by word of mouth 
 or in writing. Afterwards he commanded Mutamhid and 
 Kubirgh, the two wazirs upon whom he relied in most of 
 his affairs, to punish or to turn out those officers if they 
 deserved it; and he distributed justice with so much equity 
 and discretion, that his sentences were looked upon as so 
 many oracles. As for what remained of the last quarter of 
 an hour, he spent it in the conversation of learned men. 
 This was the only diversion that prince enjoyed all the day, 
 and as he liked their company, he gave them marks of his 
 liberality. The honor of diverting the king, who generally 
 seemed sunk in melancholy, more than the view of interest, 
 animated his subjects to find out persons who might dissipate 
 his sorrows by telling him some extraordinary story. If a 
 famous traveller arrived at Astrakhan, he was immediately 
 carried to Shams al-Din; and when the inhabitants them- 
 selves knew any singular adventure, they presented themselves 
 before their prince, that they might have the pleasure of 
 contributing to his entertainment.
 
 23 
 
 It was now two years since Abu Bakr had been gone to 
 the island of Sarandib, and since the king, exactly observing 
 the rule he had prescribed to himself, had never failed 
 to allot some moments every day to those amusements, 
 when the two favorite wazirs discussing together about the 
 motive of Abu Bakr's voyage — If that physician prove a 
 cheat, said one of them, or should not return to Astrakhan, 
 we shall be very much at a loss to procure the king fit 
 persons to talk to him. He has committed that charge to 
 our care ; and though a quarter of an hour is quickly past, 
 yet as it is to be renewed daily, I am afraid that at last we 
 shall not be able to find anything new. — That would be a 
 pity indeed, replied the other wazir ; the king has now con- 
 tracted a pleasing habit of hearing some story or other every 
 day ; it is almost the only satisfaction of his life, for in the 
 manner this wise prince conducts himself, he enjoys no 
 delight of royalty but that of laboring incessantly for the 
 good of his subjects. One of the physicians of Astrakhan 
 was present at the conversation ; he thought this a fair 
 opportunity of gratifying the envy which he and all his 
 brethren had conceived against Abu Bakr. My lords, said 
 he to the wazirs, all men of sense are of your opinion ; and 
 j'ou will infallibly fall into the inconv^enience you already 
 apprehend. I know but one remedy against it ; Abu Bakr's 
 son, deriding the perplexity he foresees you will soon be in, 
 boasted yesterday in my hearing that he himself was able, 
 if he had a mind to it, to find diversion for the king till his 
 father's return. It is true this young man has a good deal of 
 learning, and ever since he was ten years old has applied 
 himself with great eagerness to read all manner of books; 
 but notwithstanding the prodigious memory he is said to be 
 endowed with, I very much doubt whether he could succeed 
 in so difficult an undertaking. 
 
 Kubirgh only lauglied at the presumption of Abu Bakr's 
 son ; but Mutamhid falling into a violent passion — Indeed,
 
 24 
 
 said he, it well becomes this insolent young man to jest so 
 unseasonably ! Well, since he talks at this rate, he shall 
 keep his word; and his head shall be answerable for the 
 success of an enterprise he is so vain as to pretend to. He 
 that moment ordered somebody to fetch Ibn Aridun, which 
 was the name of Abu Bakrs son. This physician, said he 
 to him when he had come, assures me that you have the 
 boldness to make a jest of the perplexity Kubirgh and I may 
 one day be in to provide his Majesty new subjects for recre- 
 ation, and that you boast that you yourself could find him 
 diversion till your father's return. Since you are so rash as 
 to talk thus, I command you to look that you do so, con- 
 tinued Mutamhid, with a voice that might make Ibn Aridun 
 tremble ; I will be present at all your conversations ; and I 
 forewarn you that if the prince grow weary of your discourse, 
 and bid me bring him another, thou shalt that moment lose 
 thy head. Ibn Aridun was strangely surprised at this order. 
 He perceived so much anger in the wazir's eyes that he 
 durst not deny his having been guilty of that vanity ; he 
 confided in his reading, and in the happy memory nature 
 had given him, and throwing himself at Mutamhid's feet — My 
 lord, said he, waiving whatever I might urge for my justifica- 
 tion, the honor of diverting the king is so coveted by me, 
 that I will not refuse to obey your sovereign commands ; 
 though it cost me my life, I am ready to appear before the 
 throne of Shams al-Din. The perfidious physician, who had 
 stayed by the wazir to be witness of what passed, was a little 
 astonished at Ibn Aridun's answer, yet he made not the 
 least doubt of his destruction. A young man, at most but 
 five-and-twenty years old, said he to himself, can never have 
 gathered stock enough to succeed in such an undertaking. 
 He presently ran to inform his companions, who all felt a 
 malicious joy at it, and tasted beforehand the pleasure of 
 seeing themselves revenged upon Abu Bakr in the person of 
 his son.
 
 25 
 
 The wazir Mutamhid, pleased with the submission and 
 modesty of Ibn Aridun, dropped all his anger : As your 
 death is unavoidable, says he, if you do not fulfil your prom- 
 ise, so your reward, on the other hand, is no less certain, if 
 you succeed in your design. Every time you leave the king, 
 I will give you an hundred pieces of gold ; I will have you 
 eat at my table; you shall be served like me, and there 
 shall be no other difference beween us, but that you shall be 
 narrowly watched. — My lord, rephed Ibn Aridun, it is not 
 the hopes of recompense, or your noble promises, that will 
 prompt me to do my duty : the philosophy I make profes- 
 sion of has taught me to despise riches. Honor and glory 
 are the only motives by which I am actuated ; and if what 
 you now require of me were contrary to their dictates, you 
 should see me embrace the most cruel death rather than 
 obey you ; but as there is nothing that is not extremely 
 honorable in the command you impose upon me, you may 
 put me to the trial when you please ; I shall endeavor 
 to confound the artifices of my enemies, and I hope my 
 prince will be satisfied with me. Mutamhid was charmed 
 with the prudent behavior of Ibn Aridun ; he then per- 
 ceived the malice of the old physician, and that the young 
 man was innocent of what was laid to his charge ; but since 
 he offered himself as it were voluntarily to try to divert his 
 prince, he presented him to him the next day. 
 
 As soon as Ibn Aridun came within sight of the throne of 
 Shams al-Din, he prostrated himself with his face to the 
 earth. He afterwards arose, and addressing his speech to 
 the king : May the Mercy of the Almighty be displayed 
 upon your Majesty, said he ; may the Angel that is one day 
 to present you before his throne, forget no one good action 
 of your life ; and may you forever enjoy the perfect felicity 
 which our great Prophet has promised to those who exactly 
 follow his laws ! My name is Ibn Aridun, the son of Abu 
 Bakr, who has been gone two years or thereabouts to the
 
 26 
 
 island of Sarandib : may heaven quickly send him back with 
 the divine remedy which he travels in quest of to restore you 
 to sight ! Till that time comes, I have undertaken, my 
 lord, to entertain your Majesty every day for that litde while 
 which you set apart to unbend your mind. — Do you con- 
 sider what you have engaged to do? answered the king, 
 somewhat surprised at these promises. Do you not know 
 that such an enterprise is beyond your ability, and that your 
 father may not return perhaps this twelvemonth? — My lord, 
 replied the young Ibn Aridun, though great is the difficulty of 
 entertaining my king as I ought to do, yet I know such a 
 number of stories, each more curious than the other, that 
 even though my father should lengthen out his voyage as 
 long again as he intended, I do not despair of being able to 
 fulfil the promise I have made to the wazir Mutamhid ; and 
 if your Majesty will do me the honor to hear me, I will 
 begin with a very singular story. 
 
 Shams al-Din was yet more surprised than before. Thou 
 must be a wonder in thy kind, said he, if thou keepest thy 
 word. Difficulties do not at all discourage thee. — On the 
 contrary, my lord, replied Ibn Aridun, they animate me with 
 more vigor. I have so happy a memory, that I never for- 
 get anything I have read or heard ; and as I always delighted 
 in keeping company with the oldest and wisest men in 
 Astrakhan, great part of whom are dead, I am possessed of 
 such a number of different histories of every kind, that, with- 
 out boasting, I may assure your Majesty there are few men 
 like me in this city. — I shall quickly be a judge of that, re- 
 plied the king. Sit down by Mutamhid on this sofa, and lei 
 me hear the story you offered to tell me. 
 
 Ibn Aridun obeyed the orders of Shams al-Din. He sat 
 down upon the sofa, and began in this manner:
 
 27 
 
 HISTORY OF SHARIF AL-DIN, SON OF 
 
 THE KING OF ORMUZ, AND OF 
 GUL-HINDI, PRINCESS OF TULUPHAN 
 
 There were formerly, my lord, in the Greater Tartary, 
 two different sorts of jinnis ; the one, disposed to do good 
 to mankind, acknowledged the great Geoncha for their king ; 
 and the other, never pleased but when they were exercising 
 their malicious inclinations, had no other master than the 
 revengeful Zalulu. These two captains of the jinnis had for 
 almost three hundred years been at continual war with each 
 other. Geoncha protected nobody that Zalulu did not im- 
 mediately endeavor to persecute ; and Zalulu could do no 
 ill action upon the earth, but Geoncha presently set about to 
 redress it. 
 
 One day as these two jinnis were upon the banks of the 
 river Salgora, endeavoring to decide their differences by 
 conference, Mochzadin, king of Tuluphan, and the beauteous 
 Riza, his wife, who were returning together from hunting the 
 kid, passed by the place where the two jinnis were contend- 
 ing. Zalulu, always watchful to do ill, would not let slip so 
 fair an opportunity of indulging his propensity that way; 
 notwithstanding Geoncha's entreaties, that malicious jinni, 
 going up to Riza, who rode side by side with Mochzadin, 
 made so great a noise in her horse's ear, that the frightened 
 beast ran away with the princess, notwithstanding all her 
 efforts to restrain him, and was just going to precipitate her 
 in the river, which was very deep in that part, if with one 
 blow of a sabre, struck by a powerful hand, Geoncha, run- 
 ning to her assistance, had not cut off the horse's head, and 
 caught the princess in his arms, who had swooned away with 
 fear. The kind jinni, having afterwards made her smell at 
 a nosegay of musk-roses which he had in his hand, she not 
 only returned to her senses, but her clothes, which were green
 
 28 
 
 before, were now changed into a rose-color ; and though 
 her features were not in the least altered, her beauty was 
 increased to such a degree, that the king himself, who, justly 
 alarmed at the danger of his spouse, had followed her with 
 extreme swiftness, could scarcely know her again. He and 
 all his train were in a surprise not to be imagined. The 
 extraordinary death of Riza's horse, her rose-colored habit, 
 and her additional beauty, all these brought about in a 
 moment, the author of so many wonders not appearing, for 
 the jinnis had not made themselves visible, — all these, I say, 
 happened so unaccountably, that the king and queen were 
 almost ready to doubt of a truth, which their eyes could not 
 but testify. After having returned to Tuluphan, and retired 
 into their chamber by themselves, they were still, with admir- 
 ation, discoursing of the prodigy they had seen, when they 
 were seized with fear and respect at the sight of a venerable 
 old man who of a sudden appeared before them, without 
 their perceiving how he got in. Be not afraid, my children, 
 said he to them kindly ; I am Geoncha, king of the jinnis. 
 It is I, that after having preserved the charming Riza from 
 the danger into which Zalulu, who has made himself famous 
 upon earth by a thousand malicious actions, had thrown her 
 by frightening her horse ; it is T, continued he, who had 
 resolved that none of her sex should surpass her in beauty. 
 But I do not stint my favors in so narrow a compass : I 
 intend likewise to put an end to her barrenness; in nine 
 months from this day she shall bring forth a daughter as 
 beautiful as herself. 
 
 The king of the jinnis, continued Ibn Aridun, had no 
 sooner spoken these words, than he disappeared, leaving 
 the king and queen of Tuluphan in an ecstasy of joy at so 
 pleasing an expectation. However incredulous they had 
 been till then, they soon ceased to be so ; Riza, who during 
 seven years' marriage had never had the pleasing satisfaction 
 of being a mother, quickly felt tlie effects of G concha's
 
 29 
 
 promises. At the end of nine months exactly, she was 
 brought to bed of a daughter, completely beautiful, whom 
 she named Gul-hindi. This little princess no sooner enjoyed 
 the light, than the same jinni appeared again in the chamber 
 where Riza and Mochzadin were together. I come with 
 inexpressible pleasure, said he, to put the last hand to so 
 charming a work, and to inform you of the destiny that is 
 prepared for her. I assisted yesterday at the birth of a son 
 of the king of Ormuz, whom I named Sharif al-Din : I find 
 so much resemblance and sympathy between him and this 
 lovely princess, that I have resolved to unite them one day 
 by the most holy ties ; but I foresee that the happiness they 
 are to enjoy will be crossed by such misfortunes as will 
 drive Gul-hindi to the very brink of death, if they know one 
 another before they have attained the age of seventeen 
 years. It must be your care, my lord, continued the jinni, 
 addressing his speech to Mochzadin, to keep the princess 
 from seeing any stranger, till she is past the fatal moment 
 which the stars have discovered will be so dangerous to her. 
 This is the only remedy I can think of, unless you will put 
 her into my hands ; for then I will warrant her free from 
 all the caprices of fortune. Mochzadin and Riza were 
 surprised at Geoncha's words : but though they gave entire 
 credit to his prediction, they were not able to consent to 
 part with a child they had so many years longed for. They 
 begged the jinni very earnestly not to be offended if they 
 kept the little Gul-hindi with themselves ; and assured him 
 they would take so much care of her that she would be in 
 no manner of danger from the prince Sharif al-Din. — So 
 be it then, replied the jinni ; only remember, when the 
 princess is ten years old to keep her from the sight of all 
 the world. The nearer she approaches her sixteenth year, 
 the greater danger she will be in. Then having taken her 
 in his arms, he enriched her with all the fine qualities that 
 could make a person of her sex accomplished ; and aftei
 
 30 
 
 having received a thousand thanks from the king and queen, 
 he departed like a flash of lightning. 
 
 Scarce, my lord, continued Ibn Aridun, did the malignant 
 Zalulu, who could not come to an agreement with Gecncha 
 in their last conference, know what he had done for Gul- 
 hindi and Sharif al-Din, than he resolved to gratify his 
 malicious temper by crossing the felicity of these two lovely 
 infants. He repaired in the night to the palace of the king 
 of Ormuz, stole away the little prince, carried him to 
 Tuluphan, dressed him in Gul-hindi's clothes, and covering 
 that little princess with those of Sharif al-Din, placed her a 
 moment after in the cradle from which he had taken the 
 prince of Ormuz. We may easily conceive the surprise the 
 two nurses were in. 
 
 ■ • • • • • 
 
 Ibn Aridun was interrupted here by a black slavT, who 
 came every day to tell the king of Astrakhan that his hour 
 was out. As soon as this slave appeared, Shams al-Din 
 arose to return to his palace. He who had the honor to 
 entertain him, gave over speaking, and resumed his discourse 
 the next day, if he had not finished his story ; if he had, 
 there was brought to the king another, who told him some 
 adventure he had not yet heard. Thus STfje STijousanti anlJ 
 ©ne Quarters of an f^our are divided in the original Arabic ; 
 but it is thought best to leave out all that follows and pre- 
 cedes Ibn Aridun's narration, being persuaded that the 
 reader will read these stories with more pleasure than if 
 they were interrupted by continual repetitions, which it 
 would be almost impossible not to be guilty of 
 
 The two nurses were strangely surprised in the morning to 
 find each her child so different from what it was the night 
 before. They looked upon them with unparalleled amaze- 
 ment, when Zalulu appearing to each of them in the shape 
 of a frightful dwarf, threatened to wring their necks it ever
 
 31 
 
 they divulged the metamorphosis that had happened; and 
 departed, after having assured them, that if before tiiose 
 children had attained the age of seventeen years the secret 
 was found out in any manner whatsoever, they would 
 fall into his power, without any possibility of ever getting 
 out of it. The poor women were so terrified, that they re- 
 solved to keep the strictest silence. Their lives depended 
 upon it ; and the jinni had so intimidated them, that they 
 would have suffered any torment rather than have revealed 
 the secret. Sharif al-Din then was brought up at the court 
 of king Mochzadin by the name of Gul-hindi ; and that 
 princess, under the habit of the prince of Persia, rendered 
 herself in a little time so perfect at the exercises of the 
 body, that when she was fifteen years old she surpassed all 
 the subjects of the king of Ormuz in those accomplishments. 
 The education of the young prince was not very agreeable 
 to his sex ; that which he seemed to be of, engaged him in 
 quite different occupations. He generally aaiused himself 
 by embroidery; and being, according to Geoncha's order, 
 shut up from the age of ten years in Mochzadin's palace, 
 which was grown inaccessible to everybody but the king of 
 Tuluplian, he never left off work but to hunt in the park, 
 accompanied by his women and some of his eunuchs. His 
 nurse, Marou, who never quitted him, seeing him approach 
 to his sixteenth year, often recommended it to him to con- 
 ceal his sex with the greatest care, since the repose of his 
 whole life depended upon his so doing. But, said Sharif- 
 al-Din to her with tears, why am I educated like a girl, and 
 deprived of the learning and sciences which ought to be 
 communicated to a prince of my rank ? And what unjust 
 motive can oblige the king and queen to let me languish 
 thus in an idle inactive state of life? — These are things I 
 am ignorant of, replied Marou ; but, my dear prince, or 
 rather my dear princess, for it is dangerous to call you by 
 the first name, all I can assure you of is, that Mochzadin
 
 32 
 
 and Riza are more deceived in you than anybody. They 
 believe you are a girl ; they have been co^ivinced of it by 
 their own eyes ; but things have had a strange alteration 
 since that time. This is all I can tell you at present ; you 
 will know more hereafter: but I beg you not to expose 
 yourself to the cruel miseries I have so often threatened you 
 with, if you discover your sex till you are full seventeen 
 years old. 
 
 The prince was surprised at this advice : the more he 
 reflected with himself, the more he was confounded ; he 
 resolved therefore to follow the prudent counsels of his 
 nurse; but in order to dissipate the uneasiness which preyed 
 upon him, he went a-hunting as often as possible. 
 
 One evening as Mochzadin and Riza were conversing 
 with their supposed daughter, the queen related to her, as 
 she had often done before, the story of her birth, and the 
 promises the king of the jinnis had made to unite her des- 
 tiny with that of the son of the king of Ormuz. This story 
 so often repeated perplexed the 'prince to the highest degree; 
 he knew not what to fix upon, but at last resolved, let what 
 would happen, to fly forever from a place where he spent a 
 life so unworthy of himself. It was no easy thing to com- 
 pass this design ; all the gates of the palace were guarded by 
 eunuchs not to be corrupted ; but to execute the project he 
 had formed, he chose the time of his hunting ; and after 
 having taken with him two purses full of gold and a good 
 many jewels, being very well mounted he easily rode away 
 from his company, and spurring directly to a door of the 
 park which led into the wide country, he commanded the 
 eunuch that guarded it to open it to him. The slave refused 
 to obey him ; but the prince having despatched him into the 
 other world with one blow of his sabre, which he always wore 
 when he went a-hunting, took the keys, and flying with 
 incredible swiftness, chose the road which was least beaten, 
 and travelled all that day and the following night without
 
 33 
 
 taking the least repose. The ladies and eunuchs belonging 
 to the false princess made the strictest search for her all 
 over the park. After having in vain traversed every corner 
 of it, they came at last to the door, which they found open ; 
 the dead body of the eunuch increased their surprise. They 
 concluded that some unfortunate accident had happened to 
 Gul-hindi. Nobody cared to inform the king and queen of 
 this mournful news ; yet it was not to be avoided but they 
 should know it. They almost died with grief when they 
 heard it. O Heaven ! cried the queen, tearing her hair 
 and face, why did not we take the advice of the wise 
 Geoncha? We should not now have been thus oppressed 
 with the bitterest affliction : Gul-hindi is undoubtedly stolen 
 away ; the jinni too rightly predicted this mischance. Pray 
 Heaven my dear daughter do not feel the consequences 
 of it! 
 
 While the king and queen wasted their time in vain com- 
 plaints and fruitless reflections, the prince continued his 
 flight. All the pursuit that was made after him was to no 
 purpose ; he rode as hard as his horse could carry him and 
 did not stop till he fell dead under him. He was now forced 
 to travel a-foot in very great perplexity, when there passed 
 by him a' young Tartarian. The prince accosted him. Do 
 you know anybody, said he, that could sell me a horse ? — 
 You could not have addressed yourself more luckily, madam, 
 replied the young man, deceived by Sharif al-Din's female 
 habit ; my father, who lives but a little way off", has no incon- 
 siderable dealings that way. The prince followed him, fur- 
 nished himself with a good horse, and after having taken a 
 few hours' rest, renewed his journey, travelled several days 
 almost without stopping a moment, and at last arrived at a 
 seaport, where he found a vessel just ready to set sail for 
 Surat. The master of the ship was a man of a good aspect, 
 about forty years old. He received the prince with abun- 
 dance of respect, as a young lady of quality g'^ing to the 
 
 3
 
 34 
 
 Indies to take possession of a very considerable estate left 
 her by her father, and whose mother died suddenly at hear- 
 ing the news of her husband's death : he made her an offer 
 of his own table, which Sharif al-Din accepted the more 
 willingly, because having embarked very hastily he had not 
 had time to make any provision. The repast was served up 
 with great delicacy ; but at the conclusion of it, he was very 
 much surprised to see a lady of extreme beauty enter the 
 cabin, and address these words to the master of the ship : 
 Remember, Sinadab, that God has given us a father and a 
 mother, that we should obey them ; it is God that speaks to 
 us through their mouth : Woe to him that despises them and 
 does not submit to their commands with respect and duty. 
 Sinadab at these words rose from table ; the tears ran down 
 his eyes; he afterwards prostrated himself on the ground, 
 remained some time in that posture, and then rising with the 
 marks of the deepest sorrow engraved upon his face : Beau- 
 teous Rukia, said he to the lady, I shall never forget these 
 wholesome counsels. My past misfortunes have sufficiently 
 imprinted them in my memory ; but do you continue never- 
 theless to put me in mind of them daily, as you have been 
 used to do. 
 
 The prince Sharif al-Din looked upon Sinadab with won- 
 der : he perceived it. You will no longer be surprised, 
 madam, said he, when I have told you the occasion of this 
 ceremony, and why this lady at all my meals repeats to me 
 the words you have just now heard. Sharif al-Din having 
 testified a great desire to know the story, thus, my lord, 
 continued Ibn Aridun, Sinadab related it to him :
 
 35 
 
 STORY OF SINADAB, THE SON OF SAZAN 
 THE PHYSICIAN 
 
 My father, whose name was Sazan, was a physician at Suez. 
 He exercised tliat profession with a good deal of honor for 
 a considerable time. He had no child but me, and there- 
 fore spared no cost in my education. I was almost twenty 
 years old, when he would fain have persuaded me to 
 embrace his profession ; but besides that I found myself 
 extremely averse to it, as he was esteemed a very rich man I 
 thought I had no occasion to qualify myself to get a liveli- 
 hood. 1 imagined that the estate he was to leave me would 
 be more than enough to maintain me in luxury and pleasure, 
 without my giving myself the least pain or trouble. My 
 father's remonstrances could not dissuade me from my 
 resolution. This disturbed him so much that he fell sick ; 
 and after having kept his bed five or six months, died. 
 Before his last groan, he called me to him : My son, said he, 
 since in my lifetime I never received any comfort from you, 
 give me at least so much satisfaction at my death as to 
 promise me that you will punctually follow three articles of 
 advice, which I foresee will be extremely useful to you. 
 Swear to me upon the Koran that they shall never be out of 
 your memory. I melted into tears, continued Sinadab ; I 
 took an oath to my father to execute his will ; and this, 
 madam, is what the good old man said to me, embracing 
 me : I leave you wealth enough, and perhaps too much, to 
 live like a man of honesty and honor : endeavor, my dear 
 Sinadab, to keep it ; but if by any accident, which I cannot 
 foresee, you should happen to lose it, never attach yourself to 
 a prince whose good character you are not thoroughly as- 
 sured of. Be sure, whatever love you bear your wife, never 
 to trust her with a secret wherein your life may be con- 
 cerned ; and, lastly, never adopt for your son a child that is 
 none of your own.
 
 36 
 
 Scarce had my father made me swear a second time upon 
 the Koran to obey him religiously in these three points, than 
 he closed his eyes, and resigned his soul into the hands of 
 the angel of death. I redoubled my tears at this mournful 
 sight, and rendered him the last duties with all imaginable 
 tenderness. Under his bed's-head I found the copy of a 
 will which he had deposited with the Kadi. He gave me 
 leave to dispose how I would of all his estate, excepting only 
 a little garden which was without the gates of Suez, at the 
 end whereof was a pretty neat summer-house, which he 
 ordered me not to sell upon any account whatsoever. I paid 
 little regard to this article, which seemed to me of no great 
 consequence. I minded nothing but examining carefully 
 what wealth he had left me. I found almost an hundred 
 thousand dinars of gold, several diamonds perfectly rich, 
 considerable inheritances, and very magnificent furniture. 
 So soon as I could appear in public with decency, I 
 called together my companions in my own house, to the 
 number of eight. I presented each of them with a slave 
 completely beautiful, and entertained them sumptuously for 
 ten days together. In short, madam, continued Sinadab, 
 not to weary you with a particular relation of all my follies 
 and debaucheries, in which I plunged deeper and deeper 
 every day, I shall only tell you that after having led this sort 
 of life for almost two years, I found myself of a sudden with- 
 out money. My comrades, who had never quitted me dur- 
 ing my pleasures, advised me to dispose of my jewels and 
 furniture ; I sold them piece by piece, for half their value. 
 I afterwards did the same by the houses my father had left 
 me, reserving only the garden which it was not in my power 
 to sell ; and at length 1 was so reduced that I had nothing 
 left but the clothes I had on, and one single hawk which I 
 had trained up to flying. 
 
 When my friends saw me in these straits, they immediately 
 deserted me. It was to no purpose my reproaching them
 
 37 
 
 for their ingratitude ; they did but laugh at me ; there was 
 only one of them, who, taking pity of the condition I was in, 
 gave me ten dinars. I had not eaten anything for two days 
 together ; so that I received this mon-^y as a present from 
 heaven. Being now perfectly ashamed of myself, I went to 
 the port of Suez, designing to embark in the first ship I 
 could meet with. I found one that was just ready to depart 
 for Adal; I had scarce time enough to make some slight 
 provision for my voyage with the little money I was master 
 of. I set forwards with nothing but my hawk ; and we 
 arrived at Adal without meeting with any accident. I had 
 now remaining in my purse but three dinars of the ten which 
 had been given me ; I resolved to be a good husband of 
 them, and to live upon the industry of my hawk. I had a 
 very particular talent Jbr training up those sorts of birds. 
 Mine was very excellent at the sport : I had accustomed 
 him not to kill his quarry ; he only pecked out their eyes with 
 two strokes of his bill, and I took them alive ; so that I did 
 not want for game to maintain myself and a poor old widow- 
 woman that had taken me into her house. I had so much 
 that I carried some every day to the king's purveyor, who 
 paid me for it nobly ; and who was so surprised at what I 
 told him of my bird, that he informed the king of it. The 
 prince, who was a great lover of sporting, sent for me ; he 
 told me he would see my hawk take a flight, and bade me 
 be ready next day very early. I gladly obeyed, and the 
 king was so charmed at the swiftness, dexterity, and obedi- 
 ence of my bird, that he asked me what I would take for it. 
 — Sir. replied I, it is all that I have left of above two hun- 
 dred thousand dinars which my father bequeathed me when 
 he died; this poor hawk has maintained me ever since I 
 have been in want ; but since he has been so happy as to 
 please your Majesty, I shall be overpaid for him by the 
 honor I hope you will do me in accepting him. 
 
 The king of Adal, continued Sinadab, immediately ordered
 
 38 
 
 me twenty thousand dinars, lodged me in his palace, and 
 conferred on me the place of his chief huntsman. In a 
 word, madam, that prince had so much kindness for me, 
 that in a little time I became his prime wazir and sole con- 
 fidant. I went with him every day a-hunting, in which 
 diversion he delighted exceedingly ; and I seldom was from 
 him but when he retired among his women. How unhappy 
 should I be, my dear Sinadab, said he to me one day, if I 
 should lose you ! You share the sweetest moments of my 
 life. — My lord, replied I, the favor of the great is too uncer- 
 tain a bottom for a wise man to build upon. I am loaded 
 to-day with your goodness ; perhaps to-morrow I shall be 
 loaded with chains by your command. — No, no, wazir, said 
 he, fear nothing ; I shall always love you. And to bind you 
 more strictly to me, and that you may entirely forget your 
 own country, you shall marry one of my sisters. I have 
 three that are tolerably handsome ; you shall see them this 
 moment, but without their knowledge, and if your heart is 
 not already engaged, she you like the best shall to-morrow 
 be your wife. I threw myself at the king's feet, confounded 
 with the honor he did me ; he raised me up, and embracing 
 me tenderly, made me go into his closet, placed me behind 
 a great curtain of black gauze, and commanded the captain of 
 his eunuchs to fetch the three princesses. The king's orders 
 were executed in an instant ; immediately afterwards there 
 entered the closet three ladies of unparalleled beauty, brilliant 
 as full moons. The king talked with them some time upon 
 different matters ; then having sent them back to their own 
 apartments, he called me from behind the curtain where I 
 stood. Well, my dear wazir, said he, which of my three 
 sisters gave your heart the most emotion? — Ah! my lord, 
 replied I, transported, those ladies are of such ravishing 
 beauty that I could not decide in so little time. — Come, 
 come, interrupted the king, one of the three did certainly 
 please you more than the other two ; own which it was ; I
 
 39 
 
 give her to you freely, and I command you to discover youi 
 sentiments to me frankly. — My lord, replied I, since you 
 absolutely lay your commands upon me, the youngest of the 
 three princesses pierced my heart with the most irresistible 
 charms ; but notwithstanding your Majesty's unbounded 
 goodness to your slave, my happiness would be incomplete 
 if I did not obtain the princess by her own consent. — These 
 sentiments are extremely delicate, replied the king, but I will 
 give you this satisfaction too. Then he ordered the captain 
 of the eunuchs to fetch Buzamghar; this, madam, was the 
 princess's name ; she immediately came. My dear Buzam- 
 ghar, said the king, embracing her, I intend to marry you, 
 but will not force your inclinations ; the wazir Sinadab, to 
 whom I just now purposed you for a wife, will owe your 
 hand to nothing but your love. I leave you with him ; 
 examine your heart before you give me a positive answer, 
 and assure yourself that, let your resolution be what it will, I 
 shall not be in the least displeased at it. 
 
 The king of Adal upon this retired, and left the captain of 
 the eunuchs at the door without. It would be to no pur- 
 pose, madam, continued Sinadab, to repeat to you the con- 
 versation Buzamghar and I had together ; she gave me to 
 understand, by the tenderest expressions, that she would 
 esteem it her greatest felicity to have me for her husband ; 
 and assured me more than once, that the obedience she 
 owed to the king her brother had no share in the sentiments 
 she so ingenuously discovered to me. Upon this I espoused 
 her with all imaginable magnificence ; and the city of Adal 
 took part in my joy, for the king upon that occasion dis- 
 charged the inhabitants from one-fourth of all their taxes. 
 At the end of some months Buzamghar found herself with 
 child. As I loved her tenderly, I was inexpressibly rejoiced 
 at it ; but my joy was of very short duration. She hap- 
 pened to fall, hurt herself very dangerously, and had like to 
 die of a miscarriage. By the extraordinary care that was
 
 40 
 
 taken of her, she soon recovered a perfect state of health ; 
 but five years being passed without having any children, we 
 consulted the skilfullest physicians in all Adal, who unani- 
 mously assured us the princess could never be a mother. 
 This gave great uneasiness to Buzamghar, whom I adored, 
 and who loved me with inconceivable tenderness. My lord, 
 said she to me, one night, when we were alone together, since 
 I am forever deprived of the sweet pleasure of giving you an 
 heir, let us at least try to soften the rigor of our fortune by 
 adopting little Rural. This, madam, continued Sinadab, 
 was the son of one of my slaves, and at four years old gave 
 a prospect of all that could be hoped for in a child of that 
 age. As I never knew how to contradict Buzamghar in any- 
 thing, I willingly consented to this proposal, with the good 
 liking of the king of Adal. I brought up Rumi like my 
 own son, and neglected nothing that might make him 
 accomplished. Rumi had now for ten years looked upon 
 me as his father, and I had received all possible satisfaction 
 from him, when one night as I was in bed with Buzamghar, 
 and not able to sleep, my father's last words, and the oath 
 he had made me take upon the Koran, came into my mind ; 
 but T only laughed at it. How these old folks dote ! said I 
 to myself. I have wasted all my substance ; I have given 
 myself to a prince whom I know nothing of; and am I any 
 the worse for it? On the contrary, could I ever wish for a 
 fortune more considerable, more solid, and more conspicu- 
 ous, than that of being wazir and brother-in-law to a potent 
 king, who places his whole delight in having me near him ! 
 I have adopted Rumi in spite of my father's command. 
 What satisfaction do I receive from that child, who, at fifteen 
 years of age, gives marks of so excellent a temper, and from 
 whom I may one day expect all the acknowledgment and 
 gratitude in the world ! No, no, we should not be too ser- 
 vilely strict in obeying tlie wills of our fathers ; when they 
 have attained a certain age, they are so far from being al)le
 
 41 
 
 to direct others, that they are hardly in a condition to con- 
 duct themselves. 
 
 I went to sleep, madam, after having made these wise 
 reflections : they came into my head again next morning. 
 Here are two articles of my father's advice already neglected, 
 said I to myself, and not the least misfortune has ensued : 
 let us see if it will be the same with the third. After having 
 studied some time, I hit upon the stratagem which I am 
 going to tell you. Buzamghar had often murmured at the 
 king of Adal, when he tore me from her arms to carry me a- 
 hunting, from which I generally returned very much fatigued. 
 Her complaints put me upon trying if my wife were capable 
 of keeping a secret. 1 went to the perch where the king's 
 hawks stood, I took down that which he most loved, unseen 
 by anybody ; I carried it to a pleasure-house at the end of a 
 garden which I had out of the city, and gave it to a mute 
 who was the keeper of it, with orders not to stir from thence 
 till somebody came to him from me and showed him my 
 ring. I then took the key of the garden, and double-locked 
 the door, and carried the key to a friend, whose probity I 
 was perfectly well assured of. If you hear that my life is in 
 danger, said I to him, which I foresee may quickly happen, 
 oblige me so far as to go to my garden, of which here is tlie 
 key, show this ring to the mute that is keeper of it, and bring 
 him to me with the depositum I just now entrusted him with; 
 he will be serviceable in my justification. Then I returned 
 home ; and as I had always a pretty many hawks to teach, I 
 took one that exactly resembled the king's, wrung off its 
 neck, and carried it to my wife. Charming Buzamghar, said 
 I, embracing her, behold a token of my tenderness ; you 
 have so often complained of the king of Adal, that I was 
 resolved to cut away the root of the uneasiness he gives you. 
 This hawk is the only cause, he it is that by being the sole 
 delight of the king, deprives you of yours ; I have killed 
 hun ; but be sure you take heed not to reveal this secret. I
 
 42 
 
 am a dead man if the king should know of this my ingrati- 
 tude to him ; he would have but Httle regard to the motive 
 that prevailed upon me to do it. Buzamghar at first seemed 
 frightened at the danger I had brought upon myself; but 
 presently afterwards, tenderly pressing my hand, My dear 
 lord, said she, light of my life, if only you and I are 
 acquainted with this secret, you may be sure you are safe, 
 and that the most cruel torments shall never extort it from 
 me. — So far then we are well, replied I ; do you take and 
 conceal the hawk with the utmost caution, while I go and 
 make my court to the king. I left Buzamghar, to wait upon 
 the king of Adal. He had already been informed that his 
 hawk was not to be found. He appeared extremely uneasy 
 at it. My lord, said I, I know but one way to recover your 
 bird : have it published all over Adal how much you are dis- 
 turbed at the loss, and promise a reward for finding it worthy 
 the generosity of so great a monarch as you are. 
 
 The king took my advice ; he had it cried at every street's 
 end, that whoever should bring him tidings of his hawk, 
 dead or alive, if it was a man, besides the confiscation of 
 half the estate of him who committed the theft, he should 
 make the informant one of the greatest men in the king- 
 dom ; and that if it was a woman, he would marry her to the 
 wazir Giami, who was the handsomest man in all Adal, and 
 who shared his favor with me. This proclamation was soon 
 spread over the city. I thought it all in vain, relying upon 
 the extraordinary love of Buzamghar, who for fifteen years 
 had not let a day pass without giving me some fresh marks 
 of it : but before sunset I was in the utmost surprise to see 
 myself arrested on the part of the king, and thrown into a. 
 dark dungeon, where I spent the night. 
 
 Daylight had scarce begun to appear when I was carried 
 before the king of Adal, whose fury was visible in his coun- 
 tenance. Perfidious wazir ! said he to me, hast thou so 
 soon forgotten the favors I have showered upon thee? 
 
 \
 
 43 
 
 What ! without the least gratitude for the station which I 
 have raised thee to, hast thou the cruelty to stab me in the 
 tenderest part? — My lord, replied I, from the dust in which 
 I grovelled, you took me, and placed me upon the throne of 
 greatness ; it is in your power to tumble me from it with a 
 single blast of your breath : but give me leave to represent 
 to you that I am entirely ignorant of the cause of your anger, 
 and that the persons who accuse me to you are much less 
 innocent than I am. — Ungrateful traitor ! said the king, hast 
 thou not killed my hawk ? — I ! my lord, replied I, in a 
 seeming amazement; is it possible that I should rob my 
 master of that only instrument of his delight, by which I had 
 the happiness to please him ? No, no, my lord, if this is all 
 the reason of your anger, I am certain it will quickly fall 
 upon another head. — Ah, villain ! cried the king with fury, 
 pulling out the dead hawk from under his robe, dost thou 
 add this audaciousness to thy former crime ? There, behold 
 thy handiwork. — I was very much confounded at this sight. 
 My lord, said I upon this, appearances are often false ; but 
 though I have nothing to upbraid myself with as to the death 
 of your hawk, I beg you would tell me the name of my 
 accuser. — Well, answered the king of Adal, I will grant thee 
 this satisfaction too ; it is Buzamghar, thy wife ; darest thou 
 object to such a witness ? — A thunderbolt could not have 
 fallen rri'^re heavy than this news did upon me; at that 
 moment I called to mind my father's last words, and the 
 remembrance almost sunk me to the earth. Just Heaven I 
 cried I, Buzamghar my accuser ! does she betray me ? Was 
 ever anything so black, so odious? Ah! my lord, continued 
 I, I could, if I pleased, retort the whole guilt upon her; but 
 though I am innocent towards you, I will not defend myself; 
 I respect your blood ; I deserve death, if you have not the 
 goodness to bethink you of the promises your Majesty has 
 made me in the warmest moments of your friendship. — No, 
 no, replied the king of Adal, the more I have loved you, the
 
 44 
 
 more unpardonable is your crime. Do not hope for any mercy, 
 but prepare yourself to lose your head. — In short, madam, 
 continued Sinadab, notwithstanding all I could say to move 
 that prince's heart, he turned his back upon me, and left me 
 in the hands of his guards to be delivered to the executioner. 
 For fifteen years that I had been wazir, having never done 
 anybody the least wrong or injustice, all men of probity were 
 grieved to see me condemned to die for so small a matter ; 
 they endeavored in vain to obtain my pardon; the king 
 was inexorable. My guards, who could not without tears 
 behold my approaching death, offered to let me escape. No, 
 said I to them, I thank you for your good will, but will not 
 expose you to the king's displeasure for my safety. I am 
 not guilty ; I am able to justify myself when I see a fit time 
 to do it. — The king commanded me to be beheaded, but 
 to no purpose ; the executioner absented himself from Adal 
 that he might not do his office, and all those whom the king 
 commissioned to do it refused ; so that he was obliged to 
 publish throughout the city, that whoever would accept the 
 employment should have the other half of my estate, which 
 he had not yet disposed of Though this offer was very 
 advantageous, nobody yet appeared to give me my death, 
 when Rumi, my adopted son, went to Buzamghar. Madam, 
 said he, without concerning myself whether Sinadab is guilty 
 or no, his head is devoted to death, and I am in pain for 
 him while he languishes in this manner by everybody's re- 
 fusing to despatch him. Of his immense riches the one 
 half is yours, as revealer of his crime ; so that I am the only 
 sufferer, since the king promises the other half to the man 
 that shall execute Sinadab. I will offer myself to the king to 
 do this service. I believe he, and Sinadab himself, will take 
 it kindly at my hands ; and I shall put an end to the course 
 of a life which is certainly hateful to him, and get for myself 
 the wealth which ought not by right to fall in the possession 
 of strangers.
 
 45 
 
 Buzamghar, who it is likely had conceived a violent pas- 
 sion for the vvazir Giami, from the description which I my- 
 self perhaps had given her of him, namely, that he was the 
 handsomest man in all Adal, knew she could not marry him 
 while I was alive ; this was what made her so basely betray 
 me. She approved the infamous resolution that Rumi had 
 taken, carried him to the king, and colored over the action 
 so artfully, that the prince, who thirsted for my blood, 
 brought himself into my prison, and took a barbarous de- 
 light in showing me my executioner. I remained motionless 
 at the sight of Rumi. In vain, with tears in my eyes, I 
 upbraided him with his ingratitude ; he had the hardness of 
 heart to tie my hands, and would fain have persuaded me 
 that I was obliged to him for his offering himself to despatch 
 me. The king was present all the while at so mournful a 
 sight, without being in the least concerned at it ; my tears 
 were not able to move him, and finding him inflexible : O 
 Sazan, Sazan ! cried I, why did not I follow your advice ? 
 These words, which he imagined had no sense in them, 
 made him believe that the fear of death had put me beside 
 my wits. What do you mean by these words, O Sazan, 
 Sazan ? said he ; unfold this riddle to me. — My lord, re- 
 pHed I, they reproach me for disobeying my father, whose 
 name was Sazan, in the only three things he recommended 
 to me upon his death-bed ; I must endure the punishment 
 without murmuring. I have devoted myself to your Maj- 
 esty's service without thoroughly knowing you; I have 
 revealed a secret to my wife; and I have fostered in my 
 breast a viper, which is now about to sting me to death. 
 Notwithstanding all your promises, you deliver me up to 
 punishment for the death of an hawk, which I am innocent 
 of; Buzamghar, forgetting the inexpressible tenderness I 
 have had for her these fifteen years, betrays me in the most 
 perfidious manner ; and Rumi, this boy, whom I have looked 
 upon as my own son, seduced by sordid interest, offers him*
 
 46 
 
 self to be my executioner. O Sazan, Sazan! once more why 
 did I not take your advice ? The king and all his spectators 
 grew stiff with horror at this relation, when I turned myself 
 to Rumi. Strike, unworthy Rumi, strike, cried I; do not 
 lengthen out the pain of the unhappy but innocent Sinadab, 
 every moment of whose life ought to cover thee with shame 
 and confusion. 
 
 Rumi, without being at all concerned at anything I could 
 say to him, drew his sword, and prepared to cut off my 
 head. Rumi, like an unnatural child, was just going to give 
 the fatal blow, continued Sinadab, when the friend whom I 
 had entrusted with the key of ray garden, entered the prison 
 with the king's hawk on his fist. My lord, said he, catching 
 hold of Rumi's arm, which was not above two fingers'- 
 breadth from my neck, behold the falsity of the accusation 
 formed against Sinadab, and be convinced that this is your 
 own hawk, by the mark you yourself placed upon one of its 
 feet. The king of Adal was strangely surprised at the sight 
 of the bird. The greatest confusion imaginable presently 
 covered his face ; he bent his eyes upon the earth, and fell 
 into the profoundest thoughtfulness at what had happened. 
 For my part, added Sinadab, however lucky my friend's 
 arrival was for me, I was almost sorry for it. Life was be- 
 come odious to me by reason of my wife's treachery, and 
 the ingratitude of my adopted son. However, I threw my- 
 self at the king's feet: My lord, said I, lo ! this miserable 
 favorite, whom you had so often assured of eternal protec- 
 tion, was upon the point of losing his hfe unjustly. Upon 
 this he raised me from the ground, and ordered me to ex- 
 plain the whole mystery to him ; I did it in few words : he 
 examined all the circumstances of what I told him, and per- 
 ceiving his own fault and Buzamghar's baseness of soul, he 
 immediately sent to seize her, had her brought before him, 
 and having caused her to be tied back to back with Rumi, 
 he commanded me to cut off their heads with the same
 
 47 
 
 sabre that had been designed to cut off mine. I refused to 
 dip my hand in the blood that had been so dear to me : I 
 even begged mercy for those two vile wretches ; but I could 
 not obtain it ; one of the king's guards severed their heads 
 from their shoulders. 
 
 The king, contented with this execution, which I could 
 not see without shedding tears in abundance, embraced me 
 tenderly, and carried me back with him to the palace. My 
 lord, said I to him again, was I deceived when formerly I 
 represented to you, that they who rely upon the favor of the 
 great, build upon the sand ; since the death of a vile crea- 
 ture, which you thought me the author of, could make you 
 forget in a moment a friendship of fifteen years? — Forget 
 this fault, wazir, said the king of Adal ; I am ashamed of 
 myself, and will make you ample amends ; I will raise you to 
 such a pitch of glory, that there shall for the future be no 
 danger of your falling. — No, my lord, answered I, respect- 
 fully, give me leave to return to Suez, there to enjoy a quiet 
 and peaceful life : this is the only favor that Sinadab now 
 desires from you. The king strongly opposed this resolu- 
 tion, but I remained unshaken : nothing could persuade me 
 to stay with him, and I set sail eight days afterwards in a 
 ship which he gave me, and which I loaded with all my 
 riches and furniture, and a great many jewels with which he 
 presented me at my departure. This separation occasioned 
 me seme regret ; but at length I steered towards Egypt, and 
 we were almost in sight of port, when a dreadful tempest, 
 after having tossed us about for three days and three nights 
 together, swallowed up my ship at some leagues' distance 
 from Suez. All the mariners perished : I was the only man 
 that by help of a plank was saved from the shipwreck, and 
 got safe to shore ; but I had lost all my effects, and saw my- 
 self in a moment reduced to the lowest degree of misery and 
 want. 
 
 Not knowing where to lay my head, I called to mind my
 
 48 
 
 father's will : I remembered that I was still master of a little 
 garden and summer-house without the gates of Suez. I was 
 curious to know if anybody had taken possession of it in my 
 absence: I had been gone away above sixteen years. I 
 found it in the same condition wherein I had left it, only 
 that it seemed very much out of repair ; I opened the door 
 by means of a secret which my father had often shown me, 
 and which nobody else was acquainted with : I found the 
 walls all overgrown with moss, and the room very much in 
 disorder ; and as it was pretty late, and I extremely fatigued, 
 I lay down upon an old rotten mat, where I slept till hunger 
 waked me. I was master of no trade to get a livelihood by. 
 Being unwilling to make myself known, I resolved to ask 
 alms from door to door ; for this purpose I went out of the 
 garden ; but I implored in vain the charity of the inhabitants 
 of Suez ; nobody assisted me in the present want I was re- 
 duced to ; so that at night I returned to my little house, 
 very hungry and weary with walking about all day. I sat 
 down upon an old joint-stool that stood in a corner of the 
 summer-house, and revolved in my mind all that my father 
 had commanded me at his death, and which I had given so 
 little heed to, when I cast my eyes upon a small coffer, 
 almost rotten, which I had not yet seen : it was fast locked ; 
 I very hastily broke it open, thinking to find in it some 
 money that my father might have put there ; but I was very 
 much surprised when I saw nothing in it but a rope about 
 the bigness of one's httle finger, and a note in my father's 
 own handwriting, in these words : " You have not kept your 
 word with me, Sinadab, though you swore upon the Koran 
 to do so. Your ill management and disobedience have 
 brought you to this condition ; but if you have resolution to 
 follow this last counsel, you will find an end of your misfor- 
 tunes in this coffer." Yes, cried I with fury, yes, father, I 
 will for this one time obey you ; neither indeed have I now 
 anything further to hope for, but to finish my unhappy days
 
 49 
 
 by this rope. Then, taking a desperate resolution, I got 
 upon a joint-stool, and after having tied the rope into a slip 
 knot, I fastened it to a sort of hook, which stuck in the ceil- 
 ing of the summer-house, and which seemed to have been 
 placed there for that very purpose ; I put the noose about 
 my neck, and kicking away the stool, abandoned myself 
 without reluctance to the rigor of my destiny. 
 
 By this means, madam, I expected to have found a certain 
 death, when the weight of my body pulling down the hook, 
 brought along with it a sort of trap-door, through which fell 
 so great a number of pieces of gold that I was covered with 
 them. This happy discovery soon made me forget what 
 little hurt I had received from my fall : I presently raised 
 myself, climbed up through the trap-door, and was in an in- 
 expressible amazement at finding there an immense quantity 
 of riches, as well in gold as in diamonds. I thought I should 
 have died with joy at this sight, which at once put an end to 
 all my misfortunes. I took one of the pieces of gold, and 
 having fast locked the garden door, went and provided my- 
 self with a good meal. Next day I distributed among the 
 poor darwayshes a thousand pieces of gold, and having put 
 myself in a condition to appear with honor in the city, I re- 
 purchased almost all my father's possessions ; and that I may 
 never forget the misfortunes into which I fell by my disobe- 
 dience, I caused to be repeated to me at all meals the words 
 you have just now heard, concerning the submission and 
 respect due from children to their parents. It is almost five 
 years, madam, continued Sinadab, since I returned to Suez ; 
 during all that time I have done my utmost endeavors to live 
 like a man of virtue and of honor ; my misfortunes have 
 made me wise and frugal, and I spend my life agreeably with 
 the beautiful Rukia, whom you saw immediately after dinner: 
 of all my women she is the one in whom I have found most 
 merit. She is of Surat ; and having two sisters there whom 
 she loves tenderly, and who are in narrow circumstances, I 
 
 4
 
 50 
 
 am going at her request to look them out, that I may carry 
 them with me to Suez, where I mean to settle them. 
 
 When Sinadab, my lord, continued Ibn Aridun, had done 
 speaking, prince Sharif al-Din let him know how glad he was 
 to see him thus happy after the multitude of crosses he had 
 gone through ; and as the winds were very favorable, the 
 ship was not long before it arrived at Surat. The prince, 
 still in his woman's dress, there took his leave of Sinadab 
 and of the charming Rukia, returning them a million of 
 thanks for the civilities he had received from them, and after 
 having rested himself for some time he took the way to 
 China. 
 
 This story has afforded me extraordinary delight, inter- 
 rupted the king of Astrakhan, addressing himself to Ibn 
 Aridun ; I am wonderfully pleased with you, and I order 
 Mutamhid to give you an hundred pieces of gold for every 
 day that you contribute to relax my mind ; but I am no less 
 impatient now to know the fate of Gul-hindi and Sharif al- 
 Din, than I have been these few days past to hear the sequel 
 of Sinadab's adventures ; since we have still some little time 
 remaining, continue your history. Ibn Aridun, charmed 
 with being so happy as to please his prince, went on thus : 
 
 CONTINUATION OF THE HISTORY OF 
 SHARIF AL-DIN AND OF GUL-HINDI 
 
 Sharif al-Din, my lord, still in a woman's habit, had trav- 
 elled but a few days before he came to a delightful meadow. 
 Arabia the Blest does not produce such variety of riches and 
 grateful odors as nature displayed in this place. The earth 
 was covered with a soft grass which seemed as if it never 
 withered: neither the heats of summer nor the nipping 
 blasts of winter ever faded the roses, jasmines, and violets,
 
 51 
 
 with which the country was adorned; and those flowers 
 which charmed the eye by the diversity of their colors, did 
 at the same time gratify the senses by the exquisite odor with 
 which they embalmed the air. At the bottom of this 
 meadow rose a kind of rock, in the form of a grotto, from 
 the middle of which there ran a spring into a great basin of 
 rustic marble. This water was so clear and beautiful that by 
 its enticing murmur it invited the beholders to rest them- 
 selves on its sides, which were decked with a green turf; 
 and a large tree, which grew close by it, stretched out its 
 boughs, so thick of leaves that its shade was impenetrable to 
 the rays of the hottest sun. Here the prince endeavored to 
 enjoy for some moments the sweets of sleep, which the soli- 
 tude and freshness of the place seemed to offer him. He 
 tied his horse to a shrub, and extended himself upon the 
 grass ; but he was scarce fallen into a gentle slumber, when 
 a frightful giant who had but one eye, and who lived near 
 that charming place, whither he was sometimes used to re- 
 sort to refresh himself, came thither. He was deceived by 
 the dress of the young prince, whom he mistook for a 
 woman of the most ravishing beauty; he became passion- 
 ately enamoured of him, and prepared to carry him off"; he 
 had already untied his sabre and thrown it at some distance 
 from him, and was just about to execute his design, when an 
 arrow, which seemed to be shot by an invisible hand, flew 
 directly into his eye, and put it out, by this means disabling 
 him from satisfying his brutish passion. The prince was 
 soon wakened by the bellowing the giant made at his wound ; 
 and looking about for his deliverer, he spied a young man so 
 like himself, that he was at first in doubt if it were not his 
 own shadow. 
 
 The stranger and the fictitious princess of Tuluphan ad- 
 mired one another for some time without speaking ; but at 
 length the last, breaking silence : I am indebted to you, sir, 
 for the preservation of my honor and of my life, said he to
 
 52 
 
 him ; I beg you would tell me to whom it is I owe an obliga- 
 tion which will be eternally present to my memory. The 
 stranger for some time hesitated answering the prince, whom 
 he thought a woman : but prevailed upon by a secret motive 
 which he could not resist : To any other but you, madam, 
 said he, I call myself Mobarak, son of a merchant at Ispa- 
 han, and I have left Persia out of a curiosity to travel ; but a 
 certain impulse, the cause of which I am ignorant, forces me 
 not to dissemble with you, and to confess that I am the 
 prince of Ormuz. I was flying from my father's court to 
 avoid a match I am extremely averse to, when, passing by 
 this place, I saw you come to the side of this spring. The 
 parity of features there is between us, made me desirous to 
 learn who you are ; and I was just going to accost you 
 with that design, when I saw you, very much fatigued, en- 
 deavor to take some little repose, which I was unwilling to 
 disturb, and which you might still have enjoyed, had it not 
 been for the insolence of that monster whom I have deprived 
 of light. But, madam, continued he, permit me to tell you, 
 that though the duty of a prince obliges me to give assistance 
 to persons of your sex, yet there was something more which 
 animated me when I undertook your defence. Forgive this 
 rash confession, madam, nor let this declaration offend your 
 modesty. An invisible obstacle opposes the felicity I might 
 hope for in obtaining your love. I therefore only beg your 
 friendship ; but, madam, I beg it with all the earnestness 
 imaginable, and shall love you with so much purity, that your 
 virtue shall not have the least cause to be uneasy at it. 
 
 The feigned princess of Tuluphan was so surprised when 
 the stranger informed him that he was the son of the king of 
 Ormuz that a flush diffused itself all over his face. In this 
 moment he made a thousand dreadful reflections upon what 
 Riza had told him of that prince, and upon the impossibility 
 there was in the execution of the will of the king of the jin- 
 nis ; but these reflections being all destroyed at the sight of
 
 53 
 
 so charming a prince, for whom, in spite of himself, he 
 already felt the most perfect esteem, he was just upon the 
 point of discovering himself to him, when calling to mind the 
 misfortunes which Marou had threatened him with, he re- 
 solved to be silent only upon the subject of his sex, but to 
 have in everything else the same confidence for the prince 
 of Persia, as he had had for him. My lord, said he to him, 
 your actions are so respectful, and I am so much obhged to 
 you, that I cannot be offended at the declaration you have 
 made to me. You desire only my friendship, which is due 
 to you without the least reserve. As for me, hunting was 
 my only diversion, till some particular reasons, which I can- 
 not reveal without exposing myself to the greatest miseries, 
 made me leave my father's court. But though I had resolved 
 to conceal my name from the whole world, by disguising 
 myself under that of an Amir of Saraarcand, I cannot help 
 thinking it almost my duty to let you know, my lord, that I 
 am the only daughter of the king of Tuluphan, and that my 
 name is Gul-hindi. — Just heaven ! cried the feigned prince, 
 interrupting her, are you then that lovely Gul-hindi, whose 
 beauty fame has published throughout the whole East? It 
 is upon your account, madam, that I quit my father's court 
 and betake myself to flight, for reasons which incessantly 
 torment me ; and it is you whom I now have met with ! 
 Ah ! my princess, continued he, his eyes drowned in tears, 
 and despair painted upon his face, why are we not born for 
 one another? O ye sovereign arbiters of all things ! You 
 who see the bottom of my heart, what have I done to be 
 thus tortured? And thou, perfidious love, why dost thou 
 kindle in me so sharp a flame, when thou knowest how 
 impossible it is that it should ever be quenched? Yes, my 
 princess, I adore you, but I shall be obliged to fly from you. 
 My father has lately sent ambassadors to king Mochzadin to 
 demand you in marriage for me. The ancient friendship 
 there is between these two monarchs inclines me to believe
 
 54 
 
 that the king of Tuluphan will not give a denial to the king 
 of Ormuz. But, adorable Gul-hindi, I repeat it once more, 
 let what will happen, and though the whole universe and our 
 great Prophet himself should favor us, I can never be united 
 to you, though I would spend the last drop of my blood to 
 be in a condition to enjoy that happiness. 
 
 Prince, replied the pretended Gul-hindi, whom these words 
 threw into an extreme amazement, I cannot penetrate the 
 reasons that make you talk thus ; but what perhaps would 
 offend any other than myself, is the very thing that gives me 
 a greater esteem for you. Be informed that I have no less 
 cause than you to avoid the marriage that is preparing for 
 me ; and that what I have just now heard will detain me for- 
 ever from my father's court, — Well then, fair princess, cried 
 the disguised prince, let us fly together, and conceal under 
 borrowed names from all the earth a prince and princess, 
 whose loss I am sure will cost the kings of Tuluphan and of 
 Ormuz abundance of tears. But, madam, continued he, 
 since fate has been so cruel as to order it so that I can 
 never be yours, I attest our great Prophet that I will never 
 be another's. I will love you with all the purity imaginable, 
 without the least hope, and I will never have any other object 
 of my desires and of my glory than the charming Gul-hindi. 
 How happy should I be if your sentiments were so conform- 
 able with mine, as that nothing but death should ever dis- 
 solve so complete an union ! But I know not what I say : 
 Pardon, madam, these indiscreet transports. What ! because 
 I cannot possess you, must I rob a prince, more happy than 
 myself, of the masterpiece of nature? — Yes, my lord, replied 
 the pretended Gul-hindi, blushing, I permit you to believe 
 that what you propose is agreeable to me. Since the stars 
 oppose our union, I will never engage my heart to any but 
 the prince of Ormuz. Let us at least be joined by an invi- 
 olable friendship, though love has undertaken, through a 
 barbarous caprice, to keep us asunder.
 
 55 
 
 In short, my lord, proceeded Ibn Aridun, these two lovers, 
 miserable at not being acquainted with each other's condition, 
 but happy in the sympathy there was between them and in 
 the reciprocal tenderness with which Geoncha had inspired 
 them, — these two lovers, I say, after a conversation extremely 
 passionate, vowed to each other a friendship which should 
 be proof against anything that could happen; and after 
 having remounted their steeds, they left that charming 
 meadow in company together. They had travelled several 
 days without meeting with anything particular, when they 
 perceived at the entrance of a forest of palm-trees a palace 
 of an antique structure, but which seemed nevertheless 
 magnificent in its simplicity. At the gate of the palace stood 
 a venerable old man, who accosted them. My children, said 
 he to them, with the greatest kindness, night draws on, there 
 is neither town nor village in above six leagues hereabouts, 
 nor any house where you can pass the night ; if you will 
 come into this palace you may repose yourselves in tran- 
 quillity, and pursue your journey to-morrow. The prince 
 and princess, charmed with the humanity of their host, ac- 
 cepted his offer. They entered into the palace, where they 
 found a woman about threescore years old, and of a simpli- 
 city equal to that of her husband. She strove to receive them 
 in the best manner she was able, and soon afterwards there 
 was brought in a very handsome repast, but without prodigal- 
 ity, though there was far from being a want of anything. 
 Towards the conclusion of the supper, the old man sent the 
 slaves that waited at table out of the room, and having de- 
 sired his guests to tell him the motive of their journey, and 
 for what reason they travelled in a track that was so far from 
 the common road, Sharif al-Din took upon him to answer. 
 Alas ! sir, said he to the old man, I can give you that satis- 
 faction in a few words. We are brother and sister, and are 
 flying from Samarcand to avoid the persecution of a wazir, 
 who, not satisfied with having cruelly put our father to death,
 
 5^ 
 
 and possessed himself of all his substance, pursues our lives 
 with the same barbarity. — 111 men are very much to be 
 dreaded, replied the old man, for sooner or later they perish 
 miserably. I have had a melancholy experience of this 
 truth in my own family ; and it is but a few years since I 
 have recovered the quiet of which two of my sons had robbed 
 me by their crimes. — Gul-hindi was very much moved at 
 the sight of the tears which a tender remembrance drew from 
 the eyes of the good old man. Our grief is sometimes alle- 
 viated by telling the cause of it, said she to him ; and if it 
 is not too great a favor, we should be willing, sir, to hear the 
 relation of your misfortunes. — With all my heart, my dear 
 children, replied the old man. The tears you saw me shed 
 were not altogether tears of sorrow ; they rather express the 
 joy I now feel in seeing all those misfortunes at an end. 
 Listen to me therefore with attention : — 
 
 TALE OF BADUR THE PEACEFUL, KING 
 OF CAOR 
 
 I WAS born the sovereign of Caor, a kingdom not very 
 extensive, and my ambition never prompted me to enlarge it, 
 being more desirous to live in unity with my neighbors, than 
 to run the hazard of destruction, by undertaking unjust wars ; 
 for which reason I was called Badur the Peaceful. In my 
 youth, I wedded the princess of Zarad, whom you here be- 
 hold. She brought me several children, and among the rest 
 a son and daughter, both born the same day. I named rny 
 son Abu Zaid, and my daughter Dijara : I mention these 
 two first, though they were not my eldest, nay, were born to 
 me even at the time when Zarad had no further hopes of 
 being any more a mother ; but because these have happily 
 made amends for all the bitterness with which their brothers 
 had dashed the tranquillity of my life. Of my other two
 
 57 
 
 sons, one was called Salak the Violent, because of the ex- 
 cesses he daily ran into. I cannot imagine from whom he 
 derived that humor. In all probability Allah sent him to us, 
 together with his brother, to make a trial of our virtue. The 
 other was named Azim ; his manners were not very different 
 from those of Salak ; and their joint inclination for evil 
 united them so to each other, that they were never asunder. 
 I every day received some fresh complaint of their ill beha- 
 vior ; and if they had been private persons, I should a thou- 
 sand times have made them an example to my people, to 
 whom they were become odious by their crimes. But the 
 tenderness of a father stayed my hand. At length they grew 
 so weary of my continual remonstrances, that they both re- 
 solved to be gone from my court ; and I blessed the hour 
 wherein they executed that design. 
 
 They had been gone above four months, and I began to 
 think myself happy in being freed from their presence, when 
 I was struck by the most cruel blow that it is possible for a 
 father to feel. Guhullaru, the princess of Nangan, was lately 
 married to Rusang-jahun. That prince was not young ; but 
 his agreeable complaisant temper made amends for the merit 
 which age had deprived him of ; and he lived with his wife 
 in so perfect an union, that he was an example to all his sub- 
 jects. Salak and his brother passed through the dqminions 
 of this monarch ; they were received with a great deal of 
 distinction. Rusang-jahun even lodged them in his own 
 palace for several days; but his imprudence, in suffering 
 them too often to see the beautiful Guhullaru, cost him his 
 life. Salak became excessively enamoured of that princess. 
 He was too well acquainted with her virtue to hope that she 
 would ever reward his unlawful ardor : but being very little 
 accustomed to overcome his passions, he resolved to gratify 
 them at any cost ; and to effect this, he hatched the blackest 
 design that can be imagined, and prevailed upon his brother 
 Azim to lend him a helping hand in the execution of it.
 
 58 
 
 One evening as they were walking with the king of Nangan 
 and his spouse in a wood whicla was at the end of the gardens 
 of the palace, they suddenly fell upon that prince, who had 
 only a little sabre by his side : and their fury not giving him 
 time to put himself in a posture of defence, they stabbed 
 him twenty times with their daggers ; and either out of con- 
 tempt or cruelty, left the odious instruments of their guilt 
 sticking in the bloody corpse of that unfortunate king. 
 
 Guhullaru uttered such cries as reached even to heaven ; 
 but those barbarians seized her, and having got out into the 
 open fields by a door which they had secured, by means of 
 the eunuch who guarded it, and whom they had corrupted, 
 they used all their endeavors to set her upon one of their 
 horses, which they had before prepared, when about twenty 
 soldiers of the king's guard, alarmed by Guhullaru's outcries, 
 came to the place. This unexpected assistance struck terror 
 into Salak and Azim ; they were forced to abandon the 
 queen, and to betake themselves to flight. They were pur- 
 sued, but in vain ; they were well mounted, and made their 
 escape, carrying with them the eunuch who had favored them 
 in the execution of their infamous design. 
 
 It is impossible to express the affliction of Guhullaru ; her 
 complaints pierced the very skies. She caused the bloody 
 corpse of her husband to be carried away, and instead of 
 observing all the funeral ceremonies, she only embalmed it 
 with her own hands, and had it put into a coffin of gold, 
 which she adorned with the most precious of her jewels. 
 She likewise deposited in the coffin his bloody shirt, and 
 the daggers with which he was assassinated ; and afterwards 
 took a solemn oath to revenge her husband's death, not only 
 upon the murderers, but upon all their families. She after- 
 wards set out incognita, with prince Kiahia, her brother, and 
 twelve slaves, all resolved to sacrifice themselves for her 
 service. 
 
 My sons did not expect a fury like this ; without the Last
 
 59 
 
 remorse for what they had done, they minded nothing but 
 fl)'ing away from a country which they knew was filled with 
 aversion against them ; but they did not carry their crime 
 very far. At some days' journey from the place where they 
 had committed it, Salak's horse fell and broke his rider's 
 leg ; and his brother Azim being gone to the next town to 
 get some speedy succor for him, that wretch was carried into 
 a neighboring house. Guhullaru, who, without losing a 
 moment's time, pursued the murderers as it were by the 
 scent, came by chance to that very house. She knew nothing 
 of Salak being so near her : but after having made a slight 
 repast, looking into the coffin of gold according to her cus- 
 tom, to renew her cruel vow, she was in the utmost surprise 
 to see several drops of blood issue from her husband's body. 
 Just heaven ! cried the princess, the murderers must be 
 somewhere in this place. Then rising from the table like a 
 mad woman, she took in each hand one of the daggers, with 
 which Rusang-jahun had been stabbed ; and having searched 
 most part of the house with her brother and the twelve slaves, 
 she came at last into the chamber where Salak was reposing 
 himself. The sight of him transported her with rage. Trai- 
 tor ! cried she, it is full time thou wert punished for the ex- 
 ecrable crime thou hast committed upon my husband : the 
 slowest and most violent torments were too little for such a 
 villain as thou art ; but my revenge could not be entirely 
 satisfied if I deferred it a moment, or committed the care of 
 it to any other but myself. Then, without giving him time 
 to make any answer to these reproaches, which were but too 
 just, she plunged her dagger into his heart a thousand times ; 
 and after having caused his head to be cut off, and exposed 
 his body to the vultures, she went out of the house, leaving 
 the mpster of it terrified at her cruelty. As she was informed 
 by him that my other son had gone to the next town, and 
 that upon his not coming so soon as was expected, the im- 
 patient Salak had sent a slave whom he had to fetch him ;
 
 6o 
 
 she took the road by which they were to come, and having 
 met with them in a Uttle wood, where they must necessarily 
 be obliged to pass, she gave the unfortunate Azim the same 
 treatment as she had given his brother, and put to death 
 the traitorous eunuch, accomplice of their crime, by the most 
 exquisite torments. I was as much surprised as disturbed 
 at hearing these sorrowful news ; whatever tenderness I had 
 for my children, I could not blame Guhullaru's revenge ; but 
 I almost died with grief at the sight of their bloody heads, 
 which she sent me in a box, with a letter full of threats 
 to destroy me in the same manner, with the rest of my 
 family. 
 
 Abu Zaid, the only son that was left me, was as much con- 
 cerned as myself at the death of his brothers. My lord, said 
 he to me, the enemy we have to deal with is an irritated 
 woman, who will attack us by craft and subtlety ; give me 
 leave to take care of your life and that of the queen, and let 
 me endeavor to defend you from a danger which makes me 
 tremble both for you and for her. My grief was so exces- 
 sive, continued Badur, that it deprived me of the use of my 
 senses. Do whatever you think proper, said I, my dear Abu 
 Zaid ; for my part I will retire into the recesses of my palace, 
 there to bemoan incessantly the ill actions of your brothers, 
 and to pray Allah to forget them. I afterwards doubled my 
 guard, and shut myself up in the innermost parts of my palace 
 with the queen my spouse, accompanied only by three or 
 four of the principal men of my court, who would not leave 
 me in my affliction. 
 
 My son, after having prepared everything that was nec- 
 essary for the journey he meditated, accosted the princess 
 Dijara : My dear sister, said he to her, you are not ignorant 
 to what a pitch the fury of Guhullaru is raised. Our hfe is 
 not in safety here ; let us go together to seek for the means 
 of preserving the king and queen from her cruel menaces. 
 The famous jinni Geoncha, protector of the unfortunate,
 
 6i 
 
 dwells in a magnificent palace which is at the foot of the 
 famous mountain, Jabal-Assumum ^ : I have taken a resolu- 
 tion, while my father is shut up in his palace, to go and 
 implore the succor of that king of the jinnis. Let us set for- 
 ward, therefore, my dear Dijara, and under habits that may 
 disguise our quality, let us try to obtain a remedy for the 
 evils which our unhappy brothers have brought upon our 
 heads. 
 
 Abu Zaid and Dijara, before they departed, embraced us 
 tenderly. After above a month's travelling, they arrived in a 
 vast champaign country, interspersed with a great number of 
 little streams : as the heat was very excessive, and as they 
 perceived, at some distance, a wood of a pretty large extent, 
 they made to it, and reposed themselves there in the cool 
 shade, with two slaves, who were all the train they had with 
 them ; when they heard a frightful noise, as of a great rock 
 tumbling from the top of a high hill. They looked all round 
 them to see what it was which occasioned this noise ; but 
 when they had advanced further into the wood, they found 
 that it proceeded from a sort of cistern, covered with a small 
 stone, and sealed at each corner with a seal, whereon was 
 stamped the name of the great Sulayman. Immediately the 
 horrible noise, which at first amazed them, began to dimin- 
 ish ; and was succeeded by the following complaints : Per- 
 fidious Zalulu ! Traitorous jinni ! Dost thou thus abuse the 
 seal of Sulayman to detain me a prisoner in this place ? and 
 must the unfortunate Geoncha be forever enclosed in the 
 bowels of the earth, without having deserved so hard a 
 fate? 
 
 At the name of Geoncha my children leapt for joy. King 
 of the jinnis, cried out Abu Zaid, here is a prince who would 
 succor you at the expense of his life, let me but know how it 
 is to be done. — All thou hast to do, said the imprisoned 
 
 1 That is, the poisonous mountain, because the earth of it inspires 
 melancholy into those who smell it.
 
 62 
 
 jinni, is to get up this stone, by taking away, with as much 
 care as possible, the print of the seal of the great Sulayman. 
 Abu Zaid, transported with joy, took off the seal without 
 breaking it, as the jinni had expressly ordered him. A thick 
 smoke in a moment rose up to the clouds, and extending 
 itself over the cistern, made so dark a fog, that the prince 
 and princess could not see one another. Ihe darkness, 
 which all of a sudden covered the wood, very much fright- 
 ened the prince and princess ; but the fog soon afterwards 
 re-united into a solid body, out of which was formed the 
 jinni. 
 
 Abu Zaid and Dijara immediately threw themselves at 
 Geoncha's feet. We were going even to seek you in your 
 palace, said the prince my son ; I hoped, O powerful king 
 of the jinnis ! that without being subject to the fatal effects 
 of the mountain Jabal-Assumum, the gate would have been 
 open to me by virtue of the secret words, which I formerly 
 learnt of the Yogi Kachokao/ and without which all who 
 have the boldness to come near it are sure to fall into a dis- 
 temper more terrible than death itself — I praise God, inter- 
 rupted the jinni, for having brought you to this place, to 
 restore me the liberty which the perfidious Zalulu had for 
 these twelve years past deprived me of, by the blackest piece 
 of malice that ever was known : but I will not be ungrateful 
 for the inestimable service you have done me. 
 
 That wicked jinni, continued Geoncha, to be revenged 
 upon me for destroying, as I have so often done, the unjust 
 projects he forms against young princes and princesses, 
 whom he persecutes for nothing but his cruel diversion,- 
 carried on his design in this manner. As he knows that his 
 
 1 The Yogis, or Jogis, among the Hindus, are like pilgrims or va- 
 grant monks, who generally frequent the desert and solitude. They 
 live upon alms, and are in great reputation for sanctity, because they 
 spend several days together in very austere abstinence, sometimes 
 without eating and drinking.
 
 63 
 
 power is very much inferior to mine, he, by some subtle trick 
 or other, stole from the good king Zif the ring of the mighty 
 Sulayman, which that prince used for the benefit of man- 
 kind ; and, being master of this treasure, he came to me, 
 asked my pardon for all the uneasiness he had given to the 
 persons I protected, and begged me to grant him my friend- 
 ship, with protestations so sincere in appearance, that I 
 could not tell how to refuse it him. 
 
 After our reconciliation, we took a walk together in this 
 wood ; when, having insensibly drawn me towards this place, 
 he sat him down upon the side of this cistern ; then the 
 traitor, who designed nothing but to circumvent me, having 
 desired to see a carcanet of diamonds which I wore round 
 my neck, let it fall into the cistern, as he was pretending to 
 return it to me. I immediately threw myself into the cistern 
 to fetch out my carcanet : this was what the wretch wanted. 
 He took advantage of this moment, covered the cistern with 
 that stone, and fastened it with the seal of the great Sulay- 
 man. I leave you to judge how much I was astonished at 
 this stratagem, continued Geoncha. The useless efforts I 
 made to get out of my prison convinced me that there was 
 but one power so superior as to be strong enough to detain 
 me ; and this place is so much out of the way, that I sup- 
 posed I should have stayed here for several ages. But 
 since I am obliged to you for so unlooked-for a freedom, 
 you may assure yourself, prince, that my gratitude shall have 
 no bounds. 
 
 The jinni, continued Badur, having given my son to under- 
 stand that he was not ignorant of the cause of his journey, 
 offered him the assistance he wished for. The death of your 
 brothers was just, said he, and Guhullaru ought indeed to 
 have sacrificed no less than those murderers to the manes of 
 her husband ; but I will moderate the sharp resentment she 
 is actuated by, and from this moment you need no longer be 
 apprehensive of that princess's fury. Then, having replaced
 
 64 
 
 the stone upon the mouth of the cistern, he again fixed upon 
 it the print of Sulayman's seal, that Zalulu might not be sen- 
 sible of his being at liberty : and having by his power formed 
 in it a noise like that which he made there in the time of his 
 restraint, he embraced the prince and princess, and convey- 
 ing them through the air with extreme rapidity, set them 
 down in a charming meadow which was on the frontiers of 
 my dominions. I will not leave you, said he to them, until 
 I have made you happy ; but as I must hide myself from the 
 traitor Zalulu, in order to get from him the ring of Sulay- 
 man, I will not appear to you in my proper shape. I will 
 contract myself into so small a bulk that the beautiful Dijara 
 shall be able to carry me easily by her side, and you need 
 only wish that I should resume my former shape, and obey 
 your orders, and it will be done that moment. Then the 
 jinni having dissipated himself into smoke, the princess, my 
 daughter, found at her feet a golden box, which hung from a 
 chain of the same metal. She immediately opened it, and 
 was in the utmost surprise to see in it, through a crystal, 
 several springs, which performed all the internal functions of 
 the human body : she tied it to her side. 
 
 The jinni, continued Badur, had given my children 
 magnificent clothes, and had ordered them to conceal their 
 quahty no longer. They had already passed through some 
 towns in my kingdom, when one evening, being come to a 
 sort of village, where the approaching night obliged them to 
 stop, they knocked at the door of the house which had the 
 best appearance there. They were very well received by the 
 master of it : but just as they were entering into the chamber 
 that was prepared for them, three Chinese travellers would 
 have taken possession of it for a lady, who was at the gate in 
 a palanquin. My son had no sooner discovered himself to 
 be the prince of Caor, than the three men yielded him the 
 place, went out of the house, and carried the lady to another 
 lodging. My children, after a slight supper, went to bed ;
 
 65 
 
 and sleep reigned profoundly in their chamber, when the 
 very same Chinese travellers, the princess Guhullaru, who 
 was the lady in the palanquin, her brother, and all her ser- 
 vants, came to the door of the house where Abu Zaid and 
 Dijara were buried in repose. She had been transported 
 with joy when she heard they were so near her ; but being 
 willing to stay till they were asleep, it was not till she judged 
 they were so that she knocked at the door of the house 
 where they were. The master of the house had no sooner 
 opened the door to them than he found a dagger at his 
 throat, with menaces of stabbing him that moment if he 
 made the least noise. We have no design, said Guhullaru 
 to him, upon any but two perfidious wretches who are lodged 
 in your house, and who give themselves out to be the chil- 
 dren of the king of Caor ; deliver them up to our revenge, 
 or thou diest this instant. The host, terribly frightened, was 
 forced to show them the chamber of Abu Zaid and Dijara, 
 deploring in his heart the miserable fate he saw they were 
 going to endure. 
 
 The queen of Nangan, pursued Badur, as she has since 
 confessed to me, made terrible reflections at that moment. 
 She was filled with remorse against the injustice of the action 
 she was committing. But forget that thou art a woman, said 
 she to herself: or at least remember thou art an offended 
 woman. Then, having given one of her daggers to Kiahia, 
 and armed herself with the other, they entered into my chil- 
 dren's apartment ; and, though with a trembling hand, they 
 were just going to execute their cruel resolution, yet, when 
 each of them cast their eyes upon the persons they were to 
 destroy, they found their arms held back by a superior 
 power. Never was Guhullaru so struck, as when she con- 
 sidered the regularity of Abu Zaid's features ; and the charms 
 of the princess of Caor so dazzled the eyes of Kiahia, who 
 was going to pierce her heart, that the dagger fell out of his 
 hand. Guhullaru was somewhat longer before she yielded, 
 
 S
 
 66 
 
 but the jinni Geoncha, who was watchful for the preservation 
 of my children, having entirely touched the heart of the 
 queen of Nangan, she waked the prince my son. Return 
 thanks, said she, to the secret power that disarms me ; the 
 desire of revenge has quite vanished away from me ; and I 
 find my heart relent in the very moment when I least looked 
 for such a change. Then turning to her brother : As for 
 you, said she, my dear Kiahia, I am sensible that the extreme 
 beauty of the princess has made a strong impression upon 
 your soul. How glad I am to find this happy sympathy 
 between us ! I should have died with grief if you had ex- 
 ecuted one part of our unjust resolve; and I begin to feel 
 that I was pushing my cruelty too far. The real criminals 
 are punished ; the death of my husband is sufficiently 
 revenged. 
 
 Dijara awaked at this moment ; she was frightened at 
 seeing so many people in her chamber. Powerful king of 
 the jinnis, cried she, come speedily to our assistance ! She 
 had no sooner pronounced these words than the gold box 
 opened of itself; the chamber was filled with obscurity, 
 which, dissipating by degrees, exposed to sight the formida- 
 ble Geoncha. This sudden aid struck terror into Guhullaru 
 and Kiahia; they began to be afraid for their own lives, 
 when the jinni encouraged them with extraordinary kindness. 
 Forget, madam, said Geoncha to Guhullaru, forget the death 
 of a husband whom you have sufficiently revenged. Let 
 Abu Zaid and Dijara be the bonds of an eternal peace be- 
 tween your families, and let the field of battle be turned into 
 the nuptial bed. Guhullaru was at first so surprised at the 
 sight of the redoubtable jinni that she scarce heard what he 
 said to her ; but Abu Zaid, who was that instant struck with 
 the splendor of her charms, throwing himself at her feet : 
 Suffer your heart to be touched, madam, said he to her, 
 with a submissive air: I shall esteem myself the happiest 
 of mortals if my cares, my respect, and the most tender
 
 67 
 
 love, can one day prevail upon you to give me the place of 
 a prince whom you have indeed the greatest reason to 
 bewail. 
 
 Guhullaru now began to be moved, continued Badur ; she 
 lifted up Abu Zaid ; and Dijara, persuaded by the passionate 
 expressions of Kiahia, gave him to understand that she would 
 not oppose me, if I consented to this marriage. The jinni 
 having then commanded the four new lovers and all their 
 attendants to take hold of his mantle, he transported them 
 in a moment into my palace, where, at length, after the 
 Queen of Nangan had set apart some time for the decency 
 of her widowhood, she married Abu Zaid, and the same day 
 Kiahia became the husband of the princess my daughter. 
 This double marriage restored my heart to its former 
 tranquillity ; and it gave me so much joy to see my family 
 again settled in peace, that for fear my repose should again 
 be disturbed by some new accident, I resolved with the 
 queen my spouse to retire into this rural palace, built by the 
 potent Geoncha. And here, free from the troubles of grand- 
 eur, and under the protection of that king of the jinnis, who 
 has gone to an invisible island to wait for a fair opportunity 
 of revenging himself upon the traitor Zalulu, the queen and 
 I enjoy a quiet and peaceable state of life. 
 
 SEQUEL OF THE HISTORY OF SHARIF 
 AL-DIN AND OF GUL-HINDI 
 
 The night was pretty far advanced, continued Ibn Aridun ; 
 therefore Badur, after having concluded his history, per- 
 ceiving that his guests stood in need of repose, conducted 
 each of them to a separate apartment. That which he as- 
 signed to the real Gul-hindi was furnished with the utmost 
 politeness, and adorned with pictures drawn by a Hindu, 
 equal in skill to the famous Mani. That Hindu was so
 
 68 
 
 excellent in his art, and in the disposing of his colors and 
 shades, that he could have expressed with his pencil the 
 breath itself, and the respiration of animated creatures. 
 There was described, in one of these pictures, a triumphal 
 car all in flames, upon which stood a child supporting a 
 sphere on his head, and his face surrounded with rays, which 
 reflected a great deal of majesty upon him ; his hands were 
 filled with fiery darts ; he had a quiver on his shoulder, a 
 sabre by his side ; and he dragged along in a chain behind 
 his car an infinite number of persons of all ages, sexes, and 
 conditions ; one might read in their faces and attitudes the 
 expressions of the most lively passions. This celebrated 
 painter had outdone himself in this work ; and by some nice 
 touches peculiar to himself, the winds that he had painted at 
 the corners of the picture seemed to keep in their breath, 
 for fear of increasing the flames which glowed throughout 
 this masterpiece. 
 
 Gul-hindi looked attentively upon this picture : she sighed 
 and blushed at the same time. She cast her eyes upon 
 another, at the bottom whereof she read these verses : 
 
 A lawless passion Koka's bosom warms, 
 And her incestuous heart her brother charms: 
 Her flame with virtuous horror Kyni views; 
 The more he flies, the swifter she pursues. 
 No ray of hope to cheer her suit appears, 
 And sorrow melts her into floods of tears; 
 Vishnu with pity saw her ceaseless grief, 
 And, kind to the unhappy, brought relief ; 
 Into a fountain he transformed the dame. 
 Where guilty love extinguishes his flame. 
 
 Never was anything more beautiful or more striking than 
 this painting ; but notwithstanding all the master-strokes with 
 which it abounded, the princess turned away her eyes from 
 it. She met with another which seemed more apposite to 
 the condition she herself was in. It represented the history
 
 69 
 
 of Fork and Onam: she read their adventures with great 
 attention, and oppressed with a thousand cruel reflections : 
 Just heaven ! cried she, must everything that offers itself to 
 my view conduce to nourish a passion whose consequences 
 must inevitably prove fatal to me ? I love, but whom do 
 I love? A woman like myself; and this very obstacle, as 
 invincible as it is, redoubles my affections. Ah ! miserable 
 princess, do not form such unlawful wishes ; love nothing 
 but what a woman may love without a crime, since nature 
 opposes thy unreasonable ardor. But, said she again im- 
 mediately, may not the example of Fork, which is now 
 before my eyes, alleviate the uneasiness I am in? Why 
 should I be inspired with so extravagant a passion, if it is 
 not designed that a miracle shall be wrought in my favor? 
 Fork was a beautiful woman : the god Vishnu, whose assist- 
 ance she implored, in a moment changed her to the most 
 amiable of all mankind. Ah ! I rave, continued Gul-hindi ; 
 let me fly from this adorable object : that is the only remedy 
 for my misfortunes. But wherefore fly ? interrupted she 
 presently afterwards ; what harm is there in loving the prin- 
 cess of Tuluphan ? No, no, let me not find out a crime 
 where there can be none ; but let me maintain with honor 
 the character I am at present forced to act. Gul-hindi spent 
 almost the whole night in these reflections ; and rising at 
 daybreak, she descended into the garden to walk ofl" her 
 inquietude. She found a little door that opened into the 
 forest: she went into it, and her thoughtfulness insensibly 
 drew her into a place where the wood was very thick : she 
 sat herself down there, and, fatigued with having spent the 
 night in so restless a manner, fell into a gentle and refreshing 
 slumber. 
 
 Sharif al-Din was agitated with the like thoughts ; the 
 night seemed very tedious to him. Aurora had hardly be- 
 gun to appear, when jumping from off the bed, upon which 
 he had only lain him down, he took his bow and his arrows,
 
 70 
 
 and passing out of the garden into the wood, he followed, 
 without knowing it, the same track which Gul-hindi had 
 taken before him ; he was walking pretty fast, when he heard 
 a little noise in a private place. He went nearer to it, and 
 seeing the leaves stir, he imagined it was some beast moving 
 out of its hold, and thereupon shot one of his arrows at ran- 
 dom. What was the surprise of Sharif al-Din, continued 
 Ibn Aridun, when he heard a doleful cry, which proceeded 
 from somebody whose voice he was acquainted with ! His 
 heart was seized with the sharpest grief; he ran with all his 
 speed to the place, and found that he had wounded the very 
 man who had rescued him from the giant. What horror 
 and despair was the prince seized with at the sight of his 
 deliverer all in blood ! His eyes were covered with an 
 obscurity which hindered him from seeing what he had 
 done. Unhappy bow ! cried he, unhappy dart ! but rather, 
 unhappy Prince ! die, and bear the punishment of thy indis- 
 cretion ! In pronouncing these last words, my lord, Sharif 
 al-Din was just going to stab himself with one of his arrows, 
 when he heard his friend groan. He immediately quitted 
 his design of dying, to try to save a life which was so dear 
 to him : he ran to embrace him, melting into tears ; and 
 going to staunch the blood which trickled from the wound 
 he had given him in the breast, he remained without motion, 
 when he perceived that he had wounded a woman. He was 
 ready to expire with sorrow at this discovery. O heavens ! 
 said he, his eyes overflowing with tears, must I obtain the 
 knowledge of the most charming person in the world by so 
 tragical an accident? But let me, if possible, repair my 
 error. Then tearing the mushn of Gul-hindi's turband, he 
 stopped the blood as well as he was able. He afterwards in 
 vain endeavored to find the soul of that princess upon those 
 lips where the paleness of death was painted. She gave no 
 sign of life ; but as there was a stream which glided along at 
 some distance from thence, he ran to it, and brought some
 
 71 
 
 water in the princess's turband, when he beheld her in the 
 arms of a frightful man. 
 
 Sharif al-Din, at this sight, immediately drew his sabre and 
 prepared to fight the monster, who grew larger and larger 
 every moment ; when he cried out to him in a terrible voice : 
 Stop, young madman, unless thou thyself wouldst be the 
 murderer of this princess, whose neck I will wring at the 
 least motion thou makest. — Ah, barbarian ! cried the prince, 
 you know too well how to take advantage of iny tender con- 
 cern. Were it not for that, I would let out thy life, or perish 
 gloriously in attempting to succor the divine person whom 
 thou deprivest me of with so much baseness. — I am above 
 your threats, replied the ravisher; know that I am called 
 Zalulu, and that I am one of the most powerful jinnis upon 
 earth : I took delight at the moment of thy birth, and of that 
 of this princess, to traverse your lives. I made an exchange 
 of you two ; 1 laid thee in the cradle of the princess of 
 Tuluphan, and her in thine : you were to have been happy 
 in each other's love, if you had attained the age of seventeen 
 years without knowing one another for such as you really 
 arei You have, unhappily for yourself, discovered this prin- 
 cess's sex before the time prescribed ; this is what puts her 
 into my power ; and you must never hope to see her more, 
 while I am what I am. — Zalulu then carried away Gul-hindi, 
 leaving the prince in a despair so violent, that he resolved 
 not to survive his misfortune. He fiercely set the point of 
 his sabre against his breast, and was just going to pierce his 
 heart when he found his arm suddenly stayed by an invisible 
 hand. 
 
 Geoncha, who incessantly watched over the malignant 
 actions of Zalulu, and hindered the consequences of them as 
 much as lay in his power, thought it high time to assist tlie 
 prince of Ormuz. He disarmed him, therefore, in the very 
 moment that he was making an attempt upon his life, and 
 offering himself to his sight in the shape of a majestic old
 
 72 
 
 man : Sharif al-Din, said he, moderate a little the violence 
 of your passions, and follow the wholesome advice of a jinni 
 who loves you. It was I who presided at yours and Gul- 
 hindi's birth : it was I who in the resolution to unite you 
 together, formed between you such charming ties, and in- 
 spired you with that sudden reciprocal tenderness. But as 
 neither of you was able to avoid what is written upon the 
 table of light, you must wait with patience for the moment 
 that may restore you to your princess, and by a perfect sub- 
 mission to the Will of Heaven deserve the happy destiny 
 which is perhaps prepared for you. The prince was very 
 much consoled by these words. Powerful jinni, said he, 
 throwing himself at Geoncha's feet, since I am obliged to 
 submit without murmuring, at least inform me what will be 
 done with me till the arrival of that happy moment. — Do 
 you find in yourself, prince, replied the jinni, so much cour- 
 age as to face death in rescue of your princess? That is the 
 only way to abridge your misfortunes, or to perish gloriously 
 for her sake. — Can it be doubted ? answered Sharif al-Din ; 
 I am ready to sacrifice a thousand lives to obtain the ador- 
 able Gul-hindi, and the most cruel death is not sufificient to 
 turn me from so noble a design. — I admire your intrepidity, 
 replied Geoncha : give me your hand ; you shall quickly be 
 satisfied. The prince gave his hand to Geoncha ; lie struck 
 the ground, and the earth opened. They both of them 
 plunged into its most dreadful abysses ; and at last found 
 themselves in a cavern, the mouth of which looked into a 
 champaign country, adorned with a thousand various flowers, 
 which led, by a walk of palms, to a magnificent palace, into 
 which they entered. 
 
 To effect the deliverance of your princess, said the jinni 
 then to the prince Sharif al-Din, I must begin by recovering 
 the superiority which naturally I have over the malicious 
 Zalulu. I can never bring that about but by artfully getting 
 from him the seal of Sulayman, which that traitor has un-
 
 73 
 
 doubtedly stolen from the good king Zif ; and to do this, 1 
 have occasion for a prince like yourself, who will fearlessly 
 expose himself to almost unavoidable death. What you are 
 to do is this. There is in the island of Jilolo a spring, called 
 the Fountain of Oblivion, unknown to all mortals. There 
 are very few even of the sages and jinnis who can tell 
 precisely where this Fountain is : and though some do know 
 it, they are ignorant of the proper dose, which is the chief 
 point, because the remedy is to be found in the very dis- 
 temper, and according to the quantity that is drunk of it, it 
 takes away and restores memory. This water is guarded 
 \by a jinni named Nihorah, who without mercy strangles all 
 those who come near it : but as he holds all his authority 
 from me, he has not refused me some water from this Foun- 
 tain. Here is a bottle of it, enough to answer my necessity 
 for it. The difificulty lies in presenting it to the perfidious 
 Zalulu ; and not one of all the jinnis who depend upon me 
 would accept the commission, so much do they dread the 
 power of Sulayman's ring. Have you, prince, firmness 
 enough to undertake so perilous an action? It may en- 
 danger your hfe and even that of your princess, if Zalulu 
 should mistrust the deceit you intend to put upon him ; but 
 if you can by your cunning bring him to drink of the water 
 of the Fountain of Oblivion, you will that very moment 
 become possessor of the princess of Tuluphan. 
 
 Sharif al-Din, continued Ibn Aridun, accepted Geoncha's 
 proposal without the least hesitation ; and that jinni, having 
 conducted him into a spacious hall, made him enter into a 
 bath. The prince had not been half an hour in the water, 
 before he perceived a change in his person which frightened 
 him. He jumped immediately out of it, and covering him- 
 self precipitately with a very fine cloth : Ah ! jinni, cried he, 
 what is the meaning of this new metamorphosis? Geoncha 
 fell a-laughing. What, said he to the prince, who was then 
 changed into the most beautiful woman that was ever seen,
 
 74 
 
 and whose features were quite different from those he ap- 
 peared in when he was a man, are you already sorry for the 
 promises you have made ; and does the sex I have given 
 you, for some time only, incline you to renounce the charm- 
 ing Gul-hindi ? Go, prince, execute punctually what I am 
 about to prescribe to you, and I can soon restore you to 
 your former condition. The jinni, my lord, having then 
 instructed the prince what he was to do when he should be 
 with Zalulu, gave him the water of oblivion, and transported 
 him, in less than four minutes, to the ordinary habitation of 
 that perfidious jinni. 
 
 Zalulu, whose power was limited with regard to Gul-hindi, 
 after having cured her wound with one single blast of his 
 breath, had confined her to a dark tower, and had gone out 
 in quest of some new subject for his malignant recreation, 
 when he met with Sharif al-Din, who was stretched out upon 
 the grass and who feigned a profound sleep. The jinni, 
 after having \dewcd him with abundance of attention, owned 
 to himself that he had never beheld so charming a creature. 
 He fell passionately in love with him ; and forming to him- 
 self a flattering idea of the happiness he should enjoy in 
 being beloved by him, he assumed the form of a young man 
 of about twenty, and beautiful even to a degree almost equal 
 to his ; he carried him away,, conveyed him to his palace, 
 and waited till he should waken to declare to him the ex- 
 treme passion he felt for him. 
 
 Sharif al-Din, who was prepared for what might happen, 
 acted his part to perfection. At first he pretended to be 
 hugely afflicted, and shed abundance of tears ; and after- 
 wards, by a seeming resistance, so inflamed Zalulu, that the 
 jinni, whose passion increased every moment for the prince, 
 whom he mistook for a woman, declared to him who he was, 
 and offered to make him a partner in his power, if he would 
 make a kind return to his tenderness. The disguised prince 
 feigned to be shaken by the greatness of his promises and
 
 75 
 
 by the persona! merit of the jinni j he asked some days to 
 consider it, promising to spend all the time in his company ; 
 and Zalulu, blinded by his passion, and without in the least 
 suspecting that he designed to put a trick upon him, resolved 
 to wait with patience for that happy moment, and in the 
 mean while to procure him a thousand diversions that might 
 prevail upon him to be grateful. To begin, he caused to 
 be served a magnificent collation, and presented him with a 
 very excellent wine ; he excused himself from touching it, and 
 told the jinni he drank only of a certain water he always car- 
 ried about with him ; but that this water was of so excellent 
 a taste that it far excelled the finest wines. The jinni seemed 
 surprised at it. Give me leave, madam, answered he, to 
 doubt of so improbable a story, till I have myself experienced 
 the truth of it. — You yourself shall be the judge, replied the 
 prince of Ormuz. Then having poured into the cup just so 
 much water as was requisite to take away the memory, 
 Zalulu had no sooner drunk it off than he was perfectly 
 besotted. 
 
 Sharif al-Din, seeing the operation of his liquor, was in a 
 joy hardly to be expressed ; he gave the jinni such tender 
 caresses, that, moved with the charms of so beautiful a 
 woman, he had much ado to contain himself, and wished to 
 absolutely embrace him, when, pushing him fondly back, he 
 told him he would not consent to his desires, unless, as a 
 pledge of his eternal tenderness, he made him a present of 
 the ring he wore on his finger. Zalulu, at this moment, by 
 means of the water he had drunk, forgetting of what con- 
 sequence it was to him to preserve Sulayman's ring, which 
 all the powers of the earth could never have forced from 
 him, took the ring from his finger and presented it to his 
 new mistress. He had no sooner got it into his possession 
 than pouring him out a second glass of the same water, but 
 which dose was so much as would restore him his memory, 
 he earnestly begged him for his sake to drink that too, and
 
 1^ 
 
 assured him that he should no sooner have given him that 
 last mark of his complaisance, than he would consent to 
 gratify his desires. However insipid the jinni thought the 
 liquor he had already drunk, as he was so transported at the 
 sight of this charming lady that he was no longer the master 
 of his will, he presently swallowed the water offered him ; but 
 what a fury he was in the moment afterwards, when Sharif 
 al-Din vanished from his sight, to perceive that he was no 
 longer the possessor of Sulayman's ring, and to remember 
 that he himself had foolishly given it away to the woman 
 whose false charms had so grossly deceived him ! He then 
 abandoned himself to the most violent despair, and blas- 
 phemed against all the Supreme Beings. 
 
 When Sharif al-Din had given to Geoncha the ring he had 
 so subtlely acquired, that king of the jinnis transported him- 
 self in the very moment to the place where the perfidious 
 Zalulu was still making most dismal reflections upon the loss 
 he had sustained. But though the seal of Sulayman, which 
 with the utmost surprise he saw in Geoncha's hand, ought to 
 have humbled him, and induced him to have recourse to his 
 clemency, yet he had still the temerity to rebel against him ; 
 and forgetting that he was his king, he was so rash as to defy 
 him to mortal combat. But Geoncha making use of all his 
 superiority and immense power which that divine ring gave 
 him, soon put an end to the fight. He annihilated the trai- 
 torous Zalulu ; and after having carried to his palace the 
 prince of Ormuz, while he washed in another bath which re- 
 stored him to his primitive form, the jinni went and fetched 
 the beauteous Gul-hindi out of her prison, and embracing^ 
 them both, he conveyed them in an instant to the palace of 
 the king of Tuluphan. 
 
 Mochzadin and Riza, who bemoaned the loss of their 
 dear daughter, and according to Geoncha's prediction never 
 expected to behold her again, almost died with joy at so 
 unexpected a sight. The jinni told them, to their great
 
 77 
 
 amazement, of the error they had always been in by the 
 
 malice of Zalulu ; the dangers to which their real daughter 
 had been exposed, as he had foretold them the moment she 
 was born, and the annihilation of the malignant jinni ; and 
 commanded them to immediately unite in the most holy ties 
 Sharif al-Din and Gul-hindi, since the king of Ormuz, too, 
 had already formed the same design. The king and queen 
 of Tuluphan, continued Ibn Aridun, would not defer a 
 moment the happiness of the prince and princess ; and that 
 illustrious couple under the protection of the great Geoncha 
 spent the rest of their days in the most perfect union, and 
 enjoyed a felicity which to their lives' end was never inter- 
 rupted by the least unlucky accident. 
 
 Ibn Aridun having thus concluded the adventures of 
 Sharif al-Din and of Gul-hindi, the king of Astrakhan let him 
 know the great pleasure he had taken in hearing them. I 
 could yet have wished, added that monarch, that there had 
 been something in the catastrophe of your story a little more 
 wonderful : I cannot help thinking that Zalulu runs too 
 blindfold into the trap that is laid for him, and that Sharif 
 al-Din too easily gets the ring of Sulayman. — My Lord, 
 replied Ibn Aridun, I did not invent this history myself, but 
 had the honor to tell it your Majesty, just as I had read it in 
 one of our Arabian authors. And after all, love is so violent 
 a passion, and deprives the wisest men of the use of their 
 reason to such a degree, as to set them upon an equal foot- 
 ing with the weakest of mankind. — I confess it, replied the 
 king ; and now that I reflect upon it more seriously, I per- 
 ceive that it would have been very hard to rescue Gul-hindi 
 out of Zalulu's power, by any other means than the blind 
 passion he felt for Sharif al-Din, who seemed so beautiful a 
 woman. That jinni, with the assistance of Sulayman's ring, 
 might have defended himself against all surprises ; nothing 
 but so passionate a love could have torn it from him ; and
 
 78 
 
 this thought convinces me that it is very easy to criticise any- 
 thing, but hard to mend it. — It is true, my Lord, replied 
 Ibn Aridun ; but since your Majesty was not at first entirely 
 satisfied with the conclusion of that history, I will relate one 
 which I am sure will please you, both for the wonderful and 
 comical strokes that there are in it. — Nobody hitherto has 
 succeeded so well as thou in diverting me, replied the king 
 of Astrakhan ; begin this history, therefore, since I have still 
 some moments left. Ibn Aridun, in obedience to his prince, 
 spake in these terms : 
 
 TALE OF THE THREE CRUMP TWIN- 
 BROTHERS OF DAMASCUS 
 
 Under the Cahphate of Al-Mutawakhil 'al^ 'Hah, grandson 
 of Harun al-Rashid, there dwelt at Damascus an old man 
 called Bahamrillah, who did but just get a poor livehhood 
 by making steel-bows, swords, sabres, and knife-blades. Of 
 thirteen children which he had by one wife, ten died all in 
 one year ; but the three that remained were such odd fig- 
 ures, that it was impossible to look at them without laughing. 
 They were crooked both behind and before, blind of the left 
 eye, lame of the right foot, and so perfectly like one another 
 in face, shape, and clothes, which they always wore the same 
 with one another, that even their father and mother some- 
 times mistook one for the other. 
 
 Of the three sons of Bahamrillah, said Ibn Aridun, the 
 next day, the eldest was named Ibad, the second, Syahuk, ' 
 and the third Babakan ; and these three little hump-backed 
 brothers never worked in their shop, but they served for 
 laughing-stocks to all the boys and girls in the town. One 
 day, as the only son of a rich merchant, named Murad, 
 returned from walking with some of his playfellows, finding 
 himself more merry than usual, he leaned upon the bulk of
 
 79 
 
 the three crumps, and insulted them with so much keenness, 
 that Babakan, who was then at work upon a knife-blade, lost 
 all patience ; he ran after those children, and, singling out 
 his principal enemy, gave him a cut in the belly ; but finding 
 that he was pursued by the mob, he ran into his shop and 
 pulled the door after him. As Murad was dangerously 
 wounded, all the avenues of Bahamrillah's house were im- 
 mediately secured, till the Kadi, who was sent for, should 
 come. He repaired thither immediately with his attendants, 
 and having broken down the doors upon their refusal to 
 open them, he entered into the shop, and demanded of those 
 who had been witnesses of the action that was committed, 
 which of the three crumps was the murderer. Nobody 
 could affirm that it was one of them rather than another ; 
 they were so exactly alike that they were all at a loss. The 
 Kadi examined Ibad, who assured him that it was not he that 
 had wounded the boy, and that he could not tell whether it 
 was Syahuk or Babakan ; Syahuk averred the same thing ; 
 and Babakan, seeing himself out of danger, had the impu- 
 dence to deny likewise that he had any hand in the crime. 
 
 The Kadi was, therefore, much perplexed what to do. 
 There could be but one criminal, and here seemed to be 
 three ; and never a one of them would own himself to 
 be the man. He thought he could not do better than inform 
 the king of Damascus of so singular an affair. He carried 
 the three crumps before his throne ; and that prince having 
 examined them himself without being able to find out the 
 truth, gave command, in order to discover it, that each of 
 them sliould have an hundred bastinadoes upon the soles of 
 his feet. They began with Syahuk, and afterwards pro- 
 ceeded to Ibad ; but both of them being ignorant whether 
 Babakan was the criminal or not, so much resemblance there 
 was between them, they endured the bastinado without giv- 
 ing the king any clearer information than he had before. 
 Babakan afterwards received his quota of stripes ; but being
 
 8o 
 
 judge in his own cause, he did not think fit to betray him* 
 self; he made the most earnest protestations of his in- 
 nocence, and the king, not knowing which was the murderer, 
 and unwilling to put to death two innocents with one criminal, 
 was contented with banishing them all three from Damascus 
 for ever. 
 
 Ibad, Syahuk, and Babakan were obliged to comply with 
 this sentence immediately. They departed from the city, 
 and having considered what they should do, Ibad and 
 Syahuk were entirely for keeping together; but Babakan 
 having represented to them that, let them go where they 
 would, so long as they were together they would always be 
 the jest of the public, but that if they were single they would 
 each be infinitely less observed, this reason prevailed over 
 the opinion of the other two. They parted from each other, 
 and taking every one of them a different road, Babakan, 
 having travelled through several towns of Syria, came at 
 length to Baghdad, where I have already told your Majesty 
 Al-Mutawakhil 'ala 'llah, the grandson of Hariin al-Rashid, 
 held the supreme power. This Httle crooked wretch, under- 
 standing that there was in that city a cutler of tolerably 
 good repute, went to him for employment ; he told him he 
 was from Damascus, and that he had a particular art in 
 tempering steel. The cutler was willing to try if Babakan 
 was as great a master of his trade as he boasted himself to 
 be ; he took him into his shop, and finding, indeed, that not 
 only was the steel he tempered as hard and as sharp again 
 as what was commonly used at Baghdad, but also that his 
 work was much more neat and perfect, he retained him in 
 his service, and entertained him with great kindness, that he 
 might keep him to himself. From that time his shop was 
 always crowded with customers. The httle crump could not 
 work fast enough ; the cutler sold his bows and sabres at his 
 own price, and if he had not been a drunken extravagant 
 sot, he might have made a very considerable fortune.
 
 8i 
 
 Babakan had scarce been two years at Baghdad, when his 
 master fell very ill of a great debauch he had made ; his 
 body was so worn and wasted by wine, brandy, and women, 
 that all the care of his wife and of Babakan could not save 
 his hfe ; he died in their arms. Though Nohud, which was 
 the name of the cutler's wife, was very far from being hand- 
 some, Babakan had, nevertheless, been in love with her for 
 some time ; and his master's death proving a fair opportunity 
 to declare his passion, he, without any hesitation, made the 
 widow acquainted with his sentiments. She was not much 
 alarmed at them ; for, besides that his out-of-the-way figure 
 began to grow familiar to her, she further considered that if 
 Babakan left her, the shop would presently lose its reputa- 
 tion, and that the little money she had saved during her hus- 
 band's Hfe would soon be spent. These reasons induced 
 her, like a sensible woman as she was, to make Babakan a 
 promise of marriage so soon as she could do it with decency. 
 She kept her word with him some months afterwards ; and 
 Babakan, not satisfied with his cutling trade alone, whereby 
 in a httle time he got a great deal of money, fell likewise in 
 the way of selling brandy of dates, which he had a very con- 
 siderable demand for. 
 
 The correspondence that Babakan had in several towns in 
 the East, came to the ears of his two brothers, who after 
 having lived for almost five years in abject poverty, were at 
 last met together at Darbant. Here they learnt to their 
 great joy the prosperity of Babakan, and not doubting but 
 that he would assist them in their want, they resolved to go 
 together to Baghdad ; they had no sooner arrived there, than 
 they sent for him by a poor woman, who had taken them 
 into her house out of charity. Babakan was prodigiously 
 surprised at the sight of his brothers : Have you forgotten, 
 said he to them, in a violent passion, what happened to us 
 at Damascus? Have you a mind to make me the jest ol 
 this city too ? I swear by my head that you shall die beneath 
 
 6
 
 82 
 
 the cudgel, if you dare to come near my house, or to stay in 
 Baghdad another hour. Ibad and his brother were amazed 
 at a reception so httle expected ; it was in vain they repre- 
 sented their misery to Babakan, and showed him the most 
 abject submission ; he continued unmoved ; and all they 
 could obtain from him were ten or twelve pieces of gold to 
 help them to settle in some other town. 
 
 Babakan being returned home, his wife perceived an 
 alteration in his countenance. She asked him the cause of 
 it, and was answered that it proceeded from the arrival of his 
 two brothers ; but that apprehending at Baghdad the same rail- 
 leries he had borne at Damascus, he had forbidden them his 
 house, and had obliged them to leave the town. Nohud to 
 no purpose remonstrated with him on the cruelty of what he 
 had done ; her husband's fury was but increased by her per- 
 suasions. I find, said he, you will be tempted to entertain 
 them here, during the journey I am about to make to Bas- 
 sorah ; but take notice, I advise you, that if you do, it shall 
 cost you your life. I say no more : look to it that you do 
 not disobey me. Babakan's wife was too well acquainted 
 with her husband's violent humor to contradict him ; she 
 had often enough felt the weight of his arm. She promised 
 most punctually to execute his orders ; but those promises 
 did not make Babakan easy ; he passed the whole night 
 without taking a wink of sleep, and returning next morning 
 at break of day to the woman's house where his brothers 
 had lodged, he heard to his great satisfaction that they 
 had gone from Baghdad, with the intention never to seek it 
 again. 
 
 Ibad and Syahuk had indeed departed, with a resolution 
 to go and seek their fortunes elsewhere; but the latter falling 
 sick about two days' journey from Baghdad, and they find- 
 ing themselves obliged to stay there almost three weeks, their 
 money was soon gone, and they were reduced to their 
 former want. Not knowing how to live, in spite of the
 
 83 
 
 severe prohibition they had received from Babakan, they 
 resolved to go back to Baghdad. They went to their former 
 landlady, and begged her to go once more to their brother, 
 in order to persuade him, if she could, to take them into his 
 house, or at least to give them a little money to defray the 
 charge of their journey. The poor woman could not refuse 
 to do them that service ; she went to Babakan's house, and 
 being informed at his shop that he had been gone twelve 
 days to Bassorah, to fetch several bales of merchandise, she 
 returned immediately to tell this news to her guests, who 
 were so hard pressed by their necessity, that they went 
 themselves to implore the assistance of their brother's wife. 
 Nohud could not help knowing them ; they resembled Baba- 
 kan so exactly, that there was nobody but would have mis- 
 taken each of them apart for him. But though he had so 
 strictly commanded her not to let them into her house, she 
 was touched with their poverty and tears ; she entertained 
 them and set some victuals before them. It was now dark 
 night ; and Ibad and Syahuk had scarce satisfied their first 
 hunger, when somebody ratded at the door ; the voice of 
 Babakan, who was not to have returned for three days longer, 
 was a thunderbolt to his wife and brothers ; they turned as 
 pale as death ; and Nohud, who did not know where to put 
 them, to conceal them from her husband's fury, thought at 
 last of hiding them in a little cellar, behind five or six tubs 
 of brandy. 
 
 Babakan grew impatient at the door ; he knocked louder 
 and louder every moment ; at last it was opened, and sus- 
 pecting his wife of having some gallant hid in a corner, he 
 took a stick and beat her soundly ; afterwards his jealousy 
 induced him to search all the house ; he visited every hole 
 with the greatest care, but never thought of looking behind 
 the brandy tubs, though he went into the cellar. At last, 
 my lord, continued Ibn Aridun, the hump-backed churl, 
 having made no discovery, grew a little calmer ; he locked
 
 84 
 
 all the doors, taking the keys, according to his custom, went 
 
 to bed with Nohud, and did not go out all next day till 
 towards the evening, telling his wife he would sup with a 
 friend. His back was hardly turned, when Nohud ran im- 
 mediately to the cellar ; but she was in the utmost surprise 
 at finding Ibad and Syahuk without the least sign of life. 
 Her perplexity increased when slie considered she had no 
 way of getting rid of the two bodies ; but taking her resolu- 
 tion at once, she shut up the shop, ran to look towards the 
 bridge of Baghdad for a foolish porter of Siwrihissar, and 
 having told him that a little hump-backed man, who came to 
 her house to buy some knives, having died there suddenly, 
 she feared she should be brought to trouble about it, she 
 proffered him four golden dinars, if he would put him into a 
 sack, and throw him into the Tigris. The porter accepted 
 her offer ; and Nohud having taken him home with her, 
 gave him two dinars by way of earnest, treated him with 
 drink till it was night, put only one of the crumps into his 
 sack, helped him up with it, and promised to give him the 
 other two dinars, when she was sure he had performed his 
 commission. 
 
 The porter, with the crump upon his shoulders, being 
 come to the bridge of Baghdad, opened his sack, shot his 
 load into the river, and running back to Nohud : It is done, 
 said he, laughing ; your man is fish-meat by this time ; give 
 me the two dinars you promised me. Nohud then went be- 
 hind her counter, under pretence of fetching him the money ; 
 but starting back with a loud cry, she pretended to fall into 
 a swoon. The porter, strangely surprised, took her into his, 
 arms ; and after having fetched her to herself, he inquired 
 the cause of her fright. Ah ! said the cunning hussy, acting 
 her part to a miracle, go in there, and you will soon know 
 the cause. The porter went in, and was struck as mute as a 
 fish, when, by the glimmering of a lamp, he perceived the 
 same body which he thought he had thrown into the Tigris.
 
 85 
 
 The more narrowly he viewed it, the greater was his surprise. 
 I am sure, said he to Nohud, I did throw that plaguey 
 crooked rascal over the bridge : how, then, could he come 
 hither? There must be witchcraft in it. However, con- 
 tinued he, let us try if he will get out again ; then having put 
 the second crump into the same sack, he carried him to the 
 bridge, and choosing out the deepest part of the Tigris, 
 opened his sack, and threw in poor Syahuk. He was again 
 returning merrily to Nohud, not doubting that his burden 
 was gone to the bottom, when turning the corner of a street, 
 he saw coming towards him a man with a lanthorn in his 
 hand. He was ready to drop down dead with fear at the 
 sight of Babakan, who was going home a littie overtaken 
 with wine. He dogged him, however, a little while, and 
 finding that he took the ready way to the house from which 
 he had fetched the two crumps, he seized him furiously by 
 the collar. Ah, rogue ! cried he, you think to make a fool 
 of me all night, do you ? You have served me this trick 
 twice already ; but if you escape the third time, I will be 
 hanged. Then, being a lusty fellow, he threw his sack over 
 his shoulders, and forcing him into it in spite of his teeth, 
 tied the mouth of it with a strong rope, and running di- 
 rectly to the bridge, flung in poor Babakan, sack and all. 
 He walked a pretty while thereabouts, for fear the crump 
 should get out again to cheat him of his reward ; but hearing 
 no noise, returned to the cutleress to demand the other two 
 dinars, which she had promised him. Do not fear his com- 
 ing any more, said he, the moment he set his foot into tlie 
 house. The wag had a mind to make me his sport forever, 
 I think ; he only pretended to be dead, that he might make 
 me trot my legs off; but I have done his business for him 
 now so thoroughly, that he will never come to your house 
 any more ; I will engage for him, 
 
 Nohud, surprised at this discourse, desired him to tell her 
 what he meant by it. Why, replied he, I had again thrown
 
 86 
 
 this damned crump into the Tigris, when as I was returning 
 to you for my money, I met him about five or six streets off 
 with a lanthorn in his hand, singing and roaring under pre- 
 tence of being drunk. I was so horribly enraged with him, 
 that laying hold of him I forced him into my sack, in spite 
 of all his resistance, tied it with a cord, and so threw him 
 into the Tigris, from whence I believe he can never return, 
 unless he be Iblis himself. Babakan's wife was in an un- 
 paralleled surprise at this news. Ah ! sirrah, said she, what 
 have you done ? You have now drowned my husband ; and 
 have you the impudence to think I will reward you for his 
 murder? No, no; I will revenge his death, and go this 
 moment to make my complaint to the Kadi. The porter 
 gave very little heed to all her threats ; he thought she did 
 this only to avoid paying him the money she had promised 
 him. Without jesting, said he, give me the two dinars I 
 have so lawfully earned ; you have made a fool of me long 
 enough ; I must begone home. Nohud refused to pay him. 
 1 swear by my head, replied he, in a violent rage, if you do 
 not give me the two dinars this moment, I will send you to 
 keep company with that crooked monster I have thrown into 
 the river. Now, added he, dispute my payment if you dare : 
 I am not such a fool as you take me for ; I will have my 
 money at once, or I will make the house too hot to hold 
 you. The more the porter insisted upon his money, the 
 more noise Nohud made. He grew weary of so much re- 
 sistance, and taking her by the hair, he pulled her into the 
 street, and was really going to throw her into the Tigris, 
 when the neighbors ran to her assistance. The porter upon 
 this took to his heels, very much in dudgeon at having, as 
 he thought, been so grossly put upon, and was going towards 
 the bridge on his way home, when he met three men, each 
 with a load upon his shoulder, as far as he could discern in 
 the dark. He that went first took him by the arm. Where 
 are you going at this time of night? said he. — What is that
 
 87 
 
 to you ? said the porter, very snappishly ; I am going where 
 I please. — You are greatly deceived, answered the stranger, 
 for you shall go where I please : take this bundle off my 
 head and walk before me. The porter, surprised at this 
 command, would have resisted ; but the man having shaken 
 at him a sabre four fingers broad, and threatened to cut off 
 his head if he did not obey that moment, he was forced to 
 take up the load and go in company with the other two, 
 whereof one seemed a slave and the other a fisherman. 
 They had not walked ten streets when they came to a little 
 door, which was presently opened by an old woman. They 
 passed through a long passage very dark, and arrived at last 
 in a magnificent hall. But what was the porter's amazement, 
 when, by the light of about forty tapers with which it was 
 illuminated, he saw the crooked brothers he had thrown 
 into the Tigris, two of whom were upon the shoulders of the 
 slave and the fisherman, and the third upon his own head ! 
 He was seized with such terror that he began to shake all 
 over his body. He was more thoroughly convinced than 
 ever that so extraordinary a thing could be imputed to 
 nothing but conjuration. But recovering a little from his 
 fright : The devil take this cursed crump-backed, one-eyed 
 son of a whore, cried he, in a very comical tone ; I believe I 
 shall do nothing all night but throw him into the river, and 
 not get rid of him at last. The rascal was so malicious as to 
 come back again twice, to hinder me from having the dinars 
 the cutler-woman promised me; and here I find him again, 
 with two others besides, not a farthing better than himself. 
 But, sir, continued he, addressing himself to him who seemed 
 the master of the house, lend me, I beseech you, that sabre 
 of yours but for a moment. I will only cut off their heads, 
 and then go and throw them all three into the Tigris, to see 
 if they will follow me again. I am so horribly unlucky to- 
 day, that I am sure the devil will carry them back, either to 
 the cutler's house or to mine, do what I will.
 
 The porter having finished this speech of his, the Caliph 
 Al-Mutawakhil 'alk 'llah, for it was he himself, my lord, who, 
 following the example of Harun al-Rashid, his grandfather, 
 walked out very often in the night-time in the streets of 
 Baghdad, to see what passed, and to be capable of making 
 a judgment himself of how the people hked his government : 
 this Caliph, I say, who was disguised like a merchant, was in 
 the utmost surprise at these words of the porter. He had 
 been out that night with his wazir, and having met a fisher- 
 man, he asked him whither he went. — I am going, an- 
 swered he, to draw up my net, which I have left ever since 
 yesterday morning in the Tigris. — And what will you do 
 with the fish you catch? replied the Caliph. — To-morrow, 
 said he, I will go and sell them in the market of Baghdad, 
 to help to maintain my wife and three children. — Will you 
 bargain with me for your whole draught? replied Al-Muta- 
 wakhil 'al^ 'llah. — With all my heart, answered the fisher- 
 man. — Well, said the Caliph, there are ten dinars of gold 
 for it j will that satisfy you ? The fisherman was so amazed 
 at such a piece of generosity that he almost imagined he was 
 in a dream. But, putting the dinars in his pocket : My 
 lord, replied he, transported, if I were to have as much for 
 every draught, I should soon be richer and more powerful 
 than the sovereign Commander of the Faithful. The Caliph 
 smiled at this comparison : he went to the shore of the 
 Tigris, entered the fisherman's boat, and, with his wazir, 
 having helped him to draw up his nets, he was very much 
 amazed at finding in them the two little crumps of Damas- 
 cus, and a sack in which was the third. 
 
 An adventure so surprising struck him with admiration. 
 Since this draught belongs to me, said he to the fisherman, 
 who was as much surprised as himself, I am resolved to 
 carry it home with me ; but you must lend us a hand. The 
 man had received too great marks of the Caliph's liberality 
 to make the least scruple at obeying him j the wazir and he
 
 89 
 
 took, the one Ibad, and the other Syahuk, by the feet, and 
 threw them on their shoulders ; and the Caliph himself hav- 
 ing shouldered the sack in which was Babakan, they turned 
 back to go to the palace, when they met the porter, who had 
 a few moments before thrown the three brothers into the 
 Tigris. As Al-Mutawakhil 'al^ 'Udh was dripping wet with 
 the water that ran out of the sack, he stopped the porter, and 
 having forced him to ease him of his burden, he conducted 
 him to a house which adjoined his palace. There it was, my 
 lord, that the porter of Baghdad, having by the words he 
 spoke, relating to the three crumps, excited the Caliph's 
 curiosity, he desired him to explain himself more clearly 
 upon so whimsical an adventure. Sir, replied the porter, 
 this explanation you require is not so easily made as you 
 imagine. The more I think of it, the less I understand 
 it ; however, you shall have it just as I think it happened 
 to me. 
 
 Do you know, sir, said the porter, the cutler's wife who 
 lives at the end of the street of the jewellers? — No, replied 
 the Caliph. — You are no great loser by the bargain, replied 
 the porter ; she is the mischievousest jade in all Baghdad : 
 I would willingly give the two dinars I am master of to have 
 but five or six slaps at her foul chops, for the trick the witch 
 put upon me this night : though I am but poor I should 
 sleep the better for it. This cutler woman then — But 
 stay, since you do not know her, I will draw you her picture. 
 Imagine, sir, you have before your eyes a great withered old 
 woman, with a skin as black as a dried neat's tongue, with a 
 little forehead, and eyes so far sunk into her head that it is 
 impossible without a telescope to see she has any. Her 
 nose has so great a kindness for her chin, that they are 
 always kissing one another ; and her mouth, which exhales a 
 charming odor like that of brimstone, is so wide that it is 
 not unlike a crocodile's. Must not all this form a complete 
 beauty? — Without doubt, said the Caliph, who, though
 
 90 
 
 impatient to hear the story of the three crumps, almost died 
 with laughing at the porter's comical description. You are 
 so excellent a painter that I fancy I see this cutler-woman, 
 and would lay a wager I could find her out amongst a thou- 
 sand. — Well, then, said the porter, since you know her now 
 as well as if you had seen her, imagine that you see this 
 lovely creature, covered with a great veil that hides all her 
 perfections, come to choose me towards night, at the foot of 
 the bridge, from amongst five or six of my comrades, and to 
 promise me in my ear four dinars if I would follow her. The 
 desire of gain entices me ; I fly towards her house, and go 
 in with her. She throws off the veil ; I am frightened at 
 the sight almost out of my wits ; she certainly perceives it, 
 and to encourage me, pops into my hand a great flagon of 
 wine. I -own, sir, it was so excellent that without inquiring 
 what country it caiue from, I emptied the flagon. Yet I 
 could not help trembling all Uie while I drank it ; I was 
 afraid she had a mind to make me drunk, that she might 
 afterwards debauch me, and get me to spend the night with 
 her. And it was not without good grounds that I feared 
 this ; for she caressed me enough to make me believe it. 
 After the wine, she brought me a great bottle of date brandy; 
 she amorously pours me out a large glass full, which I tipped 
 off without any more a-do ; then she proposed to me — 
 But stay, stay, I think I drank two glasses of brandy, upon 
 further consideration. — Drink six if you will, answered the 
 Caliph, so you do but make an end of your story. — Hold 
 you me there, sir, cried the porter, one cannot swallow down 
 brandy at that rate neither ; it will fly into the head : I am 
 half drunk with those two only, and you would have me here, 
 after all that wine, tope down a bottle of brandy to boot. 
 No, no, sir, I will do no such thing, though the sovereign 
 Commander of the Faithful himself should beg me upon his 
 knees to do it. So then it was that the cutler-woman, seeing 
 me grow a little merry, as one may say, gave me to understand
 
 91 
 
 that a little crooked man, who came to her house to buy 
 some cutler's ware, had died suddenly in her shop, and that 
 fearing she should be accused of having killed him, she 
 would give the four dinars she had promised me if I would 
 throw him into the Tigris. I had not drunk so much nei- 
 ther, but that I was resolved to make sure of the cash. I 
 demanded two of the dinars as earnest ; she gave them me : 
 I puts little crump into my sack, does as I was bid, and 
 comes back to take the rest of my money, when she shows 
 me again the very same man. I leave you to imagine, sir, 
 how much I was surprised. I put him once more into my 
 sack, carried him again to the bridge, and choosing the most 
 rapid part of the stream, tossed him in ; and I was returning 
 to the cutler's when I again met the crooked toad with a 
 lanthorn in his hand, and making as if he was drunk. I 
 grew weary of so much jesting, took hold of him roughly, 
 and pushing him into my sack in spite of his teeth, tied up 
 the mouth of it, and flung him a third time into the Tigris 
 with my sack and all, imagining that it would keep him from 
 getting out again. I went back to the cutler-woman, and 
 told her how I met the crump alive, and in what manner I 
 got rid of him. But instead of paying me the two dinars I 
 expected, she pretended to tear her hair in grief, and threat- 
 ened to carry me before the Kadi for having drowned her 
 husband. I never minded her tears, but swore I would have 
 my money. I made a bloody noise about it ; the neighbors 
 ran in at her cries ; I took to my heels. I was going home, 
 grumbling in the gizzard very much, when you, sir, forced 
 me to take up this sack upon my head, and bring it hither. 
 Now, sir, continued the porter, you may easily guess the 
 cause of my fright, when at my arrival here I found myself 
 laden with the same man that I had three times flung into 
 the Tigris, and beheld also two others so like him that 
 it is impossible to distinguish between them but by theit 
 clothes.
 
 92 
 
 Though the Caliph could not see into the bottom of this 
 adventure, he took abundance of pleasure in hearing the 
 porter's story. Then having viewed the three brothers 
 a little more narrowly, he thought he perceived in them 
 some signs of life, and sent immediately for a physician. 
 He came soon afterwards, and finding that Ibad and Sya- 
 huk threw up, with the water they had swallowed, a great 
 deal of brandy, he did not doubt, as indeed was the fact, 
 that their drunkenness was the occasion of their being 
 thought dead. As for Babakan, nothing but want of air 
 had almost suffocated him ; but as soon as his head was 
 out of the sack he recovered by degrees ; so that in half 
 an hour's time his brothers and he were entirely out of 
 danger. Never was anybody so amazed as Babakan was 
 at the sight of his brothers, who were laid upon sofas. He 
 almost cracked his eye-strings with staring at them, and 
 could not possibly conceive how he came into that strange 
 place with them. He suffered himself to be undressed 
 without uttering a single word, while the same was done 
 to Ibad and Syahuk. 
 
 The Caliph having caused the three crumps to be carried 
 into different chambers, had them put to bed and locked 
 up. Then he sent away the fisherman, and having ordered 
 the wazir to keep the porter, and to use him with great 
 kindness, he prepared to divert himself at the expense of 
 the crooked brothers and the cutler-woman, whom he ar- 
 rested next morning at break of day. To heighten his 
 diversion the Caliph caused to be made that night two 
 suits of clothes exactly like that which Babakan wore, when 
 he was thrown into the Tigris. He ordered them to be 
 put upon Ibad and Syahuk, whose drunken fit was quite 
 over, and being all dressed exactly alike, he placed them 
 behind three different pieces of hanging, in a magnificent 
 hall of the palace, and gave orders that they should be 
 discovered upon his making a certain sign.
 
 93 
 
 The wazir, who, with the porter and several guards, had 
 been early in the morning to arrest the cutler's wife, brought 
 her into the hall, where the Caliph was already placed upon 
 his throne. He examined her with relation to what passed 
 between her and the porter. She told him all that had 
 happened, without concealing a tittle of the truth, and 
 seemed very much concerned at the loss of her husband. 
 But, said the Caliph, is this not a made-up story that you 
 tell me ? How is it possible these three crooked brothers 
 should be so exactly alike that the porter should be deceived 
 by them ? Ah ! my lord, replied Nohud, he was half drunk 
 when I employed him ; and besides, my husband and his 
 brothers resemble one another so perfectly, that if they were 
 dressed in the same clothes, I hardly think I myself could 
 be able to distinguish one from the other. — That would 
 be pleasant indeed, said the Caliph, clapping his hands ; 
 I should like to be a spectator of such an interview. — 
 This was the signal Al-Mutawakhil 'alk '11 ah was to give 
 for the crumps to appear. The pieces of hanging were 
 immediately pulled up, and the cutleress was ready to die 
 with fear at the sight. O heaven ! cried she, what a prodigy 
 is this ! Do the dead come again to life? Is this an illusion, 
 my lord, and are my eyes faithful testimonies of what I see ? 
 — You see right, replied Al-Mutawakhil 'ala 'llah; one of 
 these three is your husband, and the other two are his 
 brothers ; you must choose out your own from among them. 
 View them well ; but I foi-bid them upon pain of death to 
 speak or to make the least sign. 
 
 Nohud, in the utmost perplexity, examined them one 
 after another ; she could not distinguish her husband. And 
 the Caliph, who was as much at a loss to know them as she 
 was, ordering him of the three that was Babakan, to come 
 and embrace his wife, was very much surprised to see the 
 three crumps all at once throw their arms round her neck, 
 and each of them affirm himself to be her husband. Ibad
 
 94 
 
 and Syahuk were not ignorant that they were in the pres- 
 ence of the Commander of the Faithful; but whatever 
 respect they owed him, they thought they could not be 
 revenged on Babakan better than by trying to pass for him ; 
 and this latter got nothing by his rage and passion, for his 
 two brothers obstinately persisted in robbing him of his 
 name. The Caliph could not help laughing at this comical 
 contest of the three crumps ; but having at length resumed 
 his gravity : There would be no such dispute among you, 
 said he, which should be Babakan, if you knew that I want 
 to distinguish him, only to give him a thousand bastinadoes 
 for his cruelty to his brothers, and for his forbidding his wife 
 to entertain them in his absence. 
 
 Al-Mutawakhil 'al^ 'Hah, my lord, continued the son of 
 Abu Bakr, pronounced these words in so severe a tone 
 that Ibad and Syahuk thought it high time to give over 
 the jest. If it be so, my lord, said each of them separately, 
 we are no longer what we pretended to be, with a design 
 to punish our brother for his ill usage of us ; if there are 
 any blows to be received, let him receive them, for they 
 are no more than he deserves. As for us, my lord, we im- 
 plore your generosity, and we are in hopes that your august 
 Majesty, who never suffers any one to depart unsatisfied, 
 will have the goodness to alleviate our misery and want. 
 The Cahph then threw his eyes on Babakan, whom he saw 
 in the greatest confusion. Well, said he to him, what hast 
 thou to say for thyself ? — Potent king, replied Babakan, 
 with his face prostrated to the earth, whatever punishment 
 I am to look for from your justice, I am nevertheless the 
 husband of this woman. My crime is still the greater in 
 that, being the only cause of the banishment of ray brothers 
 from the city of Damascus, for a murder of which our re- 
 semblance hindered me from being known the author, I 
 ought to have let them participate in my good fortune, as 
 they had shared in my bad. But if a sincere repentance
 
 95 
 
 can obtain my pardon, I offer from the bottom of my heart 
 to give them equal parts of all the money I have by my 
 labor gained since my arrival here at Baghdad ; and I 
 hope your Majesty will pardon my ingratitude, upon ac- 
 count of the sorrow it gives me to have committed it. 
 
 The Caliph, who never intended to inflict any punishment 
 upon Babakan, was very well pleased to see him in this 
 disposition ; he therefore pardoned him. And being willing 
 that Ibad and Syahuk, for the pleasure they had given him, 
 should feel the effects of his liberality, he caused it to be 
 published all over Baghdad, that if there were any women 
 who would marry the two crump-brothers he would give 
 them each two thousand pieces of gold. There were above 
 twenty who were ready to embrace so considerable a for- 
 tune ; but Ibad and Syahuk, having chosen out of that 
 number those that they thought would fit them best, received 
 of the Caliph twenty thousand dinars more, with which 
 they traded in friendship with Babakan. And these three 
 brothers spent the rest of their days in abundance of tran- 
 quillity, under the protection of the sovereign Commander 
 of the Faithful, who was moreover so liberal to the porter 
 that he lived at his ease ever after without having any oc- 
 casion for continuing his trade. 
 
 When Ibn Aridun had finished the adventures of the 
 three crumps of Damascus : I swear by Ali, quoth Shams 
 al-Din to him, that if I have been sensible of any pleasure 
 since the loss of my dear Zabd al-Katon, it has been that 
 of hearing thee. Nothing, I think, can be more comical 
 than the unravelling of this story. You had good reason to 
 promise me something wonderful ; it is full of it throughout ; 
 and as I cannot reward too munificently — Ah! my lord, 
 replied Ibn Aridun, without giving the king time to make 
 an end of what he was going to say, it is not interest which 
 1 am actuated by. Rewards too great would only stir up
 
 96 
 
 more and more the hatred of the physicians of this city 
 against my father, and against me your faithful slave. I 
 have felt the effects of it too much already since his de- 
 parture, and my being still alive is owing to nothing but the 
 happiness I have had in pleasing your Majesty. — What 
 dost thou mean? replied Shams al-Din, surprised at this 
 discourse. Is there anybody in Astrakhan so bold as to try 
 to do thee mischief? — My lord, replied the wazir Mutamhid, 
 Ibn Aridun ought, I think, to have been entirely satisfied 
 with the conduct I have used towards him. One of your 
 physicians informed me that he made a mockery of the 
 perplexity Kubirgh and I were in to find you new entertain- 
 ment every day, and assured me he boasted that he himself 
 could do it, if he pleased, till his father's return. This at 
 first put me in a terrible passion against Ibn Aridun : I 
 tried to frighten him with the punishment his rashness de- 
 served ; but I found him so unmoved at all my menaces, 
 and so docile to execute what afterwards I perceived the 
 physician accused him of falsely, that I have done him all 
 the justice which is due to his merit, and ever since have 
 looked upon him as my own son. — It is true, my lord, 
 answered the son of Abu Baler, addressing the king of Astrak- 
 han ; I am far from having any cause to complain of Mutam- 
 hid ; I have received all the kindness imaginable from him ; 
 but in the meanwhile I am narrowly guarded, and the per- 
 fidious physician who sought my destruction walks at liberty. 
 — That is by no means just, interrupted Shams al-Din ; he 
 shall be shut up in a dark prison till Abu Bakr's return : 
 and to put thee out of all danger from the malice of the 
 other physicians, I make you wazir, and set you upon an 
 equality with Mutamhid and Kubirgh, upon condition that 
 you have no resentment against the former ; his intentions 
 were good, and I know him to be too merciful to have ever 
 punished thee with death, even though I had not been 
 satisfied with thee.
 
 97 
 
 Ibn Aridun, confounded at the goodness of his king, 
 threw hinriself at his feet. He at first refused the honor 
 which was bestowed upon him, but was obhged to obey. 
 My lord, said Ke, since your Majesty forces me to accept 
 a dignity I find myself incapable of, I submit to your supreme 
 will, and do for a beginning assure Mutamhid of an eternal 
 and inviolable friendship ; but as the oblivion of injuries is 
 the surest token of a noble soul, I beseech you to pardon, 
 at my request, the physician that contrived against me. Let 
 him only know that I had it in my power to punish his 
 treachery, and would not make use of the opportunity. — 
 No, no, replied Shams al-Din, in this I will be obeyed. He 
 shall never see the light again till Abu Bakr returns from 
 Sarandib, and he shall now wish for that return as much as 
 before he feared it. But till then, my dear Ibn Aridun, 
 continued that prince, do not abandon me to the cruel afflic- 
 tions wherein I am involved, but contribute by the charms 
 of thy conversation to dispel the gloomy melancholy into 
 which the sad remembrance of my losses incessantly plunges 
 me. — My lord, replied Ibn Aridun, prostrating himself on 
 the ground, since your Majesty has been pleased to conde- 
 scend so far as to hear with some complacency the humblest 
 of your slaves, I swear I will never leave you so long as I 
 have the happiness to please you. All the moments of my 
 life shall be devoted to your service. — Continue, then, said 
 Shams al-Din, to give me marks of your affection by telling 
 me some new story that may afford me as much diversion 
 as these I have already heard. — I know one, my lord, an- 
 swered Ibn Aridun, that is very particular; but I have 
 already hesitated more than once to tell it you. I was 
 afraid of reviving in your mind the image of your misfor- 
 tunes, by the conformity it bears, in the beginning, to the 
 fatal accidents which you have felt. It is true the sequel 
 is very different, and will soon make you forget the melan- 
 choly part of it : but I dare not tell it without your Majesty's 
 
 1
 
 98 
 
 express command. Shams al-Din studied some moments, 
 and then : My misfortunes, said he, are always so present 
 to my mind that your relation cannot possiblv make thera 
 more so ; therefore, my dear Ibn Aridun, you may safely 
 begin your story. Let the nature of it be what it will, I 
 will hear you with attention. Ibn Aridun obeyed so positive 
 a command, and spake as follows to the king of Astrakhan : 
 
 TALE OF UTZIM-OCHANTI, 
 PRINCE OF CHINA 
 
 Fanfur, Emperor of China, had espoused Katif, one of 
 the most charming princesses upon earth ; nothing in nature 
 was ever more complete ; and the moment one cast his eyes 
 upon the globe of her face, he lost the idea of all the beau- 
 ties he had ever seen before, to think of nothing but the 
 perfections of that princess, whose qualities of the mind 
 were superior even to those of the body. Such women 
 ought to be immortal : but, my lord, the incomparable 
 Katif seemed to appear in China only to leave in that 
 kingdom an eternal regret for the loss of her. She died 
 in the first year of her marriage, bringing into the world a 
 prince, who was called Utzim-Ochanti. Fanfur was so 
 afflicted at the death of his spouse, that he quitted the care 
 of his dominions to give himself up wholly to despair. He 
 built in his palace a magnificent tomb, upon which was in 
 white marble the statue of Katif, and never failed to go to 
 it twice a day to visit it with his tears. 
 
 That prince had now lived almost five years in this man- 
 ner, when his chief wazir, who was a man of the greatest 
 probity, presented himself before him ; he prostrated his 
 face to the earth, and getting up : My lord, said he, may 
 your humble slave presume to remonstrate to you that 
 your grief is of too long duration, and prejudices you in
 
 99 
 
 the minds of your people. Though the worth of Katif was 
 inexpressibly great, yet they are ashamed to see you for so 
 tedious a space of time shed tears, which would better be- 
 come a woman than a king so potent as your Majesty. 
 Katifs beauty was really excellent ; but are there no other 
 women in the world who may be equalled to her? If you 
 are insensible to any beauty but hers, at least consider that 
 you are answerable to your son for a throne, which I see 
 your subjects almost ready to deprive you of, if you con- 
 tinue to live in this retirement. Fanfur, surprised at the 
 wazir's discourse, awaked as it were from a deep sleep ; 
 no hss a reproof was necessary to rouse him from the 
 lethargy he was in. I am inconceivably obliged to you, 
 wazir, said he, for the sincerity with which you talk to me. 
 The interests of my son recall me to life : I should be 
 greatly to blame, if my despair should bring him to misery. 
 Inform my subjects, therefore, that I will now appear to 
 them, and will live for the future in a different manner from 
 what I have done since the death of my dear Katif The 
 wazir had no sooner told this news than the air resounded 
 with nothing but shouts of joy. Fanfur was very much 
 beloved, and his subjects, although they were very well 
 satisfied with the wazir's administration, testified by a thous- 
 and feasts and rejoicings the pleasure it gave them to see 
 their prince himself rule over them. 
 
 As in all Fanfur's actions there still remained an air of sor- 
 row, the wazir, to dissipate it, brought him the most beautiful 
 women in the world : their charms could not efface from his 
 heart the image of the lovely Katif, whose memory was so 
 dear to him. He looked upon them all with an insensibility 
 which surprised the mandarins ; and turning all his affections 
 upon Utzim-Ochanti, he declared that so long as he was 
 alive, he would never have commerce with any womaia. 
 This only heir to the kingdom of China, my lord, had scarce 
 attained his sixteenth year, when he found in himself a
 
 lOO 
 
 violent inclination for travelling. He one day asKed leave of 
 Fanfur for that purpose ; but that monarch, very much sur- 
 prised at such a request, after having represented to him 
 with wonderful tenderness all the danger he would expose 
 himself to, and the uneasiness it would be to him, conjured 
 him to have no further thoughts of that design. These 
 remonstrances were so far from persuading Utzim-Ochanti 
 to desist from that purpose, that they did but inflame his de- 
 sires ; and he resolved with the first opportunity to depart 
 without Fanfur's consent or knowledge. He provided him- 
 self with a great number of jewels, as much gold as he 
 thought he should have occasion for, and having engaged in 
 his interests six of his friends, they were the only persons 
 with whom he embarked in a little ship which one of them 
 had secretly bought. 
 
 Of these persons, one who had been his governor in vain 
 dissuaded him from his design; the prince threatened him 
 with all his indignation if he ever opened his mouth about it 
 to the king his father ; and as Bakmas, which was his name, 
 loved his pupil tenderly, rather than abandon him to the 
 violence of the passions which the heat of his youth was sub- 
 ject to, he resolved to expose himself to the same dangers 
 with him. The second companion of the prince's travels 
 was called Ahmadi ; he was a mandarin of sciences ; he 
 possessed almost all the living languages, and no man in 
 the world ever equalled him in eloquence. The third was 
 the son of the prince's nurse, and of a rich merchant. The 
 fourth excelled in music, and touched an instrument with so 
 masterly a hand, that he ravished all the senses. The fifth 
 was a painter, equal to the celebrated Mani, and the last was 
 so swift of foot, that he could overtake the nimblest beast in 
 the course. 
 
 The winds being favorable, and the vessel an admirable 
 sailer, the prince went almost eight hundred leagues in fewer 
 than ten days. He arrived at a seaport, where, after having
 
 lOI 
 
 landed, he made a present of the ship and of all the equipage 
 to the pilot, with express commands not to return to China 
 for six years. 
 
 Bakmas and Ahmadi, finding that Utzim-Ochanti was very 
 lavish of his wealth in all the towns through which they 
 passed, soon represented to him that since he intended to 
 travel as a private man he should not live at so expensive a 
 rate ; and that, if he managed with as little economy as he 
 had begun to do, his riches, be they never so great, would 
 soon be exhausted. The prince gave very little heed to 
 this advice : he was so profuse that he was forced to have 
 recourse to his jewels, the value of which amounted to so 
 vast a sum that he thought it was impossible he should ever 
 want money. Yet, after having travelled about twelve thou- 
 sand leagues in different countries, he began too late to per- 
 ceive that he had better have followed the prudent counsel 
 of the mandarin and of his governor. He then grew sensible 
 of his fault with great affliction, and found himself in the 
 most melancholy condition in which a prince could be. To 
 add to his uneasiness, he had made his six companions as 
 miserable as himself; but he had the consolation to see that 
 none of them upbraided him with his want of conduct ; on 
 the contrary, all offered to assist him in his necessities, by 
 practising every one the art he was master of. And, indeed, 
 they had no sooner come to the next great town, than the 
 runner, having heard there was pressing occasion for a man 
 that could despatch some very important affairs with expedi- 
 tion, offered his services. He undertook to perform, in 
 fewer than four-and-twenty hours, a journey of above three- 
 score leagues. His offer was accepted, and the prince and 
 his companions were his sureties. He was paid the money, 
 the greatest part of which he left with them ; and having 
 executed what he had promised, to the great content of 
 those who had employed him, the prince had the advantage 
 of his diligence ; and, living with great economy, they came
 
 I02 
 
 to another town, having now but four pieces of silver left 
 them. 
 
 The moment they had arrived there, the merchant's son, 
 who was a perfect master of arithmetic, went to a famous 
 trader and offered to balance all the accounts he had with 
 his correspondents in fewer than three day?. Though this 
 seemed almost impossible, the trader set him about it, was 
 wonderfully well satisfied with him, and paid him liberally. 
 This sum maintained the prince and his train a fortnight ; at 
 the end of which time they again found themselves reduced 
 to the same necessity. The musician then took his lute, and 
 sang with so much melody, that the chief men of the city 
 had him to their houses. They rewarded him nobly for the 
 pleasure he gave them ; and with this money they lived for 
 some weeks. The painter then perceiving that they were 
 again falling into the same straits, went to the king of the 
 country where they then were ; he offered to draw his pict- 
 ure, which he did with so much art, and so exactly like, that 
 the king, amazed at such a novelty, looked upon him as 
 something divine. He could not conceive it was possible 
 to draw lines so just and so natural that nobody could miss 
 knowing him by the picture. He gave the painter a diamond 
 of great value and three thousand dinars besides. All the 
 great men of that court, after the example of their prince, 
 were drawn by him likewise. He succeeded perfectly well, 
 and received such considerable presents, that he carried out 
 of that city above ten thousand pieces of gold. This was a 
 great sum, considering the condition the prince was in ; but 
 very little compared to the immense riches he had indis* 
 erectly squandered away. 
 
 They all put themselves with this into better habits, were 
 very saving of their money, and resolved to return directly 
 to China. They had travelled about five hundred leagues 
 on their way thither, and had almost come to Zofiiila, when 
 they were surrounded by more th^n two hundred robbers.
 
 I03 
 
 Though Utzim-Ochanti was accompanied only by his six 
 comrades, the number did not frighten him. He resolved 
 to put himself into a posture of defence : but Ahmadi hav- 
 ing represented to him the rashness of such an enterprise, 
 the prince laid down his arms. A man of a tolerably good 
 mien, who seemed the captain of those rogues, accosted him 
 with civility enough for a person of his trade. We have no 
 design upon your lives, said he ; since you do not resist, we 
 content ourselves with what you have. But if a man of you 
 had been so bold as to defend himself, you had all been dead 
 before this. — Utzim-Ochanti looked upon him with indigna- 
 tion : If you were but fifty to our seven, said he, I should 
 not fear you ; but there is no contending against numbers ; 
 you are the master of our fortune. This bold answer pleased 
 the captain of the thieves. I see thou hast courage, said he, 
 and I like thee for it ; upon that consideration I will use 
 thee well. Then having examined what the booty amounted 
 to, he returned the prince an hundred dinars of gold, and 
 fifty a-piece to each of his companions, gave them their 
 horses, and suffered them to continue their journey. 
 
 At length they arrived at Zoffala, where the prince of 
 China falling dangerously sick, they spent most of their 
 money, and found themselves reduced to their former want. 
 It was now Bakmas's turn to employ his talent to enable 
 them to pursue their journey; but the city was inhabited 
 only by merchants, whose heads ran upon nothing but their 
 commerce, and who had very little notion of the politeness 
 he had studied at the court of China, and pretended to 
 teach ; it was to no purpose that he boasted his nobility all 
 over the city ; he lost his labor, and met with nobody that so 
 much as offered him a glass of water. He bit his lips with 
 indignation. 
 
 Bakmas, my lord, continued Ibn Aridun, was returning 
 home, in the deepest affliction, at not having been able to do 
 ,his prince the same service as his companions had done,
 
 104 
 
 when he was met by a venerable old man, whose foreign air 
 sufficiently showed he was not of Zoflfala. He judged by 
 Bakmas's looks that he was stung with vexation, and being 
 informed of the cause of it, he desired him, with his com- 
 pany, to come and refresh themselves at his house. The 
 prince went thither with his train, and during the repast, the 
 good old man saw that Bakmas boasted mightily of the pre- 
 rogatives which an illustrious birth gives a man. My friends, 
 said he to his guests, the poor man is always despised, let his 
 quality be what it will. If your circumstances are narrow, it 
 will be much the best way not to talk too much of your 
 nobihty ; if on the contrary, you are rich, were you descended 
 from the dregs of the people, you would be universally re- 
 vered as the greatest man upon earth. Having said this, he 
 put twenty pieces of gold into Bakmas's hand, and rising 
 from table to go about his affairs, the prince and his com- 
 panions took their leave of him. 
 
 What melancholy reflections did this advice bring into the 
 prince's thoughts ! He wept for very shame. What ! said 
 he to himself, am I reduced by my own fault alone to subsist 
 upon the talents of my followers? Without their help I 
 should be brought to the utmost poverty. Ahmadi, seeing 
 the prince overwhelmed with sorrow, made use of all his 
 eloquence to comfort him ; he even upbraided him with 
 want of courage in adversity ; and having departed from 
 Zoffala, they came in a few days to a small but very pretty 
 town. Ahmadi had no sooner entered into it, than he made 
 proclamation that he would dispute for eight days succes- 
 sively upon any subject whatsoever against the most learned 
 men there. At first people only laughed at his presumption ; 
 but when they came to the trial, he so ravished the hearers, 
 and showed so universal a knowledge, that he confounded aU 
 who disputed against him. But in the end, his learning only 
 provoked the envy of the men of letters ; he gained by this 
 dispute nothing but a vain and fruitless glory, and his ad-
 
 I05 
 
 versaries formed such cabals against him, under pretence 
 that his doctrine was contrary to the interests of the state, 
 that he was forced to betake himself to flight to save his hfe ; 
 and if our seven travellers had not still been masters of a litde 
 cash, they would have been very much at a loss. The learned 
 Ahmadi was in a strange confusion. He declaimed a long 
 time against the ingratitude and ignorance of the age ; but 
 at last, after eleven days' journey, they came to the gates of 
 Zab. 
 
 The prince of China was oppressed with the cruel thoughts 
 his misfortunes gave him. O Heaven ! cried he, every one 
 of you but Ahmadi has earned wherewithal to maintain us, 
 and I alone have left my fortune untried. No, no, it shall 
 never be writ in heaven, that I was always a burden to you. 
 Then, having told them he would leave them for an hour 
 only, he ordered them to come to him in the principal place 
 of Zab ; and resolving to be obeyed, notwithstanding all their 
 opposition he parted from them. After having traversed 
 great part of the city, he sat himself down upon a stone seat 
 which he found in his way, and was ruminating upon his mis- 
 fortune, when a funeral, with the greatest magnificence, passed 
 along the street where he was. He was so buried in thought 
 that not minding what he was doing, he had not the least 
 curiosity to inquire who it was for whom the inhabitants of 
 Zab shed so many tears ; and when the hearse came by, he 
 did not rise up like the rest of the spectators. Everybody 
 was so offended at this neglect, which they imputed to con- 
 tempt, that they loaded the prince with a thousand abuses. 
 He did not think fit to make any answer, considering with 
 himself what injuries we are exposed to by poverty. But his 
 silence being likewise interpreted ill, one of the officers of the 
 funeral struck him rudely on the face with a wand which he 
 carried in his hand. 
 
 Utzim-Ochanti was so transported with rage at this blow 
 that drawing his sword he parted the head of that insolent
 
 io6 
 
 officer from his shoulders. This bold action amazed all the 
 spectators ; they ran upon the prince, but he, defending him- 
 self like a furious lion, despatched thirty of them before they 
 could seize him. But, opprest with numbers, he was at last 
 taken ; they tied his hands, and were just carrying him to a 
 shameful prison, when his six companions came luckily to 
 the place where this bloody scene had been enacted. They 
 all in a moment drew their sabres, and falling suddenly upon 
 those who had made themselves masters of Utzim-Ochanti, 
 soon delivered him out of their hands. The prince then 
 again took up his sabre, and joining his defenders, they 
 spread such terror throughout the city that the attendants 
 quitted the funeral, and all fled away with the utmost 
 speed. 
 
 Ahmadi, upon inquiring of Utzim-Ochanti what was the 
 occasion of all this disturbance, was very much surprised to 
 find that he did not know himself; but having learnt of him 
 that drove the hearse that it arose from his not having paid 
 the respect due to the corpse of the king of Zab, named 
 Mazuan, who died without any heir, he resolved to take 
 advantage of the general fear, and advising the prince and 
 his comrades to sheathe their sabres, he led them towards 
 the place whither the people had betaken themselves in their 
 flight. They arrived at an open part of the town, where the 
 inhabitants were assembled, and walking with a grave pace, 
 he accosted some of the prime men, who beheld them with 
 a sort of respect mixed with terror. Ahmadi then made a 
 sign that he had something of importance to communicate 
 to them. There was presently an universal silence, and that 
 wise Chinese spoke to them in their own language with sO 
 much eloquence that all the people who were about him did 
 not at all grow weary of hearing him, and seemed to look 
 upon him as a man inspired. He soon improved this credu- 
 lity, and pretended to have been forewarned by our great 
 Prophet of all that was to happen after Mazuan's death, and
 
 10/ 
 
 that to put an end to the differences that might arise among 
 the chief men of the province about the election of a new 
 king, he had received orders to bring them from the further- 
 most parts of the earth a young prince of unheard-of bravery : 
 he then commanded them in so absolute a manner to receive 
 Utzim-Ochanti for their king that nobody durst contradict 
 him. He afterwards gave them a ravishing description of 
 his wisdom, and particularly of the valor he had shown such 
 prodigious tokens of, and concluded by promising them all 
 manner of prosperity under his government. 
 
 This discourse, pronounced with the air of a prophet, 
 and heightened with all the charms of eloquence and of 
 graceful action, surprised even the least credulous minds. 
 The people gave a thousand shouts of joy. Let this young 
 hero, sent us by Mohammed, reign over us and over our 
 posterity, cried they ; and let the man who opposes his 
 elevation be looked upon as an enemy to the great Prophet. 
 — Though the pretenders to the kingdom themselves had 
 undertaken to cabal against the prince of China, they could 
 not have convinced the people, nor removed the prejudice 
 they were in ; but, on the contrary, they themselves giving 
 credit to the mandarin's words, with one voice proclaimed 
 Utzim-Ochanti king of Zab ; and he was immediately carried 
 about the city, which owned him for its sovereign. That 
 prince was in a surprise not to be expressed. He took 
 this adventure for one of those agreeable dreams which a 
 man is unwilling to come out of; but finding it real, he 
 received with gravity the honours that were done him, ordered 
 Mazuan's funeral to be continued, assisted at it himself with 
 his companions, and having taken out of the public treasury 
 a hundred thousand dinars of gold, he distributed them 
 among the people. That there might be nobody discon- 
 tented in the whole city of Zab, the new king, after having 
 caused the bodies of those whom he and his followers had 
 deprived of life to be buried, commanded a magnificent
 
 io8 
 
 tomb to be raised to their honor, and made Ahmadi affirm 
 that they all should enjoy the reward set apart for good 
 Mohammedans ; and, to comfort their families by something 
 more substantial than words, he gave their widows and each 
 of their children ten thousand dinars of gold. 
 
 Ahmadi and Bakmas hardly ever quitted the prince, who 
 regulated his conduct entirely by their prudent counsels ; 
 he liberally rewarded the other companions of his travels ; 
 and was nearly five years upon the throne, adored by all 
 his subjects. But the love of his own country working 
 upon him, and incessantly calling to mind the grief his 
 absence must cause to the king his father, he resolved to 
 return to China. For this purpose he assembled the prime 
 men of the kingdom, and having made them acquainted 
 with his intentions he begged them to choose two from 
 among themselves to govern the state with Ahmadi and 
 Bakmas, until they heard from him ; and desired them, in 
 case they should receive no news from him for three years, 
 to proceed immediately to elect a new king. 
 
 I shall pass over in silence, my lord, continued Ibn 
 Aridun, the arguments that were used to dissuade the prince 
 from going, and the regret his subjects showed at parting 
 from him. Whatever sorrow he perceived in their counte- 
 nances, and whatever uneasiness he himself felt at leaving 
 them, he remained firm in the same sentiments, embraced 
 his six companions, who would fain have gone with him, 
 took a large quantity of gold and jewels, and departed alone 
 and incognito from his capital. Ahmadi, who had raised him to 
 the throne, was the most concerned at the absence of the 
 prince. My dear lord, said he to him, receiving his fare- 
 well, since you are inflexible, and I must lose you, perhaps 
 forever, accept I beseech you this carbuncle, — presenting 
 Utzim-Ochanti with a precious stone of the bigness of a 
 nut and full of talismanic characters. The light of the sun, 
 said he to him, is not more ratliant than that which this
 
 109 
 
 carbuncle emits in the dark. It was given me by a sage 
 cabalist ; and I put it into your liands, my lord, as the most 
 precious thing that I have. You will perhaps have occasion 
 for it in the tedious journey you have undertaken. The 
 prince accepted Ahmadi's present, and, after having tenderly 
 embraced him, he set forward for the dominions of the king 
 his father. 
 
 There happened nothing extraordinary to the prince of 
 China in the several courts through which he passed. He 
 generally remained some time at each, where he made a 
 very noble figure. But he was quite cured of the extrava- 
 gance which had before made him so miserable. At length 
 after a year's travelling by sea and land, he came to the 
 dominions of a prince named Kusah. At the entrance into 
 his capital was a great open square, made spacious by the 
 destruction of an old temple, which idolaters had formerly 
 dedicated to a deity called Pudorina. It was upon the 
 foundations of that temple Kusah had built a magnificent 
 palace, in front of which stood a great obelisk of black 
 marble, upon which on one side were carved in letters of 
 gold the fundamental laws of the kingdom, and on the other 
 several maxims of gallantry. 
 
 The young prince of China was amusing himself with 
 examining this whimsical pyramid, when he perceived at 
 the windows of the palace two women of uncommon beauty. 
 He was at once struck with their charms, and inquiring who 
 they were, he learnt that they were the king's two daughters, 
 the eldest of whom was named Modir, and the younger 
 Gulpanhi. He admired the former extremely, but some 
 strangers gave him so horrid a character of her, that it 
 speedily effaced from his heart the impression she had made 
 there. That princess, said they, is never the same ; one 
 day she is fair, and the next day black ; she abhors one 
 week what she loved to distraction the last. Her caprice 
 is an indispensable law, it extends its power even to the
 
 no 
 
 language ; and she keeps the subjects of the king her father 
 in so servile a dependence, that nobody, without running 
 the risk of being thought ridiculous, can do or say anything 
 that is not approved by this fantastical princess. 
 
 As for Gulpanhi, said a sensible old man to him, though 
 less handsome, she is much more to be feared than her 
 sister; it is almost impossible to resist her charms. She 
 keeps an old black woman-slave named Kurum, who changes 
 her figure and clothes every moment, to surprise young 
 strangers who arrive in this city. This dangerous princess 
 has built a.sumj^tuous palace adjoining to the king's. The 
 gardens are delightful ; there are in them several labyrinths 
 ingeniously contrived, where she generally wanders with her 
 lovers ; but they have no sooner entered into a little walk 
 embroidered with roses, than they come immediately into 
 a vast open country called the Meadow of Satiety. In 
 this place no roses are to be seen ; they are all stript from 
 their leaves, and in their room there grows an ugly fruit, 
 long and reddish ; and all taste of pleasure is so lost there, 
 that everybody wishes for nothing but to escape from thence 
 forever. In vain Gulpanhi has placed a large dyke at the 
 end of the rose walk ; there is hardly anybody, especially 
 the men, but who easily leap it. 
 
 After having left this wise old man, the prince was reflect- 
 ing upon what he had heard, when he was accosted by a 
 woman, covered with a very thick veil. My son, said that 
 woman to the prince, taking him by the hand, and drawing 
 him aside, you are but newly arrived in this country. I 
 perceive it by your indifference, and by your carelessness 
 in not going in quest of some lucky adventure, which is not 
 uncommon here for such men as you. I bring you tidings 
 which you ought to esteem the chief happiness of your life ; 
 only follow me and be discreet. Curiosity hurried away 
 Utzim-Ochanti ; he followed the woman without asking any 
 questions, and after a pretty long walk he came to a very
 
 Ill 
 
 narrow street at the end of which his guide, having opened 
 a little door, led him up a staircase, and through a dark 
 entry into a hall, illuminated by more than a thousand 
 tapers, and enriched with the most brilliant ornaments that 
 art and nature could afford. It was perfumed with such 
 delightful odors as enchanted the senses ; and the woman 
 having left him to give her mistress notice of his arrival, the 
 prince contemplated all the beauties of the place he was in. 
 He was soon diverted from that employment, by the entrance 
 of a young lady into the hall. He was struck with her 
 charms the moment he saw her, and casting himself hastily 
 at her feet : How much to be envied is my fortune, madam, 
 said he, which brought me hither to swear to you an eternal 
 love ! No, madam, all that is most beautiful upon the face 
 of all the earth does not come up to — The prince was 
 going on, when she suddenly raised him up : Sir, said she, 
 with some emotion, and her face all overspread with that 
 lovely blush which modesty alone produces, have a care 
 what you do, I am not she that ought to cause these violent 
 transports. I am but an unfortunate slave ; but let my 
 present condition be never so mean, I would not change 
 it for that of the lady you are going to see. If her rank is 
 noble, her conduct is so far from it that I am ashamed of 
 her every moment. You are now to think of nothing but 
 how to make a proper return for the tenderness she is so 
 indiscreetly lavish of to all mankind. 
 
 The prince of China was listening with surprise to this 
 beautiful person, when the old slave, who had conducted 
 him thither, entered with the princess Gulpanhi, who rested 
 upon her arm. Imagine, my lord, continued Ibn Aridun, 
 what was the surprise and uneasiness of the prince ; he had 
 been so prejudiced against her by the old man he had met 
 in the square before the palace, and by that lovely person, 
 that he remained speechless ; and the princess might easily 
 have perceived his indifference, if she had not been so
 
 112 
 
 accustomed to flatter herself that she interpreted his silence 
 in her own favor. Though she was dressed in the most 
 gallant manner in the world, and the prince beheld in her 
 a thousand charms capable of moving the most insensible 
 of mankind, he received her caresses with an insensibility 
 that exceeded all imagination. His mind was wholly taken 
 up with the young beauty to whom he had at first addressed 
 his vows ; and he thought her behavior so noble and so 
 different from that of Gulpanhi, that he had much ado to 
 refrain, even in her presence, from giving that charming 
 creature new marks of his love ; but reflecting that such an 
 imprudence might perhaps deprive him of her forever, he 
 put a constraint upon himself, and pretended, for some 
 moments, to answer the favors Gulpanhi showed him. The 
 prince was ashamed of her advances ; but, in spite of his 
 repugnance, they were so engaging, that he might perhaps 
 have been overcome by them if one of the princess's slaves 
 had not come in to tell her that the king her father would 
 speak with her that moment. Gulpanhi seemed vexed at 
 this interruption. I will soon return, said she to the prince, 
 and I dare say you will not be impatient in the company 
 wherein I leave you. She then ordered the young person 
 whom Utzim-Ochanti already adored, to converse with him 
 until her return ; and went out immediately with Kurum, 
 the old woman who had accosted the prince. 
 
 He was not at all sorry for Gulpanhi's departure, and 
 making the best of her absence, he threw himself a second 
 time at the feet of that incomparable woman. How much 
 have I suffered, madam, said he, in the little time I was with 
 the princess ! In vain she is so liberal to me of her charms ; 
 she shall never be mistress of a heart over which you alone have 
 a sovereign empire. — Sir, replied the young lady, proudly, 
 I am not so easy as Gulpanhi. Though I am reduced to 
 an ignominious slavery, my soul is more free than is hers ; 
 and the idleness and luxury which reign in this court have
 
 113 
 
 not yet been able to corrupt my heart. It is decreed my 
 hand shall be his who shall have the courage to put me in 
 possession of my dominions, after having revenged the death 
 of the king my father. The tears that upon these words 
 streamed in abundance from the princess's eyes pierced the 
 very soul of the young prince. Nothing, charming princess, 
 will seem impossible to me, said he, to re-establish you in 
 all your rights. Name but to me your enemies, and I will 
 convince you that the sole heir of the king of China is not 
 utterly unworthy of your affection. — The princess earnestly 
 viewed the prince : Ah ! my lord, said she, my pride in 
 vain opposed the inclination I found in myself towards you : 
 I am now fully assured that you are destined to be my 
 husband. Yes, prince, I accept you for my defender, and 
 I do it so much the more joyfully because I may now de- 
 pend upon being shortly revenged on a traitor who has 
 occasioned all the misfortunes of my life. Gulpanhi's ab- 
 sence, continued she, will give me time to inform you of 
 the particulars of my adventures. I know the reason of 
 the king her father's sending for her. A young prince, 
 named Atabak, arrived yesterday in this court to treat of 
 some affairs with king Kusah ; this monarch, very uneasy 
 at having his pleasures interrupted, and unfit to carry on a 
 war which Atabak comes to declare against him from a very 
 potent king if he does not obtain the satisfaction he demands : 
 this unworthy monarch, I say, has agreed with his daughter 
 that she shall use all her arts to seduce the heart of that 
 young prince. She will certainly succeed in this design, 
 and while she employs herself to her satisfaction in this new 
 conquest, I shall, perhaps, have leisure enough to tell you 
 my misfortunes. Utzim-Ochanti a thousand times embraced 
 the princess's knees, who was not displeased with these 
 transports, and having made him sit down by her upon a 
 sofa, she began her story thus : 
 
 8
 
 114 
 
 HISTORY OF GULGULI-CHAMAMI, 
 PRINCESS OF TIFLIS 
 
 I OWE my birth, my lord, to the wise Gomar-Yusuf, king 
 of Tiflis, and to the princess Aynah, the daughter of the 
 Enchanter Zal-raka, king of Palabad ; but though my birth 
 was illustrious, I have never been the more happy for it ; 
 on the contrary, scarce did I begin to see the light when 
 heaven, resolved to persecute me, shed upon me its blackest 
 influences. The enchanter Zal-raka, my grandfather, after 
 having endowed me at my birth with all the qualities neces- 
 sary in a princess, gave me also an extraordinary patience, 
 foreseeing, without doubt, that it would be one of the most 
 necessary virtues he could bestow upon me, and named me 
 Gulguli-Chamami. 
 
 The wise Gomar-Yusuf, my father, made it his whole 
 business to instruct me in all the most sublime parts of 
 nature and religion. At fifteen years old, I possessed almost 
 all the sciences besides the talents I had cultivated in the 
 other occupations of my sex. One day as I was walking 
 with the king my father, in the gardens of the palace, he 
 stopped of a sudden to listen to the chirping of several 
 birds. I observed that he hearkened to them with great at- 
 tention, and I was amazed to see him laugh without any 
 cause. This surprised me in a man of his wisdom ; I was 
 so importunate with him to know the reason of his doing 
 so, that he told me he understood the language of all ani- 
 mals, and that two wrens had just brought a piece of good 
 news to the other little birds. — And what is this news ?~ 
 cried I, laughing, imagining my father did but jest. — It is, 
 said he, that a miller's mule having fallen down near the 
 fountain of Jasmins, the sack she has upon her back is 
 broken, and there is a great deal of corn spilt upon the 
 ground. — I begged Gomar-Yusuf, continued the lovely
 
 "5 
 
 Georgian, to carry me to the fountain. He did so, and 
 indeed I beheld so great a number of birds busied in pick- 
 ing up the corn which the miller had left upon the ground, 
 that I was in the utmost amazement. I persecuted my 
 father to teach me that language ; and almost neglecting all 
 the other sciences to apply myself wholly to that, I became 
 in less than a year's time as skilful in it as was Gomar-Yusuf 
 himself. It is impossible, my lord, continued Gulguli-Cha- 
 mami, to conceive the pleasure it affords one to understand 
 the different jargons of animals ; it is much more full of 
 wisdom and nature than that of men ; and I may perhaps 
 relate to you hereafter things of it, which will give you no 
 small delight ; but at present let us return to my story. 
 
 I had now attained my sixteenth year, and we were very 
 far from expecting the misfortune that hung over us, when a 
 traitorous Enchanter, named Bisah al-Kasak, acting from an 
 old aversion he had to our family, surprised us one night with 
 a numerous army. He strangled the wise Gomar-Yusuf and 
 the queen my mother, and was going to deprive me too of 
 life, when touched by my cries, or perhaps by some little 
 beauty he perceived in me, he contented himself with carry- 
 ing me with him to an island in the middle of the Caspian 
 Sea, where he shut me up in a strong tower. This island 
 was guarded by phantoms, that were incessantly upon the 
 watch ; horrible tempests continually dashed its coasts, and 
 no mortal could approach it with impunity, except only on 
 one day in the year, on which all the enchanters, fairies, jin- 
 nis, and other spirits of that nature were indispensably obliged 
 to assemble in a grotto of Cochin China, in order to give an 
 account of their actions to him who had been chosen their 
 king the year before, and to proceed to a new election of 
 one from among themselves. 
 
 The perfidious Kasak had no sooner brouglit me to this 
 melancholy prison, than he tried to assuage my grief by the 
 most respectful manners. My despair was so violent that I
 
 ii6 
 
 loaded him with the bitterest reproaches, and I testified so 
 much horror for his person that he was twenty times upon 
 the point of destroying me ; but hoping perhaps that time 
 would bend the stubbornness of my temper, he only-^ laughed 
 at all I could say ; and leaving me a prey to the sharpest 
 affliction, he did not come to me again until eight days after- 
 wards. I tremble yet, my lord, when I call to mind that 
 dreadful moment. The traitor endeavored in vain to per- 
 suade me ; but finding that my sorrow, instead of diminish- 
 ing, increased every day, he flew into the most violent fury, 
 and told me in plain terms that I must consent immediately 
 to his infamous designs, or he would cause me to be burnt 
 alive. This choice did not at all frighten me ; I beheld with 
 great tranquillity the preparations for my death, and ran to it 
 with joy ; when the Enchanter, who had no designs upon 
 my life, carried me back to the tower. I am now going to 
 Cochin China, said he, whence I shall return in four-and- 
 tvventy hours. I allow you that further time to come to a 
 resolution ; and if I do not find you obedient to my absolute 
 will, I shall use the utmost violence towards you. I did not 
 condescend to answer these insolent menaces, and being re- 
 soh-ed to destroy myself, rather than endure that barbarian's 
 brutalities, I saw him depart without the least fear of his return. 
 Zal-raka, my grandfather, was not ignorant of the place 
 of my confinement, nor of the author of my misery. That 
 Enchanter impatiently waited for Kasak's absence. He no 
 sooner saw him depart for Cochin China, than by the power 
 of his art he dispersed the black clouds which concealed me 
 from the eyes of all the world ; he freed me from the dismal 
 tower I was in ; and after having set me upon terra Jirnia, he 
 caused the island which was the habitation of the perfidious 
 Enchanter to be swallowed up in a moment in my presence ; 
 and conveying me through the air with incredible rapidity, 
 he placed me in a vast open country, whence one might 
 behold the city of Palimban.
 
 117 
 
 It is impossible to give you an idea of the excess o( 
 my joy ; I eaibraced my grandfatlier with all the tenderness 
 imaginable. My daughter, said he to me, I must go without 
 delay to Cochin-China, where we are obliged to be before 
 sunrise. I will there put up all my complaints against your 
 persecutor. You are no longer in his power ; do you now 
 go in quest of the prince. At these words, my lord, con- 
 tinued Gulguli-Chamami, shedding a flood of tears, Zal-raka 
 stopped short. A cold sweat rose upon his face : he lost 
 the use of his speech for some moments, and then returning 
 to himself: Ah ! my dear daughter, said he to me in a weak 
 voice, my hour is come. I see the sword of the angel of 
 death ready to cut the thread of life ; all my art cannot save 
 me from going to give an account of my actions before the 
 tribunal of our Almighty Allah ; but I have the consolation 
 at my death to know that a young prince, after having slain 
 your tyrant, shall marry you and restore you to the possession 
 of the dominions the traitor has usurped from you. Then 
 my grandfather having struck the earth with his foot, there 
 arose out of it a dun mule, richly caparisoned. There is 
 something, said he in a dying voice and embracing me for 
 the last time, to carry you where your destiny calls you ; 
 only remember, my dear Gulguli-Chamami, added he, that 
 you were born a princess ; that memorandum includes all 
 your duty. 
 
 Zal-raka had scarce said these words when he expired in 
 my arms. Judge, my lord, of the excess of my grief and 
 fear ; I had lost the only support I had in the world, at the 
 time when he was most necessary to me. My despair was 
 somewhat heightened by the impossibility of my paying him 
 the last duties, and I could not resolve to leave his body to 
 the wild beasts. Suddenly there arose out of the earth a 
 magnificent tomb of porphyry and jasper; I put Zal-raka 
 into it, in a coffin of cedar, and shutting the door of the 
 tomb, which I washed with my tears, I saw rise up ovei
 
 ii8 
 
 against me a group of brass, representing the cruel Kasak, 
 whose head was severed from his body, and a young man 
 with a sabre in his hand. As the statues were very high, I 
 could not distinguish the features of my tyrant's conqueror ; 
 I only observed that he wanted a finger of the left hand : 
 and as, before I began to make you this relation of my mis- 
 fonunes, I took notice that you want the little finger of the 
 left hand, I at once judged it was you, my lord, whom the 
 great Prophet has chosen to avenge me. I then gave mysell 
 up, without reserve, to all the tenderness that is due to him 
 who is one day to be my husband. 
 
 The prince of China, my lord, continued Ibn Aridun, 
 threw himself that moment at the feet of the princess of 
 Tifiis. He could not find words strong enough to let her 
 know the excess of his joy, when she raised him up with ex- 
 treme goodness. Let me make use of Gulpanhi's absence, 
 said she to him tenderly, to finish my story ; I shall after- 
 wards find time enough to make a return to these protesta- 
 tions of love, which are the only happiness of my life. The 
 princess then, resuming the thread of her discourse, went 
 on thus : — 
 
 I mounted upon my mule, and had travelled almost three 
 hundred leagues without meeting with any accident, when 
 one morning, stopping to make her drink at a spring, the 
 water of which was extremely clear, she would not come near 
 it ; for my part, being very thirsty, and ignorant of the con- 
 sequences that attended the drinking of the water, I got off 
 my mule and took some in the hollow of my hand. I had no 
 sooner brought it to my lips than I fell backwards : I know 
 not, my lord, what became of me in that moment, I only 
 remember that when I recovered from the trance I had been 
 in I found myself in the arms of a huge black man, whose 
 under lip was so thick that it hid nearly all his chin. I gave 
 a terrible shriek at the sight of this monster ; he only laughed 
 at it, and throwing me into a great leathern sack, which he
 
 119 
 
 afterwards closed up, he put the strings of it under his left 
 arm : and I cannot tell, my lord, whither he was going to 
 carry me, when a man, so litde that he might easily have 
 walked between the black monsters legs, rode up at full 
 speed upon a horse, whose height was proportioned to his 
 own. Stop, cruel Kusayb I cried he to him at a distance ; 
 it is time to put an end to your tyranny. 
 
 Kusayb, which was the name of the frightful black, gave 
 but little heed at first to the little man's threats ; yet when 
 he was at a certain distance from him I thought I could 
 perceive, by the motion of his arm, that he trembled all 
 over his body. He presently hung the sack in which I was 
 upon the branch of a tree, and put himself into a posture 
 of defence, with an iron club all full of spikes. For my 
 part, my lord, I had my thoughts about me ; with a dagger 
 that I had at my girdle I made a hole in the sack large 
 enough to see through it the combat, which I imagined must 
 conclude entirely to the black's advantage ; but judge of 
 my surprise when, after an obstinate resistance on both 
 sides, I saw that little hero, with one back stroke of his 
 sabre, cut off both his enemy's legs, and afterwards sever his 
 head from his body. I cannot express to you the joy I 
 felt at so incredible a victory. I ripped the sack enough 
 to put my head out, and, addressing myself to my deliverer, 
 I let him know in a few words the infinite obligation I had 
 to him. The little man was surprised to see me in that 
 posture ; he seemed extremely troubled that he could not 
 reach to help me down ; but I, being more fruitful of inven- 
 tion than he, cut the sack in such a manner, that having 
 made two large strong straps of it, I slid down to the ground 
 without hurting myself in the least. Madame, said the little 
 dwarf to me, whatever pleasure it gives me to have come 
 in time enough to hinder you from being the last object of 
 Kusayb's cruelty, I should not perhaps have had that happi- 
 ness unless I had been spurred on by a desire to revenge a
 
 120 
 
 sister, who has too long felt the tyranny of the villain I have 
 just now slain. — I am very much beholden to chance then, 
 replied I. But, sir, forgive my curiosity ; how is it possible 
 that, with the disproportion there is between Kusayb and 
 you, you could yet overcome him ? — It is no hard matter, 
 replied the little man, to satisfy you. If you will come 
 with me to Akim, where the king my father reigns, I will 
 on the way inform you of the motives of my revenge, and 
 by what supernatural assistance I was able to conquer the 
 traitorous Kusayb. I mounted again upon my mule, con- 
 tinued Gulguli-Chamami, and this is what my deliverer re- 
 lated to me : 
 
 HISTORY OF BULAMAN-SANG-HIR, 
 PRINCE OF AKIM 
 
 Who would think, madam, to look upon my stature, thai 
 I am the son of a giantess ? Yet nothing is more true than 
 that I owe my birth to Fag-Huri, princess of Sarandib, who 
 is almost eight feet high ; but then you should know that 
 to make amends for that, my father, named Kutar-Aasmai, 
 king of Akim, is yet smaller than myself. Love makes 
 everything equal : my father, who in his travels became 
 passionately enamored of Fag-Huri, did not think she was 
 too big for him ; and the princess, my mother, touched 
 with his solemn protestations that he would love her all his 
 life, never minded the great inequality there was in their 
 stature ; as she was mistress of herself, because the king 
 her brother who reigned in Sarandib was but seven years 
 old, she consented that my father should carry her to Akim, 
 where he espoused her. 
 
 My mother was brought to bed of me four months and 
 a half after their marriage, according to the manner of the 
 pygmies, from whom my father was in a great way off de- 
 scended, and I was named Bulaman-Sang-Hir ; but as she
 
 121 
 
 had conceived two children at the same time, after foui 
 months and a half more, she likewise brought forth a 
 daughter, who, taking after her, and being born according 
 to the common order of nature, was called Agazir the Tall ; 
 thus though my sister and I were born at different times, 
 and were of different statures, that did not hinder us from 
 being twins. When Agazir was grown marriageable, her 
 beauty made so much noise that she was sought in marriage 
 by all our neighboring princes ; but one of our relations, 
 who was called Badim, and who reigned at Padir, prevailing 
 above all the rest, was just upon the point of seeing his 
 passion crowned with success, when unhappily the cruel 
 Kusayb fell in love with Agazir. The refusal he met with 
 from the king my father enraged him. He warned any- 
 body from pretending to marry the princess upon pain of 
 his wrath ; but his threats were despised, and my father was 
 resolved upon Badim's marriage with my sister. Part of the 
 ceremony was over, when all the spectators were strangely 
 amazed to find the prince without motion, and to see that 
 he was nothing but a statue of marble. This dreadful meta- 
 morphosis struck my father and all the court with horror. 
 My sister, who tenderly loved Badim, almost died with 
 grief; and the most vahant men of Akim, seeing how much 
 my father laid this accident to heart, resolved to seek out 
 Kusayb, to deprive him of life ; but of all those who have 
 been upon this design, I am the only one who has ever 
 come back. You are to understand, madam, continued 
 Bukman-Sang-Hir, that it is impossible to come by land 
 into our dominions, but through that place where my com- 
 bat with Kusayb was fought. That perfidious wretch, as 
 I was afterwards informed, very well knew he must expect 
 to be punished for his crime. He formed the enchant- 
 ment which you certainly felt the effects of. You have 
 no sooner come hither, than a burning thirst obliges you 
 to refresh yourself at that pernicious spring, whose water
 
 122 
 
 immediately takes away the senses ; and several brave men 
 of Akim have in all likelihood perished by that surprise, 
 which has put them into the power of the cruel Kusayb. 
 At length my sister was almost reduced to be his victim^ 
 when walking the day before yesterday, very uneasy, upon 
 the banks of the canal, which is at the bottom of the gardens 
 of the palace, I saw a boy, about nine or ten years old, trying 
 all manner of ways to get a tortoise out of its shell ; and 
 not being able to do it, he threw it several times with all his 
 force against a great stone. The shell of this tortoise was 
 so brilliant, that it seemed studded with diamonds. I took 
 it out of the boy's hands and was viewing it narrowly, when 
 I thought I heard some complaints proceed from it ; I put 
 it to my ear, and indeed heard it begging me to throw it 
 again into the canal. I was at first somewhat frightened 
 at so extraordinary a thing ; but though I was very desirous 
 to have kept it, I immediately obeyed, being very little 
 accustomed to such requests. I had scarce put the tortoise 
 into the water, when it appeared again, and thanked me for 
 the service I had done her. Ask whatever you will, said 
 that little creature to me, and you shall see how grateful 
 the fairy Mulladin will be for so essential a piece of service 
 as you have done her. I remained for some time motion- 
 less with terror, continued Bulaman-Sang-Hir, but animated 
 by revenge : Succorable Fairy, replied I, since you put so 
 great a value upon so small a kindness, furnish me, I beseech 
 you, with the means to deliver my sister and prince Badim 
 from Kusayb's persecutions. — Stay for me here a moment, 
 answered the tortoise ; I will fetch you the assistance you 
 want. Then replunging for some time into the water, she 
 came again to the top, holding in her little claws the sabre 
 I made use of; and having informed me of the enchanted 
 spring, she ordered me to go and fight Kusayb, and without 
 waiting for my answer, dived into the canal. I did not a 
 moment delay the execution of IMulladin's command, added
 
 123 
 
 the little prince of Akim ; I flew to my revenge, notwith- 
 standing all the arguments of the king and queen, who 
 looked upon my death as certain ; and I arrived very 
 luckily to deliver you, madam, from that monster's brutality. 
 
 CONTINUATION OF THE HISTORY OF 
 
 GULGULI-CHAMAMI, PRINCESS OF 
 
 TIFLIS 
 
 Just as the prince had ended his story, continued the fair 
 Georgian, we arrived at the palace of Kutar-Aasmai, king of 
 Akim. They had looked upon the apparition of the fairy 
 Mulladin to the prince as a vision, and were so doubtful of 
 the success of the combat that they were bewailing his death, 
 when they perceived that the king of Padir had resumed his 
 former shape. That monarch, who ceased to be a statue at 
 the very moment when the monster expired, came to meet 
 us with the king, the queen, and the princess Agazir. As 
 soon as the prince of Akim had told the particulars of his 
 victory, which I confirmed, nothing was to be heard or seen 
 but rejoicings ; every one ran to see the black giant, who, 
 dead as he was, had still in his countenance something so 
 menacing, that he frightened the most intrepid. The king 
 commanded a great fire to be kindled, into which the trai- 
 tor's body was thrown ; and having given orders for building 
 in that place an eternal monument of the prince of Akim's 
 victory, he caused that happy day to be celebrated by a thou- 
 sand joyful diversions. Badim and his illustrious spouse 
 overwhelmed me with marks of friendship ; and I could 
 willingly have passed a considerable time with them, if a 
 desire of revenge had not carried me away to find out my 
 deliverer. 
 
 It was not without great violence to himself that Bulaman- 
 Sang-Hir could resolve to let me go. He had become pas-
 
 124 
 
 Bionately enamored of me. But though his little person was 
 very agreeable, and he had an infinite deal of wit, and I was 
 indebted to him for my life, yet as I very well knew that he 
 was not decreed to revenge me of my tyrant, I begged him 
 earnestly not to think of loving me any longer. The little 
 prince was ready to die with sorrow at my feet. However, 
 he did all he could to obey me ; and contenting himself with 
 my esteem, he saw me embark with a great deal of tranquillity 
 in appearance. 
 
 I was born, my lord, to fall out of one misfortune into 
 another. We had scarce sailed a hundred and fifty leagues, 
 when our vessel was attacked by a famous corsair ; as we 
 were much weaker than he, we were forced to submit. It 
 was not without tears that I saw myself again deprived of my 
 liberty ; but a moment afterwards I had not so much reason 
 to complain, when Faruk, which was the name of the corsair, 
 accosted me with a certain timorousness very unusual in men 
 of his profession. It is not just, madam, said he to me very 
 civilly, that such beauteous hands as yours should be loaded 
 with chains; you are from this minute free. How happy 
 should I be if your heart were as much so as your person, 
 and if my respect and complaisance could one day deserve 
 it ! Whatever my surprise was at so speedy and passionate 
 a declaration, I thought it would be my best way to dissem- 
 ble with Faruk. I gave him some ghmpses of hope that I 
 might in time be sensible of his love, and upon this I enjoyed 
 a perfect freedom. I began to exercise the power I had 
 over his mind by delivering from chains not only all those 
 that he took in our ship, but even some slaves whom he had 
 taken upon other occasions. He did more; he restored 
 them one half of what they had lost, put them on board a 
 little brigantine, gave them arms and provisions, suffered 
 them to take what course they pleased, and reserved out of 
 all his prizes but one young Hindu woman, whom he de- 
 signed to keep me company.
 
 125 
 
 This woman, continued the princess of Tiflis, was of a 
 ravishing beauty. A majestic port, a noble air, sparkling 
 eyes, a mouth and teeth extremely lovely, black hair that set 
 off a skin as white as snow and a charming neck, formed 
 one of the most bewitching women that my eyes ever be- 
 held : and all these perfections were heightened by a grace- 
 ful way of speaking, which stole away the hearts of her hear- 
 ers. However violently I was afflicted, the young Hindu 
 was still more so ; her bright eyes were continually drowned 
 in tears, and though I gave her a thousand caresses to stop 
 their course, it was all in vain at first. I represented to her 
 that I was perhaps yet more unhappy than herself; but that, 
 humoring the times, I put a constraint upon myself to con- 
 ceal my grief from Faruk. — Ah ! madam, said she, I have 
 not as much strength of reason as you, and cannot so easily 
 assuage my sorrow : the condition I am in reduces me to 
 despair. I pressed that amiable creature to tell me the oc- 
 casion of this sharp affliction. Spare me such a relation, 
 madam, answered she ; my ill fortune is not worthy to give 
 you a moment's concern. But in short, continued Gulguli- 
 Chamami, I so often embraced the young Hindu, mixing 
 my tears with hers, that at length I engaged her to speak to 
 me thus. 
 
 STORY OF SATCHI-CARA, PRINCESS 
 OF BORNEO 
 
 Bruninghar, king of Borneo, having wedded Gulbias, 
 princess of Sumatra, had by her two daughters, of whom I 
 am the younger. The king and queen, who loved one 
 another tenderly, died after twelve years' marriage, and con- 
 sequently left us very young. Though my sister was then 
 but nine years old, and I a year less than she, we felt all the 
 grief imaginable at this loss ; but if anything could diminish 
 it, it was that my sister and I were not parted from one
 
 126 
 
 another's company. Ghionluk, king of Java, who had es- 
 poused my mother's sister, and whom at her death she begged 
 to take care of us, came himself to Borneo. He left a vice- 
 roy there, and taking us with him to Java, committed us to the 
 management of the queen his wife. That prince had but 
 one son, who was a little older than my eldest sister. He 
 was continually with her, and saw with pleasure that Sirma, 
 which was my sister's name, made a suitable return to his 
 affection. It was indeed almost impossible she should re- 
 fuse her heart to a prince who had so many good quahties. 
 He was of a charming person, and his countenance had 
 something in it so engaging that it was impossible to see him 
 without loving him. But what made him most agreeable to 
 my sister was the sweetness of his temper and the sharpness 
 of his wit. 
 
 The king of Java cherished the memory of our mother 
 in her children : he had formerly paid his addresses to her 
 himself; but falling into a long and dangerous sickness, 
 during which his life was often despaired of, he was very 
 much surprised at his recovery to hear that he was fore- 
 stalled by the king of Borneo our father, the king of Su- 
 matra having disposed of Gulbias in his favor. This gave 
 him a great deal of uneasiness; but the princess Gulnad- 
 hari, my mother's youngest sister, being a lively image of 
 the elder, Ghionluk could think of no way to mitigate his 
 sorrow for the loss of the other, than by demanding Ijer in 
 marriage. He easily obtained her, and had by her at the 
 end of ten months Samir-Agib, the model of all perfection. 
 
 That prince was now above twenty years old, and the 
 king his father, beginning to think of a wife for him, threw 
 his eyes upon the princess Bisnagar, the only heiress of the 
 kingdom of that name. This was indeed so advantageous 
 a match for the prince of Java that Ghionluk imagined his 
 son's ambition would be very well satisfied with the alliance. 
 He informed him of the resolution he had taken to send
 
 127 
 
 ambassadors to the king of Bisnagar, in order to obtain the 
 princess ; but he observed the prince to be so uneasy at 
 the proposal that he was persuaded it was not agreeable to 
 him. Perhaps the weight of the engagement frightens you, 
 my lord, said he to him mildly ; but if you knew the prin- 
 cess of Bisnagar, who is called Donai-Karin, because there 
 is nothing in nature more charming, you would quickly 
 change your mind. I give you a month's time to come to 
 a resolution ; let me have an answer by that time, such as 
 may suit with the obedience I am to expect from you. 
 The prince made a profound obeisance, without returning 
 any answer ; then he retired into his own apartment, and 
 being a little recovered from the trouble he was in, he came 
 into that in which my sister and I were together. He looked 
 upon us in sadness for some time without speaking a word, 
 and his tears beginning to fall notwithstanding all he could 
 do to restrain them, Sirma in abundance of emotion asked 
 him kindly the cause of his affliction. Ah, madam, said 
 Samir-Agib to her, redoubling his tears, what a barbarous 
 command I have just now received ! The king my father 
 designs me for the princess of Bisnagar, and I have but one 
 month to resolve on a union, which would be the most in- 
 sufferable misfortune of my life, if I had not courage enough 
 to resist my father's will. My sister, continued Satchi Cara, 
 seemed thunderstruck at this news ; she looked steadfastly 
 upon the prince, and seeing him extremely dejected : Ah ! 
 Samir-Agib, said she, how miserable shall I be made ! You 
 will obey your father's command ; and I love you too well 
 not to advise you to do so. What is Borneo, in compari- 
 son to Bisnagar, or a ro;:gh pearl to a perfect one? — Hold, 
 madam, cried the prince of Java, comparisons are odious. 
 Donai-Karin, let her be ever so deserving, shall never pos- 
 sess either my hand or my heart ; they are both reserved 
 for Sirma alone : and I will sooner die than break the oaths 
 I have so often made to be none but yours.
 
 128 
 
 How tender and generous was this conversation, and how 
 pleased was my sister with these fresh protestations of the 
 prince her cousin ! He came every moment to assure her 
 of his love ; and above three weeks had passed of the time 
 Ghionluk had given him to consider, when that monarch, 
 walking one evening in the gardens of his palace, perceived 
 the prince his son entering by himself into a little grove. 
 He had observed that he had grown of late melancholy and 
 thoughtful, and that he had always loved solitude ever since 
 he had spoken to him of the fair Donai-Karin. He was 
 desirous to know the cause of this alteration ; and therefore, 
 commanding his followers to wait there for him, he slipped 
 behind a close row of trees, whence he could easily see and 
 hear Samir-Agib. That prince, who thought himself alone 
 and at liberty to complain, at first gave himself up to a pro- 
 found thoughtfulness ; afterwards he seemed to Hsten with 
 attention to some little birds which filled the air with their 
 accents. Happy birds! cried he, who are not constrained 
 in your loves, and who submit to no other laws than those 
 which your inclination prompt you to, continue your agi-ee- 
 able songs. My soul, which is plunged in the sharpest grief, 
 cannot behold your felicity without envy ; it renews my own 
 torments. The time approaches, he went on sadly, when 
 I must return an answer to the king my father. O heaven, 
 how shall I acquaint him with a passion so contrary to the 
 interests of his greatness ! The princess of Bisnagar will 
 undoubtedly weigh down in his heart that goodness which 
 he would show me on other occasions ; but what woman, 
 besides the princess of Borneo, can touch a soul so insensi- 
 ble as mine ? What rose can boast a color so beauteous as 
 that which shines on the cheeks of the lovely Sirma ? Or 
 who can show such divine charms as appear in her face, 
 from which the heavens themselves seem to borrow their 
 serenity ? Hope not, feeble mortals, to come into compe- 
 tition with my adorable princess ; she deserves to give laws
 
 129 
 
 to the whole universe. — But whither does my passion hurry 
 me? said Samir-Agib, mournfully interrupting his own ex- 
 travagances. Alas ! the more charms that princess is mis- 
 tress of, the more tears the privation of her must cost me. 
 But why should I shed tears? Can I burn with a more 
 glorious flame ? Ah ! charming princess of Borneo, you 
 have not yet power enough over my heart ; a love so violent 
 as mine ought to serve as an example to all the world. Let 
 us break a timorous silence, and endeavor to obtain you of 
 the king my father ; and if neither my prayers, submissive- 
 ness, nor tears can move him, let us teach mankind that it 
 is dangerous to irritate a heart that looks upon death as the 
 end of misery. 
 
 Samir-Agib went out of the grove in this resolution, and 
 left Ghionluk as much surprised as aflflicted at what he had 
 learnt. The prince his son was very dear to him ; he had 
 a great kindness for my sister and for me, continued Satchi- 
 Cara, but the kingdom of Bisnagar inclined him in favor of 
 Donai-Karin. He retired, nevertheless, very uncertain what 
 to fix upon ; and after having rejoined his train he locked 
 himself up in his apartments, and would be seen by nobody. 
 His mind was in great agitation all the rest of that day and 
 the following night ; but his son's satisfaction being dearer 
 to him than that which he expected from seeing him united 
 with Donai-Karin, he no longer hesitated what to do, but 
 sent for Samir-Agib. My son, said he to him, I know what 
 passes in the bottom of your heart ; you are in love with 
 Sirma, and whatever reasons I may have to oppose this pas- 
 sion, I yet approve it, because it is, I find, the chief happi- 
 ness of your life. But as the authority I have over the prin- 
 cesses of Borneo might induce the world to believe that I 
 made use of that power to unite you together, we must think 
 of some means to bring it about without endangering my honor. 
 Samir-Agib at these words was as much amazed as it is pos- 
 sible to imagine. He blushed, bent his eyes to the ground, 
 
 9
 
 130 
 
 and was some time without answering the king his father, 
 fearing that monarch might make use of this artifice only to 
 discover his passion for Sirma ; but having come a little 
 to himself, he thought he saw so much ingenuousness in 
 Ghionluk's actions that, throwing himself at his feet : Ah ! 
 my lord, said he, embracing them, how can I express the 
 sense I have of your goodness ? You restore me to life in 
 the very moment when perhaps I was going to give myself 
 up to the most fatal despair. Yes, my lord, I adore the 
 lovely Sirma. The blood that joins our families has so 
 bound our hearts to each other that nothing but death can 
 dissolve so lovely an union ; and since your Majesty is will- 
 ing to consent to it, there is a sure way to avoid wounding 
 your delicacy in this point. The princess is of age to fill 
 a throne. Give me leave, my lord, to place her upon that 
 of her ancestors. Borneo is the fittest place for me to win 
 her in ; and there I am in hopes love alone will prevail with 
 her in my favor. — How ingenious is your passion, replied 
 Ghionluk, embracing the prince his son. Go then, said 
 he, inform your princess yourself of this news, and make all 
 the necessary preparations for conducting her to Borneo. 
 
 I was with my sister, continued the young Hindu princess, 
 when Samir-Agib entered her apartment. Joy sparkled in 
 his eyes, and he was so transported with the conversation he 
 had had with the king his father that it was some time before 
 he could speak. He embraced Sirma's knees in a rapture. 
 Charming princess, said he, at length everything conspires to 
 my good fortune ; Donai-Karin is now no longer mentioned ; 
 you are from this day queen of Borneo : I have just received 
 orders to prepare everything for placing you on the throne 
 of that kingdom ; there you will be absolutely mistress of 
 your own will ; and there I will live and die your slave. My 
 sister felt an infinite deal of joy at this news ; she raised up 
 Samir-Agib. My dear cousin, said she to him, my will shall 
 always be submissive to yours, since from this day I accept
 
 131 
 
 you for my lord and husband, and I shall never think myself 
 happy any longer than while I enjoy your tenderness. I was 
 present at this conversation, which gave me inconceivable 
 satisfaction, continued Satchi-Cara; it ended in new as- 
 surances of love, and the prince then retired to give orders 
 for our departure, which was fixed for the fifteenth day fol- 
 lowing. During that time, my sister received the compli- 
 ments of the principal lords of Java : every one of them, in 
 order to ingratiate himself with the young prince, whose pas- 
 sion nobody was unacquainted with, made magnificent pres- 
 ents to the new queen of Borneo, and our apartment, which 
 was generally accessible to none but Samir-Agib, was open to 
 everybody during the time we were to stay at Java. 
 
 This, madam, continued the young Hindu princess, was 
 the beginning of my misfortunes. A Jew named Isaac 
 Miyah, as I learnt afterwards, made a wrong use of this lib- 
 erty. He saw me ; I had the misfortune to please him, and 
 he had the insolence to raise his wishes even to possessing 
 me. As he knew not what way to bring about his desires, 
 he had recourse to a famous Enchantress, named Dubana, 
 and promised her a considerable sum if by her art she should 
 make me inclinable to return his passion. Dubana, under 
 the most modest appearance in the world, insinuated herself 
 into the palace, got acquainted with some of my women- 
 slaves, and engaged them, with my permission, to go and 
 make merry at a little house which she had in a delicious 
 place called the Fountain of Roses ; because indeed there is 
 a spring there that takes its source from the foot of a rose 
 bush, which bears flowers all the year round ; it was not tv^^o 
 leagues from Java to that house. My women on their return 
 gave me so delightful an account of it, that I was curious to 
 be a judge of it myself. I would have persuaded my sister 
 to have gone with me ; but she was too much taken up with 
 preparing for her voyage ; so I let Dubana know that I 
 would come the next day to see her country house, accom-
 
 132 
 
 panied only by eight of my women, and by twelve black 
 eunuchs. 
 
 I was received by the perfidious woman with all the ap- 
 pearances of the sincerest respect. After having seen the 
 house, which was very neat, I went down into the gardens. 
 As it was yet pretty hot, Dubana presented me with a veil of 
 a rose-color, which I put upon my head ; but I was hardly 
 covered with it, when I found an unknown fire running from 
 vein to vein. I was ignorant what it was that I felt ; a lan- 
 guishing tenderness had seized all my senses, and I was 
 ashamed to think of the reflections on which my mind was 
 then employed. In short, madam, I walked off alone from 
 my train, musing upon the extraordinary circumstances I was 
 in. Modesty induced me to be desirous of solitude. I 
 turned into a little wood, and had several times walked over 
 all the alleys, when Isaac Miyah, whom I did not yet know 
 for what he was, accosted me with an air very full of per- 
 plexity. I then grew sensible of my imprudence, and would 
 have avoided the sight of that man by hiding myself in my 
 veil, when I saw him at my knees, declaring his love in 
 terms I was hitherto unacquainted with. I at first repulsed 
 him without making myself known ; but as he followed me 
 wheresoever I went, I was resolved to inform him of my 
 quality ; by this means I thought to have put an end to his 
 importunity ; but what was my wonder when the insolent 
 spoke to me thus : I am not ignorant, madam, that I address 
 myself to the princess Satchi-Cara, nor how much distance 
 there is between her and me ; but my love is stronger than 
 all the reflections I can make to extinguish it. Consent - 
 with a good grace, madam, continued he, impudently, to 
 unite your destiny with mine ; as all the powers upon earth 
 cannot save you from being forced to do so. I trembled 
 with indignation at these insolent threats ; but whatever 
 venom lay hid in Dubana's veil, it had not all the effect that 
 was probably expected from it. I could no longer endure
 
 133 
 
 the boldness of the Jew. Wretch ! said I, in a tone full of 
 anger, whoever thou art, fly from my presence this moment, 
 if thou wouldst avoid the punishment thou deservest ! 
 
 Isaac Miyah was surprised at the firmness with which I 
 spoke to him ; he flew away trembhng, and went to give the 
 Enchantress an account of the little success he had met with. 
 I remained quite lost in my reflections, and could not recover 
 from my surprise, when Sidhim, one of my maids, came run- 
 ning to me : Ah ! madam, cried she, in a terrible fright, what 
 place have we come to ? The famous Enchantress who is 
 mistress of it has grossly deceived us by her virtuous appear- 
 ance, which would have blinded anybody. That base woman 
 conspires against your honor. I was behind a thick row of 
 rose bushes, when I saw a man in great disorder accost her, 
 and whisper something which I could not hear. Dubana 
 studied for some moments, and then directing her speech to 
 him : Let not the princess's resistance disturb you, said she 
 to him ; I will soon deliver her to your desires. Only take 
 care of one thing : it is but a short half-quarter of a league 
 from hence to the habitation of Firnaz, who is called the 
 jinni of wisdom ; hinder the princess from turning her steps 
 towards her palace. All my powers are useless if once she 
 sets her foot there ; and we may both repent the undertaking 
 we have embarked in as long as we live. Go back, there- 
 fore, immediately to Satchi-Cara, and do not leave her until 
 I come to you ; I will in the mean time give such orders as 
 are necessary for breaking this stubborn virtue of hers. — 
 Ah ! let us fly this moment, my dear Sidhim, cried I ; I 
 tremble all over. Let us save ourselves, if possible, from 
 this pernicious abode, and fly to seek the protection of 
 Firnaz. 
 
 Two young hinds frightened by the noise of the huntsman 
 could not have run more swiftly than we then did. We 
 fortunately met with a little door that opened out of the gar- 
 den into an avenue full of thorns and brambles, and which
 
 134 
 
 in some places was so narrow that we tore our faces and 
 hands. Slighting this obstruction, we made our way through 
 a thousand bushes that dyed us all in blood, and we soon 
 perceived a little palace of an antique structure, which I 
 judged to be Firnaz's by the difficulty there was in getting to 
 it. We were now but a few steps from it when the perfid- 
 ious Enchantress of a sudden rendered it invisible, and 
 stopped our passage by a wide river which appeared before 
 our eyes. This at first frightened me ; but choosing rather 
 to die than to fall into Dubana's power, I took Sidhim by 
 the hand and precipitated myself with her into the stream, 
 when I found myself pulled back by my clothes. You fly in 
 vain, said the deceitful Enchantress to me ; I shall now make 
 you obey my pleasure. I tried to no purpose, madam, to 
 move her by my tears and entreaties ; the villainous Jew that 
 accompanied her gave me to understand that nothing could 
 dissuade him from his resolution. And they were carrying 
 back Sidhim and me towards the Fountain of Roses, when a 
 nightingale flying to me with all its speed, perched upon my 
 shoulder, and dropped in my bosom a ring of gold. I 
 looked upon this ring as a present from heaven : I at once 
 put it upon my finger, and had no sooner implored Firnaz's 
 assistance, than Dubana and the Jew fell backwards, the 
 river that had stopped me from entering the jinni's palace 
 disappeared from before my eyes, and I no longer saw upon 
 my head the Enchantress's pernicious veil. 
 
 In that situation, madam, continued the princess of 
 Borneo, I left this vile sorceress and the execrable Jew, and 
 entering into the palace of Firnaz, I found my dispositions 
 entirely changed from what they were before. The jinni 
 received Sidhim and myself with extreme tenderness. My 
 dear children, said she, addressing herself to me, few persons 
 of your age and sex are disposed to visit me. My name 
 alone has become so detested that mankind seldom approach 
 my palace till they are worn out with age, or debauched with
 
 135 
 
 sensuality. But since you have sought my protection, it wa3 
 but just that I should counteract the infamous Dubana, by 
 sending you the ring of reflection. This ring is of mighty 
 efficacy, it rectifies in youth the violence of our passions, 
 and teaches us to follow with pleasure the strict rules of 
 untainted purity. And though you have less need of such a 
 ring than another, preserve it, I conjure you, as an eternal 
 pledge of my friendship, for it will shortly direct you in the 
 choice of a spouse worthy of yourself. — Mighty Firnaz, pro- 
 pitious jinni, answered I, prostrating myself at her feet, how 
 obliged I am to you for this seasonable assistance ! The 
 remembrance of it will be gratefully impressed upon my 
 mind even to my dying hour ; but to this unmerited good- 
 ness, add one instance more. Tell me, I beseech you, who 
 is this odious creature with whom the sorceress would have 
 united me? 
 
 The jinni, madam, as I have the honor to inform you, soon 
 acquainted me that the audacious villain was the son of a 
 Jew, and called himself Isaac Miyah. She then drew his 
 character in such hideous colors that I trembled to recall 
 the danger I had undergone. But, madam, said I to the 
 jinni, must this perfidious magician still continue to seduce 
 with impunity the young and inexperienced, and must the 
 infamous Isaac receive no punishment for his crime? — My 
 dear daughter, replied the jinni, this truly laudable resent- 
 ment highly dehghts me. I have already anticipated your 
 severest wishes. Dubana shall be punished in that way 
 which most sensibly affects a woman. She is driven with 
 shame and confusion from the Fountain of Roses ; her figure 
 has become so frightful as to inspire mankind with horror. 
 As for the Jew, he is from this hour confined in a large iron 
 cage, where four monsters shall continually drain off his purest 
 blood, if anything pure can flow from a body so contaminated 
 as his ; and in this condition he is doomed to end his days, 
 overwhelmed with the stings of a guilty conscience. — This
 
 136 
 
 method of executing justice pleased me wonderfully, and 
 having again thanked the jinni, I desired her to permit me 
 to return to the palace of Ghionluk. She transported me 
 thither in an instant ; where, after re-assembling my women 
 and eunuchs, who had attended me to the Fountain of Roses, 
 all Java was informed of this surprising adventure. 
 
 As Firnaz had charged herself with the punishment of those 
 wretches, we thought no more of them, but parting from Java 
 we happily arrived some days after at Borneo. My sister was 
 then proclaimed queen, and immediately published her nup- 
 tials with the prince her cousin. 
 
 The uncommon good qualities of Samir-Agib were so well 
 known at Borneo that the folk were delighted with his acces- 
 sion to the throne. Nothing was to be seen but joy and 
 festivity for upwards of a month, and the principal lords of 
 Borneo every day invented diversions to entertain the new 
 king. 
 
 I confess, madam, I could not behold my sister's good for- 
 tune without some degree of regret ; and I conceived such a 
 high opinion of her happiness that I incessantly wished to be 
 as grand as the queen of Borneo. 
 
 One evening, as I was walking in the gardens of the palace 
 with Sidhim, I saw something glitter at my feet on the gravel; 
 I picked it up hastily, and found it to be a picture in min- 
 iature, enriched with diamonds of an extraordinary size. I 
 gazed, not without some emotion, on this lovely picture, 
 which represented a young man of exquisite beauty. Upon 
 consulting the ring of reflection, I perceived my heart vi- 
 olently attached to the original ; but distrusting the surprise 
 I was in : Where are you, powerful Firnaz ? cried I. Surely 
 you will never approve that I should so suddenly abandon 
 myself to so flattering an inclination which draws me to such 
 a charming object. — You may resign yourself without re- 
 serve to the secret emotion with which love has inspired 
 you, replied a voice, which I knew to be that of the jinni
 
 ^Z7 
 
 without seeing her. The prince whom that picture re- 
 presents shall be thy spouse. I was transported with joy 
 to hear the jinni of reason authorize me to love a prince so 
 completely perfect : I flattered myself that I should one 
 day be advanced with him to enjoy supreme felicity. 
 
 Judge, madam, if I flattered myself without a cause. Say- 
 ing this, she put into my hand a little gold box which con- 
 tained the picture of her lover. I had no sooner opened it 
 than I cried : O heaven, what do I see ! What ! Is this the 
 picture of your intended spouse ? — Satchi-Cara was aston- 
 ished at the exclamations I made. Do you know then, said 
 she, very earnestly, this prince? Ah, madam, if you do, 
 answer me directly, I conjure you. — I hesitated a few mo- 
 ments, but the princess gi'owing impatient, I was obliged to 
 tell her that I owed my life to the little Bulaman-Sang-Hir, 
 who, it seems, was all this time her lover. This prince, said 
 I, is very accomplished, and extremely well made ; I say 
 nothing of his other charms, as that picture resembles him to 
 the life. It is true, his great soul is enclosed in a little body, 
 which is the only defect, if it may be called one, that belongs 
 to him. I then recited the particulars of the combat between 
 the prince of Akim and Kusayb, and acknowledged in a few 
 words the obligation I was under to the prince. The young 
 Hindu being put to a nonplus, consulted her ring with great 
 attention, and after a considerable pause, replied thus : What! 
 though the size of this prince is but little, as you assure me, 
 that defect is of no consequence, provided the goodness of 
 his heart compensates for the shortness of his stature.. The 
 jinni who is my protectress is too wise to suffer me to be 
 matched with an unsuitable person. However, let us submit 
 without complaining of our destiny, and patiently resign our- 
 selves to the disposal of the god Vishnu. 
 
 She then resumed the thread of her history in the following 
 terms : The lively impression this picture made on my mind 
 kept it always before my eyes, and whenever I attended the
 
 138 
 
 king and queen to the chase, I withdrew purely to indulge 
 the dear delight of gazing on it alone, and without interrup- 
 tion. One day as I was thus occupied, a violent storm of 
 rain overtook me, darkness succeeded the storm, and when 
 I would fain have gained the middle of the chase, my horse, 
 being startled at the thunder and lightning, ran with me 
 through unknown paths. Night was at hand, and being 
 greatly perplexed I alighted, and, leading my horse by the 
 bridle, perceived a light at a great distance, glimmering 
 through some trees. Turning my steps that way, the further 
 I walked the further it appeared. I followed it nearly an 
 hour, without being aware of the danger to which I was ex- 
 posed. At last, being heartily tired, I tied my horse to a 
 tree, and lay down and slept very comfortably. But when I 
 awoke, judge, madam, if you can, the terror I was in, to see 
 myself on the verge of a tremendous precipice ; for if I had 
 proceeded a few steps further, I should infallibly have been 
 dashed to pieces. I recollected, as soon as my fright would 
 permit, that I was conducted to this place by one of those 
 elementary spirits who sport themselves with the lives of per- 
 sons travelling in the dark. Altering my course, I proceeded 
 very slowly for about an hour, when I found myself on the 
 seashore. I was now dreadfully alarmed, for not a soul 
 appeared to put me in the right road. In the midst of this 
 cruel perplexity, out started four negroes from behind some 
 rocks, and seizing the bridle of my horse, they took me in 
 their arms, and in spite of my cries, bore me to a shallop 
 close by. Two of these wretches rowed with all their might, 
 while the other two prevented me from plunging into the sea, 
 till they reached a ship which rode about half a league from 
 the place where I was so unhappy as to lose my liberty. 
 They presented me to the master of the vessel, who was 
 a very tall lusty man, and whose thick hanging eyebrows, 
 lowering aspect, and short wry neck, were frightful enough. 
 He carried me into his cabin, and accosted me with an in-
 
 139 
 
 Solent air. Dr}' up your tears, said the brute, and thank the 
 great Prophet that he has destined you to the honors of my 
 bed. Far from complying with his orders I redoubled my 
 tears. The hardened villain, without regarding my anguish, 
 approached to embrace me, which so provoked me that I 
 snatched a dagger from his side and plunged it directly into 
 his heart. 
 
 The noise of his fall alarmed and brought several of the 
 crew into the cabin, which rang with their cries. I still held 
 the dagger in my hand, and was just going to turn the point 
 of it to my own breast, when one of them held my arms. 
 It was the cruel Nakur, the unworthy son of him whom I 
 had just killed. Perfidious ! said he, foaming with rage, 
 the death you are about to inflict upon yourself is too mild 
 and too glorious. No, you shall expire under the most 
 excruciating torments ingenuity itself can invent. My hands 
 and feet were presently chained, and when I was turned 
 down into the hold, the principal officers were summoned 
 to determine the manner of my execution. But while they 
 were thus consulting about my death, a sail appeared, steer- 
 ing directly towards them. A thirst for prey suspended all 
 thoughts of vengeance. Nakur addressed himself to the 
 attack ; but when he saw the enemy hoist his flag, he trem- 
 bled for the event, as he well knew it to belong to the cele- 
 brated Faruk. This latter had never been vanquished. 
 Fortune and the sea, which are so inconstant to others, had 
 hitherto been subject to him. Our ship being boarded, an 
 obstinate engagement ensued ; at last Nakur and the stoutest 
 part of his crew being killed, the rest were obliged to sur- 
 render their arms. The conqueror entered and visited every 
 part of the ship, and being informed of the cause of my 
 chains, he highly applauded the resolution I had taken; 
 and having ordered me to be unbound, I was, with the rest 
 of the prisoners, conducted to his ship, and that of Nakur 
 was immediately sunk.
 
 140 
 
 Behold, madam, continued Satchi-Cara, behold the source 
 of all my woes ! You see how the stars persecute me, they 
 set me foe a mark for the wicked Jew, and if I had not 
 owed my escape to a miracle, I should infallibly have fallen 
 a victim to his horrid designs. Afterwards I fell into the 
 hands of a brutal corsair, and now I have become the cap- 
 tive of another. And though I have nothing to apprehend 
 from Faruk, yet it must be allowed that a chain of misfor- 
 tunes has always attended me ; and notwithstanding the 
 predictions of Fiinaz, I see no likelihood of a period being 
 put to my affliction. 
 
 CONTINUATION OF THE HISTORY OF 
 
 GULGULI-CHAMAMI, PRINCESS OF 
 
 TIFLIS 
 
 I USED, my lord, continued the lovely Georgian, every 
 effort I was mistress of to dispel the melancholy of this 
 captive princess. And indeed her grief began visibly to 
 abate, when we were encountered by a ship, whose poop 
 and masts v/ere gilt, and whose sails were of a flame-colored 
 satin. This singularity inspired Faruk to attack this vessel, 
 though by her appearance she could not be a corsair ; how- 
 ever, upon giving the signal, they engaged with prodigious 
 ardor and intrepidity. 
 
 The commander of this ship was a black about six feet 
 high; he exposed his person to every danger, and by his 
 presence and example so animated his soldiers that they all 
 fought like a company of heroes. This warrior, who seemed 
 to recover new strength, leaped into our ship, and as soon 
 as he belield Satchi-Cara and myself he hewed down all 
 that stood in his way. 
 
 Faritk began now to be greatly alarmed at the unex- 
 ampled courage of this mighty hero, and believing that
 
 141 
 
 himself alone was able to oppose him, closed with hira 
 Never, my lord, were champions seen to exert more skill 
 and courage : the soldiers on each side suspended their 
 blows, that they might behold those of their respective com- 
 manders. At last fortune decided the victory, or to speak 
 more properly, the arms of the black captain were better 
 tempered tnan those of Faruk, who received two large 
 wounds, v/hich he sunk under. In this condition the corsair 
 thought it no disgrace to surrender. I am vanquished for 
 the first time, said Faruk ; but, sir, if you will spare my life 
 I shall be eternally indebted to your generosity. Rise, then, 
 said the conqueror, reachmg him his hand ; others, perhaps, 
 might have loaded you with chains, instead of which I ad- 
 mit you amongst the number of my friends ; and as a proof 
 of my esteem. I restore you your ship, with all her company, 
 except these two princesses, whom I demand as the reward 
 of my victory. 
 
 How great soever the passion might be with which I had 
 inspired Faruk, continued Gulguli-Chamami, he strove to 
 suppress ms affliction when tlie conqueror claimed Satchi- 
 Cara and myself. The life, sir, said he to the black captain, 
 which you offer me is less dear to me than is one of these 
 princesses; however, I yield her up, and though penetrated 
 with a lively sense of her loss, I do not repine at your good 
 fortune. The young princess and myself were more dead 
 than alive; and having tenderly embraced each other, we 
 were on ihe point of jumping into the sea rather than be- 
 come a prey to the black captain, when this illustrious war- 
 rior, taking off his turband, discovered a face which before 
 was concealed under a very fine black crape. We were all 
 struck with amazement, but nothing could equal the aston- 
 ishment of Satchi-Cara and myself ; she perceived in the 
 conqueror the original of her picture, and I beheld all the 
 features of the little prince of Akim. We stood fixed like 
 a couple of statues, when the hero, smiling at our surprise;
 
 142 
 
 directed his speech to me. You are not deceived, most 
 amiable Gulguli-Chamami. The prince who is now in your 
 presence is not unknown to you, though he must never ap- 
 pear again under his former character. The fairy Mulladin, 
 who protected me from the tyranny of Kusayb, extends her 
 favors even beyond my most sanguine expectations ; the 
 history of which I am going to relate to you. Saying this, 
 he conducted Satchi-Cara, Faruk, and myself to his own 
 ship, where we reposed on cushions of embroidered gold, 
 and after Faruk's wounds, which were not dangerous, were 
 dressed, he thus began : 
 
 CONCLUSION OF THE HISTORY OF BULA- 
 MAN-SANG-HIR, PRINCE OF AKIM 
 
 It is impossible, madam, for me to express the ex- 
 treme anguish I endured when I saw you ascend your 
 ship, and after you were embarked. As I had not the 
 happiness to obtain a place in your affections, despair 
 seized my mind, and my next resolution centred in death. 
 Full of this design, I went back to the palace and directed 
 my steps to the edge of that canal where I was once so 
 happy as to oblige the fairy Mulladin. Here, being agitated 
 by some unknown impulse, I took a resolution to put a 
 period to my days : this thought was no sooner conceived 
 than executed. I threw myself headlong into the water, 
 and after some struggling, sank to the bottom. But how 
 amazingly was the scene changed when I found myself in 
 a palace of crystal, reposing on a sofa of yellow amber ! 
 Astonished at this miracle, I thought it was but a dream, 
 when the fairy appeared to me again. My lord, said she, 
 your distress grieves me much, and I am sorry, as you love 
 Gulguli-Chamami, that I cannot with all my art assist your 
 passion ; a stranger, it seems, is destined to possess her hand
 
 143 
 
 and her heart. However, be comforted, I will assist you to 
 choose another mistress from among a number of the most 
 charming princesses in the universe. Saying this, she uttered 
 to herself certain mysterious words, and from that moment, 
 madam, I confess I perceived in my heart that the extreme 
 passion which I had entertained for you gave place to es- 
 teem only for you. And now the fairy, having entirely 
 changed my sentiments, led me into a private cabinet, where 
 upon looking into an enchanted glass, I saw some of the 
 most beautiful princesses in the universe. A great number 
 of them escaped me without the least attention ; but not 
 so when I beheld the lovely Satchi-Cara ; her appearance 
 renewed those delightful transports in a more lively manner 
 than I had ever felt before. 
 
 At these last words, continued Gulguli-Chamami, the 
 princess of Borneo blushed extremely, and was about to 
 interrupt the prince, who, perceiving her confusion, pre 
 vented her reply. Permit me, said he, madam, first to 
 finish a history so particularly rare and uncommon as mine. 
 Then resuming his discourse, he thus proceeded : As soon 
 as the fairy observed the risings of a fresh passion for this 
 amiable personage, she rallied me very agreeably. You see, 
 my lord, said she, how effectually the charms of the brown 
 lady can obliterate those of Gulguh-Chamami! But that 
 nothing may be wanting to complete your good fortune, I 
 will repair in an instant the injustice you have received from 
 nature. Drink this liquor without fear, and you shall soon 
 perceive its happy effects. No sooner had I obeyed the 
 fairy, than I felt a strange kind of tremor run all over my 
 body, and my limbs seemed as if they were disjointed, till 
 my whole frame, without altering my features, became pro- 
 portioned just as you now behold me. But this is not all, 
 added Mulladin, which I intend to do for you. I will send 
 your picture to the princess, who will crown your utmost 
 wishes, and you shall receive hers in return. She then pre-
 
 144 
 
 sented me with a box enriched with diamonds, in the bottom 
 of which was portrayed the adorable Satchi-Cara, adorned 
 with all those graces with which she is now possessed, and 
 having enclosed my resemblance in another such box, she 
 further informed me that in a short time it should have the 
 like effect on her heart as her picture had already had on 
 mine. I was so transported with a sense of the fairy's good- 
 ness that I prostrated myself at her feet without being able 
 to utter one word. She raised and tenderly embraced me. 
 Go, my lord, said she, go and deliver the dear object of 
 your affections from a miserable captivity, and at the same 
 time set Gulguli-Chamami at liberty. The fairy, having dis- 
 guised me with her veil, in order to surprise you the more 
 agreeably, transported me in this gilded vessel, and the 
 winds have wafted me where my presence was most neces- 
 sary. I have obeyed the commands of Mulladin, and am 
 so happy as to have executed in a short time all that can 
 contribute to my future happiness, if the charming Satchi- 
 Cara is disposed to follow, without reluctance, the wise 
 counsels of the fairy my protectress. 
 
 The prince of Akim, having finished his nar!ration, con- 
 tinued Gulguli-Chamami, the princess of Borneo refused 
 her consent, while her heart was struggling between a ten- 
 derness for the prince and the great modesty with which 
 she was inspired by the fairy Mulladin and her ring of re- 
 flection. But after I had strongly pressed her, she no longer 
 sci-upled to confess that she loved this charming prince from 
 the moment she found his picture. Bulaman-Sang-Hir was 
 overwhelmed with joy when the princess apprised him with 
 her own mouth of his good fortune. He expressed a tender 
 and lively sense of the many and great obligations he was 
 under to Mulladin, when that fairy suddenly appeared in a 
 ship, far more splendid and magnificent than that of the 
 prince of Akim. She had all this time been concealed in 
 a cloud which had rendered her invisible. The fairy was
 
 145 
 
 accompanied by the king and queen of Java, and by prince 
 Samir-Agib and the princess his spouse. I come, said 
 Mulladin, to crown my work. Behold, my lord, said she 
 to Bulaman-Sang-Hir, these are the only persons who could 
 oppose your good fortune, and they are now so favorably 
 disposed that they consent heartily to your union with the 
 beautiful Satchi-Cara. They all embraced each other with 
 great tenderness; and the fairy, who was unwilling to defer 
 their bliss any longer, transported them in an instant to 
 Borneo, where, after Faruk was cured of his wounds, the 
 nuptials of this illustrious pair were celebrated with feastings, 
 triumphs, and a thousand other demonstrations of joy. 
 
 CONTINUATION OF THE HISTORY OF GUL- 
 GULI-CHAMAMI, PRINCESS OF TIFLIS 
 
 For my own part, continued the beautiful Georgian, 
 however solicitous I might be to iind the prince whom my 
 destiny had allotted for me, I was far from being tired with 
 this illustrious company. Faruk was resolved not to forsake 
 me, and following the example of the prince of Akim he 
 converted the violence of his passion into a high esteem for 
 my person. Madam, said he one day, since I have not the 
 happiness to be chosen by the great Prophet to reinstate 
 you in your kingdom, I cannot contribute less to your good 
 fortune than to assist you in your search after the prince 
 whom the stars have ordained for that purpose. As I was 
 fully satisfied of this good man's sincerity, a virtue seldom 
 found in persons of his profession, I made no difficulty in 
 closing with his offers, and without the least hesitation put 
 myself again under his protection. 
 
 At length, my lord, after a considerable stay in Borneo, 
 I embarked with Faruk. The winds were very favorable 
 for the first three or four days, but on the fifth there was
 
 146 
 
 such a surprising calm that we could neither advance nor 
 put back. Though Faruk's uneasiness at this delay was 
 different from mine, he neglected nothing which might serve 
 to divert my chagrin during a calm of nine days. To dispel 
 which he strove to amuse me with several entertaining his- 
 tories ; and as he was very polite, and possessed a large 
 share of good sense, he acquitted himself so well that I 
 heard him with prodigious delight. But, sir, said I to him, 
 amongst all these singular adventures am I to be left igno- 
 rant of your own? Your conduct to me hitherto makes 
 nie suspect that you are different from what you appear to 
 be ; and, therefore, I am more curious to know your history 
 than any I have hitherto heard. My suspicions were pres- 
 ently confirmed, for Faruk, by an involuntary sigh, dis- 
 covered that my curiosity had brought something painful 
 to his remembrance. You have, madam, too much power 
 over my mind, replied Faruk, for me to conceal any longer 
 from you who I am. Prepare, then, to hear the history of 
 an unfortunate prince, whose life has almost always been 
 marked with some sorrowful catastrophe : 
 
 CONTINUATION OF THE TAIE OF UTZIM- 
 OCHANTI, PRINCE OF CHINA 
 
 Just as the princess of Tiflis, continued Ibn Aridun, was 
 about to relate to Utzim-Ochanti the history of Faruk, Gul- 
 panhi entered the hall. She presented her hand to the 
 young prince of China, and led him to a cabinet, in which 
 was a carpet of gold and silk, strewed over with flowers of 
 an odoriferous smell. He was then presented with rose- 
 water to wash his hands, and his beard was perfumed with 
 a fragrant composition enclosed in a vessel of gold ; after 
 this a magnificent collation was served up, which being 
 ended, Gulpanhi ordered all her women to withdraw. The
 
 147 
 
 prince trembled at this order, and GuIguH-Chamami, who 
 
 was not excepted, gave him such a sorrowful look at parting 
 that he was once inclined to rise from the sofa and leave 
 Gulpanhi to herself; but considering such a step would be 
 highly imprudent, he was constrained to stay, and though 
 the princess used every artifice to engage his affections, he 
 received all her caresses with coldness and indifference. 
 
 A behavior like this would have highly disgusted any 
 other but Gulpanhi ; but that princess either feigned herself 
 ignorant of this indifference, or else attributed it to some 
 other cause than that of contempt. She appeared, however, 
 highly delighted with his conversation till the hour of parting 
 arrived, when she consigned him to the care of Kurum, who 
 was an old and faithful confidante of her pleasures. The 
 prince followed her, but in passing through a kind of dark 
 gallery, somebody ingeniously slipt into his hand a billet, 
 the substance of which was couched in the following terms : 
 
 It is difficult enough to resist the dangerous blandish- 
 ments of the person whom you have just now quitted. But, 
 my lord, I am of opinion that you may elude her artifices. 
 Dissemble awhile, till you can deliver me from this miserable 
 captivity. I hope to see you to-morrow at the combat of 
 tigers, with which king Kusah intends to entertain prince 
 Atabak. If there is no speaking to you then, I will contrive 
 towards evening to convey you into my apartment, where I 
 have a thousand things to say. 
 
 The Princess of Tiflis. 
 
 Utzim-Ochanti kissed this letter a thousand times, and 
 now his fidelity being strongly confirmed, he lay down with 
 a heart full of excessive joy. The next morning Gulpanhi, 
 pursuing her design, sent to the prince before he was well 
 awake a basket embroidered with gold, in which was a mag- 
 nificent rich scarf ; intimating at the same time that it would
 
 148 
 
 be very agreeable to the princess if he was disposed to rise. 
 As the apartments of the princess were exposed to all comers, 
 he flattered himself ttiat Gulguli-Chamami would be there. 
 He was not mistaken, for this latter was appointed to receive 
 the prince, if he arrived before the princess was awake ;/biit, 
 as Gulpanhi had this meeting too much at heart to sleep 
 long, the young prince could do no more than just assure his 
 mistress that he would love her forever. 
 
 The indifference with which the prince had received Gul- 
 panhi's passion had affected her so much that this princess 
 had enjoyed but little sleep. She was not willing that this 
 conquest should escape her, and she no sooner knew of his 
 being with the princess of Tiflis than she sent for him. 
 When she left her bed, clad in a seductive dishabille, she 
 appeared so charming that the prince would have certainly 
 been ensnared if he had been less fortified. The princess, 
 without taking the least notice of his indifference, received 
 him with a great deal of joy. She caused him to be seated 
 on a sofa, and bending her ear towards him, asked him very 
 obligingly, why he had neglected to put on the scarf she had 
 sent him, telling him at the same time that he was surely 
 ignorant of its great value. — Madam, replied the prince, I 
 dared not appear in this court with such a glorious, unmerited 
 mark of your kindness ; but since you are pleased to permit 
 me, I will do myself the honor to wear this illustrious proof 
 of your goodness. 
 
 Their conversation had held near an hour, when prince 
 Atabak, who knew that the princess was always easy of ac- 
 cess, entered suddenly. She had but just time to tell the 
 prince of China that after dinner he would find her at the 
 combat of tigers, and that he should place himself at as little 
 distance from her as possible, because she desired to have 
 some further discourse when the diversion was ended. The 
 prince obeyed her orders, and fixed upon a place beneath 
 her balcony ; and as Gulguli-Chamami was on the same side
 
 149 
 
 with Gulpanhi, his eyes were ahvays turned towards the 
 former without giving the least umbrage to the latter. 
 
 During the combats of some lesser animals, Atabak enter- 
 tained the princess Gulpanhi with great politeness and vivac- 
 ity. These being ended, a monstrous tiger and a prodig- 
 iously large lion were let into the arena, and after they had 
 fought nearly an hour and a half with equal success, and with 
 inconceivable rage and fierceness, they rolled over each other 
 directly under the balcony where Gulpanhi was placed. The 
 ladies, that they might take a better view of the engagement, 
 all bent forwards ; but while they were in this attitude, the 
 princess of Tiflis dropt from her finger a ring, on which was 
 an eagle engraved in a jewel. O heavens ! she cried, per- 
 ceiving it near those outrageous animals, must I to-day be so 
 carelessly unhappy as to lose the only real good I possess ! 
 Gulpanhi was so touched with the extreme anguish of her 
 favorite, that she called out, but in vain, to the keepers to 
 pick up the ring ; no one was hardy enough to execute her 
 orders, though she offered a considerable reward. When 
 behold ! the prince of China "leaped into the arena, and 
 picked up the ring the princess had dropped from her fin- 
 ger. Luckily for him, the lion and tiger had spent the great- 
 est part of their strength in the long fight they had sustained ; 
 but as soon as they saw the prince, they quitted each other, 
 as it were by consent, and turned all their rage against him. 
 The prince was only armed with a sabre, which was, however, 
 well tempered, and he wielded it with such success that leav- 
 ing them both dead, he returned unhurt with the ring to the 
 princess of Tiflis. 
 
 If the intrepidity of the prince astonished the king and all 
 the spectators, Gulpanhi was surprised to the last degree : 
 she began now to open her eyes, and rightly judged that 
 the coldness with which she was treated proceeded from the 
 charms he had discovered in her favorite. She could not 
 indeed publicly disapprove an action so truly heroic ; on the
 
 1^0 
 
 contrary, she bestowed high encomiums on the prince, but 
 conceived at the same time a lively resentment against the 
 preference he had given to the princess of Tiflis. With 
 respect to king Kusah, he was so little accustomed to 
 achievements of this sort, and was so charmed with the 
 behavior of the young prince, that he perfectly loaded him 
 with caresses. An action so superlatively great as this de- 
 serves, said the monarch, the highest praises and the largest 
 rewards; and I would, young stranger, find how to rec- 
 ompense so much valor, if there be anything in my kingdom 
 that is worthy of your acceptance. If there be, demand it 
 boldly ; if it be even one of my daughters, I can refuse you 
 nothing. Utzim-Ochanti replied with great modesty to these 
 encomiums of the king. My lord, said the prince, a private 
 gentleman, as I am, ought not to aspire to the honor of your 
 alliance. I am not so ambitious ; but since your Majesty 
 has assured me of your esteem and goodness, permit me to 
 make one small request in favor of Gulguli-Chamami, which 
 is, that she may be set at liberty. 
 
 The king, my lord, was still more astonished to see this 
 young man set such a narrow bound to his wishes, which he 
 esteemed as nothing in comparison to those immense treas- 
 ures with which he was ready to honor him. Gulguli-Cha- 
 mami is from this moment her own mistress, replied the 
 monarch, embracing the prince, and I heartily wish she may 
 make you a suitable acknowledgment ; and I believe the 
 princess my daughter will not oppose my will. Gulpanhi 
 was almost choked with rage : the visible contempt the 
 prince entertained for her charms threw her into despair. 
 But being a perfect dissembler, she embraced the princess of 
 Tiflis with all the marks of tenderness and of sincerity, and 
 taking from her hair a cluster of jewels of a prodigious worth, 
 she joined this as a present to the liberty she had just ob- 
 tained. The beautiful Georgian was in the utmost confu- 
 sion ; joy and terror had successively made such impressions
 
 151 
 
 on her mind that she had fallen into a swoon. She could 
 scarcely believe, when she recovered, that her dear prince 
 was alive, even when he informed her that he had obtained 
 her liberty. 
 
 They returned to the palace, and the king ordered an 
 apartment for the prince ; and being invited by prince Ata- 
 bak to a repast, that he might give Utzim-Ochanti the greater 
 pleasure he caused Gulguli-Chamami to grace the table with 
 her presence. But this princess was more attentive to the 
 behavior of Gulpanhi than to the honors which were paid to 
 the prince her lover. She remarked, in spite of all her ar- 
 tifice, something stiff and reserved in her looks and behavior; 
 and even her very jests had a tincture of that rancor which 
 predominated in her heart. In short, she was very uneasy, 
 as she was too well acquainted with the genius of this 
 malevolent princess. Supper being ended, and having 
 passed into a magnificent hall, they were entertained with 
 a fine concert of vocal and instrumental music. Gulguli- 
 Chamami took an opportunity to tell the prince not to come 
 to the place appointed in her letter, but gave him the key of 
 a wardrobe, which communicated with her apartment. 
 
 The concert being finished, the prince retired to the 
 chamber which they had prepared for him, and dismissing 
 all his attendants, he hastened to the wardrobe of the prin- 
 cess of Tiflis. As he was greatly fatigued, and not choosing 
 to be seen, he concealed himself under a table which was 
 covered with a large carpet, and fell into such a profound 
 sleep tnat the princess, after she had put Gulpanhi to bed, 
 entered the wardrobe without giving him the least disturb- 
 ance. As she did not perceive her lover had come, she 
 fancied he could not execute his promise ; but not despair- 
 ing of his appearance, she lighted two wax candles, and 
 placing them on the table, she lay down on a sofa, and fell 
 into a calm sleep ; but, my lord, how great was the surprise 
 of these two lovers when they were awakened by the violent
 
 152 
 
 noise of a person falling with all her weight on the floor, and 
 whom they soon perceived to be the princess Gulpanhi, in 
 the very agonies of death. O heavens ! cried the prince, 
 dreadfully frightened, and creeping from under the table, 
 what fatal object is this ! Am I asleep or not? — Alas ! re- 
 phed Gulguli-Chamami, would to God it were a dream, it 
 would quickly be dispelled ! but, unfortunately for us, this is 
 a sorrowful truth. The princess, animated by revenge, has 
 entered my apartment with a design to deprive me of my 
 life ; but Heaven, who always preserves the innocent, has 
 given this event another turn. Judge you by these fragments 
 of this glass tube, and by the convulsions of the unfortunate 
 Gulpanhi. Watching for you, my lord, I grew sleepy, with- 
 out knowing you were so near ; and I slept quietly, whilst 
 the princess, with the help of another key, stole hither, with- 
 out doubt to put an end to my hfe. She had filled this tube 
 with a powder which was poisoned, and had then appHed it 
 to my nose, when suddenly awaking, I sneezed with such 
 violence that instead of receiving it in my nose, it went into 
 her mouth. According to all appearance, this poison is of 
 so subtle a nature that she fell backwards on the spot, and 
 as you see is just ready to expire. 
 
 The prince, being shocked with the blackness of this 
 deed, resolved to abandon the wretch Gulpanhi to her fate. 
 Let us fly from an object so full of horror, said he to the 
 princess, that we may elude the wrath of tlie king ; for 
 though we are entirely innocent, these appearances will 
 certainly condemn us. — Ah ! my lord, replied the princess, 
 how shall we fly? The gates of the palace are all guarded ; 
 but, continued she, casting her eyes on the prince's scarf; 
 yes, my lord, I perceive our remedy must spring from the 
 source of this evil. This scarf is enchanted, and will de- 
 liver us from perils wherever we are ; for it renders those 
 who wear it invisible till it is turned, and it was to secure 
 you from being slandered as you passed to and fro in the
 
 153 
 
 palace, that the princess made you this extraordinary pres- 
 ent ; which virtue she had undoubtedly not yet explained 
 to you. The princess then put on the scarf, and became 
 invisible immediately, nor did she become visible to the 
 prince till she had turned it again. 
 
 While the two lovers were waiting for day, that they 
 might escape the king's resentment, the convulsions of 
 Gulpanhi redoubled. Her eyes emitted only a feeble kind 
 of lustre, which, upon fetching her last sigh, was forever 
 extinguished; she died in their arms, and a moment after 
 looked so horrible, that notwithstanding her former ill in- 
 tention, these two lovers could not refrain from tears. The 
 gates of the palace being at length opened, these lovers 
 made their escape by means of their scarf, and without 
 being perceived, walked to the next village, where they 
 refreshed themselves ; and then pursuing their journey, they 
 made no stop till they were clear of the dominions of king 
 Kusah. They had now time to rest, and the prince recol- 
 lecting the adventure of the ring, desired the princess to 
 explain the reasons which rendered it so precious to her. 
 It is a present, said she, which my grandfather Zal-raka 
 made me, and put it on my finger when he was dying, which 
 was a circumstance in the history of my life I had forgotten 
 to inform you of; he assured me that when my misfortunes 
 were drawing to an end, I should perceive in this ring as in 
 a glass in what manner I should regulate my conduct ; but 
 I was to take care that it did not touch a drop of blood, for 
 from that moment it would lose all its virtue. I know not 
 what possessed me to wear it at the combat of tigers, but 
 you now may judge of my distress when I dropped it from 
 my finger. I shall be forever obliged to you for the un- 
 paralleled proofs you then gave me of your love and in~ 
 trepidity. — Permit me, madam, replied Utzim-Ochanti, to 
 examine this invaluable ring; besides, it is high time that 
 we should even consult it.
 
 154 
 
 The princess then pulled out a little perfumed purse, in 
 which the ring was preserved ; she presented it to the prince, 
 pronouncing at the same time some mysterious words taught 
 her by her grandfather, when on a sudden it darted such 
 rays of hght that they were both of them dazzled with it for 
 some time. After the light had abated, the prince examined 
 the ring with great attention ; he beheld in miniature, and 
 in order, all the adventures of this princess. Here, king 
 Kusah was seen in all the agonies of despair for the death 
 of Gulpanhi ; a stately monument was erected to her mem- 
 ory ; and as these two lovers seemed to be the sole authors 
 of her death, a considerable reward was set upon their heads. 
 This new discovery which they had made of the virtue of 
 the ring rejoiced them exceedingly. They read in it every 
 day, if I may so speak, how they should conduct themselves ; 
 and regulating themselves by its instructions, they pursued 
 the road to Georgia. 
 
 They had now travelled more than two months, when for- 
 getting one morning to consult their ring, they had scarcely 
 proceeded a league, before there arose a great fog, which 
 quite obscured die day, and involved them in thick dark- 
 ness. This prodigy astonished our adventurers ; but the 
 prince having taken out the carbuncle which he had received 
 as a present from Ahmadi, it emitted such a bright light for 
 twenty paces round them, that they could easily consult 
 their oracle. If the carbuncle was useful to them on the 
 present occasion, how great was their grief to find by their 
 ring that they must shortly be separated, and would meet 
 no more till they had each of them surmounted several 
 dangerous adventures ! The idea of their separation drew 
 tears from their eyes, when in the midst of their grief, the 
 horse on which the prince was mounted suddenly took 
 fright, and in spite of all his efforts carried him out of sight. 
 The princess followed hirn for some time by the light of 
 the carbuncle, but that light ceasing, and it being very dark.
 
 IS5 
 
 she was obliged to stay till it grew light, when in about an 
 hour after, the day began to appear again. The princess 
 was almost in despair for the loss of her lover ; to complete 
 her misfortunes the prince had carried away her ring, so 
 that she was at a loss what course to steer ; and after having 
 searched in vain for him, she resolved to direct her way to 
 the kingdom of China, where after a tedious journey she 
 arrived, not doubting his appearance there sooner or later. 
 
 CONTINUATION OF THE HISTORY OF GUL- 
 GULI-CHAMAMI, PRINCESS OF TIFLIS 
 
 Utzim-Ochanti, my lord, continued Ibn Aridun, had been 
 absent from his father above six years. The good king 
 Fanfur, believing him to be dead, was at length resolved 
 to give his kingdom a new heir. It was not more than 
 three months after the king had raised to his throne a very 
 beautiful slave, when Gulguh-Chamami entered Nankin, the 
 residence of the king, and the capital of China. As she 
 did not desire to be known, she concealed her sex under 
 the habit of a man ; but in spite of this disguise, that grace- 
 ful ease and charming air diffused all over her person ren- 
 dered her none the less observed by the inhabitants of 
 Nankin. Fanfur, with his new spouse, was standing at a 
 window in the palace the very instant the princess passed 
 by, and being desirous to know who this stranger was, sent 
 word that he should be glad to speak with him. Gulguli- 
 Chamami appeared before the monarch, and with a truly 
 charming air informed him that she was a son of a prince of 
 Georgia, and that she only travelled for pleasure, and that 
 she was called SufiFal, and should make no long stay at 
 Nankin. 
 
 The queen Kamsim (for that was the name of the slave 
 the king had exalted to his throne), was present when the
 
 156 
 
 princess paid her court to Fanfur: she represented how 
 much beneath his grandeur it would be to suffer a stranger 
 of Suffal's rank to have apartments out of his palace. The 
 good king, following the example of persons at a certain 
 age who marry young women, was entirely governed by his 
 wife, and highly approved of this advice, which was given 
 rather from a principle of love, than of generosity, to Suffal 
 She could not but perceive a visible disparity between the 
 latter and her husband, and as she had never had any incli- 
 nation for the king, he appeared odious to her from this 
 moment, and her heart conceived a violent passion for the 
 young Suffal. 
 
 The favorable reception which the queen gave Suffal did 
 not give the least alarm to Fanfur, who, thoroughly satisfied 
 with the prudence of the queen, soon prepared apartments 
 for Suffal ; and the queen was not long before she disclosed 
 what passed in her own heart. Gulguli-Chamami, who had 
 attributed the kindness of this princess to quite a different 
 motive, was astonished at such a si^dden and pressing decla- 
 ration. She stood fixed like a statue; but the queen, 
 putting a too favorable construction on this silence, pursued 
 thus : I love you, my lord, said she, and I hate the king ; 
 and I am so powerful in Nankin, that if you are a man of 
 spirit and of resolution, it is easy for me to give you the 
 throne of China. I will myself poison the king; and I 
 only wait your approbation of the project. The princess, 
 trembling at this discourse, started back with horror. O 
 heavens ! madam, cried she, that such a base design should 
 ever enter your heart ! And can you believe me capable 
 of such an execrable attempt? Judge better of Prince 
 Suffal, madam, and know that I would not accept of a, 
 throne on a less condition than to punish you for a crime, 
 the bare mention of which has filled me with horror. 
 
 The queen of Nankin being convinced of her imprudence, 
 from that moment her love was extinguished, and rage and
 
 157 
 
 vengeance took possession of her heart. Dissembling her 
 resentment, My lord, replied she, we easily forget our duty 
 when we are captivated by love, and you cannot but own 
 that the excess of my passion has put me upon forming this 
 strange project ; I thought the enjoyment of my person 
 alone was too little to offer you, and that a throne would 
 tempt you. It is a glorious thing to reign, and I cannot 
 put the crown on your head without the death of my spouse ; 
 but since you disapprove of my proposal, you may at least 
 be grateful for the goodness which a woman of my rank 
 has for you, and consider that a refusal can only be paid for 
 by death. The princess of Tiflis, besides the impudence of 
 Kamsim, remarked a great indignation in her countenance, 
 when the king entered the apartment of the queen. His 
 unexpected arrival greatly disconcerted Kamsim. She was 
 so confounded, and the princess in such a disorder, that 
 the king was not able to comprehend the cause of their con- 
 fusion. What is this, madam, said he to the queen, which 
 I perceive in your countenance, and in that of prince Suffal ? 
 Does my presence disturb you ? — No, my lord, internipted 
 the queen very briskly, taking her resolution on the spot. 
 If you see me in a surprise, it proceeds from this young 
 hero's proposal. He has come, continued she, to throw 
 himself at my feet in order to obtain your permission to 
 fight with the blue centaur, which will appear to-morrow 
 before the city gates ; and he declares he will lose his head 
 if he does not conduct him alive to one of your prisons. 
 Though the princess of Tiflis trembled at the beginning of 
 this discourse, she immediately took the hint, though she 
 was an utter stranger to the blue centaur. My lord, said 
 she to Fanfur, I do not retract my word to the queen, and 
 I earnestly beg that you will not oppose the design I have 
 conceived to rid you of this monster. The king was aston- 
 ished at this resolution of Suffal, and at first opposed his 
 design. I admure your intrepidity, said he, but I greatly
 
 158 
 
 doubt the success of your undertaking. But since the queen 
 has desired niy consent, go, my lord, and be well assured 
 that an ample reward attends the execution of so dangerous 
 an enterprise. 
 
 STORY OF THE BLUE CENTAUR 
 
 You are to understand, my lord, pursued Ibn Aridun, 
 that not far from the city of Nankin there stood a little 
 mountain, at the foot whereof was a cavern, from which, for 
 five years past, on a certain day, issued forth a blue centaur, 
 who, approaching the gates of the city, carried away with 
 him both cows and oxen: several arrows had been dis- 
 charged against him, but to no purpose, for his skin was 
 harder than iron. The king had several snares set, all of 
 which he eluded with great address, and though that monarch 
 offered considerable rewards for him either dead or ahve, 
 nobody was able to seize him ; and all who had endeavored, 
 perished in the attempt. But to return to Gulguli-Chamami. 
 This princess, after she had saluted king Fanfur very respect- 
 fully, retired to her chamber, and having informed herself 
 of the history of the blue centaur, rightly conceived that it 
 would be much easier to circumvent him by some artifice 
 than to seize him by force. With this view she resolved to 
 avail herself of Gulpanhi's enchanted scarf, which luckily re- 
 mained with her in the moment of her separation from the 
 prince of China ; and at length hit upon the following expe- 
 dient which I am going to rehearse to your Majesty. She 
 demanded of the king of China a chariot to be drawn by two 
 strong horses, some large iron chains, four great copper ves- 
 sels, a tun of the best wine, and some cakes made of the 
 finest meal. Fanfur having complied with these demands, 
 the princess ordered them to be laid in the chariot, and 
 being directed to the place where the centaur made his re-
 
 159 
 
 treat, on the eve of the preceding day she went thither in 
 her chariot ; and having placed the vessels on the ground, 
 filled them with the wine she had brought, and having scat- 
 tered the cakes ibout piece-meal, she retired to a little 
 neighboring wood, where having turned her scarf, she passed 
 the night in great tranquillity. 
 
 As soon as the morning began to dawn, the princess 
 awoke, and from the place where she was concealed, dis- 
 tinctly saw the blue centaur coming out of his cavern. He 
 was amazed to see the four copper vessels, and the odor of 
 the wine drew him near; but first he tasted some of the 
 pieces of the cake, and finding them to be exquisitely good, 
 he greedily devoured the rest, and after that, swallowed all 
 the wine. He had taken in such a large quantity of the 
 wine, that being thoroughly intoxicated, he could stand no 
 longer, but was soon obliged to lay himself down on the 
 earth, and fell into a profound sleep. The princess of 
 Georgia perceiving this, ran quickly to secure the blue cen- 
 taur ; with the chains she bound him so fast, as to render it 
 impossible for him to break them, should he exert all his 
 might; and having with some difficulty fastened him to her 
 chariot, she mounted it herself, and then moved towards the 
 city, whose gates were opened to receive her. The rum- 
 bling of the chariot dissipating by degrees the fumes of the 
 wine the centaur had swallowed, he appeared in the utmost 
 astonishment on perceiving himself bound ; and when he 
 found that all his efforts to obtain his liberty availed him 
 nothing, he lay down to be conducted like another beast. 
 
 All the inhabitants of Nankin were struck with terror and 
 admiration : Gulguli-Chamami alone appeared upon the char- 
 iot with the blue centaur, modest and serene. They had 
 advanced a good way into the city, when their march was 
 interrupted by the funeral of a young Chinese, whose father 
 wept bitterly for his death, while one of the bonzes, who 
 conducted the funeral pomp, chanted merrily a kind of hymn
 
 i6o 
 
 in praise of Rama and of Vishnu. The bhie centaur raised 
 his head at that instant, and having for some time attentively 
 surveyed the ceremony, he burst into such a violent fit of 
 laughter as almost deprived him of his breath, and at the 
 same time threw the princess into the utmost consternation. 
 The princess, as we observed, beheld with surprise this 
 sudden sally of mirth. But she had not proceeded far be- 
 fore it was considerably increased, for in passing through a 
 great place, the centaur broke out again into louder fits of 
 laughter at the people, who looked with pleasure on a young 
 thief fastened to a gibbet, and who was just going to be 
 turned off. The more the centaur laughed, the more the 
 princess was astonished. They continued their course amidst 
 a prodigious throng of people ; but when they arrived before 
 the palace of the king, nothing was to be heard for some 
 time but the shouts of the people, crying : Long live ! long 
 live the brave courageous Suffal ! at all which the centaur 
 laughed more loudly than he had done before. The king 
 upon these acclamations descended into the court of his 
 palace, leading the queen by the hand. The centaur fixed 
 his eye steadily upon the queen, and then upon the ladies of 
 her train, and having successively surveyed them all, he set 
 up such peals of laughter afresh, that the king, with his whole 
 court, were beyond measure astonished. 
 
 Fanfur asked the princess why the centaur laughed so 
 neartily; she replied, she could not tell, and then related 
 to him all that had passed since he was taken. Upon this, 
 the king asked the centaur himself, but received no answer. 
 The centaur was then put into a double iron cage, secured 
 with two keys, one of which the king kept himself, and gave 
 the other to Gulguli-Chamami ; both of them failed not to 
 visit the centaur twice a day, and treated him with all the 
 kindness he could possibly receive. 
 
 Kamsim, who reckoned herself sure of Suffal's overthrow, 
 was strangely surprised to see her designs defeated. The
 
 i6i 
 
 sight of this accomplished princess rekindled her passion, 
 and being resolved to attempt the conquest of her heart 
 once more, she sent for her, under pretence of congratulat- 
 ing her upon her late victory. Gulguli-Chamami was forced 
 to obey ; she attended the queen, who was alone, and in her 
 cabinet. You see, my lord, said this vile woman, that in 
 seeking your life, I have covered it with glory : but let this 
 experiment sufifice. I love you in spite of your rigor, and 
 must freely own that, if you had fallen a prey to that mon- 
 ster, I should have died with grief. But if your heart is not 
 softened, I have other means to effect your ruin. Leave 
 then your stubbornness, my lord — No, madam, interrupted 
 Suffal, the ascendency you have over the king, joined to all 
 your threatenings and entreaties, shall never force me to for- 
 feit my honor. Abandon all hopes of ever seducing me, and 
 tremble and fear lest in the end I should advertise the king 
 of your ungovernable passion. These remonstrances ren- 
 dered the queen quite outrageous. Perfidious ! said she, 
 thou shalt insult my beauty no longer ; at the same time she 
 scratched her face, and cried out with all her might ; then 
 commanded tlie eunuchs whom her cries had brought thither 
 to seize Suffal, while she ran all in tears to the king, to de- 
 mand justice upon the prince of Georgia, for endeavoring to 
 violate her honor. 
 
 Fanfur, being prepossessed with the seeming modesty of 
 his wife, never doubted the truth of her complaints. He 
 was in a violent passion with Suffal, and without further 
 inquiry, loaded her with chains, and conducted her to the 
 prison where the blue centaur was confined. He reproached 
 her with her attempt upon the honor of his queen, assuring 
 her that she should shortly be put to a most shameful death. 
 As soon as tlie centaur heard these threatenings, he laughed 
 so violently, that the vaults of his prison perfectly echoed. 
 The king was now more surprised than ever. This extraor- 
 dinary laughter redoubled his curiosity, and he desired hiro 
 
 II
 
 1 62 
 
 to explain the reason upon the spot, and declared that if he 
 did not deceive him, he should be set at liberty ; otherwise, 
 he should be put to death before the day expired. The blue 
 centaur, flattered with the hopes of liberty, and frightened 
 with the thoughts of death, approached to the bars of his 
 cage. King of Nankin, said he, will you keep your word ? — 
 I swear by my head that I will, replied the king, astonished to 
 hear the centaur speak for the first time. — Assemble then 
 in this place, rejoined the centaur, the grandees of your 
 court, the queen and all her slaves without exception, and I 
 promise in their presence to give you all the satisfaction you 
 can desire. 
 
 The king, who had a great desire to know the cause of his 
 laughter, instantly summoned his whole court before the 
 blue centaur. The assembly being completed, the king 
 called upon the centaur to keep his word, but he refused to 
 open his lips until Suffal was unbound. This desire being 
 executed, he thus addressed himself to Fanfur. King of 
 Nankin, if I laughed heartily at the funeral of the little child, 
 it was to see his reputed father weep so bitterly, while one of 
 the priests, who, it seems, was the real father, maintains a 
 criminal correspondence with the good man's wife. He 
 sang with all his might at the solemnity, nor could he forbear 
 laughing to himself at his mistress's husband's sorrow for the 
 loss of a son he himself had begot. Again, who could for- 
 bear laughing on seeing a thousand thieves, who every day 
 rob, over and over again, the public of immense sums, — who, 
 I say, could help laughing at hearing them extol your justice 
 in executing a young man whom necessity had forced to 
 steal ten dinars, for the support of himself, his wife, and chil- 
 dren, whilst they for their extortions ought to have been in 
 his place ? \ 
 
 Here the centaur stopped, and seemed as if he would pro- 
 ceed no further ; but on the king's urging him afresh, he 
 repUed : King of Nankin, do not compel me to come to a
 
 163 
 
 further explanation ; I had rather be silent than discovei 
 things which will infallibly torment you. The king, who was 
 now more curious than ever, replied, However disagreeable 
 what you have to say to me may be, I conjure you to dis- 
 cover all you know. — Well then, replied the centaur, how 
 could I keep from laughing with all my heart, to hear the 
 people shout : Long live the brave Suffal, the heroic con- 
 queror of the blue centaur ! when, at the same time, I knew 
 that habit concealed a beautiful young virgin, for whom your 
 son, who is not dead, entertains a strong passion? 
 
 If Gulguli-Chamami, my lord, blushed at this discovery, 
 a livid paleness covered no less the face of the queen, whom 
 the king beheld with indignation. As she stood near the 
 iron cage, the centaur seized her arm. Cruel and lascivious 
 woman, cried he, your deceit is but in part discovered to 
 that monarch. When I renewed my laughter, it was to see 
 you attended by a train, who are all privy to your debauch- 
 eries ; and when the innocent Sufifal was unjustly accused 
 and imprisoned, had I not sufficient cause? Since it is 
 impossible a woman could have her honor attempted, who 
 takes so little care of it ; for there are two men concealed 
 among your slaves, who daily disburden you of the litde 
 tenderness you have for the king. As these were truths easy 
 to be discovered, Kamsim was ready to die with fear. The 
 king caused her to be taken from his presence, and in spite 
 of Gulguli-Chamami's intercession, condemned her, with her 
 two gallants, to be burnt alive, and then ordered all her 
 slaves to be strangled. But, madam, said tlie king to the 
 princess, how shall I repair the injustice which a blind pas- 
 sion for Kamsim hurried me to commit against you? Happy 
 should I be if my son, my dear son, whom I have so long 
 lost, to whom I understand you are so dear, would by his 
 unhoped for return acquit me to you, by sharing with so 
 charming a princess that crown whose weight, since his 
 absence, has weighed me down ! The remembrance of
 
 1 64 
 
 the prince of China drew tears from Gulguli-Chamami's 
 eyes, when the centaur, who was now set at liberty, thus 
 spoke. King of Nankin, said he, cease to afflict yourself; 
 and do you, fair princess, dry up your tears ; your sorrows 
 shall soon terminate in the return of a dutiful son and a 
 faithful lover. Go, meet the prince, who, while I am now 
 speaking, is entering Nankin. Saying this, the centaur 
 arose like a cloud, and vanished from all their eyes. 
 
 The king and the princess could scarcely contain them- 
 selves with joy. The centaur had performed such wonders 
 as left no room to doubt the truth of this agreeable news ; 
 they went directly to meet the prince, and found him sur- 
 rounded with the people, who testified by a thousand cheer- 
 ful shouts the joy they conceived for his return. Utzim- 
 Ochanti would have thrown himself at his father's feet, but 
 that monarch prevented him, and tenderly embracing the 
 prince : O my son, said he, what showers of tears has your 
 absence caused me to shed ! But I forget all that is past, 
 and think only of what has befallen me to-day. — I am not 
 ignorant, my lord, of all your sorrows, replied the prince, 
 and in what manner they are terminated by the princess of 
 Tiflis. A celebrated enchanter, who assisted me to punish 
 the persecutor of this adorable princess, has informed me 
 of all that has passed in your court. He was so firmly at- 
 tached to my interest that he concealed nothing from me 
 within the compass of his art, and then he transported me 
 hither with inconceivable rapidity, after he had apprised 
 me of the just revenge you had taken on the perfidious 
 Kamsim's infidelity. 
 
 It is impossible to express the pleasure the princess felt 
 from the return of her lover. She was no longer afraid 
 of losing him again, since she received him now as the 
 vanquisher of the perfidious Bizag al-Kasak. She then 
 expressed an ardent desire to be acquainted with the par- 
 ticulars of this glorious victory ; when, after he had entered
 
 165 
 
 the palace, and had recited to his father all his adventures 
 from the moment of their separation, he continued his his- 
 tory in the following manner : 
 
 CONTINUATION OF THE TAIE OF UTZIM- 
 OCHANTI, PRINCE OF CHINA 
 
 You very well remember, madam, I could not govern 
 my horse ; for in spite of all my endeavors, he carried me 
 out of your reach. It is true, the light of my carbuncle 
 dispelled the darkness which covered the earth, but my 
 horse ran at such a rate, that I could scarcely distinguish 
 the objects that surrounded me ; yet, as far as I can remem- 
 ber, the road on each side was full of dangerous precipices, 
 so that I could not proceed without running the hazard of 
 falling with my horse to the bottom. After all, I am not 
 sure whether the ground failed under his feet or not ; but 
 falling from his back, I rolled nearly a quarter of an hour 
 without stopping, and after remaining senseless for some 
 time, I found myself on a green turf, near the mouth of a 
 frightful cave. It was doubtless a good while before I re- 
 covered from the swoon my fall had occasioned, and when 
 I came to myself, I saw nothing near me but these pits. I 
 entered the cave by the light of my carbuncle ; I walked 
 nearly an hour, and met with nothing but reptiles of all 
 kinds, which fled before me ; at last I came to a rock, which 
 shone so bright that it looked as if it was set with diamonds ; 
 on the top thereof sat an ape of a fiery color. As soon 
 as this animal saw me, he descended from the rock, and 
 prostrating himself at my feet, bestowed on me a thousand 
 caresses. 
 
 As I was afraid of being surprised, I had drawn my sabre 
 at the entrance of the cave. The ape made signs to me to 
 Strike the rock in that part which shone brightest : I did
 
 i66 
 
 so, and it immediately split in two, and discovered a black 
 marble staircase, with steps of solid gold. I did not hesi- 
 tate, continued the prince, to follow the ape, who had now 
 become my guide ; and having descended nearly five hun- 
 dred steps, we arrived at a large hall, illuminated with 
 twelve crystal lamps, in the midst of which was raised a 
 tomb of white marble, whereon were represented several apes 
 in different attitudes. This sight surprised me not a little, 
 when I beheld the living ape sprinkle some water on them, 
 which he drew from a fountain in one corner of the hall ; 
 they started up and bore him in triumph to the basin, and 
 all plunged together into the fountain. This fantastic cere- 
 mony surprised me greatly ; but while I was impatiently 
 waiting for the event, there arose out of the tomb a man of 
 gigantic size in a coat of mail. He advanced towards me 
 with his sabre drawn ; I prepared to defend myself, and 
 after a very obstinate fight, I threw him to the ground, and 
 on going to unlace the straps of his armor, how great was 
 my astonishment to find I had all this time been only en- 
 gaged with an empty piece of armor, artfully disposed, with- 
 out a body to occupy it ! 
 
 An enchantment of this kind very much surprised me. 
 I then collected all the straps which laced this armor to- 
 gether, and throwing them into the fountain, my ears were 
 immediately saluted with soft symphonies of music, after 
 which I beheld several men and women, who had been 
 changed from those apes and monkeys who had before 
 plunged into the fountain. At the head of this company 
 there appeared a man of a very majestic stature, clothed in 
 a long robe of the color of fire, embroidered with gold, and 
 adorned with pearls and diamonds. He accosted me with 
 a noble air. My lord, said he, I have waited impatiently 
 a long time for you, to put an end to an adventure on which 
 the future happiness of both our lives must depend ; since 
 in delivering my spouse from the cruel Kazak, and by
 
 16/ 
 
 destroying that monster, you will effectually re-establish the 
 princess of Tiflis in her dominions, and become possessed 
 of that charming person. You stand amazed, my lord, to 
 hear that I am acquainted with your passion, but this wonder 
 will cease when you know who I am ; and seating me on 
 a sofa near himself, he thus began : 
 
 STORY OF BIZ AG AL-ASNAH 
 
 My name is well known among the enchanters, they call 
 me Bizag al-Asnah ; not that I am more beautiful than 
 another, but to distinguish me from my brother, Bizag al- 
 Kasak, whose surname was given him to denote the depravity 
 of his manners. His power has been always superior to 
 mine, by means of evil jinnis with whom he holds a close 
 correspondence, and who have inspired him with an extreme 
 malice, that I was always unwilling to attain. 
 
 There dwelt near us a beautiful virgin, called Sahik. I 
 had often visited this damsel, and finding a mutual sympathy 
 of inclinations, we soon discovered it by a mutual esteem for 
 each other. As you know, my lord, the close connection 
 between love and esteem, the latter was soon swallowed up 
 in the former. I proposed to bind our hearts with the most 
 sacred ties, she consented, and a day was set for the conclu- 
 sion of that ceremony. Though there was but little cor- 
 respondence between my brother and me, I thought it would 
 be civil to acquaint him with our intentions. He not only 
 approved of the match, but must needs settle our nuptials 
 himself. Though I well knew he was capable of the blackest 
 designs, I imagined that he would at least regard the ties of 
 blood, little dreaming of the bloody treasons he has of late 
 executed against me. 
 
 We enchanters are in general partly on a footing in point 
 of science ; we can neither destroy nor hurt the designs of
 
 i68 
 
 each other, except it be on our wedding day, and then, dur« 
 ing that time only, we are deprived of our power, unless we 
 espouse a fairy or an elementary spirit, which does not make 
 us degenerate ; for this cause we seldom match with simple 
 mortals, and when we do, it is with as httle noise as possible. 
 My perfidious brother took this advantage ; either he was 
 enamoured of my wife, or his own evil inclination disposed 
 him to act so by me ; he had the assurance to accost Sahik 
 in a very unbecoming manner. This I at first attributed to 
 his folly ; but perceiving my presence set no restraint to his 
 insolence, I resented it. He then rallied me for a jealous 
 fool, and in short extended his impudence so far that losing 
 all patience I was going to fell him to the ground with my 
 sabre, to prevent which he touched me with his wand. Be 
 not so rash, he cried ; though I am not disposed to stain my 
 hands with your blood, I will punish you in a way which 
 shall more sensibly affect you. Be transformed into an ape 
 of the color of fire, and become a witness to the happiness I 
 intend to enjoy with your spouse. No sooner had this per- 
 fidious brother uttered these words than I took the figure of 
 the ape which conducted you hither. The traitor received 
 no other treatment from the amiable Sahik but what testified 
 her horror and aversion. He then caused this marble tomb 
 to rise out of the earth, in which he enclosed that armed 
 enchanted figure you defeated, and after he had changed all 
 my retinue into apes and monkeys, he caused the palace in 
 which our nuptials were celebrated to sink deep into the 
 earth, and conducted me to the top of this shining rock, 
 where I have been confined upwards of a year. Judge, my 
 lord, what anguish I have sustained in that cruel situation. 
 Your valor has already indeed terminated my misfortunes in 
 part, and there remains no more than to break the enchant- 
 ment of the tomb, to effect which you must seize on the 
 golden chain ; but before you proceed, you must refresh 
 yourself after the combat you have been engaged in.
 
 i69 
 
 CONCLUSION OF THE ADVENTURES OF 
 UTZIM-OCHANTJ, PRINCE OF CHINA 
 
 I FOLLOWED the enchanter, continued the prince, into a 
 cabinet, where I soon recruited the strength and spirits I 
 had lost, with a magnificent collation ; afterwards we returned 
 into the hall, and as soon as I had seized on the golden 
 chain, there fell from the ceiling two fiery globes ; each of 
 these opening in the middle, discovered a monster in human 
 form from the waist upwards. These two monsters ranging 
 themselves on each side of the tomb of white marble, en- 
 deavored to hinder my approach ; when, behold ! there 
 arose out of the middle of the tomb a pillar, on which was 
 engraved in letters of gold, " Strike, iDefcat, 2)c6ccu»j." 
 This incident greatly encouraged me, though I had resolved 
 to engage with the two monsters ; and, being aided by the 
 enchanter, whose blows were all well timed, we vanquished 
 every obstacle ; for the fiery globes and the two monsters 
 were swallowed up ; and on my approaching the pillar, both 
 that and the tomb, from the bare touch of my sabre, were 
 reduced to a powder. 
 
 We went down a kind of trap-door, and descending a 
 staircase hewn out of the rock, were conducted to the banks 
 of a river, whose waters were very black. Here we found a 
 little boat, furnished for a long voyage with all sorts of pro- 
 visions. The enchanter and myself entering the boat, put 
 off, and falling down the stream, arrived about a month after 
 at the mouth of a cave into which these waters were dis- 
 charged. Though the current which brought us thither was 
 very rapid, we were five days in crossing it by the light of 
 my carbuncle ; and we did not recover the light till about 
 that time. We then moved but slowly, and coasting along 
 the banks, beheld at a distance two women bathed in tears 
 running towards us ; we beckoned to them, and making
 
 I/O 
 
 directly for the shore leaped out upon dry land and joined 
 them immediately. Ah! my lord, cried one of them, if you 
 have any pity for the beautiful Sahik make haste and rescue 
 her from the perfidious Kazak. He has persecuted her a 
 whole year, and she is resolved to suffer immediately the 
 most cruel death rather than espouse the barbarian. — As the 
 charming Sahik has defended herself so well, it is time, my 
 lord, cried I, addressing myself to Bizag al-Asnah, to revenge 
 the treason of your perfidious brother ; let us fly to the res- 
 cue of your beautiful spouse, and not spare a monster. — I 
 am infinitely obliged to you, interrupted the enchanter; but 
 there is another method, more sure and less dangerous, for 
 my revenge. Kazak is so blinded with his brutal passion 
 that he thinks no more of me. I intend he shall proceed so 
 far as even to marry my dear princess ; then, as soon as he 
 has divested himself of his power, I shall punish him for his 
 wickedness to me. This resolution the enchanter committed 
 to writing, and instructed Sahik at the same time so to be- 
 have that Kazak might be effectually ensnared ; and gave 
 what he had written into the slave's hands who had come to 
 implore his succor. Carry this, said he, to your beautiful 
 mistress, and tell her here is a remedy enclosed for all her 
 misfortunes. The slave was out of sight in an instant, and 
 acquitted herself forthwith of her commission ; and upon 
 Sahik's opening the letter she was ready to die with joy to 
 find her dear spouse had recovered his primitive shape. 
 Kazak entering her apartments, she dissembled her senti- 
 ments admirably. Well, my lord, said she, with an air that 
 appeared serene, since I must resolve, I consent to marry 
 you this day, provided you abstain for three days from con- 
 summating the marriage rites ; my hand is yours on that 
 condition only. — Ah ! madam, replied Kazak, transported 
 with joy, I swear by all the tenderness I feel for you, your 
 will shall be obeyed, and may I be forever deprived of my 
 power if I once violate my oath ! Upon this assurance
 
 171 
 
 Sahik espoused him, and he adorned his nuptials with every 
 pleasure his art could furnish or his fancy devise. 
 
 During this interval Kazak omitted nothing which might 
 divert the princess, who grew very uneasy till the return of her 
 real spouse. At last, to the dreadful astonishment of Kazak, 
 we entered her apartment. He would fain have fled, but 
 his brother prevented that, and touching him with his wand : 
 Stay, traitor, cried he, and make a suitable acknowledg- 
 ment of thy crime. As soon as Kazak found his feet fixed 
 to the floor so that he could neither advance nor retreat, 
 he grew so outrageous that without discovering the least 
 remorse, he uttered against his brother everything rage and 
 despair could possibly suggest. Transported beyond all 
 bounds, I cried : This is too much, my lord, to be any 
 longer endured, this wretch has lived too long ; and so, 
 without regarding the interposition of his brother, I struck 
 off his head. The enchanter had no sooner expired than 
 all the people of his retinue, who groaned under his ty- 
 ranny, threw themselves at his brother's feet to implore 
 his clemency. He received them very graciously, and 
 having transported us in an instant to his palace, he ban- 
 ished by his presence sorrow, which had long reigned 
 there. After he had indulged in a few moments' tender- 
 ness with his spouse, he conducted me in an instant to 
 Tiflis, where having assembled the states of your kingdom, 
 I declared to them the death of the usurper, and at the 
 same time renewed in your behalf those oaths of allegiance 
 they owed to you. He then informed me of the cruel trial 
 that the infidelity of Kamsim had put you to for having 
 slighted her love. He instructed me in the victory you 
 obtained over the centaur, who, it seems, is an enchanter, 
 and was condemned for some fault to waste nine years under 
 that form, unless he should happen to be overcome by the 
 address of a virgin, by whose means he might obtain his 
 liberty. After this, Bizag al-Asnah bore mc with inconceiva-
 
 172 
 
 ble swiftness through the air, and landed me at the gates of 
 Nankin just in the instant when the flames were putting a 
 period to the hfe of the perfidious Kamsim. 
 
 This narration wonderfully delighted the king and the 
 young princess. My dear son, said the good father, I can 
 defer your happiness no longer ; I am too much obliged to 
 this amiable princess not to admit her with joy for my 
 daughter. But this is not all ; I will forthwith surrender into 
 your hands the kingdom of China, and I will — No, no, 
 ray lord, replied the prince, embracing his knees, you shall 
 by no means quit your throne. If ambition had been my 
 ruling passion I need not have wanted for a kingdom, where, 
 I can truly say, I might have enjoyed the affections of the 
 people ; but I parted from thence without regret, purely 
 for the sake of re-visiting you. The kingdom of Tiflis is 
 sufficient to bound my utmost views ; but if my advice has 
 sufficient weight with the princess, I had much rather, my 
 lord, be the first subject in your court than reign in Georgia. 
 Gulguli-Chamami was so charmed with this truly noble be- 
 havior, that her will seemed to be entirely resolved into 
 that of the prince ; and Fanfur was forced to give way to 
 their united instances, but on this condition, however, that 
 the prince should share the diadem with his father ; and as 
 this latter would be obeyed, Utzim-Ochanti was proclaimed 
 king. He then espoused the princess of Tiflis, and enjoyed 
 complete felicity with that charming lady, uninterrupted by 
 those accidents to which the lives of princes are so subject. 
 
 Here the new wazir stopped, and Shams al-Din declared 
 himself highly satisfied with his discourse. Thy conversation 
 enchants me, said the monarch, embracing him; but, my 
 dear Ibn Aridun, how is it possible that all these adventures 
 occur to your memory ? I am surprised to hear with what 
 ease you have related the history of the prince of China, 
 tof^ether with all those which are comprised in this narration.
 
 173 
 
 — Ah ! my lord, replied the son of Abu Bakr very modestly, 
 I rather apprehend from your Majesty's observation, that 
 I ought to have been less prolix in my narrations, and that 
 I should have passed on to the histories of the prince of 
 Alcim and of the young princess of Borneo ; this I perceive 
 myself. But to this is owing the suspension of those ad- 
 ventures which could not be so well related till those of 
 Utzim-Ochanti were all unravelled. — Never mind that, 
 replied the king of Astrakhan, I shall not lose the thread of 
 your narrations. I well remember how ingeniously you 
 brought Gulpanhi back to the hall just as the princess of 
 Tiflis was going to rehearse the history of Faruk the corsair, 
 and I observed at the same time you did not explain by 
 what means this princess lost the protection of that brave 
 man, so as to become Gulpanhi's slave. — This, my lord, 
 replied Ibn Aridun; was a circumstance I purposely omitted, 
 in order to shorten the history of that corsair. But as your 
 Majesty desires to be instructed, I will tell you how the 
 beautiful Georgian became the slave of Gulpanhi. 
 
 The calm which had lasted so long ceased at length, and 
 one night when the ship was under full sail the princess was 
 attacked with a great sickness at her stomach ; she walked 
 out upon the deck to take the air, and bending over to dis- 
 charge what offended her stomach, a sudden squall of wind 
 throwing the ship on that side, she fell into the sea. It was 
 very dark and they did not perceive the loss of the princess, 
 but hearing something fall into the water the pilot imagined 
 it v/as one of the seamen ; several planks were directly 
 thrown overboard, one of which the princess happily gained, 
 and she floated about between life and death till break of 
 day, when a little vessel, hastening to her succor, took her 
 up. The master of this vessel was a dealer in slaves, and 
 though the lady was half dead he perceived, as she was very 
 beautiful, she would bear a considerable price ; with this
 
 174 
 
 view he took great care of her, and the capital of the king- 
 dom of Kusah being the first port he landed at, he sold her 
 to the princess Gulpanhi for eight hundred dinars of gold. 
 
 Thus, my lord, you have heard all the adventures of this 
 beautiful princess, continued the son of Abu Bakr ; and as 
 for those of Faruk, if you please, they shall be postponed 
 a few days longer. Meanwhile, I shall begin such an enter- 
 taining story as I dare say will highly amuse and divert 
 your Majesty. — Proceed, then, my dear Ibn Aridun, re- 
 plied the king, and you will oblige me infinitely. The new 
 wazir being permitted, resumed his discourse in the following 
 terms : 
 
 STORY OF AL-KUZ, TAHAR, AND THE 
 MILLER 
 
 There lived at Baghdad two young merchants, who had 
 contracted from their infancy such an esteem and friendship 
 for each other that they were never asunder. Everybody 
 talked of the friendship of Al-Kuz and Tahar, and as they 
 had neither of them a father, and were their own masters, 
 being resolved to be more closely connected, they entered 
 into partnership, and in less than three years they made a 
 very great gain. Tahar, as he was talking one evening with 
 Al-Kuz, observed that he was thoughtful. What, said he, is 
 wanting to your happiness ? Our stock is increased fourfold, 
 and our warehouses are stored with the best commodities ; 
 yet I have observed for some days past that you are very 
 melancholy, and that you seem to delight in nothing but 
 solitude. Am I not worthy, then, to be intrusted with your , 
 secrets ? — Ah, my dear Tahar, replied Al-Kuz, I am 
 ashamed to confess my weakness to you, which, if it were 
 possible, I would even conceal from myself; but I feel it has 
 an absolute power over my heart. Do you know Bahul the
 
 175 
 
 Barber, who lives not far from Baghdad bridge ? — Yes, re- 
 plied Tahar; he is better known by his daughter's being 
 reputed the handsomest girl in all Baghdad than by the 
 lively repartees which have gained him the name he is called 
 by ; and I begin to think by your sighing that you are not 
 insensible to the charms of that adorable girl. — You have 
 guessed right, returned Al-Kuz, blushing, I love the beautiful 
 Lira, and I shall go distracted if I do not enjoy her ; and I 
 believe from the conversation which has passed between us, 
 i am not wholly indifferent to her. I wavered, you see, 
 whether I should acquaint you with my passion, fearing it 
 might make some alteration in our friendship. — I know, 
 replied Tahar, that matrimony will deprive me at least of 
 one half of your friendship. But, my dear Al-Kuz, I prefer 
 your satisfaction to my own, and I will go and endeavor to 
 promote your happiness. As you know, my mother had the 
 honor to give suck to Ja'afar, first wazir to the illustrious 
 Hanan al-RashId, the sovereign Commander of the Faithful, 
 during the sickness of that Barmaki's mother, which hindered 
 her from suckling him. I intend to use his authority with 
 Bahul, and then I am sure to obtain the consent of the 
 beautiful Lira. Al-Kuz, tenderly embracing his friend, con- 
 jured him to lose no time, and the wazir engaging in the affair. 
 Bahul soon consented to the marriage of Lira to Al-Kuz. 
 
 This couple loved each other beyond example ; fruition 
 rather renewed than extinguished the ardor of their passion ; 
 and they showed such frequent and strong marks of perfect 
 love ill the presence of Tahar, that he could not forbear 
 envying the good fortune of his friend. The innocent ca- 
 resses the wife of his friend bestowed on him, inflamed him 
 to such a degree, that to avoid being unfaithful to Al-Kuz, he 
 resolved to take his leave of this tender pair. Accordingly he 
 departed, under some pretence, for a few days, but in spite of 
 the resolution he had taken, he was unable to preserve it long : 
 he sank under the restraint he laid upon his passion and in
 
 176 
 
 trying to extinguish it, he fell a prey to a dangerous distemper. 
 Al-Kuz and Lira never quitted the bolster of Tahar's bed ; 
 but they were so far from contributing to his recovery, that 
 their presence increased rather than abated his disorder, which 
 grew so violent, that the most eminent physicians in Bagh- 
 dad despaired of his life. Tahar being on the point of death, 
 both Al-Kuz and Lira wept bitterly at the imminent danger of 
 their friend. His youth, however, and the strength of a good 
 constitution overcame the distemper, but left him in a very 
 weak condition. 
 
 The partnership which subsisted between these dear 
 friends obliged one of them to go and setde some affairs in 
 Cairo. As Tahar was too weak to undertake this vo)'age, 
 Al-Kuz was obliged to go himself ; and after he had made 
 the necessary preparations, he took leave of Tahar, and 
 recommended his dear Lira to his care, whom he tenderly 
 embraced, with his eyes all bathed in tears ; then parting for 
 Bassorah, he embarked in a vessel which was going to Cairo. 
 Tahar, far from complying with the intentions of his friend, 
 no sooner saw him depart from Baghdad than he took as 
 much care as possible never to be alone with his wife ; but 
 at last this beautiful creature, observing his behavior, which 
 appeared rude to her, said to him one evening : You always 
 avoid me, and she took him at the same time tenderly by 
 the hand. Since Al-Kuz's absence I have been considering 
 if I have done anything to displease you ; but I cannot com- 
 prehend the meaning of the coldness which appears in your 
 behavior. Such a conduct is really injurious as well as un- 
 kind ; and I desire you will either treat me with less reserve, 
 or else tell me wherein I have offended. Tahar was in the 
 utmost confusion at this remonstrance ; the tears which he. 
 shed without daring to look upon Lira, touched her in a 
 most lively manner. She pressed him to come to an ex- 
 planation ; but Tahar, throwing himself at her feet, conjured 
 her not to put this violence on his inclinations. Urge me no
 
 177 
 
 more, madam, said he, to open my heart ; you will regard 
 me as the vilest of men, if I discover all that passes in it, 
 since neither the sacred ties of friendship, nor the near ap- 
 proaches of death, can triumph over a criminal passion ; and I 
 feel that — Stop, Tahar, cried Lira, in the utmost confusion, 
 I begin to understand you now. How is it possible that you 
 could forget your obligations to my spouse, so as to conceive 
 a passion so prejudicial to my honor? Ah ! if this be true, 
 let me be forever ignorant of it. — No, madam, replied 
 Tahar, it is no longer time to dissemble ; I confess I am a 
 traitor, a villain ; but I am so in spite of myself, for I have 
 used every effort I was master of, to extinguish these lawless 
 flames. I would have died the most cruel death, and I con- 
 demned myself to an eternal silence, but you forced me to 
 speak ; however, I shall soon punish myself for having in- 
 vaded the rites of the strictest union. Here, glancing his 
 eyes by accident on Lira, and perceiving she was thoroughly 
 incensed, such was the violence of his grief, that he sank at 
 her feet in a swoon. To this at first she seemed insensible; 
 but pity at length getting the better of her just resentment, 
 she did all she was able to restore him to his senses, and the 
 unhappy lover, feebly opening his eyes, saw how anxious she 
 was for his recovery. Let me die, madam, said he, tenderly, 
 your assistance is cruelty ; and my life after having offended 
 you has become odious to me, and I quit it without regret. 
 He then fell into another sv/oon, and Lira verily thought 
 he had but a few moments to live. 
 
 Hitiierto, my lord, pursued Ibn Aridun, I have drawn you 
 a beautiful picture of this lady's conduct ; but as there some- 
 times occur moments when the virtue of certain women is 
 reduced to a dangerous crisis. Lira notably proved this truth. 
 Terrified at the resolution of her lover, and softened by the 
 excess of his passion, she made a sudden transition from the 
 violence of her resentment to the most lively transports of 
 tenderness. What has Al-Kuz done for me equal to this?
 
 178 
 
 she cried that moment to herself. He never loved me half 
 so much as Tahar does, or he would not for the sake of a 
 little paltry gain, which he could easily have slighted, have 
 undertaken a voyage from which he is not likely to return 
 for a twelvemonth. It is done then, my dear Tahar ; I will 
 both hve and die for you ; and since you died for me, I 
 sacrifice to you without further scruple all the tenderness I 
 entertained for Al-Kuz, and which he so little merited. Live 
 then, my dear lover, and live for Lira. These protestations 
 of this beautiful person, my lord, were accompanied with 
 caresses so touching that Tahar soon recovered from his fit ; 
 and the extreme surprise he was in, to find himself enclosed 
 in the arms of his mistress, who perfecdy overwhelmed him 
 with the most lively marks of her passion, quickly restored 
 him to his senses. He thought he ought not to neglect an 
 opportunity so favorable to his love, and forgetting his obliga- 
 tions to his friend, and taking advantage of the weakness of 
 his beautiful spouse, he became at length the complete con- 
 queror of her affections. The sacrifice which Lira made of 
 her virtue was attended, however, with some degree of shame 
 and remorse ; but as this was not a time to refuse anything 
 to her lover, those impressions were easily effaced ; his ten- 
 der and respectful behavior was such, that she thought no 
 more of Al-Kuz than if he had never been her husband. 
 
 Entirely given up to their passion, they dallied away 
 nearly a year in the enjoyment of those pleasures, which 
 appeared to them to be always new ; and not content with 
 seeing each other every moment, they must needs express 
 their love by the most passionate letters they could devise. 
 Thus losing their memory, the one of his friend, the other 
 of her spouse, neither of them ever dreamed of his return 
 from Cairo. Al-Kuz, however, little as they expected him, 
 returned to Baghdad, after he had terminated his affairs at 
 Cairo. Though his presence was not very desirable, they 
 received him with open arms and deceived him with their
 
 179 
 
 caresses. His long absence made him fancy that his wife 
 looked more charming than when he parted from her ; not 
 a moment escaped without his bestowing on her some marks 
 of his tender affection, and so far was he from suspecting 
 her fidehty, that he furnished her with frequent opportuni- 
 ties of being alone with Tahar. 
 
 One evening as Lira lay reclining on her sofa, she was 
 seized with a violent headache. To assuage this she wanted 
 to apply a kind of distilled water, which was reckoned an 
 excellent remedy for such disorders ; but being distracted 
 with pain, she gave her husband without a thought the key 
 of a little cabinet, where the bottle was which held this water. 
 Al-Kuz, who tenderly loved his wife, ran to the cabinet, but 
 he had no sooner gone than Tahar was surprised to see his 
 mistress tearing her hair. Ah ! said she, my life, my dear 
 love, we are utterly ruined ! My imprudence will be the 
 future source of our misfortunes. I have been so thought- 
 less as to give my husband the key of my cabinet wherein 
 all the letters lie in which you have expressed the liveliness 
 of your passion. Al-Kuz in his rage will doubtless spare 
 neither his wife nor his friend. Tahar was vexed to the 
 last degree, but being a man of great presence of mind, he 
 ran after Al-Kuz, and the closet door being open he saw 
 him reading one of these letters ; then shutting it softly upon 
 him, he double-locked it and stole away with the key, while 
 Al-Kuz's surprise at the infidelity of his wife and friend was 
 too great to suffer him to attend to the motions of the 
 latter. Tahar went direcdy where the cash was kept, and 
 taking all the gold he could find, fled away with Lira to the 
 first village which offered, where being mounted on two 
 horses, they pursued their journey all night, till they were 
 gotten more than twenty leagues from Baghdad. 
 
 In the mean time Al-Kuz, having read all Tahar's letters, 
 which left him no room to doubt of his misfortune, took a 
 dagger, and would have descended directly to pierce the
 
 i8o 
 
 heart of his wife, but to his great surprise found the door 
 locked upon him. He called to his slaves to come and 
 open the door ; the key was not to be found. Al-Kuz, en- 
 raged at this, ordered it to be broken open, which being 
 done, he ran directly to the hall where he had left his wife, 
 but neither she nor her lover was to be found ; he was in- 
 formed that they had both gone together in great disorder. 
 He went to the place where the cash was kept, and finding 
 his coffers empty he threw himself on the ground, and his 
 cries terrified the boldest of his attendants. None of his 
 slaves durst demand the cause of this fury, but being recov- 
 ered from his first emotions, he sent them about their busi- 
 ness. Whatever may be my unhappiness, said he, let me 
 act with prudence on this delicate occasion, and not expose 
 myself to ridicule. I am, it is true, said he, betrayed by my 
 friend, and my wife is unfaithful ; and this is a sore afflic- 
 tion, I must own. But ought I to bear myself the punish- 
 ment of their guilt? No. Let them groan and die under 
 a sense of their perfidy ; the loss I have felt to-day is not 
 so considerable as wholly to obstruct my future happiness. 
 Then banishing Tahar and Lira suddenly from his mind, he 
 despised them so much that he never once thought it worth 
 while to pursue them ; but leaving them to their destiny, 
 he apphed his mind as usual to his business ; and sought 
 to repair in the embraces of other women the loss he had 
 sustained. 
 
 Six months had now elapsed since the departure of Tahar 
 and Lira, when Al-Kuz was advised of the death of one of 
 his correspondents in the East Indies. As that man was 
 considerably in his debt, and had never settled with him, 
 he was resolved to go thither and settle his accounts with 
 the heirs of the deceased. With a view to this he left his 
 effects in the hands of his nephew, in whom he entirely 
 confided, and embarked at Bassorah, in a vessel which he 
 had loaded with sundry kinds of merchandise. They touched
 
 i8i 
 
 at several isles, where Al-Kuz bartered his goods at an ad« 
 vantageous rate, but especially for diamonds, which he 
 always preserved in a leather purse in his girdle. A sudden 
 storm overtook them at length, and after the ship had for 
 some time borne up against the winds and waves, she un- 
 fortunately foundered. During the tempest Al-Kuz happily 
 laid hold of a plank, and in spite of the winds floated two 
 days and two nights ; at last he was tlirown on an island, 
 which appeared to him to be wholly uninhabited. Being 
 almost dead with hunger, he ate some fruits that grew wild 
 and which were of a delicious taste ; and marching after- 
 wards nine days without meeting with any habitation, he 
 arrived towards the close of the tenth on the banks of a 
 little river, which he crossed by swimming, and descended 
 a charming fine meadow, which led to a noble city called 
 Brava. 
 
 As Al-Kuz made but an indifferent figure in point of 
 dress, and fearing to be insulted, he declined entering 
 the city till night. After he had refreshed himself with the 
 remainder of those fruits he had brought with him, the 
 coolness of his situation invited him to rest ; and as it was 
 a good while since he had enjoyed a comfortable repose, 
 he fell into a profound sleep, out of which he did not wake 
 before the night was far advanced, when he was suddenly 
 awakened. A dreadful fire, which reflected its blaze from 
 a fine house that stood detached from the city, quickly 
 opened the eyes of Al-Kuz. He immediately ran to afford 
 his assistance, and hearing several frightful shrieks from 
 within, took up a great piece of timber which lay before the 
 street door, and having broken it open, and also two others 
 which communicated with the apartments of the women, 
 they were happily rescued from the flames, and saved them- 
 selves without staying to thank their deliverer. After this 
 he penetrated into a Httle closet, whose door he drove in- 
 ward ; here he perceived an old woman half burnt, and a
 
 1 82 
 
 young lady of exquisite beauty, almost naked, but more 
 beautiful than any he had ever seen, fainting away by her- 
 self ; and taking her in his arms he carried her in the con- 
 dition in which she was to the place where he had slept. 
 
 This young woman, whom he imagined the smoke had 
 suffocated, was no sooner restored to the fresh air than she 
 opened her eyes. The day appeared, and she was surprised 
 to find herself in the country ; but being informed by her 
 deliverer how she came there, she beheld him with less re- 
 luctance, and began to consider him as the only person to 
 whom she owed her life. She told him her name was Salle ; 
 that her father, who had been dead three years before, was 
 a rich jeweller, and that she lived with her mother and some 
 slaves in that house which was now burnt. She then ex- 
 pressed great uneasiness about the fate of her mother, and 
 having learned from Al-Kuz that he had seen the body of 
 an elderly woman half consumed in the closet from which 
 he had saved her, she no longer doubted her loss, and 
 abandoned herself to the most lively sorrow. Al-Kuz did 
 everything he was able to console this beautiful person ; 
 he returned with her to her mother's house, which was now 
 entirely reduced to ashes. This mournful spectacle drew 
 a fresh torrent from her eyes, and reduced her to the ut- 
 most misery. Al-Kuz, who began to conceive a violent 
 passion for her, conveyed her from this fatal place, and 
 conducting her into the city of Brava, at once provided 
 new habits both for her and for himself, by the sale of one 
 of his diamonds, and having hired a house ready furnished, 
 he carried her thither ; and in a few days after repaired her 
 losses by buying in her name the house in which she lodged, 
 and presenting her with a young slave. 
 
 The person of Al-Kuz, my lord, was very well made : he 
 had saved the life of Salle, and his conduct to her was such 
 as excited her gratitude. He passed several months with 
 this beautiful creature in the softest and most endearing
 
 delights, and learned with excessive joy from her own lips 
 how deeply her heart was impressed with his tenderness. 
 Never was Al-Kuz in such a happy situation before. The 
 caresses of a mistress are of quite a different nature from 
 those of a wife, and Salle continually bestowed on him such 
 lively marks of her love that he had reason to think he was 
 the most beloved of all men. But though the passion he 
 entertained for this lady was very great, yet as the conduct 
 of Lira had inspired him with a general distrust of the whole 
 sex, he watched the actions of his mistress so narrowly that 
 he thought he beheld her not altogether indifferent to a 
 young man of Brava who passed frequently through her 
 street, and whom she often seemed to regard with more 
 than ordinary attention. Whatever regret he felt, he dis- 
 covered nothing of his suspicions to his mistress ; but one 
 evening this youth, more indiscreet than usual, had placed 
 himself opposite to the door of Salle's house, who, as she 
 was at her window, appeared highly delighted with his ges- 
 tures and manner of expressing his passion. Al-Kuz could 
 not govern his passion ; he descended hastily into the street, 
 and running abruptly to this giddy-headed youth, gave him 
 such a violent blow that he fell to the ground. The youth, 
 astonished at this treatment, got up directly, drew his sabre, 
 and made furiously at Al-Kuz. But he having more strength 
 and address than his antagonist, with two strokes of his sabre 
 put an end to the combat, and left his rival all bathed in 
 his blood. 
 
 The cries which Salle made when she saw the bloody 
 condition of her new lover alarmed all the neighborhood. 
 As there was now no safety for Al-Kuz in Brava he fled 
 directly, and having gained several by-streets, which con- 
 ducted him to one of the city gates, he stopped a little, not 
 knowing what course he should take ; but being informed 
 that the young man whom he had wounded, and perhaps 
 killed, was a person of consequence, he judged it would be
 
 1 84 
 
 very improper to return to the city. He had about him, 
 besides the greater part of his jewels, a purse full of gold. 
 Travelling with these all night and several days afterwards, 
 he arrived at length at Barboa. Here he embarked on the 
 river Quilmanca, which empties itself into the Oriental 
 ocean, and pursued his voyage to the Indies. There he 
 arrived without any accident, and having settled his accounts 
 with the heirs of his correspondent, he made a purchase of 
 pepper, cinnamon, and amber, by which he gained cent, per 
 cent. Afterwards being re-embarked, he returned without 
 any accident to Bassorah, whence he sent by land his mer- 
 chandise to Baghdad ; but stayed at Bassorah for some time 
 to recover from the fatigues of his voyage. 
 
 One evening as he was walking out of the gates of the 
 city he drew near to a mill, and observing the miller's wife 
 to be very pretty he became passionately in love with her. 
 He accosted her without ceremony, and then made her a 
 declaration of his love, accompanied with a very handsome 
 ring, which he put on her finger. He found she was not 
 averse to his wishes. Come here, said she to him, in the 
 evening ; my husband will be absent three or four days, so 
 that we shall pass away the time together very agreeably. 
 In the mean time I will go and prepare something for supper. 
 Al-Kuz returned to his lodgings; he bathed himself and 
 changed his habit, and returned towards sunset to find the 
 miller's handsome wife ; the neatness of her dress was suffi- 
 cient to inspire him with delight, and she received him with 
 the most passionate caresses. In short, my lord, they had 
 dallied away a part of the night, when on a sudden the door 
 of the mill was opened, and they saw a man habited like a 
 merchant enter the chamber. The miller's wife looked at 
 Al-Kuz with great surprise, and turned pale at this sight. 
 She arose to excuse herself to this nevy'-comer, but he an- 
 swered her with a blow, and followed it with several other 
 insults. Al-Kuz, highly provoked with this brutal behavior,
 
 I8S 
 
 seized the man by the collar. As neither of them was armed, 
 they could only scuffle with their fists. But the miller's wife 
 interposing between them, how great was their surprise when 
 they, on surveying each other with a little more attention, 
 found that one was Tahar and the other Al-Kuz ! This 
 latter was in a rage at seeing the former, and calling his 
 treason to mind in that instant, was just going to throw a 
 joint-stool at his head, when Tahar, perceiving it, prostrated 
 himself at the feet of Al-Kuz. My brother, said he to him 
 with great submission, I confess myself guilty of the blackest 
 perfidy. I have merited death for robbing you of the affec- 
 tions of Lira ; but, if you were to know what I have suffered 
 during my absence, and with what remorse 1 have been 
 agitated, you would undoubtedly pardon me a crime which 
 I committed in spite of myself. 
 
 This submission of Tahar, being attended with a flood of 
 tears, wrought greatly with Al-Kuz. As he believed he had 
 entirely forsaken Lira, he threw himself on the neck of his 
 friend. I pardon thee, Tahar, said he, and whatever reason 
 I had to hate thee, it shall never more be said that a woman 
 dissolved so amiable and so long a friendship as ours. But, 
 prithee, now tell me, what has become of Lira ? — Ah ! re- 
 plied Tahar, embracing his friend, I conjure you to inquire 
 no more about a person whose memory perhaps is still dear 
 to you. — No, no, returned Al-Kuz, Lira does not in the 
 least trouble me ; her infidehty has entirely effaced her from 
 my heart, and to convince you of the little regard I have 
 for her memory, let us return with this miller's wife to the 
 table, and, since she is disposed to divide her favors between 
 us, let us both love her without jealousy, and drink to the 
 good health of her husband. The miller's wife soon poured 
 out some drink, and peace being restored, all three returned 
 to the table, and Al-Kuz and Tahar, with glass in hand, 
 swore to maintain an eternal friendship with each other. 
 
 After the wine had a little enlivened their spirits, the
 
 1 86 
 
 miller's wife renewed the conversation. Though Al-Kuz, 
 said she to Tahar, is incurious to know what has become of 
 his wife, or to be informed of what passed between you two, 
 I conjure you to tell me without further delay. As for him, 
 I am persuaded he will hear you without pain ; and I shall 
 consider this recital as an ample satisfaction for the violence 
 you have committed. Tahar, however, hesitated to gratify 
 her request ; but when his friend assured hira that Lira had 
 become so indifferent to him that his passion for her was not 
 only absolutely extinguished, but that he would see that the 
 history of her infidelity would not so much as make a change 
 in his countenance, he proceeded to inform him in the follow- 
 ing terms : — 
 
 I shall, my dear friend, pass lightly over the passion I felt 
 for Lira. The beginning of it had wellnigh been fatal, since 
 it brought me to death's door. I was not master of my des- 
 tiny ; the beautiful Lira triumphed over my resolutions. I 
 would rather have died than have betrayed my friend ; and 
 her imprudence in trusting you with the key of the coffer 
 where all my letters were, obliged me to fly with her, to 
 avoid your just vengeance. Although my mind was often 
 tormented for my perfidious treatment of you, I expected to 
 be very happy with Lira. But, alas ! I had never sufficiently 
 studied the character of this woman. How great soever that 
 passion was which she testified for me, I soon perceived a 
 coquettish air to run through all her actions, and wlierever 
 we went, this foible seemed entirely to possess her whole 
 behavior. I spoke to her about it several times, whenever 
 she vouchsafed to hear me on the subject. At last : Tahar, 
 said she to me, smihng, it is extremely unkind to become 
 jealous. Canst thou doubt of my tenderness, after I have 
 done so much for thee? Go, my dear, set your heart at 
 ease, for I love you only, and do not tease me with your un- 
 just suspicions. These words were so far from being satisfac- 
 tory, that they stung me to the quick ; and yet I bore them
 
 i87 
 
 with patience. After we had passed through several cities, 
 we arrived at length at Visapur. I took a resolution to setde 
 there, and hired a house, handsomely furnished, from a Jew, 
 which stood in a very agreeable quarter, but I did not ob- 
 serve what a dangerous neighbor I had. An amorous hand- 
 some young Hindu lived, it seems, in the next house to mine. 
 I watched both Lira and him for some time without seeing 
 anything suspicious in their behavior ; but unexpectedly, one 
 evening, entering the hall where Lira used to pass the whole 
 day, I was in the utmost surprise to see a man slip behind 
 the hangings of the wall, and endeavor to pass through an 
 opening that communicated with the next house. I ran after 
 the man, and seizing him by the foot, brought him back into 
 the hall, and soon discovered him to be the young Hindu 
 who had given me so much uneasiness. I then seized Lira 
 with my other hand, and after having reproached her for her 
 infidelity in the sharpest terms rage and fury could dictate, I 
 was preparing to punish the affront the young man had 
 offered me, when Lira threw herself betwixt us. Hold, 
 Tahar, said she, in a very haughty tone, restrain yourself a 
 while, and remember that you deserve at least the same chas- 
 tisement. Learn to respect the man I love. What right 
 have you to control my actions? Am I your wife? Am I 
 your slave ? And ought you to hope, in our situation, that 
 I must be more faithful to you than I have been to my hus- 
 band? If you think I love you better than another, you are 
 under a mistake ; my inclinations are not to be forced, and 
 my heart is just now fixed upon this new lover, till I shall 
 think proper to dispose of it in favor of another. 
 
 This assurance of Lira struck me with such astonishment, 
 that I remained some time motionless • and the young Hindu, 
 taking advantage of this, escaped through the hole in the 
 wall, and before I could speak a word, closed the breach 
 with some planks. Recovering my speech at last : Lira, 
 said I to her, very calmly, I did not suspect your bosom en*
 
 188 
 
 closed a heart so black ; but since you have thought propel 
 to take off the mask, let us break off all further correspond- 
 ence. Let us divide the rest of the money, and separate for- 
 ever. Lira received this proposal with joy. I had still nearly 
 seven thousand dinars left. I gave her one half, and quitted 
 her without regret. I departed from Visapur fully con- 
 vinced of the infidelity of all women, and with a resolution to 
 despise them. I then embarked at the first seaport, pursued 
 a voyage to Arabia, and arrived at Brava, where, as soon as 
 I landed I went to a tailor's shop to be provided with some 
 new clothes. I bargained with him for a complete suit, and 
 after I had paid him, I was going from thence, but on my 
 way I observed, on the other side of the street, two women 
 in veils, sitting on a stone bench ; one of them appeared to 
 be in a swoon, and the other endeavoring to recover her. I 
 at once offered my services, which were accepted. Taking 
 the sick lady under my arm, I conducted her, with the help 
 of her slave, to her own home. We entered a little house 
 very well furnished, which by its appearance seemed to be- 
 long to some private person. We laid the lady on a sofa, 
 and her slave lifting up her veil for the sake of air, how was 
 I ravished, my dear Al-Kuz, at seeing one of the most beau- 
 tiful persons in the universe ! Dazzled by this charming 
 object, all my resolutions vanished in a moment. I fell 
 deeply in love with this young beauty, and heartily sympa- 
 thizing with her offered her everything in my power. Sir, 
 replied the charming creature, with her eyes bathed in tears, 
 I have just lost the man who was going to complete my hap- 
 piness by a union with me, if a brute in my presence had 
 not put an end to his life. We were to have been married 
 to-morrow ; and my lover, according to custom, was coming 
 to visit me about the time of evening prayer, when a per-' 
 fidious Mohammedan, who waited for him at the corner of a 
 neighboring street, gave him two blows with his sabre, which 
 laid him dead at his feet. At my cries tiie villain fled. I
 
 1 89 
 
 descended hastily into the street, and saw as they were carry- 
 ing him home bathed in his blood, that the angel of death 
 had seized his soul. Behold, sir, the real cause of my grief 1 
 The young lady, then renewing her tears, discovered a despair 
 so violent, that I began to apprehend her life was in danger. 
 I never left her ; and when she was put to bed, stayed by 
 her with her slave all night to comfort her. The next day 
 she appeared more composed ; and having thanked me for 
 the care I had taken, she fixed her eyes steadfastly on me, 
 and burst forth into a fresh torrent of tears. I was surprised 
 at this new affliction, and upon demanding the cause very 
 respectfully : Ah ! sir, said she, sobbing as she spoke, the 
 more I look upon you, the more I see my sorrows aug- 
 mented. The features of your face bear such a lively resem- 
 blance to those of my lover that I cannot behold you without 
 being softened for the irreparable loss I have sustained. 
 From this similitude of features, continued Tahar, I took 
 care to insinuate myself so far into her affections that she 
 began to forget the death of her former lover. 
 
 Whatever prudence the example of Lira had inspired me 
 with, I believed I should now be the happiest of men if I 
 could espouse a lady whose heart appeared so well formed. 
 This resemblance of features, which I mentioned, did my 
 business effectually ; and in fine, I was so favorably attended 
 to, that I became the spouse of this beautiful creature, with- 
 out having sighed for her more than eight days. Never did 
 I taste such perfect pleasure as I enjoyed with my new 
 spouse ; and to add, if possible, to my happiness, she told 
 me some days after our marriage that she was with child. 
 This news redoubled the ardor of my passion, and she 
 appeared so superior in wit and beauty to all other women, 
 that I was forever bestowing on her fresh marks of tender- 
 ness. But though my wife made very affectionate returns, I 
 found that all my caresses could not entirely dissipate a mel- 
 ancholy which hung on her spirits. As I imputed this to the
 
 190 
 
 loss of her former lover, I took no notice of it ; but it was 
 not long before I discovered the true cause. 
 
 Returning ^home one evening, about three months and a 
 half after we were married, my wife, who had some days 
 before been slightly indisposed on account of her pregnancy, 
 complained of a violent colic. I did not perceive that my 
 presence embarrassed her ; on the contrary, such was my 
 tenderness, that when she desired me to retire into another 
 chamber, I would not quit her for a moment. But, my- 
 dear brother, how was I surprised, when in the midst of 
 her pains, I perceived she was delivered of a girl ! I became 
 more cold than marble. O heavens ! I cried, after I had 
 recovered a little from my astonishment, am I then to be be- 
 trayed by every woman I love ! Perfidious Salle, continued 
 I, addressing myself to her — How! interrupted Al-Kuz, 
 was your wife named Salle? — Yes, my dear friend, returned 
 Tahar. — And did she not live in the Banker's street, oppo- 
 site a lemon-merchant, in a little low house ? — Right, re- 
 plied Tahar, and this house her lover, she said, who was 
 killed the very evening I arrived at Brava, had given her 
 ready furnished. At this, my lord, continued Ibn Aridun, 
 Al-Kuz laughed so heartily that he fell backwards, and re- 
 mained so long in that posture that Tahar and the miller's 
 wife were surprised to the last degree. What is there in 
 all this to be laughed at? replied Tahar; I do not say, 
 indeed, you ought to be afflicted — What, my dear brother, 
 interrupted Al-Kuz, laughing more heartily than before, was 
 this woman, who mourned the loss of her lover so tenderly, 
 and whom you afterwards married, and who in three months 
 and a half was so happily delivered in your arms, the very 
 Salle that lived in the Banker's street? Oh ! my dear friend, 
 a history so singular as this deserves to be transmitted down 
 to posterity. You must understand, my poor Tahar, that 
 this little girl, which thy wife would have fathered upon 
 thee, was of my begetting. Salle, without being my wife,
 
 T9I 
 
 gratified my warmest wishes, after I had rescued her from 
 a fire which had consumed her own house ; and it was I 
 who furnished her witli thai she occupied at Bra\'a. A new 
 lover having engaged her, I was so transported with jealousy, 
 that with two blows of my sabre I mortally wounded him. 
 This obliged me to provide for my own safety, and to leave 
 Salle, who had been pregnant above four months and a 
 half. 
 
 An adventure so singularly rare surprised Tahar, He 
 then recalled to his mind that of Lira. Now we are even 
 with each other, cried he, laughing with all his might. — 
 Yes, my dear friend, replied Al-Kuz, embracing him, there 
 is no room left for reproach, since our revenge has become 
 mutual. — It is beyond comparison, said the miller's wife, 
 and you see, instead of being offended, this accident alone 
 has amply revenged you of your rival. — I assure you, re- 
 turned Al-Kuz, the characters of these women are so extra- 
 ordinary, that they have almost destroyed our tenderness 
 for them ; and this double trial of them may make us wise 
 for the future. Let us henceforth fly all such engagements 
 with the sex. Let us put upon a footing with ourselves 
 those sots, who securely repose on the deceitful caresses of 
 their wives ; and, among that number, let us begin to place 
 the husband of this charming creature. The two friends, 
 after they had embraced this new proposal, swore never to 
 quit each other. Tahar then continued his history, and 
 informed them that such was his vexation at having been 
 so cruelly deceived by his wife, that he left her immediately, 
 without taking his leave ; and being resolved to forsake 
 Brava, he embarked for Bassorah, and arrived there about 
 a month ago, during which time he had carried on a tender 
 engagement with the miller's wife, without being aware that 
 it would end in his being reconciled to Al-Kuz. 
 
 Al-Kuz and Tahar, after making themselves very merry 
 with their adventures, upon all which the miller's wife
 
 192 
 
 heartily rallied them, had disposed themselves to pass the 
 rest of the night very agreeably, when the miller, who had 
 finished his affairs sooner than he expected, arrived very 
 abruptly at the mill. Great was the astonishment of all 
 parties ; and the miller, who saw how well the table was 
 spread, little expected to find his wife in such good com- 
 pany. But she informed him that these two gentlemen, 
 being overtaken with a shower of rain, had desired shelter 
 in the mill, which she thought it would be uncivil to refuse ; 
 and that, the rain continuing ever since, she had given them 
 a collation. He seemed satisfied with this excuse, though 
 he was inconceivably enraged. He had before now sus- 
 pected the fidelity of his wife, but as the proofs were not 
 very strong, he had dissembled his resentment. Having 
 sent for fresh wine, he sat down at the table with his guests, 
 who made him drink as long as he was able to. 
 
 It being now too late for Tahar and Al-Kuz to return to 
 Bassorah, when they got up from table the miller conducted 
 them to a chamber, in which was a pretty good bed, where 
 they reposed themselves, waiting for the return of day. The 
 miller then went to his own bed, and was just going to he 
 down by the side of his wife, when he observed she was 
 buried in a profound sleep. As a thirst for vengeance en- 
 tirely occupied his mind, he went down into the stable, took 
 the halter off his mule, and slipping it round his wife's neck, 
 was on the point of strangling her, when happily for her she 
 awakened in the very moment he was beginning to execute 
 his cruel design, and artfully slipping her hand between the 
 halter and her neck, without making the least noise, she 
 affected to be as stiff as a person deprived of breath, and 
 made the miller, who was all this while in the dark, believe 
 she was quite dead ; he being afraid of being punished, 
 stayed no longer in the mill, but mounting his mule forth- " 
 with, fled as fast as possible from Bassorah- The miller's 
 wife no sooner perceived her husband had left the mill, than
 
 193 
 
 she arose in a very trembling condition, and locked the 
 doors after him ; she lighted her lamp, and went to awaken 
 her two guests, who had fallen into a sweet sleep. She 
 acquainted them with the danger she had undergone, and 
 then showed them her neck, on which were impressed the 
 marks of her husband's cruelty. 
 
 Tahar and Al-Kuz were surprised at this resolution of the 
 miller's. If every loose woman were to be punished thus, 
 said Al-Kuz, whispering to his friend, we should never find 
 halters enough. But, my dear friend, continued he, raising 
 his voice, let us leave the mill directly ; the miller will un- 
 doubtedly accuse us of the murder of his wife, and though 
 she can readily confute him, it is best for us not to be in- 
 volved in such an affair. — That is right, replied Tahar; 
 but must we leave behind the miller's beautiful wife ? — ■ 
 No, no, said she, I will follow you wherever you go, pro- 
 vided you can accommodate me with the habit of a man. — 
 This may easily be done, continued Tahar, and as we are 
 pretty near of a size, if you will come to my lodgings in 
 Bassorah, we shall find a complete suit. This resolution 
 being taken, the miller's wife stript the mill of everything 
 they could conveniently carry away, and set out with her 
 lovers as soon as it was light to Tahar's lodgings, where the 
 lady being disguised, they passed several days with great 
 pleasure. 
 
 Al-Kuz and Tahar shared together, without jealousy, their 
 good fortune. But Al-Kuz, who had sent his merchandise 
 to Baghdad, fearing a further delay would retard the sale, 
 and diminish the price of his wares, proposed to Tahar to 
 take their route to that city. The miller's wife followed them 
 thither, and as they travelled but slowly, it was nearly ten 
 days before they arrived at the end of their journey, which 
 happened to be in the evening, just as the gates of the city 
 were going to be locked. This obhged them to take up 
 their lodging in the suburbs ; but as they were going to the 
 
 13
 
 194 
 
 first caravanserai that offered, they were overtaken by a 
 violent shower of rain, and leaving their horses to the care 
 of a slave they had bought at Bassorah, they ran to seek a 
 retreat, and leaned back against a little door, over which 
 there was a kind of pent-house. The rain, being no more 
 than a sudden shower, was soon over ; but as our three 
 adventurers, who waited till it was fair, that they might go 
 and seek a lodging, were thus supporting themselves against 
 the door, which probably was not well hung, the weight of 
 their bodies forced it off the hinges, and all three tumbled 
 backwards on the ground. The noise occasioned by the 
 falling in of the door with our three travellers, together with 
 their loud laughing at this accident, alarmed three persons 
 who lay on one bed in a lower apartment, and who de- 
 manded in very high tones why they disturbed their repose. 
 The two friends and the miller's wife approached the bed to 
 see who spoke to them. They perceived by the light of the 
 moon, which now shone full upon the bed, a porter lying 
 between two handsome women, who, as well as the porter, 
 immediately hid their faces under the covering. Al-Kuz 
 and Tahar renewed their laughter at an adventure so uncom- 
 mon as this. Their curiosity being excited, they forced off 
 the covering ; but how unutterable was their astonishment, 
 when these two women were known to be Salle and Lira! 
 Perfidious, infamous wretches ! cried the two friends at once, 
 do you carry your debaucheries to such a length, as to take 
 up with a rascally porter? Then, drawing their sabres, they 
 were going to sacrifice their wives and the porter to their 
 just revenge, when the miller's wife, hastily rushing between 
 them, cried out : Ah ! gentlemen, suspend your rage a little, 
 and look well at the features of that man, whom a double 
 amazement has thrown into a swoon. I will then give you~ 
 no further interruption, if you think well to follow the first 
 amotions of your blind resentment. 
 
 Al-Kuz and Tahar had so much complaisance for their
 
 195 
 
 mistress as to govern their rage, till they had examined the 
 porter ; and having discovered who he was, in spite of the 
 paleness of his face, they were now both ready to die with 
 laughter. They threw down their sabres, and redoubled 
 their laughter to such a degree, that their wives were con- 
 vinced their lives were out of present danger. And taking 
 advantage of this sudden change of humor in their husbands, 
 of which they knew not the cause, they threw themselves 
 from off the bottom of the bed, and prostrating themselves 
 at their feet, implored, in a trembling manner, a pardon for 
 all their crimes. But the porter had no sooner opened his 
 eyes, and turned them towards his disguised wife, than he 
 closed them again, believing without all doubt that the devil 
 had come to carry him away. Sirs, said she, laughing with 
 all her might at the porter's imagination, I no longer hinder 
 you from following your first resolutions : I leave you to 
 consider whether in justice you ought not be revenged on 
 this man. — No, no, replied AI-Kuz, talk no more of re- 
 venge ; on the contrary, this is a pleasant adventure. Be- 
 hold ! we are all three upon a level, and since the miller 
 (for it was no other than himself) has lain between our wives, 
 we have no more grounds of complaint against him than he 
 can have against us ; it is but just to admit him into our 
 friendship, and we will share our fortunes together, as we 
 have done our wives. The presence of Lira, unfaithful as 
 she has been, has revived the remainder of a love, not wholly 
 extinguished in the heart of her husband. I go, said he to 
 Tahar and to the miller, who by this time had come to him- 
 self, I go to set the first example of perfect reconciliation. 
 Then raising his wife, whose confusion had made her speech- 
 less, he embraced her tenderly. Lira, said he, I forget all 
 that is past, and will not even be informed of your conduct 
 since your infidelity, lest it should renew that wound, of 
 which I would not have the least mark remain. I desire my 
 two companions to do the same ; and I do not doubt but 
 
 )
 
 196 
 
 that they, from my example, will sincerely pardon their wives. 
 Tahar and the miller, without opposing Al-Kuz, tenderly 
 embraced their wives, and were perfectly reconciled to them. 
 After several mutual and lively caresses, these three extraor- 
 dinary couples could not look upon themselves without 
 recalling everything that had passed between them ; a thous- 
 and circumstances of their adventures, each more pleasant 
 than the other, which passed through their minds, afforded 
 them excessive matter of mirth. 
 
 The Caliph Harun al-Rashid, pursued Ibn Aridun, whom 
 I had the honor to mention to your Majesty, frequently used 
 to walk out in the night disguised, with his first wazir Ja'afar, 
 and Masrur the chief of the eunuchs. He passed by just at 
 the time that this singular adventure was transacted ; and 
 the loud laughing exciting his curiosity, he entered the house 
 (which was wide open) without ceremony, and civilly saluted 
 the four men, for the miller's wife by her dress still appeared 
 to be one. Gentlemen, said he, as your mirth seems to be 
 grounded on something extraordinary, pardon my rudeness 
 if in entering without your permission, I desire to share a 
 part of your pleasure. I love dearly to laugh, and you can- 
 not oblige me more than by acquainting me with the object 
 of your mirth. Al-Kuz and Tahar turned their eyes directly 
 to their wives, and perceiving that both blushed, and that 
 the request was not agreeable to them, they desired the 
 Caliph, in handsome terms, to excuse them the recital of an 
 adventure which it was their interest to conceal. The Ca- 
 liph, my lord, pressed them no further ; but as this place was 
 very incommodious to pass the night in, he offered them one 
 more agi-eeable, which stood at a little distance. They ac- 
 cepted his kind invitation, and following him to the walls of 
 the city, he led them through a subterranean passage into it, 
 and conducted them to a little house, very decently fur- 
 nished. A handsome collation was instantly served up, with 
 some excellent Greek wine, of which he made them drink
 
 197 
 
 heartily ; and when the Caliph perceived it began to operate, 
 he again desired them to acquaint him with the cause of 
 their extraordinary laughter. Al-Kuz and Tahar would fain 
 have concealed their adventures from this generous man ; 
 but as the miller threatened to publish his in spite of their 
 opposition, AI-Kuz informed the Caliph of everything I had 
 the honor to relate of these six married persons. Hariin al- 
 Rashi'd, who had never heard a history so singularly interest- 
 ing as this, thanked his guests for their complaisance ; and 
 in order to further his pleasure at their expense, he caused 
 them to replenish their glasses, into each of which he com- 
 manded Ja'afar to infuse a certain kind of powder, which 
 had the virtue of laying them asleep for twelve hours, not 
 sparing even the wazir himself, nor Masrur ; and, having 
 ingeniously given each his dose, they presently fell asleep. 
 The Caliph then called up two mutes, and ordered them to 
 lay these eight persons on a chariot which had been brought 
 there by his orders, and then conducted them two leagues 
 from Baghdad, to a very fine house on the banks of the 
 Tigris, which belonged to the surveyor-general of his build- 
 ings. Here he caused the three men and their wives to be 
 stript naked in his presence, and, having put on them fresh 
 linen and fine drawers, he commanded them to be put, two 
 and two, into three beds, which were fitted up under one 
 alcove. After this, he painted the grand wazir all black with 
 his own hands, and causing him to be clothed like a slave, 
 and Masrur like a woman, he placed them on a Persian car- 
 pet, near the men and their wives ; the Caliph then hid him- 
 self behind a curtain, and waited impatiently for the time 
 when they should all awake. These eight persons recovered 
 from their stupefaction almost at the same time, but espe- 
 cially Al-Kuz, Tahar, the miller, and their three wives. 
 They were amazed to find themselves in bed, in a place to 
 which they were utter strangers, and to see likewi-,^ the rich 
 embroidered robes which seemed to be designed for their
 
 198 
 
 use. They considered all this as a dream, with silence and 
 astonishment, when the wazir, seeing the chief of the eu- 
 nuchs in a woman's dress, burst out laughing. Good-mor- 
 row, my pretty brunette, cried he, how have you slept 
 to-night? The eunuch, having observed his garb, was for 
 some moments perfectly confounded, but as soon as he had 
 taken a strict survey of the wazir he laughed as loudly on 
 seeing how black he was painted. Good-morrow, handsome 
 black, replied he, merrily, one may see by the freshness of 
 your countenance that you have had a sound sleep. 
 
 This answer surprised the wazir, who examining his hands 
 and his slave's dress, mused some time upon this pleasant 
 adventure, and not being able to recollect anything of the 
 room he was in, was at a loss to comprehend the meaning 
 of his own and of the eunuch's disguise ; but, remembering 
 the three men and their wives to be present, he immediately 
 determined how to act. This is doubtless, said he to him- 
 self, some new frolic which the Commander of the Faithful 
 has contrived to please his fancy ; we will humor the jest, 
 and endeavor to make him merry with the scene we are to 
 act. Then embracing Masrur in a jocose manner: My 
 lovely companion and light of my eyes, said he, let us fol- 
 low the example of these happy married folk ; I promise to 
 restore you my affection, if you will be more faithful here- 
 after ; but if ever I surprise you with the handsome Zamtud^ 
 who was with you yesterday, I swear I will either stab or 
 poison you in revenge of your perfidy. The chief of the 
 eunuchs, amazed at this behavior of the wazir, and looking 
 steadily at him: Are you mad, Ja'afar? said he. Have 
 you forgotten who you are ? — No, my dear Zulicah, replied 
 Ja'afar, I remember perfectly that I am Chapur, your faith- 
 ful spouse ; why do you pretend not to know me ? Have 
 you forgotten since yesterday the goodness of our master 
 Sa'ad, who reconciled us together? And did you not prom- 
 ise him never to see your spark Zaratud again? And do
 
 199 
 
 not you remember to have heard the history of these gentle 
 husbands, whom he engaged to come and live with him, and 
 from whose example I am induced sincerely to pardon your 
 past behavior, on condition that you are more faithful for 
 the time to come ? 
 
 The more seriously the wazir talked, the more Masrur 
 believed him to be out of his wits, and yet neither could 
 account for this strange metamorphosis. What senseless dis- 
 course is this, my dear friend? replied the eunuch. Compose 
 yourself, and remember that I am Masrur, the chief of the 
 eunuchs of the sovereign Commander of the Faithful, to 
 whom you are the grand wazir ; cease then this pleasantry, 
 and suppress — You mistake, interrupted Ja'afar ; you are 
 mad to think so ridiculously ; I wish you would come to 
 yourself; but the wine you drank yesterday has confounded 
 your ideas. Remember that we are no more than the poor 
 slaves of Sa'ad, who is certainly the best master in all Bagh- 
 dad. Ja'afar, on pronouncing these last words, was going 
 to embrace Masrur a second time ; but this last, rudely re- 
 pulsing him, cried out : You are mad yourself; and I appeal 
 to these good people whether we had not yesterday tlie 
 honor to accompany the Caliph in his nocturnal ramble ? 
 Did not we go with him into a house in the suburbs of this 
 city, being led by the extraordinary laughter of this com- 
 pany? Did not we engage them to pass the niglit in a 
 house close to the palace, where we had an excellent col- 
 lation, and where they entertained us with their adventures, 
 which were very extraordinary ? Did not we infuse into 
 their wine a powder, which laid them instantly asleep? 
 What! am I now dreaming? And are you not distracted. 
 or is not your mind at least disturbed with the fumes of 
 the wine, of which you yesterday drank too plentifully? 
 Al-Kuz, Tahar, the miller, and their wives, my lord, who 
 listened in profound silence, were in the utmost astonish- 
 ment to hear this dispute between the wazir and the eunuch.
 
 200 
 
 They were not unacquainted with the frequent and comical 
 adventures of the Caliph : but Ja'afar and Masrur were so 
 perfectly disguised that they imagined them to be the two 
 slaves who had attended him whom Masrur said was the 
 Caliph. 
 
 In the mean time, Hariin al-Rashid, who was concealed 
 behind the curtain, beheld with infinite pleasure all that 
 passed between these eight persons. He could scarcely 
 forbear laughing to see the chief of the eunuchs torment 
 himself on account of the obstinacy with which Ja'afar in- 
 sisted that he was his wife. I am not, said the eunuch 
 again, your dear Zulicah, neither is Zamtud my spark, nor 
 do I believe there are in all Baghdad any such persons. 
 You are certainly still drunk. If you are not, I cannot tell 
 what pleasure you can take in wearying my patience ; and 
 though I cannot devise how we came by these clothes, yet 
 I am sure my name is Masrur, and that I am the chief 
 eunuch to the Commander of the Faithful ; and in spite 
 of that sooty complexion, the features of your face declare 
 you to be no other than Ja'afar, the grand wazir. It is 
 true, I am not able to comprehend how we and these three 
 couples were transported to this strange place, yet in spite 
 of these delusions, which can never alter our state, I shall 
 always be Masrur, and you will never cease to be Ja'afar. 
 
 Though Al-Kuz, Tahar, and the rest, bore no part in this 
 conversation, yet they were thoroughly provoked at the 
 obstinacy of the eunuch, who could not be brought to ac- 
 knowledge Ja'afar for his husband. This last, who played 
 his part to perfection, at length pretended to fall into a 
 furious passion with Masrur, He had already cuffed him 
 with his fists, which the other bore very gravely, when the 
 Caliph, who was clothed like a merchant, and had hitherto 
 restrained his laughter, entered the chamber where this 
 merry scene was exhibited. Zulicah, said he to the chief 
 ^eunuch very gravely, v/hy does your husband still retain
 
 20I 
 
 these marks of resentment? Did not you both promise 
 me yesterday to live in perfect union? Are all your prom- 
 ises come to this ? Some fresh subject of jealousy, occa- 
 sioned, I suppose, by the handsome Zamtud, has authorized 
 Chapur to treat you in this sharp manner. 
 
 The sudden appearance of the Caliph, the discourse he 
 held with Masrur, and the name Zulicah which he had given 
 him, so disconcerted the eunuch, that he was at first struck 
 dumb ; but on recovering from his surprise, he quickly per- 
 ceived the Caliph had diverted himself at his expense, and 
 that Ja'afar had acted the wisest part. He then burst out 
 laughing : My lord, said he to the Commander of the Faith- 
 ful, prostrating himself at his feet, I am clearly convinced 
 Ja'afar has a hundred times more wit than I have ; but I 
 esteem myself happy, if through my foolishness your Majesty 
 has for a few moments been agreeably entertained. — I 
 should have been very sorry, my dear Masrur, replied the 
 Caliph, if you had discovered the same presence of mind 
 as Ja'afar has done, as it would have deprived me of an 
 infinite pleasure. But now as we have taken off the mask, 
 I should be glad to know how Al-Kuz, Tahar, the miller, 
 and their wives, relished your dispute. — Sovereign Com- 
 mander of the Faithful, replied Al-Kuz, for decency would 
 not permit him to prostrate himself with the rest before the 
 Caliph, as he was in bed : the magnificence of this apart- 
 ment, and the splendor of the robes lying on these sofas, 
 induced us to regard the dispute between Ja'afar and Mas- 
 rur only as a dream arising from the intoxicating fumes of 
 the wine. Nay, I am not yet sure, while I have the honor 
 of speaking to your Majesty, whether we are awake, so won- 
 derful and so supernatural does the whole transaction appear. 
 The Caliph laughed at this thought of Al-Kuz. No, no, 
 said he, you are all wide awake ; but rise and let each of 
 you put on those robes which I designed you as a reward 
 for reciting your pleasant adventures, and when you are
 
 202 
 
 disposed to depart, you will find a chariot ready to carry 
 you home. 
 
 Hariin al-Rashid, my lord, then retired with Ja'afar and 
 Masrur into another chamber, where the wazir cleaned him- 
 self, and all three changed their habits. In the mean while 
 the six married people dressed themselves with those mag- 
 nificent robes the Caliph had appointed for them, and after 
 having demanded and easily obtained leave, they thanked 
 the Caliph for his generosity, and were conveyed to their 
 habitations. But I am ignorant, my lord, whether Lira, 
 Salle, and the miller's wife, were afterwards as faithful to 
 their husbands as they had promised. 
 
 A history so singular as this, which Ibn-Aridun had re- 
 hearsed to Shams al-Din, wonderfully delighted him ; and 
 afflicted as this unhappy prince was, he could not forbear 
 laughing several times at the comical adventures it con- 
 tained. My dear wazir, said he to the son of Abu Bakr, 
 if the loss I have sustained in my dear Zabd al-Katon could be 
 erased from my mind, you doubtless would be able to banish 
 it from my memory ; but as I well know this cannot be 
 effected by human art, I submit myself to the supreme 
 disposal of the Almighty. The only request I daily make is, 
 that you at least may survive to entertain me till the great 
 Prophet shall be pleased to present me before the throne 
 of his divine Majesty. — Ah ! my lord, replied Ibn Aridun, 
 tenderly embracing his feet, why is this goodness extended 
 to such a slave as I am? And why am I not permitted 
 to lay down my life, that I may render my sovereign per- 
 fectly happy? Yes, I swear, by the six drops of sweat of 
 Mohammed, which produced the rose and rice, that I am 
 ready to sacrifice my heart for your Majesty. But, my lord, 
 we should not despair, for if we ought to give any credit to 
 a dream, that which I had last night would incline me to 
 think your misfortunes may be relieved. — And what hast
 
 203 
 
 thou dreamt last night? returned the king, very eagerly. — 
 I dreamed, my lord, replied he, that I was in a deep sleep, 
 when a great wind opened my chamber window, at the noise 
 of which I was suddenly awakened, and to my astonishment, 
 beheld at my bolster the Al-Borak^ of our great Prophet, 
 who bestowed on me a thousand caresses. Inspired with- 
 out doubt in that moment, I arose and purified myself, and 
 having offered my devotions, I mounted this divine animal, 
 who transported me through the air with incredible swift- 
 ness, till at length I arrived at Sarandib, where the first 
 person I saw was my father. I hastily got off the beast, 
 which I fastened to a tree. Abu Bakr took me by the arm 
 and conducted me to a Mosque, whose door spontaneously 
 closed upon us. Adore, said he, the messenger of Allah, 
 and he prostrated himself. I immediately threw myself with 
 my face to the earth. There is no God but God, I cried, 
 and Mohammed is his Prophet. Scarcely, my lord, had 
 I finished a prayer so usual with us, when Mohammed ap- 
 peared from a shining cloud ; he led a lady in his hand, 
 who appeared to me far superior in beauty to all the women 
 I had ever seen. Happy Shams al-Din ! said he, for thy 
 destiny is worthy of envy ; thou shalt recover a wife whose 
 merits are equal to one of my houris. Were I to return to 
 the earth, my utmost desires would be bounded by the 
 possession of a beauty like hers ; then putting her into 
 the hands of Abu Bakr, darkness instantly concealed the 
 Prophet from mine eyes ; and finding myself insensibly 
 remounted on the Al-Borak I flew with the same velocity 
 as before, and re-entered my chamber. I went to bed 
 again, and slept till morning, when the hour of prayer 
 awakened me ; but I was so fatigued that if I had really 
 
 1 The .\l-Borak is an animal less than a mule, and bigger than an ass ; 
 it partakes of the nature of both those animals, and the Mohamme- 
 dans believe it was sent by Allah to carry their great Prophet into 
 heaven.
 
 204 
 
 undergone the journey to Sarandib in so short a time, I 
 believe I should not have been more weary. This, my lord, 
 was my dream, and I wish it may portend a happy issue to 
 your misfortunes. — Ah ! my dear Ibn Aridun, replied the 
 king in a sorrowful tone, even should the return of thy 
 father restore me to my sight, I must yet be miserable, since 
 my dear Zabd al-Katon is irrevocably lost ; but as I prom- 
 ised Abu Bakr, in the moment of our separation, to sub- 
 scribe without reluctance to the decrees of my destiny, I 
 will banish from my breast an idea so frightfully afflicting 
 as this ; though I cannot but observe, that if Mohammed 
 had pleased, he might long ago have ended my distress by 
 depriving me of a miserable life ; but then my sorrows would 
 not have been so agreeably beguiled with thy entertaining 
 histories. Pursue, my dear friend, pursue thy career, and 
 remove the melancholy remembrance that overwhelms me, 
 with some fresh narration. — Yes, my lord, repHed Ibn 
 Aridun, who had much ado to restrain shedding tears for 
 the misfortune of his sovereign ; is your Majesty then dis- 
 posed to hear the adventures of Faruk, the corsair? — Very 
 willingly, returned the monarch ; I am interested in the 
 destiny of that unfortunate prince, and if I rightly remem- 
 ber, he assumed that title himself. — It is true, my lord, 
 replied the young wazir, and you will perceive his life to be 
 a complication of evils ; and I shall not only rehearse his 
 history from the time when he was separated from the prin- 
 cess Gulguli-Chamami, but also everything recorded of him 
 by an ancient Arabian author, who wrote a history of the 
 princes who reigned in the Isles of Divanduru. 
 
 STORY OF FARUK 
 
 On Mount Caucasus there formerly stood a little city 
 called Gur, from the multitude of wild asses which inhabited
 
 205 
 
 a neighboring forest. The king of this country had four 
 sons, by as many different sultanas, all born in one day. 
 The first was called Suffrak, the second Kobad, the third 
 Bzarmahar, and the fourth Faruk. As this monarch treated 
 his four sons with equal indulgence, it was impossilile for 
 them to judge who should be his successor ; but if any one 
 deserved to fill the throne preferably to the rest, it was un- 
 doubtedly Faruk ; in him were united all the eminent quali- 
 ties necessary to form the character of a great prince. He 
 had scarcely attained his twelfth year, when by rivalling his 
 brothers in every manly and military exercise, he attracted 
 the daily applauses of the people of Gur, and your Majesty 
 may well suppose these encomiums penetrated like poisoned 
 arrows into the hearts of Faruk's three brothers. 
 
 Faruk frequently talked v/ith his brothers of the difficulty 
 that would arise about the succession to the kingdom. As 
 there can but one of us ascend the throne, said Faruk, what 
 will become of the other three? I perceive, if either of 
 them cherish the least spark of ambition, his situation will be 
 pitiable indeed. Let us then, replied Suffrak, prevent this 
 disappointment in good lime ; there is the illustrious Zayfa- 
 din ; by his sage counsels it seems as if the sun and stars 
 were taught to regulate their course ; his admirable skill in 
 astrology is so extensive that his mouth is the treasury of the 
 sublime sciences. Let us go and consult him on our duty, 
 but under such a disguise as his art only can detect ; and 
 since we firmly believe his predictions to be ratified by 
 Heaven, we will each of us take a solemn oath to abide by 
 his decision ; then without murmuring, let those who are 
 excluded the throne depart hence, and by their valor pro- 
 cure other kingdoms. This resolution being unanimously 
 adopted, the four brothers disguised themselves, and set out 
 on their journey without any retinue, and in a few days 
 arrived on the summit of Mount Caucasus, where Zayfadin 
 made his abode.
 
 206 
 
 This admirable person was at his devotions when they 
 knocked at his door ; as he did not interrupt himself to let 
 them in, they knocked again. Princes, cried he, without 
 stirring, wait a little ; he whose hand turns the celestial 
 spheres ought to be preferred to all mortals : I will attend to 
 you in an instant. The princes of Gur were struck with 
 admiration to hear that Zayfadin, before he had seen their 
 faces, was apprised of their dignity. They waited very 
 respectfully till he had finished his devotions, and then the 
 door was opened ; but how was their astonishment increased, 
 when he called each of them by his name, and recounted 
 the object of their journey ! It is easy, my lords, said he, to 
 gratify your curiosity, but it is almost always dangerous to 
 pry too narrowly into future events, and you will not be 
 contented with my answer ; forasmuch as I foresee that he 
 who is to succeed the king, his father, shall not only risk his 
 life in returning home to Gur, but his own brothers will one 
 day become his most inveterate enemies. This reply, one 
 would have thought, was sufficient to terrify the young 
 princes, and indeed Faruk advised them not to carry their 
 curiosity further ; but his brothers, who contemned his wise 
 counsel, pressed the astrologer to gratify them about what 
 they so passionately wished to know. 
 
 Since you are not to be deterred from your designs, said 
 the sublime Zayfadin, descend the mountain by that narrow 
 path, and towards the close of the day you will find a woman, 
 who shall inform you which of you four is destined to wear 
 the diadem of Gur. The princes obeyed, and following the 
 astrologer's directions, arrived in the evening at a little plain, 
 surrounded with mountains from the midst of which arose a 
 thick smoke out of a pit, not much broader than the mouth. 
 of a well. The woman was sitting on a great stone on one 
 side of the pit. This is she, said the brothers, from whom 
 we are to learn our destiny. They approached the sorceress, 
 and having acquainted iier with the object of their visit, she
 
 207 
 
 ordered them to take off their sandals, and throw them, Oiie 
 after another, into ihe pit. Suffrak had no sooner obeyed, 
 than their ears were assaulted with a dreadful noise, and his 
 sandals being thrown up with impetuosity, they fell at his 
 feet all blackened with smoke, and half burnt. Kobad and 
 Bzarmahar were repulsed in like manner ; but Faruk's treat- 
 ment was quite different ; the noise ceased, the smoke van- 
 ished for a little, and his sandals were cast up without being 
 in the least injured. It is you then, my lord, said the old 
 woman, who are destined to be one day king of Gur ; since 
 here are the certain marks by which Zayfadin, who foresaw 
 your arrival, assured me I should know you. Take, then, 
 your sandals, my lord, and continue your way. — If the heart 
 of Faruk was secretly elated with this prediction, his brothers' 
 were no less swelled with rage and jealousy. However, they 
 discovered nothing of their minds, but resolving to deprive 
 Faruk of his throne, they secretly contrived amongst them- 
 selves to make away with him. 
 
 As they were obliged to return home by the same road 
 they arrived, their way necessarily led them between two 
 mountains. This place was dangerous to stay all night in, 
 on account of its being infested with monstrous serpents, 
 who then came out to take food and air. Here it was that 
 the three envious brothers intended to destroy Faruk, who 
 was ignorant of this dangerous circumstance. They pro- 
 posed to him to pass the night in this place; Faruk agreed, 
 and, after a slight repast, they lay down on the grass ; but as 
 soon a3 Faruk had fallen into a profound sleep, his three 
 perfidious brothers suddenly started up, and left him in this 
 dangerous place. The serpents, according to custom, assem- 
 bled in the middle of the night ; their frightful hissings 
 might be heard more than half a league, and approaching 
 the place where Faruk lay, they surrounded him, and were 
 just on the point of throwing themselves on him, when, by 
 the greatest good fortune, a friendly jinni, who traversed the
 
 208 
 
 air, took pity on this unfortunate prince ; some words he 
 pronounced fixed the serpents to the eartJi, and rendered 
 them so stiff, that they seemed as if they were all petrified. 
 
 At length Faruk awoke, but how great was his fright to 
 see himself, as it were, surrounded with death ! He imagined 
 his brothers were destroyed by the serpents; but observing 
 that they were all immovable he had the boldness to ven- 
 ture througli them, and, without their being able to offer him 
 the least injury, he continued the road to Gur. He wept 
 bitterly for the supposed death of his brothers, but he was 
 informed, about six hours after his arrival, that they had 
 safely returned. They were astonished to see him, and pre- 
 tended that they were so dreadfully affrighted with the hiss- 
 ings of the serpents that each fled for his life, without being 
 able to reflect on the almost certain death to which he was 
 exposed. Faruk, rather than suspect his brothers to be 
 guilty of so black a treason, admitted their excuse ; he dis- 
 covered not the least discontent, but lived with them as usual, 
 without even pressing them to observe the oath they had 
 taken to depart from Gur as soon as the astrologer should 
 have decided in favor of one of them. 
 
 It was not more than eight months after the princes had 
 consulted Zayfadin, when the king, their father, whilst hunt- 
 ing, fell backwards from his horse and was unfortunately 
 killed on the spot. As he had nominated no successor, the 
 three brothers refused to abide by their former agreement ; 
 but endeavoring to exclude Faruk, each gained over a party 
 to elect himself in his place. This last proceeding discovered 
 to Faruk all the ill faith of his brothers; he directly convened 
 an assembly of the states of Gur, and acquainted them with 
 their journey to the astrologer ; and, whether they thought, 
 or loved, him better than his brothers, they did not hesitate ' 
 about declaring for him. 
 
 There were in Gur at this time four parties who were 
 ready to tear one another to pieces with a civil war, when
 
 209 
 
 behold ! all the people, as if inspired, laid down their arms, 
 and unanimously proposed to the princes to abide by the 
 decision of the first person who should enter the city the 
 following day ; and at the same time declared that if they 
 refused to accept this condition all four should be excluded 
 from the throne. The three brothers consented with great 
 reluctance, but Faruk showed not the least opposition. The 
 grandees, having confined them in separate apartments, posted 
 sentinels to prevent their designs being eluded, and then 
 locked the gates of the city, which were also very strictly 
 guarded. All the people passed the night on the walls, im- 
 patiently waiting the appearance of one who was to give 
 peace to Gur, The day broke without discovering anybody, 
 when at last there was seen coming at a great distance an old 
 kalandar almost naked. The air was rent with the joyful 
 shouts of the people ; they directly opened the gates on that 
 side on which the kalandar was seen ; they ran to meet him, 
 and bore him in triumph to the palace, where the corpse of 
 the deceased king was deposited. The kalandar was greatly 
 surprised, and knew not what to make of these proceedings ; 
 but he was soon informed that he was appointed to give 
 them a king, and that he was to choose one from among 
 these four princes, who were to acquiesce in his judgment. 
 As the kalandar was a man of age and experience, he was 
 not ignorant that in nominating one of these princes he 
 should create to himself enemies of the rest ; and therefore 
 to avoid determining himself, he proposed the expedient I 
 am about to relate to your Majesty. He caused the corpse 
 of the deceased king to be bound to a tree, and having 
 measured from it a considerable distance, he declared which- 
 ever of the four brothers had skill to discharge an arrow into 
 the heart of his father should be his successor. 
 
 That there might be no grounds for complaint among 
 them, the princes drew lots who should begin, and Kobad 
 being the first, he discharged his arrow, and pierced the 
 
 14
 
 2IO 
 
 throat of his father. Bzarmahar, a little more ingenious, 
 struck him in the breast, without touching his heart ; and 
 Suffrak wounded him in the lower part of his belly. There 
 was now only Faruk left to try his skill, and the people, 
 knowing his ability, were in no doubt as to his gaining the 
 prize ; when this prince broke his bow and arrow to pieces. 
 What barbarity is this ? cried Faruk. My lords, said he, 
 addressing himself to the grandees of the realm, I renounce 
 the throne, if it must be acquired by an action so unworthy 
 and so inhuman. Let my brothers reign if they please, I 
 shall behold their good fortune without envy ; as for me, 
 I will never pollute my hands with an action so impious as 
 that which they have been induced to commit. The prin- 
 cipal lords and all the people were to the last degree as- 
 tonished, and were so touched with this greatness of soul 
 in Faruk, that they pressed the kalandar with one voice 
 to determine in his favor. That was my own intention, 
 replied this wise old man ; I proposed this expedient with 
 no other view, than to leave yourselves to discern perfectly 
 which of these princes is worthy to fill the throne. Human- 
 ity and piety ought to be the prime virtues of a monarch, 
 and as Faruk has given you natural proofs of them, I be- 
 lieve the great Prophet would be offended if I did not agree 
 with you that he alone is worthy to reign. This decision 
 of the kalandar was immediately received with a thousand 
 joyful acclamations, and the three princes retired from the 
 city, overwhelmed with shame and confusion ; they con- 
 ceived a violent despair, not only at being excluded from 
 the throne by the voice of the people, but also at seeing 
 that their ambitious thirst after power had betrayed them 
 into the commission of an impiety which they themselves 
 regarded with horror ; and, resolving to work their brother's 
 destruction, they departed from Gur with a full purpose to 
 put their design into execution. 
 
 Meanwhile the oath of fidelity was taken to the new king.
 
 211 
 
 He celebrated the obsequies of his father with great mag- 
 nificence, and would fain have retained the kalandar near 
 his person. But this good old man desired to be excused. 
 It will be thought, my lord, said he, that your goodness is 
 only the effect of a base complaisance which caused me to 
 decide in your favor. But I would have it known that I 
 followed the dictates of conscience, without the least view 
 to my own interest. May heaven grant you a happy reign ! 
 and when you approach the end of your life may the angels 
 v.'ho are to register all your words present those only which 
 are most agreeable to the Divine Being! Saying this, he 
 departed from Gur, without receiving the least mark of 
 generosity from this prince. 
 
 Three months had now passed, my lord, continued Ibn 
 Aridun, during which Faruk possessed his throne in peace, 
 and his subjects were rendered happy under his mild and 
 gentle administration, when his brothers surprised the city 
 one dark night at the head of six thousand men, of whom 
 the greatest part were Arabian robbers. These villains, 
 taking advantage of the general fright which prevailed, mas- 
 sacred all that opposed their fury ; but while they were 
 busied in plundering the inhabitants, Faruk, having rallied 
 all the officers and soldiers he could collect, fell like a lion 
 upon his enemies. He performed everything that could 
 be expected from the bravest of men ; but perceiving his 
 attendants were almost all slain, and that it would be rash- 
 ness to expose his person to further hazard, he changed 
 clothes \v'ith an Arabian, whom he had killed with his own 
 hand, and having disguised his face, he retired alone from 
 Gur, and sought his safety by flight. The horrors of the 
 day succeeded those of the night ; nothing was to be seen 
 in all parts of the city but torrents of blood ; and the Arab- 
 ians not only found amongst the slain him whom they mis- 
 took for Faruk by the richness of his dress, but also Suffrak, 
 Kobad, and Bzarmahar, who all perished by the divine jus-
 
 212 
 
 tice. The Arabians, having finished the plunder, and having 
 massacred all the inhabitants, without sparing either age or 
 sex, set fire to the four corners of the city, and to the middle 
 of it, which in three days' time reduced it to ashes. 
 
 The unfortunate Faruk, not only deprived of his throne, 
 but also reduced to extreme misery, could not depart from 
 Gur without shedding a flood of tears. The flames, which 
 now appeared at a great distance, took from him all hopes 
 of ever re-ascending the throne of his ancestors. He has- 
 tened, therefore, as fast as he was able from this frightful 
 place, but with a resolution to conceal his misfortunes from 
 all the world. The prince had travelled throe days through 
 several by-roads, when he encountered two kalandars r;itting 
 by a fountain at a slight repast. He approached them, raid 
 as they conjectured from his looks he wanted something to 
 eat, they invited him to sit down with them. Faruk, who 
 was almost famished with hunger, and needed no entreaties, 
 devoured in a short time all the provisions they had. As 
 soon as the prince had appeased the rage of hunger, he 
 crossed his hands on his stomach, and fixing his eyes on 
 the earth, became so deeply absorbed in his sorrowful re- 
 flections, that he continued nearly an hour in that melan- 
 choly posture. 
 
 The kalandars, who beheld him with astonishment, were 
 touched with a lively sense of his affliction ; and the eldest 
 having broken silence : My brother, said he to the prince, 
 we are so deeply concerned for the profound anguish under 
 which your mind seems to labor, that though we have known 
 you but a few moments, both this young kalandar and my- 
 self will omit nothing in our power to assuage your grief, 
 and to dispel that gloom which overcasts your mind. Speak, 
 sir, and do not relinquish the assistance we offer ; weak as 
 it is, it may do you more service than you are aware of at 
 present. The prince of Gur, who had hitherto kept silence, 
 was roused from his meditation by the obliging offers of this
 
 213 
 
 good old man. Generous kalandar, said he, excuse my 
 rudeness ; the cruel situation I am in is ready to overwhelm 
 me ; seek not to be acquainted with my distress, I conjure 
 you. If I have appeared insensible to your kindness, 1 
 heartily thank you for your generous sentiments : and all 
 the favor I require is to be received into your company, 
 and to be permitted to conform to your rules, and to wear 
 the habit of your order. How, sir ! returned the old man, 
 a little astonished ; are you really desirous to become a 
 kalandar? — Yes, replied Faruk, with a sigh, I was deter- 
 mined from the moment I came hither, since at present 
 I know of no better course ; here is a ring, it is all 1 have 
 left out of a considerable fortune I once possessed ; I will 
 sell it the first opportunity, and while the money lasts we 
 will live as brothers. — You know us badly, replied the 
 younger of the two kalandars ; the sale of your ring is useless ; 
 it should be kept for the last extremity. We are of a pro- 
 fession that suffers us to want nothing, provided we do not 
 want assurance ; therefore keep that precious toy till another 
 season, and in the mean time never be perplexed how 
 to live. — This young kalandar, replied the old man, has 
 spoken righdy ; our first institution teaches us to forsake 
 a little, that we may gain much ; this doctrine may perhaps 
 be difficult to comprehend. Here it is explained ; we pos- 
 sess nothing in this life but the bare enjoyment thereof, 
 because death obliges us to quit all the riches upon earth ; 
 why then do we suffer our minds to be distracted and cruelly 
 harassed, to preserve those riches which oppose such en- 
 emies to us ? Let us only practise those maxims of philoso- 
 phy which are peculiar to our profession. We commonly 
 begin by spending all we possess, — at least this is the 
 practice of the wisest amongst us ; and when we once get 
 this habit on our back, we look upon the patrimony of others 
 as an inexhaustible resource on every occasion. In short, 
 who of any spirit will refuse to entertain a kalandar, let him
 
 214 
 
 be in what part of the earth soever? Who is there, from 
 the king to the meanest artisan, that does not think it an 
 honor to admit us to their tables, and to help us to the most 
 delicious morsels? It is true, we are obliged to wear a mask, 
 and to appear different from what we really are ; it is that 
 which lays jealous husbands asleep, and renders us agreeable 
 to the generality of their wives, who are scarcely visible to 
 any but ourselves, through the blind confidence they place 
 in our habit. In fine, my dear brother, there is not a life 
 more delicious, nor more sensual, than that of an able kal- 
 andar ; and when once you possess the true relish thereof, 
 you will never desire to change. 
 
 Faruk hstened very attentively to the old man's discourse, 
 notwithstanding his grief, and observed that it abounded 
 with good sense. Your way of life appears, said he, so 
 agreeable that from this picture alone which you have drawn 
 of it, I long to become a kalandar, and to take the habit. — 
 Four snips of a pair of scissors will initiate you into our Soci- 
 ety, answered the younger kalandar, and you have nothing 
 to do but to strip off your habit for a moment. Faruk 
 obeyed in an instant, and taking his garment, he cut it to 
 pieces, and sewing it neatly together again was forthwith 
 recognized by the other two kalandars. — They had now sat 
 long enough by the fountain, and all three starting up, steered 
 their course to the first city which presented itself to their 
 view. The prince, v.'ho could not so soon forget his misfor- 
 tunes, sighed now and then, which the old kalandar observ- 
 ing, reproached him with it, as unworthy of the profession 
 he had embraced. Come, my dear brotlier, said he, remem- 
 ber that in putting off your garment, you have divested 
 yourself of all human weakness ; drive therefore from your 
 mind those gloomy reflections which continue to disturb 
 you. Any person of less experience than ourselves would 
 desire to be acquainted with the history of your adventures, 
 and would probably say that the recital of them would
 
 2IS 
 
 assuage your grief, but nothing is more false than such rea- 
 soning; for it would renew the remembrance of those mis- 
 fortunes which you ought to forget. We shall not press you 
 upon this head, till we may judge by your behavior that 
 you have become altogether insensible of your past misfor- 
 tunes. No more grief, my dear brother ; let us banish it 
 from our company ; it is a mortal poison to the human mind. 
 Let us for the future breathe nothing but joy ! And to 
 inspire you with it, I will acquaint you with the history of 
 my life, from which you will learn my reason for wearing 
 this habit ; listen to me, and the journey we have to go will 
 appear the shorter : 
 
 ADVENTURES OF THE OLD K ALAND AR 
 
 I WAS born at Baku, and my father was a rice-merchant, 
 who hved near a convent of darwayshes. He lived an 
 irregular life, and was scarcely ever to be found in his shop ; 
 and as besides he had but little business, he was soon re- 
 duced to extreme poverty. A darwaysh, who used frequently 
 to come to our house, conceived a friendship for me, and 
 taking compassion on me took me into his convent, when I 
 was about five years old ; so that I was no further expense 
 to my father, who, having passed through a wearisome life, 
 died when I was twelve years old. I went to see my dis- 
 consolate mother, and wept tenderly for the loss of my father, 
 when my mother spoke to me in this manner : Do not afflict 
 yourself for my husband, forbear shedding tears for one who 
 deserves them so little, weep no more as for a father, for one 
 who had no share in your birth. This discourse surprised 
 me, and I looked steadfastly at my mother. You are as- 
 tonished, said she. — I have reason to be so, I replied ; for 
 if the deceased was not my father, which he was always 
 taken for, whom am I indebted to for my being? — To the 
 old darwaysh who has brought you up, answered my mother ;
 
 2l6 
 
 you are his son and mine ; without his assistance we should 
 have hved this long time past in the most shocking indi- 
 gence, for my husband's idleness and excesses had reduced 
 me to a state of beggary, even a long time before you came 
 into the world. This darwaysh has been our entire support, 
 by supplying us abundantly with the necessaries of life. On 
 my side I was not ungrateful ; the darwayshes do nothing 
 for nothing, and I do not repent the return I have made 
 this one. My mother was still in tears, when the darwaysh 
 entered ; she told him that she had just informed me of his 
 being my father, and this man, embracing me in the most 
 tender manner : Child, said he, behave yourself well, and 
 honor your mother, and you shall want for nothing. I made 
 a suitable return to these expressions of parental affection 
 from my new father, and growing tired of the life I had 
 hitherto led among the darwayshes, I begged of him to leave 
 me with my mother. He granted my request, and gave us 
 money to buy rice ; and as my mother lived in a very frugal 
 manner, and almost entirely at the convent's expense, she 
 saved in seven or eight years about four thousand dinars. 
 
 I often heard my mother speak of a very handsome girl 
 in our neighborhood, and I became so enamoured of her 
 from the bare report of her beauty, without ever seeing her, 
 that I sought every opportunity of making myself known to 
 her. At last one offered ; the girl's father came to our 
 house to buy a quantity of rice-meal, and agreed with my 
 mother for a large sack of it that contained about twelve 
 bushels. My want of experience made me look upon this 
 as a favorable opportunity for seeing my mistress ; and 
 listening only to my foolish passion, with the assistance of 
 a young man of my own age I put myself into the sack, 
 which was then filled with meal as high as my chin, and was 
 in this situation carried in the dusk of the evening to Kalim's 
 house (this was the name of the girl's father), where they set 
 me down in the corner of a room in which the family gen-
 
 217 
 
 erally ate. I had made a hole in the top of the sack, through 
 which I could easily see everything that passed. I was 
 scarce set down when a darwaysh appeared, but I could not 
 see his face, as he sat in a dark part of the room ; there 
 came in with him Kalim, his wife, and the beautiful Djanj- 
 hari-Nar, my mistress, with a little dog under her arm. A 
 slave having laid the cloth, they immediately sat down to 
 supper. Djanjhari-Nar happened to sit just facing me, and 
 I was so transported at the first sight of her, that forgetting 
 the company I was in, I foolishly cried out : Ah ! what a 
 fine creature ! This indiscreet exclamation, which the com- 
 pany heard without knowing whence it came, terrified them 
 greatly ; they got up in a great hurry and confusion, looked 
 everywhere except at the sack in which I lay hid, and find- 
 ing nothing, sat down again to supper, where the voice they 
 had heard formed the chief subject of their conversation. 
 
 Djanjhari-Nar happened not to take the same seat, and 
 not being able to see her face, I was still indiscreet enough 
 to attempt turning myself about in the sack, to have the 
 pleasure of enjoying a full prospect of her charms ; but I 
 went about it so unskilfully, that the sack unfortunately over- 
 turned. Kahm with all his family and the darwaysh were 
 greatly surprised at the sack's fall ; but the darwaysh, seeing 
 that my mistress's little dog barked furiously at it, began 
 immediately to suspect what might really be the matter ; he 
 therefore raised up the sack, and untied the top of it, when 
 I appeared ; but my face was so covered with meal, that it 
 was impossible to know me. Upon this, Kalim flew into a 
 great fury, ran to a dagger that hung up against the wall, and 
 was upon the point of running me through the body, when I 
 threw a handfiil of meal into his eyes, which, by blinding him 
 for a moment or two, gave me an opportunity of leaping out 
 of the sack in my slippers : and laying hold of a sa1)re that 
 happened to lie in my way, I might easily have killed Kalim 
 and the darwaysh and have then made my escape ; and as it
 
 2l8 
 
 was the only way left of saving myself, I had my sabre ready 
 to strike the blow, when upon looking on the darwaysh, whose 
 face I had not seen before, I found it was the person to 
 whom I was indebted for my being. Ah, darwaysh, said I, 
 dropping the point of my sabre, see, I am Hanif, whom your 
 constant friendship has always made you consider as your 
 own child ! I am upon this occasion more indiscreet than 
 criminal. I loved the charming Djanjhari-Nar on the bare 
 report of her beauty, and not meeting with any other means 
 than the present of satisfying my earnest desire to see her, I 
 buried myself in this sack, inconsiderately indeed, since I 
 did not know how I should be able to get out of it. 
 
 The darwaysh was greatly surprised to see me in this con> 
 dition, and Kalim having at the same time recovered his 
 sight by rubbing his eyes, perceived that I was son to the 
 woman from whom he had bought his rice- meal ; and seeing 
 by the posture in which I had put myself, that I was resolved 
 to sell my life at a dear rate, he was the more easily appeased 
 by the darwaysh, so they soon found it impossible not to 
 laugh at the comical figure I made. Since this young man 
 loves Djanjhari-Nar, said the darwaysh, let him have her, I 
 beseech you, my dear Kalim. He is an only son, and I will 
 take upon me to make his mother give up her shop, with at 
 least four thousand dinars. I do not believe you can find 
 in all Baku a son-in-law, who has been better educated, 
 is an honester man, and who will behave towards you, as a 
 father-in-law, with more respect. — Ah ! said I, it is not 
 enough that Kalim consents to make me happy ; I renounce 
 his good will, if the charming Djanjhari-Nar does not 
 approve of me. This delicate way of thinking made so great 
 an impression on Kalim, that he took me in his arms, telling 
 me that his daughter was her own mistress, and that she 
 might that very moment decide my fate. She must first then, 
 said the darwaysh, see her new lover such as he is. And 
 upon this, he immediately conducted me to another room,
 
 219 
 
 where I cleaned myself; and Kalim, who was pretty much 
 of my own size, having put one of his own gowns on me, I 
 made my appearance before the beautiful Djanjhari-Nar, who 
 liked me so well that she immediately accepted me as her 
 husband. The darwaysh, impatient to see my happiness 
 completed, immediately sent for my mother, who was greatly 
 surprised at my adventure, and who consented to all I wished 
 for. The marriage-contract was drawn up and signed, and 
 that very evening the Imam joined our hands. I slept at 
 my father-in-law's, and my wife was so well satisfied with her 
 choice, that the next morning she ordered for my breakfast a 
 large dish of sheep's-feet with vinegar-sauce. 
 
 I was now, my dear brother, married to the charming 
 Djanjhari-Nar, and was the happiest man living, if my want 
 of sense had not made me the most miserable. Everything 
 seemed to conspire to make me happy, my bride in a manner 
 adoring mc ; yet, without any just cause, I took it into my 
 head to be jealous of her, to a degree that is scarcely credi- 
 ble. Everything alarmed me ; did she speak to my mother 
 I fancied that my mother had conspired with her to betray 
 me ; even her innocent marks of affection for the darwaysh, 
 to whom we were so much obliged, alarmed me so much 
 that I used to forget his being my father, and my evil genius 
 made me consider their behavior as criminal. In fine, con- 
 tinued the old kalandar, I did nothing but exclaim against 
 Djanjhari-Nar, and scarcely ever permitted her to see the 
 light of day ; yet, though I gave her no rest, she never made 
 the least complaint of my ill usage. My mother and the dar- 
 waysh made me many representations on my foolish jealousy. 
 It is neither bolts nor locks, said they, that can secure your 
 honor ; an honest woman is her own guardian, and your 
 groundless suspicions tend more to make her forget her duty 
 than to persevere in it. But I was deaf to their advice, and 
 at last my madness increased to such a degree, that they 
 resolved to try every method of getting the liettcr of it.
 
 220 
 
 One day, the darwaysh was conversing with ray mother, 
 whilst I was employed in making some entries in my books. 
 There has arrived here, said he, within these three days, a 
 young darwaysh from Circassia, whose beauty surpasses any- 
 thing that has yet appeared at Baku. I imagine that the 
 pages, who are to serve us with fruit in the paradise of our 
 great Prophet, can scarcely compare with him, since so much 
 modesty has never been seen united with so many other 
 perfections. His chamber is next to mine, and in conse- 
 quence of this neighborhood, we have contracted a great 
 friendship for one r.nother. I am to give him a breakfast 
 to-morrow, and therefore beg of you to send me a pullet and 
 rice of your own dressing, and a dish of pillaw.-' My mother 
 promised to comply, and accordingly got ever}'thing in read- 
 iness for these excellent ragouts, which she sent my father 
 next morning at the appointed hour. I had heard all their 
 discourse, without seeming to take notice of it, but my 
 curiosity prompting me to see so handsome a man, I resolved 
 to make one at breakfast with my father. I kept my mind 
 to myself; when the dishes were sent off, I went into my 
 wife's apartment. She was still a-bed, on account of some 
 slight indisposition, and was in a profound sleep. I did not 
 think proper to awaken her, but only looked at her atten- 
 tively for some time, when I shut the door, and having given 
 the key a double turn, according to custom, I ran and 
 knocked at the door of the convent of the darwayshes. I 
 asked for the darwaysh, who was my father, and on being 
 told he was in his chamber, I immediately ran to it ; but I 
 had scarcely entered it when I grew pale and cold at the 
 sight of his friend. 
 
 I had no sooner perceived in him all the features of my 
 wife, than falling down with mere weakness on a sofa of 
 
 1 This dish consists of rice stewed with butter, or suet^ and is a 
 very common favorite food all over the East
 
 221 
 
 rushes, and wiping my face, I cried out : Where am I, and 
 what prodigy is this ? My father interrupted me here, get- 
 ting up in great confusion, and taking me into his arms in 
 the tenderest manner, asked me what was the matter, and 
 what dark cloud had overspread my imagination? I an- 
 swered that I found myself disordered the moment I entered 
 his chambers, and that I chose to return home immediately. 
 Upon which he led me back to the door of the convent ; 
 and as I had only the street to cross to get home, the mo- 
 ment I left him I flew to my wife's apartment. I began to 
 respire, my dear brother, when I found her in the same con- 
 dition in which I had left her the minute before, and my joy 
 on the occasion was so great that I caught her in my arms, 
 and embraced her with the warmest expressions of affection, 
 which she returned in the most endearing manner. How- 
 ever, I made no great stay with her, but hastened back to 
 the convent, and ran directly to my father's cell, telling him 
 I had got the better of my indisposition, and had come to 
 breakfast with him. You are welcome, said he ; this hand- 
 some Circassian and I have already made a beginning. Sit 
 down to table, and first satisfy yourself with a glass of wine. 
 I rinsed a glass, and my father was going to pour me out 
 some wine, when the Circassian prevented him. Brother, 
 said he, let me have the pleasure of helping him ; I intend 
 this day to do the honors of your table. The sound of these 
 words make me tremble ; my hands in an instant became so 
 weak, and my eyes so fastened on this young man, whose 
 voice perfectly resembled my wife's, that I spilled all the 
 wine upon my clothes and on the table-cloth. I made in a 
 single instant a thousand afflicting reflections ; and quitting 
 the darwayshes in an abrupt manner, I made but one leap 
 from the convent to my house, where my wife was still a-bed. 
 I was so thunderstruck that I could not speak to her. What 
 is the matter with you, dear light of my hfe ? said she, start- 
 ing up in her bed in the greatest confusion ; has any acci-
 
 222 
 
 dent happened? Do not permit me, I beseech you, to 
 remain any longer in so cruel an uncertainty. 
 
 I relumed a little to myself. Ah 1 Djanjhari-Nar, said I, 
 may I believe what I hear? — Why, replied she, what do 
 you see and what do you hear? Satisfy my curiosity in- 
 stantly. — No, said I, I am certainly deceived ; I must again 
 try if my eyes are faithful witnesses of what has happened 
 in the convent of the darwayshes. I then left her, and shut- 
 ting the door as I had already done, I returned to my 
 father's cell much easier in my mind than when I had left it. 
 I beg your pardon, said I at my first appearance, for the 
 ill manners I have been guilty of. My reason for leaving you 
 in so great a hurry was that I had forgotten to leave money 
 with my mother to answer a demand she expects in about 
 a quarter of an hour. I have now no more business to take 
 me away, and nothing can be more agreeable to me than to 
 remain with you and to enjoy the pleasure of your company. 
 Let it be so, said my father ; we may spend all the morning 
 here very agreeably. Taste this dish of pillaw, which has 
 not as yet been touched ; as to the fowl and rice we de- 
 spatched them during your absence. I now began to think 
 of eating some pillaw, but happening to give a look at the 
 young Circassian, just as I had taken some into my mouth, 
 I found it impossible to get it down, my astonishment in- 
 creased to such a degree. The young darwaysh was the 
 very counterpart of Djanjhari-Nar, both in voice and in 
 gesture ; everything, in fine, conspired to make me believe 
 that no two persons had ever been so like each other. Wliat 
 is the matter with you, son? said the old darwaysh. You 
 betray in all your actions so much uneasiness and distraction 
 that I am at a loss what to think of you to-day. — Have I 
 not, said I, the justest reason in the world to do so? ^^'ho 
 the devil would not take this young Circassian for my wife ? 
 I must own to you that I ran home to be sure I had her. 
 I found her both times in bed, and this circumstance should
 
 223 
 
 have dissipated my apprehensions, notwithstanding which I 
 find myself unable to master those jealous suspicions which 
 tear my mind to pieces. 
 
 The two darwayshes laughed heartily at this my candid 
 confession. As for my part, I was at a loss how to behave 
 on the occasion, when the young darwaysh took me up. 
 What, sir, said he, can a slight resemblance then between 
 your wife and me disorder your brain in this manner? And 
 shall jealousy tyrannize over you so far as to make you 
 commit the extravagances with which we have for this hour 
 past been entertained ? How much I pity your spouse ! 
 Certainly she must have a great fund of virtue not to take 
 vengeance for your unjust suspicions. I can easily forgive 
 a delicate jealousy ; but by carrying it the length you do, 
 according to the report of this honest darwaysh, believe me, 
 sir, you take the readiest way of making your wife punish 
 you as you deserve. I listened with great confusion to this 
 lecture by the young darwaysh, and began to be ashamed of 
 my past conduct, at the same time resolving, in a manner, 
 to trust Djanjhari-Nar entirely to her own virtue ; when the 
 young preacher, in moving himself a little, discovered to me 
 near one of his ears a mark in every respect like one that 
 my wife had in the same place. This strange sight wound 
 up my madness again to the highest pitch. I gave a great 
 shout, which surprised the darwayshes. Ah ! said I, I am 
 certainly betrayed, and all my suspicions were too well 
 founded. What sudden fury has seized you ? said my father. 
 Have you lost your wits, or — I did not give him time to 
 make an end of his discourse ; I slipped out of his hands, 
 and ran home in the greatest hurry and confusion, where I 
 found my wife employed in making the abdest. I drew near 
 her in the greatest perturbation, and having examined the 
 mark near her ear, I clapped my hands together, with my 
 eyes lifted up to heaven, and was ready to faint away with 
 surprise. My mother, who was in the shop, which was con-
 
 224 
 
 tiguous to my wife's apartment, came in on hearing my 
 cries. She and my wife inquired earnestly what might be 
 the cause of my disorder, and of my so often going out 
 and in : but I did not as yet think proper to give them any 
 satisfaction. I only begged of my mother to prepare a 
 dinner for ourselves and for the handsome darwaysh of 
 Circassia and his companion, whom I told her I intended 
 to invite ; telling her, withal, that I should give before them 
 a full account of everything that had happened to me that 
 morning, which she must agree was very strange and 
 uncommon. 
 
 I then left them, and at my return to the convent, found 
 my father and the young darwaysh still at table. I must, 
 said I, acquaint you with the full extent of my weakness. 
 The mark which this handsome darwaysh has near his ear 
 gave my jealousy a new alarm ; for my wife has one in the 
 same spot so very like it that I again took it into my head 
 that it was her very self that I saw in this disguise. I ran 
 back to the house to clear up the matter to myself, but, 
 thanks to Heaven ! I found her at her usual purification ; 
 so that all my suspicions are at an end, and I have returned, 
 easy and satisfied in my mind, to spend with you the inter- 
 val between this and dinner, to which I invite you. I have 
 a mind to convince this young darwaysh that, as he cannot 
 be a twin of my dear Djanjhari-Nar, since she is an only 
 child, nature has formed so great a resemblance between 
 them that it is impossible not to be deceived by it. — I accept 
 your invitation, replied the young Circassian, with great 
 pleasure ; nothing can be more agreeable to me. I am 
 curious to see this extraordinary likeness you speak of, 
 about which, however, the darwaysh, my companion, is not 
 altogether agreed ; but then it is only on this express con- 
 dition, that no fit of jealousy shall be permitted to interrupt 
 our joy, for I am disposed to be merry, and perhaps at your 
 expense. — Ah, said I, interrupting him, I promise that you
 
 225 
 
 shall do at my house as you like. I have suffered so much 
 this morning in the many struggles I have had to sustain 
 that I am resolved for the future to make myself easy. 
 It is the best thing you can do, replied the young man ; 
 were I a woman, and disposed to play my husband a trick, 
 he would find it to no purpose to watch me : I could easily 
 triumph over all his precautions, and I shall convince you 
 of it presently at your own house. — You will oblige me 
 greatly, said I, in so doing. I will endeavor to entertain 
 you well ; and you cannot do me a greater favor than that 
 of curing me radically of my troublesome passion. 
 
 I spent a couple of hours very agreeably with the two dar- 
 wayshes till, dinner-time drawing nigh, I left them to prepare 
 for their reception. I thought proper before my guests ar- 
 rived, to see my wife, to make a merit to her of my conver- 
 sion, and to assure her that for the future she should enjoy 
 all the liberty decency might allow. But, my dear brother, 
 how great was my surprise on opening the door of my room, 
 the key of which I had never let go out of my possession, 
 when I found her missing! Great, however, as my surprise 
 was at not finding my wife, it was much increased by finding 
 instead of her the two darwayshes whom I had but just now 
 left at the convent. So unexpected a sight struck me motion- 
 less, and I should no doubt have fallen to the ground if my 
 mother, who had followed close after me, had not supported 
 me in her arms. I remained a long time without being able 
 to utter a single syllable ; but having at length come to my- 
 self : O Heaven ! said I, do I dream, or is it the devil who 
 has persecuted me all the morning, that still takes pleasure 
 in imposing upon me? — No, no, my de.ir Hanif, replied the 
 old darwaysh who I told you was my father, you are not 
 asleep ; there is no more than a little contrivance in all this 
 illusion. Your jealousy had become so ridiculous that we 
 undertook to rid you of it. I contrived, with your mother 
 and your wife, everything that passed in my apartment this 
 
 15
 
 226 
 
 morning; your behavior fully answered our intentions, and 
 the beautiful darwaysh is no other than the incomparable 
 Djanjhari-Nar. No doubt you will find it a difficult matter 
 to comprehend what I tell you, and I know you will scarcely 
 even credit it, but it is easy to convince you. — Ah then ! 
 said I, with the greatest eagerness, lose no time in doing it ; 
 let me know how it was possible that my wife should at one 
 and the same time be in her bed and in your cell, in her 
 night-clothes and in the dress of a darwaysh. — I shall im- 
 mediately, replied my father, satisfy your curiosity in this 
 respect. 
 
 Djanjhari-Nar is no longer ignorant how I am related to 
 you. I found myself under the necessity of revealing to her 
 the secret of your birth, in order to obtain her concurrence 
 to the measures we wanted to take. You must know that 
 your mother's deceased husband used to be sometimes jeal- 
 ous of her, and his sudden starts often disconcerted the 
 schemes we had laid to see each other, which gave us no 
 small concern. But as, in quaUty of treasurer to the convent, 
 I had money at will, I seized on the opportunity of the 
 brute's going to the country for a fortnight, and employed 
 workmen whom I could confide in to make a passage be- 
 tween my room and this apartment under the street, which is 
 very narrow ; two trap-doors, with proper counterpoises, do 
 the rest. It is an easy matter to go from this to my cell in 
 less than two minutes by the trap-door you now look at, 
 whereas, in the common way, a person must traverse our 
 court, which is pretty long, and open and shut doors ; so 
 that you may easily judge if it was impossible for your wife 
 to put on the habit of a darwaysh, to throw it off, and to get 
 into bed again, in the interval of time requisite for you to 
 make so great a circuit to get into our convent, or out of it, 
 and to arrive at this apartment. Here is then, ray dear child, 
 a plain discovery of the whole mystery. But I must add 
 that it was with the greatest difficulty imaginable I prevailed
 
 227 
 
 on Djanjhari-Nar to act her part in it. She was willing to 
 put up with all your extravagances rather than expose herself 
 to your displeasure, till I obtained her concurrence by assur- 
 ing her that if so rude a trial did not bring you to a better 
 way of thinking, you should never know anything of the trick 
 that had been played on you, and that I should soon make 
 the handsome Circassian set out for his ovvn country. 
 
 We have, I believe, succeeded, my son, continued the old 
 man, since you have given me your word that you will be no 
 more guilty of the same folly ; and, indeed, no man ever had 
 less reason to be jealous. Your wife is a most virtuous 
 woman, she has stretched her complaisance for your weak- 
 ness more than could be expected ; but, though she were 
 ever so much the reverse, judge, my dear Hanif, by your own 
 experience, what love is capable of. There is nothing that 
 it does not invent and compass to get the better of a 
 jealous person's vigilance, and the surest course a man can 
 take is to trust entirely to the virtue and fidelity of his wife. 
 I know very well that this is looked upon as a very foolish 
 maxim in these eastern countries ; but there is a difference 
 to be made between living in the common way, which re- 
 quires that v/omen should appear but seldom in public, and 
 treating them with that injurious diffidence which you have 
 done with the charming Djanjhari-Nar. You have carried 
 your jealousy to such an excess as to take umbrage at me, 
 who am your father. Even your mother's affection for her 
 daughter-in-law has given you uneasiness. Who can you 
 think, my son, should have your honor more at heart than 
 your mother and myself? And yet you have been weak 
 enough to suspect us of a design upon it. 
 
 My surprise and confusion were so great, continued the 
 old kalandar, that I was at a loss what answer to make to the 
 darwaysh's wise discourse. My dear father, said I, how much 
 am I obliged to you for having undertaken my cure, and 
 having succeeded so well in it ! I now see all the force of
 
 228 
 
 your arguments, and I am ready to sink with shame for my 
 past conduct ; but I am resolved to make amends for 
 my folly by so contrary a behavior that the beautiful Djanj- 
 hari-Nar shall have no less reason to commend me for the 
 future than she has had just cause to complain of me for 
 the time past. Upon this I threw myself at my wife's feet, 
 who still continued in the darwaysh's dress, and asked her 
 pardon for my ridiculous jealousies with such expressions of 
 love and of tenderness as drew tears from my father and 
 mother. Djanhari-Nar, unable likewise to contain hers, im- 
 mediately raised me up. My dear lord, said she, if I have 
 always loved you in spite of the hard manner in which you 
 have sometimes treated me, guess to what a pitch my love 
 must be increased now, when you assure me of an alteration 
 which makes me completely happy ! She seasoned her dis- 
 course with so many endearments that I kissed her a thou- 
 sand times, and cried out in the transport of my pleasure : 
 No, my dear Djanjhari-Nar, there is no difference between 
 the zephyr of spring and the mild breath of your mouth, 
 which refreshes my heart and my soul. I am a new man, 
 and the most agreeable moments of ray life will be those 
 which I shall spend in seeking the means of pleasing you. 
 This sudden change in me gave my father and mother the 
 most sensible satisfaction. Nothing could equal the pleas- 
 ure they enjoyed in having been instrumental in reclaiming 
 me ; as for Djanjhari-Nar's joy, it was great beyond expres- 
 sion. We now sat down to dinner, at which everything 
 passed in the most agreeable manner, and I ever afterwards 
 punctually fulfilled the promise I had given. 
 
 I lived thus with my wife about thirteen years, during which 
 time I buried the darwaysh and my mother. The children 1 
 had by my wife lived but a short time. In fine, I lost her, 
 my dear brother, after a sickness of four months, and you 
 may judge how sensibly afflicted I was at the loss of a woman 
 of so great merit. All my friends came to condole with me
 
 229 
 
 on the occasion, and endeavored to dissipate my grief ; but 
 what they could not do time effected. As time brings about 
 everything, so it insensibly wore out the memory of my de- 
 ceased wife. I at last began to think of nothing but how to 
 divert myself, and giving myself up entirely to my pleasures 
 I fell little by little into a state of the greatest debauchery 
 and excess. By neglecting my business, my affairs soon fell 
 into disorder, and at the end of two years I was so loaded 
 with debt that, unable to satisfy my creditors, I had no other 
 choice left than flight to avoid a prison. I therefore sold my 
 effects privately for half their value, and escaped out of 
 Baku in the disguise of a kalandar. From the very first day 
 of my taking the habit I liked it so well that I resolved never 
 to leave it off; and I have now persisted in this resolution 
 upwards of thirty years. I have made in it the tour of 
 Persia and of Tartary, during which I have met with a great 
 number of adventures too long to relate. I intend, besides, 
 to take a journey to the Indies and to China, and for this 
 purpose I joined company two months ago with this young 
 man, who has turned kalandar after my example, and whose 
 adventures are at least as uncommon as my own. 
 
 When the old kalandar had made an end of his discourse, 
 Faruk, my lord, who had listened to him with infinite pleas- 
 ure, thanked him for his kindness. Nothing, said he, can be 
 more original than your history ; and whatever assurance 
 you have given me, I can scarcely believe that of your com- 
 panion can compare with it. — You shall soon have an op- 
 portunity of judging for yourself, replied the young kalandar. 
 
 ADVENTURES OF THE YOUNG 
 KALANDAR 
 
 My mother, for I must tell you I never had the pleasure 
 of knowing my father, being so young when he died;
 
 230 
 
 my mother, I say, lived at Shiraz, and carried on a pretty 
 considerable trade in milk, butter, and cheese, the produce 
 of flocks that belonged to her, and which she used to send 
 me to town to dispose of; but I soon grew tired of this way 
 of life. There happened to arrive from the Indies, about two 
 years before, a company of comedians, who commonly ex- 
 hibited their performances in the market-place, where they 
 afterwards used to sell remedies to which they attributed a 
 surprising efficacy in all manner of disorders. As they knew 
 but little of the Persian tongue they at first played nothing 
 but pantomimes, and employed an interpreter to dispose of 
 their drugs ; but as they began by degrees to make them- 
 selves understood, they acquired so much reputation that 
 everybody saw them act with pleasure. I never went to 
 Shiraz without going to see their entertainments, and I took 
 so great a hking to them that I offered to make one of their 
 company. I had naturally a genius that way ; I begged they 
 might give me some under part ; they pitched upon a very 
 diverting one in the first play they acted, and I behaved so 
 much to the liking of all the spectators, that I soon looked 
 upon myself as qualified to appear to advantage in the most 
 difficult characters. Particularly, I excelled in acting the 
 drunkard, and played so well the parts of the fool and of the 
 blockhead, that I might have been mistaken for a real inhabi- 
 tant of Siwrihissar. At length, my dear brothers, the 
 drollest scenes had no merit but what I gave them. But 
 not satisfied with the character of an excellent actor, I had 
 likewise a mind to shine as an author. Till then we had 
 played nothing but scraps of comedies, and almost always 
 without any preparation. On my part, I resolved to connect 
 scenes, and thus form a contrived piece ; and I succeeded 
 so well that my first essay proved a masterpiece. I gave a 
 little farce, called " The Kadi Outwitted." I shall inform 
 you of the subject in a few words. 
 
 A kadi of Kandahar, who is a great miser, has a very
 
 231 
 
 pretty daughter, with whom a young Persian falls passion- 
 ately in love. This kadi has promised the girl to a very rich 
 old Mohammedan ; the Persian is ready to go distracted for 
 fear of losing his mistress, and after having thought of many 
 different ways of preventing a marriage which must make him 
 unhappy for the remainder of his Hfe, finds none so likely to 
 succeed as the following. He waits on the kadi, who does 
 not know him, to consult him about carrying away a young 
 woman. The judge at first looks upon it as a very criminal 
 undertaking, and falls into a great passion, but is soon soft- 
 ened by a purse of gold ; and thereupon gives his advice in 
 writing that the girl may be carried off on account of the dis- 
 proportion in point of age between her and the man her 
 parents would marry her to, and especially as the person 
 who intends to carry her off does it with a view of making 
 her his wife ; and in consequence of another purse of gold 
 he forbids the girl's father to give her lover any uneasi- 
 ness, on pain of receiving one hundred blows on the soles 
 of his feet. The young Persian literally follows the ad- 
 vice, or rather the commands, of the kadi, and carries off 
 the daughter ; and the outwitted father finds himself under 
 the necessity of bestowing her as a wife upon her ingenious 
 lover. 
 
 Such was the plan of my piece ; but I painted in it the 
 kadi's avarice in such lively colors, at least as far as I may 
 judge of the matter, especially in a scene where I played the 
 blockhead to admiration, that I could heartily wish you had 
 seen my comedy acted. What ! said Faruk, should not a 
 comic writer have his performances by heart from one end 
 to another? What can hinder you from giving us this divert- 
 ing scene ? — Ah ! brother, answered the young man, it is 
 impossible it should appear in this place to the same advan- 
 tage as it did on the stage. — That is no matter, replied the 
 other two kalandars, we shall make allowance for the want of 
 actors. We know that it is no easy matter for one man to
 
 232 
 
 play different parts. — Since you are so earnest then, said 
 the comedian, I shall endeavor to satisfy you. 
 
 You must first represent to yourself the kadi alone at his 
 house, complaining of the too good behavior of the inhabi- 
 tants of Kandahar, and that business was very slack this year, 
 especially in a criminal way. I enter his room with one of 
 my companions, dressed like countrymen ; we appear to be 
 both of us quite out of breath, and make him almost mad by 
 a very comical dumb scene. In fine, impatient at seeing us 
 speak only by signs, and curious to know the matter, he be- 
 gins as follows : 
 
 Kadi. These two scoundrels must certainly be drunk or 
 dumb with all their signs, of which I can make nothing. 
 
 First Clown. [This was my part, my dear brother.] Oh ! 
 — with your worship's leave, we have hastened with so much 
 diligence — to — Ah ! — how I am out of breath ! — gossip, 
 tell his worship yourself what we have seen, you can best 
 clear up the matter to him. 
 Kadi. Plague on the brutes ! 
 
 Seco7id Clown. [Crying.l Tell it yourself if you can ; I 
 am so beside myself, and so troubled. 
 
 Kadi. I believe these animals are come to make me 
 mad. Will you speak or not, scape-gallows? Let me know 
 what you have seen. 
 
 First Clown. Softly, softly, please your worship; you 
 are going into a passion ; for as Lokman ^ says very justly, in 
 his book of animals — 
 
 Kadi. Ah ! you scoundrel, you, let Lokman and his 
 animals alone; what have his fables to do with what you 
 have to say? 
 
 First Clown. Your worship is in the right. But your 
 worship knows that people who have wit, are fond of showing 
 
 ^ There is a collection of fables under the name of the wise Lokman ; 
 and the accounts given of this Lokman by the people of the East 
 resemble very much those the Greeks have left us of ^Esop.
 
 233 
 
 it; and if your worship had not interrupted me, I should 
 have compared your worship to an ass. 
 
 Kadi. Would you, rascal? But there is no taking notice 
 of what the stupid dog says. Friend, I beg you will make 
 an end, and let me know what has brought you here. 
 
 First Clown. By all means, sir, with a great deal of 
 pleasure. — Ah ! why do not )ou satisfy his worship? Now, 
 sir, we came to tell you, that as my gossip and myself were 
 jogging along, without thinking anything of what was to 
 happen, we saw \^cries'\ — Ah ! my heart is ready to break 
 when I think of it ; it makes such an impression on me, that 
 I cannot go on. 
 
 Kadi. Go on, villain, or I sliall punish your insolence. 
 Is there no one there ? 
 
 First Clow7i. Well, well, please your worship, since you 
 ivill not give me leave to recover myself, to cut short, I shall 
 tell you without any perambulation, that — But hold, I '11 
 lay you a wager, that with all your penetration you cannot 
 guess what we have seen. 
 
 Kadi. \_Seizing him by the throat.'] Hangman that you 
 are, have you a mind then to make one go mad in good 
 earnest? 
 
 First Clown. He ! he ! Well, please your worship, let 
 me go, and I shall immediately tell you how we are come to 
 let you know that we have seen a man murdered. 
 
 Kadi. Now I am myself again. So much the better, it 
 is good news ; here is a job to buy me a good supper. 
 
 Second Clown. Ah ! please your worship, the worst of it 
 
 is, that the man that is killed was my son-in-law, as he has 
 
 married my daughter, and nothing worse could happen to me. 
 
 Kadi. So much the better, 1 tell you ; it is a very good 
 
 affair. 
 
 Enter one of the Deputy Justice's Thief-takers. 
 Thief-taker. Please your worship, we have just this mo- 
 ment apprehended a murderer a little way from Kandahar.
 
 234 
 
 Kadi. Haste, haste, my gown and my turband. Have 
 you any witnesses? \To the country-fellow.'] 
 
 First Clown. Ay, that we have — let us alone — there 
 will be some to spare. 
 
 Kadi. As that is the case, I shall set out this instant for 
 the spot where the crime has been committed. But I must 
 first know the circumstances of the criminal. 
 
 Thief-taker. He is — 
 
 Kadi. What is he ? 
 
 Thief-taker. He is a clown belonging to the next village. 
 
 Kadi. A clown belonging to the next village ! I am in 
 a fine hole truly. What right have such scoundrels to com- 
 mit murder? Ah ! I am ready to go mad. This job would 
 not buy me a cup of water if I wanted it. \To his servants.'] 
 Hold, here is my gown and turband. 
 
 First Clown. Let us be gone, for the criminal may 
 escape, while we are here chattering in this manner. 
 
 Kadi. So much the better. Nothing is more natural; 
 and, 'faith, it is an affair that won't pay for shoe leather. 
 
 Second Clown. But then — 
 
 Kadi. Turn these fellows out, who split my head with 
 their importunate discourse. 
 
 Enter the Kadi's Deputy. 
 
 Deputy. I wish your worship joy — A murder has been 
 committed. 
 
 Kadi. I know it. 
 
 Deputy. And if you do, why do not you run to the 
 spot? 
 
 Kadi. There is no time lost. — We shall have daylight 
 enough to-morrow. 
 
 Deputy. But then — 
 
 Kadi. Say no more of it. 
 
 Deputy. Your worship's indifference surprises me 1 The 
 beast is well shod. 
 
 Kadi. What do you mean?
 
 235 
 
 Deputy. You do not know then, that the murderer was 
 driving sheep to market? 
 
 Kadi. Sheep, say you ? 
 
 Deputy. I say sheep. 
 
 Kadi. And well, wliat have you done with the sheep ? 
 
 Deputy. A fine question, truly. I immediately sent them 
 to prison. [7>/ a low voice.'\ A novice in the trade would 
 have taken care of the criminal, but I have studied your 
 example too well. I gave the murderer an opportunity of 
 making his escape, and have kept the sheep. 
 
 Kadi. Quick, quick, my gown and my turband. Let my 
 mule be bridled. \_To the deputy^ You will one day make 
 a figure in my station. — \^To the clowns^ You asses you, why 
 did you not inform me at first that the murderer had sheep? 
 
 First Clown. Truly, please your worship, we did not 
 think he was the more guilty for having sheep. 
 
 Kadi. You are mistaken. A man murdered, and sheep ! 
 It is enough. Nothing shall pacify me, I will make an 
 example this moment — of the sheep. 
 
 First Clown. Your worship is in the right. He deserves 
 to be hanged ; but the poor sheep, sir, have done nothing, 
 and \_crying\ we ask your worship's pardon for them. 
 
 Kadi. No, no ! no quarter ; justice must be done. I 
 shall just step into this closet with my deputy, and be with 
 you in a minute or two. 
 
 Second Clown. 'Faith, this is comical work. So then, 
 when a man has got sheep, the trial is over — he may think 
 of the gallows in good earnest. 
 
 First Clown. Ah ! Gossip, while fortune smiles on us, 
 and the kadi is in the murdering humor, let us take ven- 
 geance on our neighbor Khalib, who is constantly playing us 
 some trick or another. 
 
 Second Clown. The fellow has better than a hundred and 
 fifty sheep. This is a fine opportunity of getting rid of him, 
 or at least of procuring him a bastinado.
 
 236 
 
 First Clown. You are in the right, and 'faith, we will do 
 for liim. He will have good luck if he escapes with blows, 
 and we may afterwards divert ourselves well at his expense. 
 
 This is, my dear brothers, continued the young kalandar, 
 a sample of my performance. I afterwards introduced the 
 young Persian drawing, by force of money from the covetous 
 kadi, an advice so contrary to his design of marrying his 
 daughter to the old Mohammedan ; but I shall not entertain 
 you with that scene, though pretty original, I think, in its 
 kind. It is enough that I have lately made you sensible of 
 my genius. I now return to my history. — Permit me first 
 to assure you, said Faruk, that the scenes with which you 
 have entertained us, are the prettiest that I ever saw. — Your 
 commendation, replied the young kalandar, is very moder- 
 ate ; my play, from beginning to end, is a most excellent 
 and charming performance, and none of our comic writers 
 has produced anything more perfect and natural ; all Shiraz 
 did me justice ; but tlie kadi of the town, of whom I never 
 thought in composing my comedy, judged otherwise of it. 
 He took it into his head that he saw himself represented 
 in it in the most natural colors, and entering into a furious 
 passion against both the author and the players, he drove us 
 all out of Shiraz, and forbade us, on pain of death, ever to 
 appear there again in that quality. I shall not enlarge upon 
 a little bastinado that I received by the kadi's order, in the 
 name of our company ; it was by the way of acknowledgment 
 for my being a satirical author ; all the other profits were 
 equally divided amongst us. After this I proposed to them 
 that we should go and settle in some other town, where the 
 kadis might be of a better way of thinking ; but they treated 
 me with great harshness, in spite of all the apologies I could 
 make for what had happened ; so that I resolved to renounce 
 the profession and to return to the business I carried on 
 before I took to the stage. 
 
 Upon this then I went back to my mother, who received
 
 237 
 
 me with open arms. I had saved some money during the 
 two years I had spent among the players. Part of this 
 money I laid out in the purchase of a stock of cattle, and 
 being resolved to indulge myself, could not think of travel- 
 ling on foot to sell my butter and cheese ; I therefore bought 
 a little mule, which cost me thirty dinars. As I was going 
 home very quietly on my new purchase, (hiving before me a 
 purblind horse which I generally made use of to carry our 
 butter to market, I met at about a quarter of a league from the 
 town a man who asked me if I had come from Shiraz. — 
 You may see, said I, that I have but just left it. — No doubt, 
 replied he; have you been making some purchase at the fair 
 there? I have bought this mule there, answered I. — What 
 mule? — Why, the mule I ride on. — Are you in earnest? — 
 Certainly, it cost me thirty dinars. — Upon this the man 
 began to laugh ready to split his sides. The plot was well 
 laid, continued he ; whoever sold you the beast was no fool, 
 to palm an ass on you for a mule. He then continued his 
 journey towards Shiraz, laughing all the way as long as he 
 continued within hearing. 
 
 I really pitied the fellow, as I took him for a fool ; when 
 behold ! about half a league further, another asked me pretty 
 nearly the same question. I answered him as I had done 
 the first ; but when I came to tell him that I had bought a 
 mule : What ! said he, do you take me for a fool to think 
 of making me believe an ass is a mule ? I had a mind to 
 prove that he was mistaken ; but he fell into a passion, 
 abused me severely, and went on, leaving me in the greatest 
 astonishment imaginable. I now began to think in good 
 earnest that I might really have been imposed upon; so I 
 got off my purchase and examined it from head to foot, 
 without finding anything to make me alter my opinion of its 
 being a mule. However, unwilling to rely entirely on my 
 own judgment, or to trust entirely to my eyes on the occa- 
 sion, L made myself a promise to lay the affair before the
 
 238 
 
 next man I met ; and swore that, if he judged in favor of 
 the ass, I would at once make him a present of it. 
 
 I had scarcely gone three hundred paces when I met with 
 a kind of country fellow. Brother, said I, let me know, I 
 beg you, what kind of a beast I have got under me? — A 
 comical question, this, replied he ; don't you yourself know 
 better than I can tell you ? — Let me know it or not, said I, 
 you will oblige me in telling. — Well, then, said the country- 
 man, it is no hard matter to know that it is an ass. This 
 answer thunderstruck me. I got off the beast which I had 
 taken for a mule, and begged the man to accept it as a free 
 gift. I had no occasion to press it upon him ; he thanked 
 me for my present, and leaping on the beast, gave her a kick 
 or two with his heels, and flew off like lightning. I got home 
 on foot, not a little vexed at the trick that had been played 
 me ; my mother, who soon perceived the trouble I was in, 
 asked me the cause of it. I gave her an account of what had 
 happened; she could not forbear laughing at it. Poor 
 unthinking creature, said she, have you not sense enough to 
 see that they were three sharpers, who spread themselves on 
 the road to Shiraz, and who laid a scheme to get your mule 
 from you ? You must be very simple indeed, to be caught 
 by so glaring a piece of knavery. My mother's raillery stung 
 me to the quick ; I saw now that I had suffered myself to be 
 imposed on, and forming a resolution to be revenged on my 
 sharpers the very first opportunity, I returned to the market 
 the next day but one. I knew them again, though they had 
 changed their dress ; and as I saw, by two or three of their 
 tricks, of which I happened to be a witness, that they were 
 not the cunningest of their trade, I thought I might safely 
 defer my vengeance to another opportunity. 
 
 After having taken my measures very well, and informed 
 my mother of what I was about, I put a pair of empty baskets 
 on a mottled goat that I had bought from one of my neiglv 
 bors, and went with her to the market of Shiraz. I had
 
 239 
 
 scarcely arrived, when my three sharpers perceived me, and 
 surrounded me, thinking they would soon be able to make a 
 prey of me as they had done before. I pretended not to 
 know them; bought a leg of mutton, a turkey-cock, and 
 three chickens ; and putting them into my goat's basket : 
 Pretty creature, said I, loud enough for them to overhear 
 me, make haste home ; tell my cook to dress this leg of 
 mutton with rice, to make a stew of the turkey-cock, and a 
 fricassee of the chickens ; but above all things let her not 
 forget to make an excellent tart for the dessert ; let her like- 
 wise set eight bottles of wine to cool. I then gave the goat 
 a little lash, and off she capered. The three sharpers were 
 greatly surprised at this odd scene. What then, brother, 
 said one of them, do you imagine that this creature will obey 
 your orders? — No doubt, answered I, she will; this is not a 
 common goat, she knows my intentions, and I am certain she 
 will to a titde fulfil them. Upon this they fell a-laughing. 
 It is no joke, said I, very seriously ; if you doubt of it, come 
 home and dine with me, and judge for yourselves. The 
 sharpers took me at my word, and curious to know the truth 
 of what I had told them, stuck close to me, while I took 
 some turns in the market to make a few purchases ; which 
 done, we all set out together on foot. I had no sooner got 
 home, but, in order to deceive them the better, I began to 
 question my mother, as if she had been the cook. Well, said 
 I, has the goat come home ? — She arrived, answered she, a 
 long time ago ; you will find her browsing on the cabbages in 
 the garden, and your dinner would have been ready by this, 
 but that the guests you invited sent word that some unex- 
 pected business deprived them of the pleasure of waiting on 
 you this day ; however, the leg of mutton is almost done ; 
 another half hour will complete the turkey ; the fricassee is 
 quite ready ; the tart is in the oven, and the bottles are in 
 snow, as you directed. — It is all very well, said I : here are 
 three gentlemen, whose company will make me amends fol
 
 240 
 
 the absence of those I invited. You may send up dinner as 
 soon as you please. — Nothing could come up to the aston- 
 ishment of my guests at the answers given me by my mother. 
 They went into the garden, and knowing the goat again by 
 the marks she had, which they had narrowly examined, they 
 resolved to have her at any price. 
 
 Dinner was soon ser\'ed up, and I made my sharpers, who 
 suspected nothing, drink very copiously. At length, wheii 
 we had almost done, one of them asked me if 1 would not 
 part with my goat. I pretended to be willing enough, pro- 
 vided I got the worth of her. They first offered twenty 
 dinars of gold, but I refused them with contempt ; in fine, 
 my dear brothers, I played my part so well that I got out of 
 them all the money they had, which in the whole made sixty 
 and some odd dinars. We fell to our liquor again to con- 
 firm the bargain, and my guests left me towards evening, 
 half drunk, and thoroughly satisfied with their purchase. 
 The day following, they thought proper to make a trial of 
 their goat in order to know if she would obey their com- 
 mands with the same obedience they imagined she had done 
 mine the day before. For this purpose they loaded her as 
 I had done, gave her her directions, and then sent her off; 
 but they waited in vain for her return, she never came back. 
 
 I must here, my dear brothers, explain this mystery to you. 
 One of my neighbors had two white goats spotted with 
 black, but so like one another, that it was impossible to find 
 any difference between them. These goats I bought, in 
 order to be revenged on my sharpers. I made my mother 
 acquainted with my design, gave her, if I may say so, orders 
 for dinner ; and after having tied up one of my goats in the 
 garden, led the other to market, where I bought the same 
 provisions which I had desired my mother to get ready. I 
 then put them on my goat, and after having given her directions 
 to carry them home, turned her adrift, for any one that pleased 
 to lay hands upon her, nor did I ever learn to whose lot she
 
 241 
 
 fell. My orders were so punctually complied with, my 
 mother acted her part so naturally, and the other goat, which 
 my sharpers found in the garden, was so very like that 
 which they had seen with me at Shiraz, that they really 
 imagined that there was something above nature in the 
 creature, and so bought her at the dear price I have 
 been telling you. But she met, no doubt, with the same fate 
 that her sister had done before her; some stranger <iaid hold 
 of her, and made a property of her, and of the provisions 
 with which she had been loaded. 
 
 I made no doubt but that, when they found themselves 
 deceived, they would call upon me for their money, but I 
 waited for thera undauntedly. They knocked at my door, 
 threatening what an example they would make of me. I let 
 them in myself, asking them quietly what could be the cause 
 of their being in so great a passion ; they then told me it was 
 owing to the loss of their goat. Have you not curried it this 
 morning, said I, with the left hand, as I desired my cook to 
 tell you yesterday you ought to do ? She ran after you to ac- 
 quaint you with that important circumstance, which the wine 
 I had drunk made me forget, when we had concluded the 
 bargain. — What cook? replied the sharpers. Since we left 
 your house, it never came into our heads to curry the goat 
 with the left hand, as you never acquainted us with that cere- 
 mony. Upon this, I immediately called to my mother, who 
 came in trembling, on account of the great passion I pre- 
 tended to be in. How comes it, wretch, said I, in a great 
 fury, thr.t you did not tell these gentlemen, as I had so ex- 
 pressly commanded you, not to omit currying the goat with 
 the left hand, as I used to do myself every morning ? — My 
 dear master, said she, throwing herself at my feet, it was my 
 intention so to do, but I could not ; I ran after them a great 
 way, without being able to overtake them. — Ah ! you care- 
 less slut, said I, this is one of your common tricks ; no doubt 
 you stopped to chatter away with some gossip, and it is thus 
 
 i6
 
 242 
 
 you undo me by your neglect ; but, I swear by Mohammed, 
 it shall not go far with you. With these words I took her by 
 the hair, and drawing a dagger from my girdle-belt, gave her 
 so home a stroke with it in the belly, as immediately laid 
 her flat on the floor. In a minute she was all covered with 
 blood, and my three sharpers were so stunned at it, that they 
 immediately began to think of making their escape. Gentle- 
 men, said I, she had only what she deserved ; nor need you 
 be in any pain about her. I can in an instant, if I please, 
 restore her to life, but she is not worth taking any trouble 
 with ; only help me, I beg of you, to bury her in my garden. 
 The three sharpers did nothing but stare at each other for 
 some time, till one of them breaking the profound silence 
 that this murder had cast them in : What ! said he, and is it 
 really in your power to bring the poor creature back to life 
 again ? — No doubt it is, I replied. — Ah ! then work, we be- 
 seech you, this miracle in our presence, and we will renounce 
 all claims we may have on you on the score of the goat. I 
 made some difficulty about giving them the satisfaction they 
 required ; they pressed me the more eagerly. At last : It is 
 impossible, said I, to refuse such worthy gentlemen ; upon 
 which, I opened a box, and taking out of it a hunting-horn, 
 played two or three very brisk tunes in the ears of the de- 
 ceased. As I played, my mother seemed to recover life by 
 degrees ; in fine, she was well enough in a quarter of an hour 
 to sit up, without expressing the least inconvenience from 
 the wound I had given her. This strange sight threw my 
 sharpers into the greatest amazement, and gave them so 
 great a longing for the horn, that they already began to think 
 how they might strip me of it. They asked me from whom 
 I had this so miraculous an instrument. I answered them, 
 that I had bought it from a stranger for one hundred and 
 four dinars, and that he told me it would lose its virtue 
 should any one take it forcibly from me ; but that it would 
 retain all its power in the hands of any one I made it over to,
 
 243 
 
 provided I got for it eight dinars more than it cost me ; be. 
 cause it was absolutely necessary that in thus passing from 
 hand to hand the price should rise eight dinars, which was 
 all it cost at first, so that I was the thirteenth person who 
 had enjoyed it. 
 
 My guests speedily swallowed the bait, and nothing could 
 equal their longing for the horn, but they did not choose to 
 pay so dear for it ; however, they at last came to the resolu- 
 tion of letting me have for it the price under which I told 
 them it could not be sold, and pressed me so hard, that I at 
 length, after making a great many difficulties, suffered myself 
 to be persuaded, and took their one hundred and twelve 
 dinars. They immediately went home, and as they all lived 
 under the same roof, they sent for their wives, sat down to 
 table, and there spent the rest of the day. Night coming on, 
 when they had almost finished their meal, and had sufficiently 
 heated themselves with wine, they thought proper to try their 
 horn, and for this purpose endeavored to pick a quarrel with 
 their wives, who being provoked by some smart blows, re- 
 proached their husbands with every crime of theirs they 
 could think of, and even threatened to inform the kadi of 
 the life they led. This was exactly what the rogues wished 
 for. At these menaces they pretended to fall into the great- 
 est fury, and with their knives at once cut the throats of 
 the three women, who at bottom were as bad as their hus- 
 bands. The unhappy creatures were no sooner stretched 
 out upon the floor, than the murderers fell to tlieir horn, but 
 the wretches were deaf to their music, and no sign of life 
 appeared. Upon this they fell to it again, but finding that 
 all their skill was to no purpose, they too late perceived that 
 they had met with one cunninger than themselves; and 
 that I had, instead of stabbing my cook, only ran, as was 
 really the case, my dagger into a bladder of blood. You 
 may now imagine them not only in the greatest agonies at 
 my having outwitted them, but in the greatest despair for
 
 244 
 
 having killed their wives, without knowing how to dispose of 
 their dead bodies. Whilst they were deliberating on the 
 means of being revenged on me, and of getting rid of the 
 unhappy victims of their stupidity, who should pass by but 
 the kadi's deputy with some asses ! Hearing the sound of 
 the horn, he knocked at the door to know the reason of 
 so unseasonable a noise, that broke the rest of all the 
 neighborhood. 
 
 The three sharpers began now to consider themselves as 
 lost men, and were so terrified that instead of opening the 
 door they thought of making their escape. But the kadi 
 ordered the door to be burst open, and on seeing the 
 three bodies weltering in their blood, he commanded his 
 attendants to seize the murderers, and to conduct them to 
 prison. His attendants, no doubt, were earnest enough in 
 obeying his orders, notwithstanding which, one of the mur- 
 derers somehow or other made his escape. The two others 
 represented in vain to the kadi that they had been imposed 
 upon, and that they never imagined their wives would be 
 killed outright. He listened to the story of the hunting- 
 horn as to a fable, and the next day I had the pleasure of 
 seeing my two sharpers hung up in front of their own door. 
 Much as I was pleased at my vengeance, the escape of one 
 of the criminals gave me no small uneasiness. I began to 
 be greatly afraid that he would one day or other play me 
 some unlucky trick. I therefore kept myself on my guard 
 for a considerable time, but at length, in spite of all my 
 vigilance, I fell into his power. 
 
 One evening as I was returning home pretty late from 
 Shiraz, I unfortunately met this arch-villain. He was so 
 much disguised that I did not know him ; but he knew me, 
 very well, for he had no sooner perceived me than he seized 
 me by the throat, and with the assistance of three other 
 wretches hke himself, crammed me into a sack that one of 
 them had under his arm, and after tying the mouth of it
 
 245 
 
 with a strong rope, loaded me on their shoulders, with the 
 intention, as I could plainly discover, of throwing me into 
 the river of Badamir. I now, my dear brother, gave myself 
 up for lost, and began to be heartily sorry for having sought 
 any vengeance for the loss of my mule, when my assassins, 
 alarmed by the approach of some horsemen, threw me into 
 a hole that lay at a small distance from the road, threaten- 
 ing to be revenged on me if I made the least complaint ; 
 which done, they ran off, with the intention of soon returning 
 to take me away with them. In this terrible situation I 
 recommended myself earnestly to our great Prophet ; but 
 I did not place so much confidence in him alone, as not to 
 invoke, in spite of the orders I had received from my assas- 
 sins, the assistance of those who might at that time happen 
 to pass that way. 
 
 Accordingly, a butcher, who was driving before him a 
 flock of thirty sheep, hearing my cries, came up to the place 
 where I was, and asked me what I was doing in the sack, 
 and what was the cause of my lamentation. Alas ! said I, 
 in a very sorrowful tone, I believe they are going to drown 
 me, because I will not consent to marry the kadi's daughter. 
 Not marry the kadi's daughter ! and why so, you blockhead ? 
 said he. What reason can 5'ou have for not accepting her for 
 a wife ? She passes for one of the handsomest girls in Shiraz. 
 A little piece of nicety hinders me, answered I j she is with 
 child ; it is none of my doing ; and the kadi, who has a 
 mind to screen his daughter's honor, wants me to repair a 
 fault committed by another ; but I would rather die a thou- 
 sand times than submit to such an affront. — Plague on your 
 stupidity ! replied the butcher. I wish I was in your place : 
 they should not have occasion so much as to pull me by the 
 ear to make me comply. I would marry her directly. — There 
 is no difficulty in the thing, said I ; you only need put your- 
 self into this sack. — With all my heart, my good master 
 blockhead, replied the butcher, and you shall have my
 
 246 
 
 sheep into the bargain. But now I think of it, how will the 
 kadi like the exchange? He wants nothing but a son-in- 
 law, answered I. He had given full directions to his slaves 
 to stop the first passenger they should meet, and inquire 
 of him if he was married, because his daughter's lover having 
 died a few days ago, he was at a loss how to repair her 
 honor. The lot fell upon me, but his daughter's big belly 
 disgusted me at first sight. Upon this he fell into such a 
 passion that he scarcely condescended to look at me, but 
 ordered 1 should be thrown into the river if I did not alter 
 my mind. — Since it is so, brother, I will readily change my 
 situation for yours, said the butcher. And accordingly he 
 untied the sack, and fixed himself in it in my place. I tied 
 it in my turn, and driving his sheep before me, made the 
 best of my way towards the village I belonged to. 
 
 In about half an hour, my sharper returned with his com- 
 panions to take up the sack. It was in vain that the butcher 
 within it cried out : Gentlemen, gentlemen, take me back 
 to the kadi ; I have altered my mind, and will marry his 
 daughter, let her be ever so big-bellied. The rogues im- 
 agined that despair had turned my brain, and so without 
 answering his remonstrances they went and threw him into 
 the river of Badamir, where the poor fellow ended his days. 
 It grieves me when I think of it ; but in fine, I am better 
 pleased he should be there than myself. The robbers, after 
 this exploit, turned towards the village I lived in, to com- 
 plete their revenge by burning my house. They happened 
 to arrive at the very moment I began to knock at my door ; 
 and the unexpected sight of me caused them so much terror, 
 that they were ready to die with fear. Oh, heavens ! said they, 
 what a prodigy is here ! how have you escaped drowning? 
 Whence come you? Where have you got all these sheep? 
 
 To be plain with you, I little expected to see these assas- 
 sins so soon again. At first I was struck dumb by their pres- 
 ence and their questions, but my usual readiness of thought
 
 247 
 
 coming to my assistance : Go to, said I, you are a pack of 
 asses ; if you had thrown me but four fathoms farther into the 
 river, instead of tliirty sheep I should have brought home three 
 hundred. — What is the meaning of all this ? asked they. Why, 
 answered I, no other than this : there is in that part of the 
 river a good jinni, who received me very graciously, made 
 me a present of these sheep, brought me back with them to 
 my house, and assured me that had I dropped into the water 
 a litde further, I should have carried away with me eight 
 times as many. This piece of news greatly surprised the 
 robbers ; and after they had conferred together for some 
 time in a low voice, one of them, raising his voice : No 
 doubt, said he to his companions, there is something very 
 mysterious in this affair; for nothing is more certain than 
 that we threw this young man into the river ; he had no 
 sheep, we have had but time to come here, yet he is here 
 before us with thirty sheep, and there is not on his clothes 
 the least sign of their having been even wetted ; as for my 
 part, I think it very well worth our whiles to make a trial, 
 and to judge of the matter for ourselves. Upon this, he 
 turned aboui: to me, and asked me if I had any sacks. I 
 have, I believe, said I, half a dozen. It is two too many, 
 repHed he ; put up your sheep, take four sacks, and come 
 with us. I cheerfully obeyed them ; they brought me to 
 that part of the river where they thought they had just now 
 thrown me in. They even went to get a little boat that I 
 might tlirovv them further into the water, and then went each 
 of them into a sack, whose mouth I bound up very fast; 
 which done, they suffered themselves to be tumbled head- 
 long into the Badamir to fish for sheep. But I have not 
 since, my dear brothers, heard a word of news from them. 
 
 I now returned quietly home, well satisfied with the ven- 
 geance I had taken on my enemies. I lived well on their 
 money, and on the sheep I had from the poor butcher ; but 
 my good fortune was very short lived. One night my mother
 
 248 
 
 unluckily set fire to our stable ; the blaze soon spread itself, 
 and not only mine but seven houses more were burnt down 
 to the ground. My poor mother, who saw herself reduced 
 by this accident to the greatest poverty, soon died of grief. 
 As for my part, as I had a profession and a genius for it, 
 I resolved to make the most of them. I left Shiraz, with an 
 intention of joining some of the company of comedians that 
 stroll from one town of Persia to another. 1 met with this 
 old kalandar ; we travelled some days together, his conver- 
 sation and way of life pleased me greatly. I have now be- 
 come a kalandar likewise, and we have undertaken a journey 
 to the Indies, where I do not despair of being again able to 
 shine as a comedian, in case I should chance to grow tired 
 of this habit. 
 
 Faruk, my lord, continued Ibn Aridun, had listened with 
 infinite pleasure to the young kalandar's story — I can 
 well believe he did, said the king of Astrakhan, interrupting 
 him ; nothing can be more agreeable than the adventures of 
 the two kalandars, and I make no doubt of their having been 
 able to suspend that prince's grief for the loss of his kingdom, 
 since I, who have more reason to be afflicted than he, have 
 not so much as thought of my misfortunes during the enter- 
 taining recital of them. But return, I beg of you, to Faruk's 
 history ; this unfortunate prince has so much interested me 
 in his favor that I burn with impatience to know the rest of 
 his adventures. — I shall go on with them with pleasure, my 
 lord, replied the son of Abu Bakr ; it is an easy matter for me 
 to satisfy your curiosity. 
 
 CONTINUATION OF THE STORY OF FARUK 
 
 Faruk and the two kalandars had now traversed almost 
 all Persia, without meeting with anything worth your Maj-
 
 249 
 
 esty's attention ; when one day, to avoid the insupportable 
 heat of tlie sun, they quitted the high road, and retired into a 
 little wood to take their usual refreshment. They had not 
 been there long, when hearing the cries of somebody thaf had 
 fallen into bad hands, they immediately ran to the place 
 whence the noise came ; but they came too late to assist an 
 unhappy traveller, whom four assassins had just killed with 
 their daggers. As these wretches were well armed, far from 
 flying at the sight of the kalandars, they stripped the unhappy 
 victim of their fury, and one of them proposed that they 
 should cut him into small pieces. Faruk shuddered at this 
 piece of barbarity: Ah! gentlemen, said he, with great hu- 
 mility, surely you may be satisfied with having robbed this 
 poor man of his life, without treating his dead body with a 
 cruelty beyond example ; for Heaven's sake do not carry your 
 fury to greater lengths. One of the murderers looked at 
 Faruk with a stern countenance. Wretch, said he, why do 
 you trouble yourself about what in no way concerns youj* 
 Keep your remonstrances for others. As you regard your 
 life, take yourself away, you and your companions. Stop 
 but another moment, and I shall send you to bear him com- 
 pany, for whom you interest yourself so unseasonably. The 
 prince of Gur did not suffer himself to be disheartened by 
 this speech. But, sir, continued he, how great soever your 
 fury may be against this dead body, if I were to offer you 
 two thousand dinars for its ransom, would you not be better 
 pleased to take them than to treat it in so outrageous a 
 manner ? — No doubt, replied the robber. — Swear then that 
 you will let me have the dead body, said Faruk, and you 
 shall have the money this instant. — I swear then, said the 
 wretch ; may the scorpion of Kachan sting us all four in the 
 hand, if we do not keep to our word ! deliver us the two 
 thousand dinars, and the body is yours, to dispose of it as 
 you please. Upon this, my lord, Faruk, taking out of his 
 bosom the only ring he had left, and which was worth a great
 
 250 
 
 deal more than he had promised them, gave it up without 
 showing the least concern, and the wretches left him in pos- 
 session of the body of the poor man they had murdered. 
 
 The two kalandars were extremely surprised at Faruk's 
 behavior, and could not but admire his generosity or his 
 folly ; and indeed they considered it as folly more than any- 
 thing else. What then, said they, can be your intention in 
 doing what you have done ? This ring was all that remained 
 of your riches ; it was a sure resource for you in any ex- 
 tremity, and you parted with it to redeem a dead body ; can 
 anytliing in tiae world equal your extravagance ? For, in fine, 
 what can you pretend to do with this body ? — I intend, 
 answered Faruk, to bury it in this spot ; good works are 
 never lost ; and you have told me yourselves, that in that 
 kind of life I have embraced, this ring was altogether useless 
 to me ; why then would you have me, for the sake of a stone 
 which men are pleased to call precious, and which only 
 serves for a superfluous ornament, lose the opportunity of 
 performing so holy a duty as that of laying in the ground a 
 Mohammedan who may one day or other perhaps intercede for 
 me in heaven ? — Your thought is very good, replied the kalan- 
 dars, but do not take it amiss that we leave you alone to go 
 through the pious ceremony ; it is somewhat dangerous to 
 bury a person who has been murdered in this place ; and so 
 good an action is capable of receiving a very bad interpre- 
 tation ; we shall, therefore, go and wait for you outside the 
 wood, and if you make any delay, we will meet you before 
 nightfall at the gates of Ormuz, which is not above a league off. 
 The kalandars upon this came out of the wood, in which 
 Faruk went to work with a stake, laboring with all his strength 
 to make a grave for the dead body ; but while he was thus 
 employed, the kadi of Ormuz happened to be going by. As 
 in this life people generally judge according to appearances, 
 the magistrate seized upon Faruk, on the presumption that 
 it was he who had killed the man he was going to bury- It
 
 251 
 
 was to no purpose that he appealed to Heaven for his inno- 
 cence ; they tied him to a horse's tail, and dragged him to 
 Ormuz, where they threw him into a dungeon. The two 
 kalandars saw him go by in tliis deplorable condition. We 
 foretold what would happen to him, said they to themselves, 
 and he may thank his obstinacy for his misfortune. How- 
 ever, they followed him at a distance, though for fear of 
 being made parties in so delicate an affair, they thought pro- 
 per not to appear on his behalf. 
 
 The prince of Gur remained all night in the dungeon, and 
 next morning they brought him before the kadi ; the magis- 
 trate examined him, but nothing he could say to justify him- 
 self met with any regard, so that he was condemned to death, 
 and conducted directly to the market-place, to be hung ac- 
 cording to his sentence. This monarch behaved at the foot 
 of the gallows with surprising intrepidity. Heavens, cried 
 he, you are just ! Must I then be punished for an action 
 whicli in the sight of God deserves to be rewarded ? I now 
 perceive, O wise kalandars ! that you were in the right in 
 striving to dissuade me from giving burial to this dead body. 
 Just as the prince was finishing this exclamation, he happened 
 to throw his eyes upon the kadi's hand, who thought proper 
 to assist at the execution, and seeing on his finger the ring 
 which he had given the murderers : Ah ! said he, my lord, 
 our great Prophet, who no doubt interests himself in my 
 favor, thinks it improper that an innocent person should suf- 
 fer ; you have actually got on your finger the ring which I 
 gave to those who, after having killed the Mohammedan, 
 wanted to exercise on his body an unheard-of piece of cruelty ; 
 it will now be an easy matter to find out the criminals ; and 
 the two kalandars, my fellow-travellers, who must now be in 
 Ormuz, cannot but know the murderers again as well as my- 
 self The kadi turned paler than death at this news, put off 
 the execution, and ordered the prince of Gur back to his 
 house.
 
 252 
 
 No wonder the kadi should be greatly surprised, when 
 Faruk assured him he had his ring, whereas he had bought 
 it from his only son for two thousand three hundred dinars ; 
 and his son was looked upon as a person of a very loose way 
 of life, and was suspected of keeping company with robbers, 
 assassins, and other wretches. The first thing the judge did 
 when he reached home, was to send for his son. A slave 
 told him that he was at a party of pleasure, with ten or a 
 dozen friends, at a garden a little way out of the town. The 
 kadi followed liim there instantly, and having seized the 
 whole company, had them brought before Faruk, to see if he 
 could discover the murderers amongst them. The prince 
 narrowly examined every face, and fixing upon two, in spite 
 of their disguise : It is to one of these men, said he to the 
 kadi, at the same time pointing out his son, that I gave my 
 ring, to hinder him from cutting the dead body into pieces. 
 It is he, and one of these disorderly young fellows, that com- 
 mitted the murder, of which two kalandars and myself were 
 witnesses. As to the two other murderers, I do not see 
 them here ; and if you doubt what I say, cause inquiry to be 
 made after the two kalandars, my fellow-travellers, who must 
 now be in Ormuz, and if they do not confirm my testimony, 
 I am satisfied to lose my life by the most cruel torments. 
 
 It was no hard matter to find the kalandars, who were 
 brought to the garden before the kadi. Here they examined 
 the twelve prisoners, and having confirmed Faruk's testi- 
 mony, they were surprised to see the kadi tear his gown and 
 his turband, and throw himself flat upon the ground. Un- 
 happy father ! cried out the magistrate, must you then 
 deliver up your only son to an infamous death !^o, wretch, 
 said he, I will save myself that dishonor ; but you shall die 
 notwithstanding, and I will be your executioner. Upon this, 
 he seized upon the sabre of one of his attendants, and struck 
 his son's head off at once with it ; and having put the other 
 eleven prisoners to the most cruel torments, and made them
 
 253 
 
 confess a thousand horrid crimes, he directed they should be 
 cast from a higli tower upon iron hooks, giving all Ormuz in 
 this manner a most dreadful example of his justice. 
 
 This upright and honest magistrate shuddered at the 
 thoughts of the sentence he had pronounced against Faruk. 
 Heavens ! said he, had it not been for this ring I should 
 have robbed an innocent person of his life ! How confined 
 is our knowledge ! How easy is it for those in my station to 
 be led astray by prejudice J I need no more proof of it. I 
 renounce my profession, and will spend the remainder of my 
 life in seeking God's pardon for the faults I have committed 
 as a judge, through ignorance, prejudice, or want of applica- 
 tion. Upon this, turning to Faruk, who when he pointed 
 out to the kadi the person to whom he had given the ring, 
 knew nothing of the criminal being so dear to him : Pious 
 kalandar, said he, throw off this habit, and be to me what the 
 wretch was whom I have just now punished for his many 
 crimes. I give you up all that I am worth, seeing you know 
 how to make so good a use of riches. I beg you may accept 
 them, and let me not go to the grave, into which I find my- 
 self ready to sink, with the disagreeable thoughts of your 
 having refused me. Faruk, my lord, touched to the heart 
 with the words of this unfortunate father, cast himself at his 
 feet. My presence, said he, generous kadi, would only serve 
 to fix your thoughts on the unhappy death of your son. 
 Permit me, therefore, to remove far from your sight an 
 object — On the contrary, replied the judge, it will wear out 
 of my mind a remembrance, which that retirement to which 
 I have devoted the rest of my life would otherwise render 
 perpetual. Do not abandon me, I again beseech you, if you 
 have any compassion for an unfortunate father. In the 
 mean time, the kadi embraced Faruk in the tenderest man- 
 ner, who, unable to resist his tears, granted him his re(iuest. 
 
 The king of Gur was now adopted by the kadi of Ormuz, 
 and was under the necessity of remaining at Ormuz. As for
 
 254 
 
 the two other kalandars, they continued their journey, in 
 spite of the handsomest proposals which the prince made 
 them. They continued fixed in their design of visiting the 
 Indies and China, and all the favor Faruk could obtain of 
 them was for each of them to accept a present of two thou- 
 sand dinars of gold. The prince of Gur, my lord, lived very 
 quietly and happily with the kadi, who had resigned his com- 
 mission, much against the will of the king of Ormuz. Faruk 
 behaved towards this venerable magistrate with all the ten- 
 derness of a son, and the good old man had every day reason 
 to bless the Almighty for having permitted him to make so 
 worthy a choice ; but he enjoyed but a short time the fruits 
 of his prudent adoption. At the end of eight months he fell 
 dangerously ill, and, in fine, resigned his just soul into the 
 hands of the Angel of Death. Faruk was deeply afflicted at 
 so great a loss ; and finding that the effects left him were 
 considerable, he made two shares of them. One share he 
 took to himself, and laid out the other in building a Mosque 
 and a caravanserai at the gates of Ormuz ; near which he 
 caused his benefactor to be buried, with a marble column at 
 the foot of the grave, on which was engraved an epitaph of 
 his own composition, worthy of the deceased. 
 
 The prince of Gur, having fulfilled all the pious duties of a 
 good son, began to grow tired of Ormuz, for want of employ- 
 ment. The remembrance of what he had been was con- 
 stantly animating him to the performance of some actions 
 that might restore him to his primitive grandeur. To ac- 
 complish this, he came to the resolution of equipping a ship, 
 with which he might acquire an illustrious name ; and he 
 soon put this design into execution. For this purpose he 
 engaged the bravest men in Ormuz, and in a short time the 
 fame of his conduct and valor was so well spread over the Ara- 
 bian Sea and the Indian Ocean, that his successes and victo- 
 ries made the subject of every conversation. It was at this 
 time, my lord, that the princesses of Tiflis and of Borneo fell
 
 255 
 
 into his hands. You know the remainder of his history to 
 the time when Gulguli-Chamami fell into the sea. I shall 
 now give you the continuation of it, extracted from the 
 annals of the Islands of Divanduru. 
 
 Faruk, when he awakened, was in the utmost surprise not. 
 to find the princess on board his ship, and when he learned 
 the accident that had befallen her, he was so much afflicted 
 at it, that he several times made an attempt on his own life ; 
 the attendants hindered him from committing so desperate 
 an action, and by dint of reason, brought him at length to a 
 soberer way of thinking. The prince was now beginning to 
 enjoy some peace of mind, when he discovered at a distance 
 two ships which had the wind of him. He did not hesitate 
 a moment to wait for them, and having attacked them he in 
 his despair achieved such prodigies of valor that he soon 
 obliged them to strike. He then went on board these vessels, 
 and having sent on board his own ship such of the prisoners 
 as appeared of any consequence, he ordered the rest to be 
 ironed, but only for his own safety and till he arrived at some 
 port, where he intended to set them at liberty again. 
 
 Among the prisoners that Faruk ordered on board his 
 own ship, were two well-looking young men, very well 
 dressed, whose features the prince thought he had some 
 knowledge of. He examined his memory for a long time, 
 in order to recollect where he might have seen them, but 
 all to no purpose. Upon this, he asked the prisoners if 
 they had not met him somewhere or another ; but one of 
 them answered that he did not believe he had ever had 
 that honor, and that they had been three years travelling 
 through China and the Indies. Faruk, thinking himself 
 mistaken, put up with this answer, and after having spent 
 the rest of the day in quietness (all the quietness he could 
 enjoy after the loss of the princess of Tiflis) he withdrew 
 to his cabin, where, oppressed with fatigue, he fell into a 
 sound sleep.
 
 25^ 
 
 He had scarcely slept two hours, when he started up, 
 awakened by a dream, to which he thought himself obliged 
 to give some attention. The traveller whom he had buried 
 some years before at Ormuz, appeared to him : You were 
 in the right, my lord, said the ghost to him, in representing 
 to the two kalandars who wanted to hinder you from be- 
 stowing the last rites upon me, that a good action never 
 goes unrewarded. The time is now come, that I may ac- 
 knowledge your pious earnestness on that occasion. The 
 two men that you could not yesterday recollect, are my 
 murderers ; I mean those who fled to avoid punishment. 
 On their part they know you very well again, in spite of the 
 alterations in your condition, and fearing your just ven- 
 geance, have already dispatched the sentinel that was placed 
 at your door, and are now ready to come into your cabin 
 to stab you. — The prince, who, as I have already told you, 
 my lord, awoke at the close of this dream, thought he 
 could not in prudence neglect so salutary an admonition ; 
 he got up, and hearing a noise at the door of his cabin, 
 which was dimly illuminated by a lamp, he took up his 
 sabre, placed himself in a posture not to be surprised, and 
 thus waited the event of so uncommon a dream. He had 
 not been long in this situation, when his door opening very 
 softly, two wretches came in, each with a dagger in his 
 hand. He did not hesitate a moment to put it out of their 
 power to hurt him, and having struck off the arm of one 
 of them with his sabre, and stunned the other by a back 
 blow of the pommel in his face, he called his attendants, 
 ordered them to seize on the assassins, and after reproaching 
 them with the murder they had committed near Ormuz, he 
 caused them to be hung up at once to one of the masts. 
 
 Faruk, having given his ship's company an account of 
 his dream, retired to his cabin. He there threw himself 
 on his face, to thank the great Prophet for the salutary in- 
 formation he had received, and being again laid down to
 
 257 
 
 rest, he had scarcely fallen asleep, when the same ghost 
 appeared again to hiin. It is not enough, said the phantom, 
 that I have preserved you from the hands of lliose who had 
 a design upon your life ; it was the least I could do for you ; 
 but then I must let you know to whom you are indebted 
 for so seasonable an admonition. My name was Almaz ; 
 I was the only heir of Zalabdin, king of the islands of Divan- 
 duru. About six years ago, I obtained leave of my father 
 to travel, and I set out, with three attendants only, to visit 
 Persia and Tartary. My three attendants died during the 
 journey, and I was returning alone and incognito to Ormuz, 
 to take ship to Divancluru, when I was cruelly murdered by 
 the son of the kadi of Ormuz. My father, who has had 
 no news of me since I left him, and who impatiently expects 
 my return, has been this month past confined to his bed 
 by a disorder, of which it is written on the table of life that 
 he will not recover ; and our great Prophet has obtained of 
 God in jny favor, that the sword of the angel of death 
 should be withheld by rust in the scabbard till you have 
 reached the islands of Divanduru, where you are to marry 
 the princess Garun, my sister. Proceed there then with- 
 out fear ; I will give them notice of your coming, and that 
 they may not commit any mistake on this occasion, I will 
 seal you with the seal of the elect. The ghost upon this 
 having pressed, pretty violently, a fiery seal on the prince 
 of Gur's arm, he at that instant felt so great a pain from it, 
 that he gave a roar which awakened all the people on board 
 the ship. They immediately gathered about him, and he 
 gave them an account of his second dream ; and as the 
 impression made on his arm in which were distinctly to be 
 seen the name of God and that of his great Prophet, left 
 him no room to doubt of the reality of the vision, he with- 
 out the least hesitation directed his course for the isles of 
 Divanduru, where he arrived in about five weeks. 
 The favorable winds he had during his passage had 
 
 17
 
 258 
 
 brought him into port exactly at the time mentioned by 
 the ghost. The king of these islands was now very far 
 spent, and the princess, his daughter, who never stirred 
 from him, was in the greatest affliction for his melancholy 
 situation ; the approach of her father's death rendered her 
 condition very deplorable in every respect. The king of 
 Cananor, whose ancestors had formerly some pretensions 
 to the islands of Divanduru, only waited the death of Zalab- 
 din to invade his territories, and to take advantage of his 
 son's absence. But Faruk, my lord, soon gave another face 
 to Zalabdin's affairs. 
 
 Almaz, having appeared to the king his father the night 
 before the arrival of the prince of Gur, gave him an account 
 of his violent death, of Faruk's compassion, and of the 
 orders he had received from Heaven to mark him with 
 its seal, and to send him to Divanduru, there to marry the 
 princess, his sister. He, moreover, directed his father, in 
 the name of the great Prophet, to prepare himself for a 
 holy death. Zalabdin, surprised at this dream, considered 
 it, however, as the effect of a burning fever ; but how great 
 was his surprise when Garun, who slept at but a little dis- 
 tance from his bed, got up in a hurry, and just throwing 
 a gown over her shoulders, came running to his bed-side. 
 Ah ! said she, my lord, the tears gushing from her eyes, 
 my brother no doubt is no longer among the living. He 
 has just appeared to me covered all over with blood, and 
 has informed me that he had been murdered by a son of 
 the kadi of Ormuz ; that a young prince, disguised in the 
 habit of a kalandar, had bestowed the last rites upon him ; 
 that this very prince, whom we should know by the name 
 of God, which my brother had imprinted on his arm, is just 
 on the point of arriving here to oppose the unjust under- 
 taking of the king of Cananor ; and that it was written in 
 heaven that I should marry our deliverer. — Alas ! my dear 
 Garun, replied the afflicted Zalabdin, your dream is but too
 
 259 
 
 true. Almaz, who has but this instant appeared to myselfi 
 has told me the very same things, with one more, which 
 perhaps your tenderness conceals for fear of terrifying me. 
 Azrail is now at the side of my bed ; he there waits for my 
 soul, whose union with my body is to last so short a time 
 that I shall scarcely enjoy the pleasure of seeing you united 
 with the prince of Gun — Ah ! my lord, it is true enough 
 that I intended to hide this circumstance from you, replied 
 the princess of Divanduru ; must I then lose you, my lord ? 
 — Yes, my dear, answered Zalabdin, undauntedly ; let us 
 prepare ourselves for this bitter separation by an edifying 
 submission, which the agreement between our dreams re- 
 quires of us ; and read for me, I beseech you, those verses 
 of the Koran which serve to take off the terror that naturally 
 attends this unavoidable transition. 
 
 Garun, all in tears, took the Koran out of its case of green 
 cloth, and read to her father till it was daylight a great 
 many chapters of this divine book. She was thus piously 
 employed when a messenger entered with the account of 
 a ship having just come into port, that brought some news 
 from his son, Prince Almaz. Upon this, the good king's 
 grief broke out with new vigor. He gave a great shout : 
 Ah ! my dear Garun, said he to the princess, our dreams 
 then, you see, are now accomplished. Go, prepare yourself 
 to appear before the prince of Gur, and give orders that 
 he should be immediately introduced into my apartment. 
 Garun obeyed ; she went to dress herself, while messengers 
 were carrying to Faruk the orders of Zalabdin. The young 
 prince being conducted into the chambers of the dying 
 monarch, saw so much grief painted on his countenance, 
 that he had not resolution enough to inform him of his son's 
 death. Zalabdin discovered the perplexity Faruk was in. 
 Sir, said he, with a weak voice, as I am not unacquainted 
 with your name or your errand, do not be afraid of increas- 
 ing my grief, by giving me an account of the death of my
 
 260 
 
 beloved son Almaz ; he has himself taken care to give me 
 notice of so afflicting a catastrophe. Faruk, my lord, 
 hesitated answering the questions of Zalabdin, when the 
 beautiful Garun made her appearance. At the first sight 
 of her, the prince of Gur almost fainted away, and even 
 fell on the bed of the sick monarch ; this accident threw 
 the king and his daughter into a great amazement. 
 
 Nature, my lord, had taken pleasure in preparing the ways 
 of love between Faruk and Garun. This princess so per- 
 fectly resembled GulguH-Chamami, that the prince of Gur 
 could not look at her without an extraordinary emotion. 
 He got the better of his weakness by degrees, and finding 
 by the difference of their heights that he was mistaken, he 
 however judged it would be improper to let Garun know the 
 cause of his sudden fit. Turning to Zalabdin : Ah ! my 
 lord, said he, pardon this involuntary breach of respect ; 
 the fine eyes of the charming Garun sent such irresistible 
 arrows to my heart that I had not strength enough to bear 
 up against them : but in endeavoring to excuse one fault I 
 see that I commit another. It ill becomes me to speak of 
 love in places full of grief and horror, and though I may 
 think myself authorized to behave in this manner by the 
 words of the prince your son, and by the divine characters 
 he imprinted on my arm, I am thoroughly sensible of my 
 indiscretion. — You cannot, sir, give any offence, replied the 
 afflicted Zalabdin, since Heaven has chosen you for the hus- 
 band of the beautiful Garun ; it would look very ill of me 
 to find fault with a passion that is to constitute all the hap- 
 piness of her life ; on the contrary, I am extremely glad that 
 her charms have made so quick and so lively an impression 
 on the senses of so accomplished a prince. But be so kind, 
 sir, as to acquaint me with the fate of my son, since you are 
 the only person who can give me any certain account of 
 him. Faruk could no longer defer satisfying Zalabdin's 
 reasonable curiosity ; he related tc him all the circumstances
 
 26l 
 
 of Almaz's death, but as briefly as possible; likewise the 
 punishment of the murderers, the unhappy prince's appear- 
 ance to him, and his positive orders to come to Divanduru, 
 where he assured him he should have the good fortune o{ 
 winning the heart of the accomplished Garun. 
 
 The prince of Gur, my lord, had scarcely finished his 
 relation when word was brought to the king in a great hurry 
 that the king of Cananor in person had just landed in the 
 island and was laying waste every place with fire and sword. 
 Ah ! my lord, said Faruk, it is my business to revenge you 
 of the oppression of this unjust monarch : I will perish with 
 all my people, or bring you back his head in a very short 
 time. The prince, after this, making a low reverence to his 
 Majesty, turned to the princess. And you, charming Garun, 
 said he, may I flatter myself with the hopes of being dear 
 enough to you to deserve your vows to Heaven for a prince 
 who will spill the last drop of his blood rather than suffer the 
 king of Cananor to succeed in his wicked and cowardly 
 pretensions? These words deprived Garun of the power 
 of answering him ; she was at a loss how to return the 
 compliment ; but as her love seemed to be authorized by 
 the great Prophet, and by her father : Go, my lord, she re- 
 plied, where honor calls you ; our cause is too just for 
 Heaven to give the day to the king who would oppress us ; 
 but do not yield to your courage enough to give me fresh 
 affliction. The princess could not finish these words with- 
 out a blush ; and Faruk, transported at seeing he had an 
 interest in the princess's heart, ran to put himself in a con- 
 dition to execute what he had promised. He immediately 
 assembled his followers, and being reinforced by Zalabdin's 
 troops, went in search of the enemy with so much resolu- 
 tion, that the marks of victory were already visible in his 
 countenance. 
 
 The king of Cananor had at first s[)rcad so universal a 
 terror, that all the inhabitants fled before him ; but Faruk 's
 
 262 
 
 presence inspired them with new courage, and he attacked 
 the invader with so much resolution and vigor, that he 
 obliged him to retreat in his turn. The king of Cananor, 
 enraged at seeing himself defeated by a single man (for it 
 was Faruk alone, in a manner, that brought victory to the 
 party he sided with), made his way through a thousand 
 swords to attack personally the young hero ; who, no less 
 desirous of measuring his courage with the king's, flew more 
 than half way to meet him, bearing down everything that 
 opposed his progress ; so that a terrible batde soon ensued 
 between the two chiefs, in which, however, Faruk at length 
 proved victorious. The king of Cananor lost his life in it, 
 and his death having disheartened his troops, they imme- 
 diately endeavored to get back to their ships ; but the 
 prince of Gur pursued them so closely that they were all 
 cut to pieces, and their ships given up to be plundered by 
 the victorious soldiers. After so complete a victory the 
 prince returned to the palace amidst the acclamations of 
 all the people. The king and the matchless Garun espe- 
 cially received him with unspeakable joy. Sympathy, which 
 generally penetrates a great way in a very short time, had so 
 perfectly gained him the heart of this princess that she could 
 scarcely keep within bounds the transports she felt at the 
 thoughts of being matched with so accomplished a prince. 
 
 Faruk, my lord, was perfectly well made ; his features full 
 of life, his air noble, his soul answerable to his make, very 
 skilful, and courageous beyond imagination. So many shin- 
 ing qualities were more than sufficient to inflame a young 
 princess, whose happy resemblance to Gulguli-Chamami 
 rendered her extremely precious in the eyes of the young 
 hero. In a word, Zalabdin thought it improper to keep 
 these happy lovers to sigh for a union any longer. He 
 joined them together that very day ; and after declaring 
 Faruk his successor, went in a few days more to give an 
 account of his actions before the throne of Almighty Allah.
 
 263 
 
 You have now heard, my lord, the adventures of Faruk. 
 This prince, clierished by the beautiful Garun, after having 
 sincerely lamented the death of Zalabdin, spent his days 
 with his illustrious consort in a manner worthy of envy, and 
 left children whose descendants reign to this day in the 
 islands of Divanduru. 
 
 RETURN OF THE PHYSICIAN 
 ABU BAKR 
 
 Just as Ibn Aridun was finishing the history of Faruk, 
 Astrakhan rang with a thousand acclamations of joy, which 
 reached the palace of Shams al-Din. The monarch, sur- 
 prised at so uncommon a noise, immediately ordered the 
 wazir Mutamhid to inquire what was the cause of it. Mu- 
 tamhid accordingly went out of the palace to get intelligence, 
 but immediately came back. Ah ! my lord, said he, in a 
 transport of joy, I have just had a sight of Abu Bakr, con- 
 ducting towards the palace a lady covered with a veil. No 
 doubt your misfortunes will soon have an end, and it is the 
 presence of those two persons which gives your subjects a 
 pleasure they cannot contain, Mutamhid had not finished 
 this agreeable account, when the father of Ibn Aridun en- 
 tered the hall where Shams al-Din was seated, followed by a 
 crowd of people who had forced their way after him. The 
 old man threw himself prostrate at the king's feet, and said : 
 Here is, my lord, your faithful slave returned sooner than 1 
 promised your Majesty, and I bring back with me a treasure, 
 which I could not find anywhere but at Sarandib. It is the 
 woman who is to restore you your sight. — Come near me 
 that I may embrace you, my dear Abu Bakr, answered the 
 king of Astrakhan ; such subjects as you and your son de- 
 serve all the love and confidence of their prince. Let this so 
 rare a woman make a trial of her skill ; but I assure you
 
 264 
 
 beforehand, that though she should not succeed, I shall not 
 think my obh'gation to you the less. 
 
 On the king's giving this order, the veiled lady drew near 
 his Majesty's throne, all the spectators waiting impatiently 
 for the event ; but few of them, the physicians especially, 
 thought any good of this remedy, when tlie woman, taking 
 out a golden bottle which she opened, washed the king's 
 eyes with the water she had gathered on the wonderful tree 
 of Sarandib. This divine liquor had scarcely touched the 
 king's eyes than he perceived in them a salutary coolness, 
 which he felt even at his heart ; two kinds of films, which 
 obstructed the passage of the rays of light, fell from his eyes; 
 and the prince recovering his sight as perfectly as he had 
 ever enjoyed it, before Ibn-Bukr had so barbarously deprived 
 him of it, cried out in a transport of joy : Heavens ! is it 
 possible that the darkness, in which I have lived so long a 
 time, should be so soon dispersed ? Yes, I again know you, 
 my dear Mutamhid, and you my other faithful subjects, whose 
 features have not been worn out of my memory by so long a 
 blindness. At last then I can enjoy the light. 
 
 The surprise of all the spectators was so extraordinary, and 
 the joy was so great, that nothing was to be heard in the hall 
 but clapping of hands. But the king, having ordered silence, 
 turned himself to the lady, who had remained standing with 
 modest silence. Whoever you are, said he, illustrious heroine 
 of your sex, you may expect everything for a service too 
 great to have a price set upon it. The loss of my dear Zabd 
 al-Katon does not leave me at liberty to divide my throne 
 with you. No woman, let her be ever so handsome, shall here- 
 after have dominion over my heart ; but you may depend on 
 a gratitude without bounds, and which will be every day^s 
 new and as lively as the first. Do not then, madam, hide 
 any longer from me and from my subjects a person to whom 
 I am so much obhged ; throw off this veil, I beseech you, 
 and let us see those eyes whose vivacity dazzles me, though
 
 26s 
 
 their fires are blunted by the gauze that covers them. The 
 lady in the veil thought herself obliged to comply with this 
 request and accordingly unveiled herself. But what became 
 of Shams al-Din at this sight, which he was not able to bear ! 
 He fell back on his throne speechless, and it was some time 
 before he came to himself enough to express his surprise. 
 Ah ! Zabd al-Katon, my dear Zabd al-Katon, cried he, is it 
 yourself, then, that I have now the pleasure of beholding ; 
 or may not my heart, upon which your image is so deeply 
 engraved, mistake for you everything that my eyes now dis- 
 cover? — No, my lord, answered the lady, with tears of joy, 
 I am that Zabd al-Katon whom you had given up for dead. 
 I am still alive, and happy to be instrumental in putting an 
 end to your misfortunes. — Ah ! no doubt, replied the king, 
 at the same time tenderly embracing his beloved spouse, all 
 my misfortunes are at an end indeed, since I behold you. I 
 appeal to Heaven, if I have been a single day since our cruel 
 separation without shedding a flood of tears for your loss; 
 but the source from whence they sprung is now dried up. 
 
 This discourse, and the mutual and tender caresses of this 
 illustrious pair, sensibly affected all the spectators. So 
 strange and miraculous an adventure filled them all with 
 astonishment, even Abu Bakr himself, who had conducted 
 the lady from Sarandib to Astrakhan without knowing that 
 she was Zabd al-Katon. Soon after this happy discovery 
 joy and pleasure took the place of silence and affliction. 
 The king loaded with favors Abu Bakr and his son, whom 
 he ever afterwards retained about his person. He distributed 
 immense sums among the convents of darwayshes and the 
 Mosques, to thank the Sovereign Prophet for his protection : 
 but as he was impatient to know by what supernatural power 
 his consort had been restored to life, and by what accident 
 Abu Bakr had met with her, he had no sooner returned to 
 his palace with his wazirs and his physician, than he requested 
 Zabd al-Katon to satisfy his curiosity in their presence. The
 
 266 
 
 queen loved the tender Shams al-Din too well to defer his 
 satisfaction a single moment, and began as follows : — 
 
 STORY OF ZABD AL-KATON 
 
 It would be to no purpose, my lord, to put you in mind 
 of the last words I said to you at our separation. They were 
 dictated to me by our great Prophet ; and as Azrail was at 
 that time so near my pillow, I did not imagine we should 
 ever meet again. However, life did not totally forsake me ; 
 a lethargic vapor deprived me of my senses, enough, no 
 doubt, to make every one believe that I was really dead. 
 Even you yourself were deceived on the occasion, and 
 ordered, as I have since been told by Abu Bakr, who, with- 
 out knowing who I was, related all your misfortunes to the 
 king of Sarandib in my presence, — you ordered, I say, that 
 I should be shut up in a cofifin adorned with precious stones, 
 but forbade at the same time that my face should be covered j 
 a precaution which proved the happy means of saving my 
 life. The jewels and gold with which my collfin was covered 
 made the Arabian robbers decide to remove me to a place 
 of safety ; and accordingly they did not divide their plunder 
 till they had got about ten leagues from the place where they 
 attacked you. After they had broken my coffin to pieces 
 they began to strip me, in order to throw me into a pretty 
 deep river that ran hard by ; when one of them, in endeavor- 
 ing to rip the sleeve of my gown, to which an emerald was 
 fastened, was unskilful enough to prick me in the arm, and 
 this accident, my lord, secured me from a real death. My 
 blood flowed so freely that the robber was surprised at it ; 
 and this circumstance, with some remains of heat and a 
 feeble palpitation, made him conclude that I was not dead 
 but in a deep lethargy. However, he thought proper not 
 to acquaint the other robbers with what he had observed,
 
 26/ 
 
 but throwing me on his shoulders he carried me towards the 
 river, in order to make them believe that he really intended 
 to throw me into it. In the mean time the robbers moved to 
 a greater distance, without suspecting that he understood 
 something of surgery. He let my blood run as much as he 
 thought my condition required, bound up my arm with the 
 muslin of his turband, and throwing water on my face brought 
 me back to myself by degrees. 
 
 At length, my lord, I opened my eyes, and when I grew 
 strong enough to look attentively at the objects about me I 
 was not a little surprised to find myself alone in the company 
 of a man I had never seen before. As he soon perceived 
 my grief and surprise by my eyes and actions : Take cour- 
 age, madam, said he, your life is in safety in my hands, and 
 your honor runs no risk since it is out of my power to attack 
 it, though I were ever so ill-disposed. These words quieted 
 me a little, and having inquired of him in what manner I 
 had fallen into his hands, I was told, my lord, that your little 
 caravan had been attacked by the wild Arabs at some days' 
 distance from Cairo ; that you had made the boldest resist- 
 ance ; but that at last, overpowered by numbers, you had 
 fallen, with all your attendants, surrounded by more than 
 thirty of your enemies, whom you had killed with your own 
 hands. You may guess, my dear prince, the greatness of 
 my despair at hearing this cruel news. I no longer reckoned 
 you among the living, and being desirous of paying your 
 remains the same honors you had bestowed on me, I 
 requested the Arab to conduct me to the spot where the 
 engagement had happened. He was so good as to comply, 
 but I was so weak that I could not reach the place in fewer 
 than four days. We examined together all the dead bodies ; 
 but as they were no longer distinguishable on account of the 
 wounds which they had received on the face, and the blood 
 that covered them, and by lying so long exposed to the 
 air, it was impossible for me to tell exactly which was you.
 
 268 
 
 However, finding one that appeared to me of your size, 1 
 concluded it was you, and washed its face with my tears. I 
 even thought I could discern some of your august features, 
 which so increased my grief that I fainted on the body, which 
 I held clasped in my arms. Tlie Arab separated me ; I 
 remained above an hour in this condition, but at last I came 
 to myself. With some broken sabres that we found on the 
 spot we then dug a hole large enough to contain this body, 
 which we accordingly put into it; and having covered it 
 with earth, we left the place, full of horror and affliction. 
 
 I was so amazed, notwithstanding my affliction, at the 
 civilities aiid politeness of the Arab, that I could scarcely 
 refrain a moment from expressing my gratitude. My lord, 
 said I, how is it possible that having embraced the life of a 
 robber, you should preserve so noble a way of thinking and 
 of acting? Certainly, you were not born to so base and 
 cruel a condition ; your living amongst them must be owing 
 to some very pressing necessity. — Ah ! madam, replied the 
 Arab, though I am but of a middling condition, I never 
 imagined I should be obliged to take up with the company 
 of such wicked wretches. It was the desire of being re- 
 venged for the greatest injury which can be done a man that 
 alone induced me to unite with the Arabian robbers ; but 
 the death of my enemy has not restored me what his unjust 
 fury had deprived me of. These last words drew from him 
 a flood of tears, which having awakened my compassion and 
 strengthened my curiosity, I requested him to give me some 
 account of his misfortunes. His relation was to the following 
 purpose : — 
 
 ADVENTURES OF THE ARAB ABAN-AZAR 
 
 I AM the son, madam, of a pretty considerable jeweller ot 
 Aden. My father had an intimate friend in the same bus!-
 
 269 
 
 ness, whose name was Saman ; and Saman had a daughter 
 four years younger than I was, whose rare beauty eclipsed 
 that of every other girl in Aden. My father and his friend, 
 to strengthen their friendship, had agreed that their children 
 when grown up should become man and wife ; so that I had 
 scarcely attained the use of reason when Abdarmon was 
 taught to consider me as her spouse, and my father gave me 
 to understand that I should only please him in proportion to 
 the progress I made in the esteem and affection of my litde 
 mistress. It seldom happens that the hearts of children 
 given away at so tender an age follow exactly the wills of 
 their parents ; one would even imagine that this kind of 
 tyranny inspires them with quite contrary sentiments. How- 
 ever, madam, it was quite the reverse in our case ; the more 
 we grew up the more we answered the intentions of our 
 fathers ; I used to spend whole days with my little mistress, 
 without desiring any other enjoyment ; and on her side, she 
 did not appear to have any satisfaction greater than that of 
 seeing me in her company ; so that if I stayed away but a 
 single moment beyond the time at which I generally used to 
 wait on her in her apartment, she reproached me in the 
 tenderest manner, and thereby added new strength to my 
 passion. You do not love me so much as you ought, my 
 dear Aban-azar, said she to me one day, and I find that I 
 am not handsome enough to make you entirely mine ; you 
 often appear distracted in my company, at the same time 
 that you take up all my attention. What is there, then, 
 wanting to complete your happiness? Alas! did I know 
 what it was, I would with joy sacrifice my life to the satisfac- 
 tion of my lover. — You are very unjust, answered I, and at 
 the same time very ingenious in making yourself uneasy. 
 Why load me with reproaches that I so little deserve? I 
 languish in every place in which I do not find you. I love 
 nothing but you ; on your love alone depends all my hap- 
 piness; and if anything can give me pain, it is only the
 
 270 
 
 thoughts of being obh'ged to wait four years before becoming 
 the spouse of my dear Abdarmon. 
 
 My young mistress, continued Aban-azar, was scarcely ten 
 years old, and I scarcely fourteen, when we entertained each 
 other in this tender manner. Judge then, madam, how pas- 
 sionate our conversation must have been, the nearer we drew 
 to the term of our happiness. In fine, madam, I do not 
 think it was possible for two young persons to love each 
 other with greater delicacy ; and we were now on the point 
 of seeing so pure and so faithful love crowned by the happy 
 union with which our parents had flattered our hopes, when 
 suddenly we were made the most unfortunate lovers that 
 ever existed. Our fathers fell out through a jealousy, created 
 by their being of the same profession. A mortal enemy of 
 mine made it his business to foment the quarrel by a thou- 
 sand false reports, and the wretch succeeded so well that 
 their enmity grew to an inveterate hatred. The first thing 
 they did was to break the engagement which Abdarmon and 
 I had entered into by their orders. We were forbidden to 
 see each other, or to entertain the least hopes of ever being 
 united. What a sensible stroke was this ! I thought I should 
 have died of grief; and I must do Abdarmon the justice of 
 saying that her grief was so great that it brought upon her a 
 violent fit of sickness, which at length reduced her to the last 
 extremity. The news of the danger she was in threw me 
 into perfect despair. I ran to Saman's house, fell prostrate 
 at his feet, and made use of the most submissive expressions 
 to engage his pity : but I found him inflexible to my entreat- 
 ies. I then made use of the danger my dear Abdarmon was 
 in to endeavor to soften him, but all to no purpose. Though 
 I love my daughter, said he, as much as any father can love 
 a child, I should be better pleased to see her in the grave 
 than in the arms of tlie son of my most cruel enemy. You 
 must therefore think no longer of prevailing over me, but 
 withdraw yourself quickly, lest I forget the kindness I still
 
 271 
 
 have for you. I had a mind to reply, but his cruelty afflicted 
 me so much that I fainted away at his feet. My grief made 
 no impression on him ; so far from it, that he ordered two 
 slaves to take me in the condition I was in and throw me 
 out of doors. My father, on his way home from some busi- 
 ness that he had been transacting, uiifortunately for me 
 happened to pass at that very moment through the street 
 where Saman lived, and having heard of this cruel behavior 
 he was exasperated at it to the last degree ; he ordered me 
 to be carried home, where in some time I came round to 
 myself. 
 
 The affront I had received was so public that my father 
 ordered me, on pain of his indignation, never to commit the 
 same fault again. But I had little inclination to obey him. 
 The beautiful Abdarmon had made too deep an impression 
 on my heart to be so readily forgotten ; on the contrary, I 
 carefully sought every opportunity of assuring her personally 
 of an eternal tenderness, though all to no purpose ; she was 
 too narrowly watched, and it was impossible for me to 
 approach her. Upon this I fell sick with grief, and had 
 scarcely recovered when to complete my misery I heard she 
 had just been married to Ilikhan, the son of our enemy. 
 What an impression the fatal news made on me ! I uttered 
 against Saman everything that rage and despair could inspire. 
 Ah ! I cried, is it possible then, charming Abdarmon, that 
 you should become the prey of the vilest and most brutal of 
 all mankind? And indeed, madam, Ihkhan had so mean a 
 look, so savage a countenance, and so much rusticity in his 
 behavior, that he was universally hated. But his father had 
 prevailed on Saman, by the most artful flattery, especially by 
 representing to him that he could not revenge himself on my 
 father better than by giving Abdarmon to his son ; so that 
 Saman did not hesitate a moment to sacrifice his daughter 
 to his vengeance ; and thus the beautiful Abdarmon fell a 
 sacrifice to the animosity of our families.
 
 272 
 
 It was not without the greatest reluctance imaginable thai 
 Abdarmon delivered herself up into the hands of Ilikhan, 
 nor till she had tried every method she could think of to 
 avoid it ; but her father was inexorable. It was not, how- 
 ever, possible to extort from her a formal consent to an 
 union, to which she would have preferred death itself had 
 she been left to her choice ; but Saman forgot on this occa- 
 sion his quality of father, to become her executioner. He 
 put her into Ilikhan's hands, who brought her home with- 
 out troubling his head about the aversion she expressed 
 against him ; and thinking that Saman's consent was suffi- 
 cient to entitle him to exact from Abdarmon what no wife 
 ought to refuse a husband, he met with such opposition from 
 tliis virtuous girl that neither prayers nor threats made any 
 impression upon her. His impatient temper made him 
 hasten away to Saman with a complaint of his daughter's 
 behavior, and Saman reproached her most severely on the 
 occasion ; but the generous Abdarmon, without failing in the 
 respect she owed her father, courageously protested that she 
 never would be IHkhan's wife. No, my lord, said she, it is 
 in vain that you try every method of making me unfaithful ; 
 my heart has contracted a long and pleasing habit of loving 
 Aban-azar ; in this I have only obeyed your orders, and the 
 most cruel death cannot make me alter my sentiments. 
 Saman was amazed at such a resolution, but flattered himself 
 that time might get the better of it. He therefore advised 
 Ilikhan to treat Abdarmon with great mildness, giving him 
 hopes that he might in that manner overcome the courage 
 of the young heroine. It was with great difficulty that 
 Ilikhan could moderate himself so far as to follow his father- 
 in-law's advice. He determined, however, to wait for some 
 days to see if a respectful behavior would not make some 
 favorable impression on Abdarmon, resolved to make use of 
 his authority if he did not succeed by fair means. 
 
 It was with unspeakable joy that I heard of Abdarmon 's
 
 273 
 
 noble resistance and of the resolution which Ilikhan had 
 formed ; I thence conceived some favorable expectations, 
 and making use of every stratagem to defeat the designs of 
 my base rival, I found means of gaining over one of his 
 slaves, whom I prevailed upon to introduce me by night into 
 his mistress's apartments. For this purpose I had put on a 
 woman's dress, to give the less cause of suspicion to those 
 who might see me go into the house ; and in this condition 
 I was introduced into Abdarmon's apartment. I found her 
 negligently stretched on her bed, with her arm under her 
 head, in the posture of a person that labored under some 
 great uneasiness of mind. I threw myself at her feet, and 
 kissed one of her beautiful hands with so much transport that 
 she could not fail to know that no one but a lover, sensible 
 of his mistress's love, could take so great a liberty. If the 
 sight of me gave her exceeding joy, my being in a house of 
 which Ilikhan was master gave her no less uneasiness. Ah ! 
 my lord, said she, embracing me in the tenderest manner, 
 fly, I conjure you, from a place where I have much reason 
 to fear your life is in danger. Put yourself, if you can, in a 
 condition that may enable. you to snatch me out of the hands 
 of my tyrant, and be persuaded that I am ready to suffer the 
 most cruel torments, nay, death itself, rather than break the 
 vows I have so often made of being yours only. — If it is so, 
 madam, answered I, come away with me this very instant, 
 and I will deliver you out of the hands of a man whose 
 behavior ought to be held in aversion by all the world. The 
 slave, whom I had at first bought over, opposed himself to 
 my resolution, but a diamond staggered him. I promised to 
 take him away with us, and to requite his services so well 
 that I at last made him consent to everything. I then 
 embraced my Abdarmon with an extraordinary transport ; 
 and we were on the point of quitting her apartment and of 
 making our retreat, when Ilikhan appeared with a sabre in 
 his hand, and followed by eight slaves armed in the same 
 
 i8
 
 274 
 
 manner. This unexpected sight stunne<l me to such a 
 degree that I gave the wretches time to secure me. 
 
 Abdarmon knew by the rage that appeared in the eyes of 
 our enemy that we had no mercy to expect. She did not 
 condescend to ask for any, but looking at him with indigna- 
 tion ; I never concealed from you, tyrant, said she, the 
 violent passion I have always had for Aban-azar. He is 
 lovely ; he pleased me ; I have appeared in his eyes prefer- 
 able to all the girls of Aden. He has loved me with all 
 possible delicacy ; and I belonged to him before an unjust 
 animosity, which has divided our families, made my father 
 take the resolution of giving me into your possession. This, 
 savage, is all the crime you have to punish; but it is too 
 glorious a fault to be sorry for having committed it. She 
 then reached me her hand, saying : I see, my dear lover, 
 that we must die. The unworthy Ilikhan is not generous 
 enough to restore us to ourselves. Let us therefore cour- 
 ageously prepare to pass over to a more easy and delightful 
 life, where our enjoyments shall not be interrupted by the 
 hatred of our parents. We shall have no jealousy or tyranny 
 to fear there ; and as we shall bring there hearts inflamed 
 with love, we may promise ourselves a reception amongst 
 those happy lovers whose sole occupation will be to give 
 themselves up entirely to the pleasure of loving and of being 
 beloved. This discourse, which had so much sweetness in 
 it for me, and so much bitterness for my rival, served only to 
 increase his anger. Yes, false woman, said he to Abdarmon, 
 who had thrown herself into my arms ; yes, you shall die, 
 and you shall die by my own hands. I should not fully 
 satisfy my vengeance were I to trust any one else with the 
 execution of it. Upon this he plunged his sabre into the 
 breast of my dear mistress, who had just time to turn her 
 eyes towards me and to give me the last farewell. 
 
 Ah ! madam, continued the Arab, drowned in a flood of 
 tears, which the remembrance of so moving a scene had
 
 275 
 
 drawn from him, you cannot conceive the condition I was in 
 at the sight of so bloody an action. I had till now, in a 
 manner, continued motionless with surprise, but the death of 
 Abdarmon soon brought me to myself again. I gave a shout 
 that terrified those who held me, and my fury was so great 
 that I forced myself from them and fell upon the barbarous 
 Ilikhan. I soon got him under my feet, and snatching a 
 dagger from his belt, I made such use of it that in spite of all 
 his slaves could do I gave him a great many wounds with it ; 
 but I was so beside myself that they were all very slight ones. 
 I was at length beaten to the ground in my turn, and the fury 
 of my rival being wound up to the greatest pitch by seeing 
 his blood : Traitor, said he, do not imagine that my ven- 
 geance has nothing worse than death in store for you. No, 
 no, you must not think of going to meet your Abdarmon. I 
 intend to punish you in a manner more terrible than any 
 punishment in itself can be. Having upon this ordered his 
 slaves to bind me hand and f^et — Ah ! madam, continued 
 Aban-azar, with an unusual flood of tears, shame and despair 
 will not let me speak ; what shall I say to you ? The bar- 
 barous Ilikhan made me cease to be a man, without depriving 
 me of life, and afterwards ordered me to be carried, weltenng 
 in my blood and in a state of insensibility, to my father's 
 house, where through compassion, or to give him sooner tlie 
 mortification of seeing me in so cruel a condition, the slaves 
 knocked with all their strength. 
 
 My father at this noise immediately got out of bed, lighted 
 his lamp, and came down into the street. What a sad spec- 
 tacle had he then before him ! His cries raised all our 
 neighbors. I was immediately carried to my bed, and an 
 able surgeon sent for, who with some specific herbs soon 
 staunched my blood, and having then applied an excellent 
 balm, I began to open my eyes, and gave some signs of life. 
 But 1 had no sooner entirely recovered the use of my senses, 
 than on considering the sad condition I was in, and the loss oi
 
 2/6 
 
 Abdarmon, I resolved to follow her. I therefore tore the dress- 
 ing from my wound, and gave such signs of despair that the 
 assistants were obh'ged to tie me, and to cure me in spite of 
 myself. My father was perfectly mad when he heard that it 
 was Ilikhan who had treated me so barbarously. He would 
 have gone directly to his house to revenge the indignity done 
 me by his death, but I hindered him. Leave to myself, my 
 lord, said I, that care ; and if you have any regard still left 
 for me, do not make my shame public in Aden. I shall soon 
 find out the means of punishing my enemy for his cruelty. 
 My father yielded to my request. In fine, madam, in about 
 four years' time, I found myself in a condition to execute 
 what I had proposed. But I must acquaint you with what 
 happened at Ilikhan's house after the barbarous usage I had 
 received from him, and after the punishment of the slave 
 who had given me admittance to Abdarmon. 
 
 The wretch immediately sent for Saman, though the night 
 was pretty far advanced. As the messenger assured him it 
 was on business of importance, he made no stay but came 
 immediately with him. My lord, said Ilikhan to him, if you 
 were in my place, and after the strictest charges given to 
 your daughter to have no correspondence with Aban-azar, 
 you should find them together conspiriiig your ruin, and in 
 such a manner as to leave no room to doubt of their having 
 already destroyed your honor, what measures would you 
 take on finding your love so cruelly despised ? — The quick- 
 est and most violent, answered Saman ; in my just anger, I 
 should bury my dagger in their hearts. — I am very glad, 
 replied Ilikhan, that we think alike ; come and see if I know 
 how to revenge an insult. Upon this he conducted him to 
 Abdarmon's apartment, and after showing her to hmi welter- 
 ing in her blood, he acquainted him in a few words in what 
 manner he had punished my love for her. Saman could not 
 but shudder at the sight of his murdered daughter ; for what 
 he had said had proceeded rather from the hatred that pre-
 
 277 
 
 vailed between our families, than from his real opinion. 
 However, as he had himself condemned us, he could not re- 
 call his sentence, so that this tragical event served only to 
 confirm him in his aversion ; and with a view of doing us all 
 the mischief in his power, when any opportunity should offer, 
 he united himself more firmly than ever with Ihkhan and his 
 father, in order to accomplish his wicked designs. 
 
 As the cowardly Saman made no noise about Abdarmon's 
 death, I began to imagine that he had formed some evil 
 designs. I therefore left Aden, and meeting with a company 
 of wild Arabs that infested the neighborhood, I begged of 
 them to admit me among them. I was well acquainted by 
 means of a faithful slave with all the proceedings of my 
 enemies, and being one day informed that they were all three 
 out of town, in order to spend some days at a country house 
 of Saman's, as I knew the place perfectly well, and in what 
 manner it could be surprised, I proposed to the chief of the 
 Badavvin to make him master in one night of more than one 
 hundred thousand dinars, provided he gave me a sufficient 
 detachment, and also leave to be fully revenged on three of 
 the cruellest enemies I had in the world. The Arab received 
 my proposal with joy. I picked out twenty resolute fellows ; 
 I informed them of my intentions, and conducted them all 
 that night to Saman's country house, and even led them to 
 the hall, where he was at table with Ilikhan and his father ; 
 after having secured some slaves, whose cries might have 
 made our project miscarry. I was so well disguised that it 
 was impossible to know me. We immediately secured my 
 enemies, and with our daggers to their throats, threatened 
 instantly to take away their lives if they did not give, each of 
 them, a note by which we might receive the cases in which 
 they kept their diamonds. This they consented to, thinking 
 thereby to save their lives ; but they had no sooner complied 
 than I immediately laid hold of them, and ordered their 
 hands and feet to be tied, their mouths gagged, and they
 
 278 
 
 and their slaves to be driven by blows into a little wood, 
 which the company I belonged to had that night chosen for 
 a retreat. I then delivered their notes to our chief, who 
 thought proper to be himself the bearer of them, and having 
 disguised himself for that purpose, with three other Arabs, 
 he went at day-break to Aden, where the clerks of Saman, 
 Ilikhan and his father (for the two last dealt likewise in 
 jewels), seeing their masters' orders so precise, made no diffi- 
 culty in giving up their diamonds. I afterwards related all 
 my adventures to our chief, the cruelty of Saman, and the 
 barbarous usage of Ilikhan. Take vengeance, said he, on 
 the traitors ; I give them up to your discretion, but it must 
 not be to pardon them ; if you did so, I should myself be 
 their executioner and yours. Upon this I set the slaves at 
 liberty, so they should not know me again, and having thrown 
 off the clothes that hindered my enemies from knowing me, 
 I soon appeared to them for what I was. They shuddered 
 at the sight of me, and the tears with which they implored 
 forgiveness, began to move me to compassion, when calling 
 to mind their barbarity I reproached them with it in the 
 most furious terms. I immediately dispatciied Saman and 
 the father of Ilikhan with my dagger. As for Ilikhan him- 
 self, there was no torment I could think of that I did not in- 
 flict on my base and cruel rival before I put him to death ; I 
 myself cannot think, without horror, upon what I made him 
 suffer. But what will a man not do, when injured in so cruel 
 a manner? After having thus completed ray vengeance, I 
 wished immediately to leave the Badawin ; but it is dangerous 
 to associate one's self with such kind of people, as one can- 
 not withdraw from them when one pleases. The affair of 
 the diamonds had acquired great reputation for me among 
 them ; it was conducted so prudently that our chief confided 
 entirely in me. He was therefore so far from letting me go, 
 that he would undertake nothing for the future without tak- 
 ing my advice ; and thus I have been obliged to remain with
 
 279 
 
 him these two months past till yesterday your spouse killed 
 him with his own hands. As we bought this victory very dearly, 
 by the loss of eight hundred Arabs, and as our strength was 
 thereby greatly weakened, it was not thought proper, for 
 fear of a surprise, to divide the plunder on the field of battle ; 
 we therefore removed it all, and as your coffin was adorned 
 with jewels, I had the charge of it. We did not begin to 
 divide it till we reached the place at which, on the pretence 
 of throwing you into a little river which is pretty deep in 
 some places, I parted company with the Badawin. The 
 confusion and disorder that then reigned amongst them did 
 not permit them to take notice of my absence, which I am 
 now resolved to take advantage of, and by endeavoring to 
 do all the good I can, to obtain pardon for my crimes. 
 And indeed, madam, I shall never have done reproaching 
 myself with my unheard-of cruelty towards my enemies. 
 
 You have now, madam, had a short but sad relation of all 
 my misfortunes. Judge therefore if you need scruple to 
 repose an entire confidence in me, when I offer to conduct 
 you wherever you may think proper to go. 
 
 CONTINUATION OF THE STORY OF ZABD- 
 AL-KATON 
 
 I LISTENED, continued the beautiful queen of As*^^rakhan, 
 with great attention to Aban-azar's relation, and as I thought 
 I could not fall into safer hands, I agreed to his proposal, 
 and we both set out by by-roads for Aden. He was under 
 some apprehension of being suspected of having had a hand 
 in the murder of his enemies, for which reason we did not 
 enter the town till after nightfall, and went directly to his 
 father's house, to whom he gave an account of the horrible 
 vengeance he had taken of them, and in what manner he 
 had met me. The old man was ready to die with joy at the
 
 280 
 
 return of his son, of whom he had heard nothing for a long 
 time, and he received me likewise with great kindness ; and 
 as it was to his interest to assign some good cause for his son's 
 absence, he gave out that he had been at Saaquam, where he 
 had married me. Few persons were thoroughly acquainted 
 with Aban-azar's disgrace, except the surgeon who took care 
 of him during his illness ; and he was now dead, and Ilikhan 
 had never made a boast of his vengeance. As I ran no risk 
 in countenancing so well invented a story, I passed at Aden 
 for this young man's wife, and remained there as such for 
 about three years. I desired he should not inform his father 
 who I really was, but give the old man to understand that I 
 was the widow of a Tartar, who had been killed by the 
 Badawin on his return from Meccah. He complied with 
 my request, but his doing so had like to have been very 
 prejudicial to me. 
 
 Aban-azar's father, though advanced in years, was still 
 a well-looking man. I behaved towards him with the great- 
 est complaisance and respect, which he probably imagined 
 he could not better acknowledge than by making love to 
 me. I believe he struggled with his passion for a long time 
 before he made any declaration of it ; but at length he con- 
 firmed himself so well in his resolution, that he thought 
 proper to open his heart to me. Though of an imperious 
 temper, he made use of some precautions in acquainting me 
 with his intentions, which he informed me of in a pretty odd 
 manner. You pass in Aden, said he, for my son's wife, but 
 at the same time that people extol his choice of your person, 
 they pity him, madam, on account of your barrenness. 
 These discourses give me great uneasiness, and I am afraid that 
 a discovery of our imposition would furnish sufficient proofs 
 of his having murdered Ilikhan, and our other two enemies ; 
 the memory of our quarrel begins to revive, and people 
 speak of the cruel vengeance taken by my son ; I have even 
 heard some reports sufficient to make some ill-natured peo-
 
 28l 
 
 pie believe that my son is guilty. I cannot be easy in sa 
 critical a conjuncture, and there is no one but yourself, 
 madam, who can put an end to such disagreeable and dan- 
 gerous reports. — I, sir ! said I, in the greatest surprise ; I 
 am too sensible of everything that concerns you, to refuse you 
 anything. Only speak, my lord ; let me know how I can 
 make you easy, and you shall immediately see me do every- 
 thing in my power, and with the greatest joy, to give you 
 satisfaction. — Well, then, madam, repUed the amorous old 
 man, you can only do it in this manner. As my son is not 
 capable of stopping the tongues of ill-natured people, I 
 thought it my duty to make up his insufficiency, as I do not 
 as yet think myself too old to put an end to a barrenness 
 that is the common subject of discourse in Aden ; consent 
 to become a mother, madam, and let it be by my means. 
 By so doing, you will disconcert my enemies, who will take 
 my own children for my grandchildren, and by ceasing to 
 reason on a subject which causes me the greatest uneasiness, 
 the life of my son will be secured. 
 
 I was surprised to the last degree, continued Zabd-al- 
 Katon, at the old man's proposal. I was often on the point 
 of letting him know who I was ; but as I apprehended he 
 would look upon my declaration as a mere pretence for 
 refusing his request, I thought proper to turn his love into 
 a joke. This gave him offence, and we at last quarrelled. 
 Some time after, he came and asked, pardon for his rudeness, 
 but, notwithstanding, renewed his arguments so often and so 
 eagerly, as to give me the greatest reason to be in pain for 
 the consequences of his extravagant passion. I therefore 
 thought proper to inform the son of it. He asked me a 
 thousand pardons, and taking a resolution worthy of an 
 honest man, made me a proposal to embark on board a ship 
 that was to sail next day for Ormuz, and I complied with the 
 greatest pleasure. Upon this he supplied himself with jew- 
 els j we both went on boaril, and were at a good distance from
 
 282 
 
 Aden before the ridiculous lover had any suspicion of our 
 flight. 
 
 You must now, my lord, represent me to yourself at sea 
 with Aban-azar, with the intention of setting out for Astra- 
 khan as soon as we should arrive at Ormuz. The winds 
 proved very favorable, and we were in hourly expectation of 
 reaching our port, when a terrible storm surprised us, which 
 after beating our vessel for sixteen days successively, at last 
 dashed it to pieces against a rock that seemed to lie at no 
 great distance from the mainland. Few of us perished by 
 this shipwreck, as we floated ashore on the remains of the 
 vessel. But judge what was our surprise, when our pilot in- 
 formed us that we were on a desert island, to which the 
 king of Sarandib generally banished such of his subjects as 
 deserved death ; that there came no ship to it but once 
 a year, and that sometimes even, for want of criminals, there 
 did not come any ship for many years. This was very dis- 
 agreeable news. We surveyed the island, however, but 
 found only a few slight houses in ruins, and no inhabitants. 
 For a whole month together we subsisted, by dint of econ- 
 omy, on some provisions which the waves brought us from 
 the wreck, and we were afterwards obliged to have recourse 
 to some fruits of a very disagreeable taste. In fine, my lord, 
 the greatest part of the ship's company were dead, through 
 want and hardship, when we perceived, at some distance, 
 a ship, that seemed to be bound for the island ; nor were we 
 deceived in our conjectures. It proved to be a ship with 
 criminals from Sarandib, by whom we learned that no sb.ip 
 had been there for three years before ; and had this ship ar- 
 rived but a few days later, we should all have infallibly 
 perished. The criminals, who amounted to five only, were 
 put ashore with some few eatables, and then, the captain 
 having taken us on board, we set sail for Ormuz. 
 
 There now remained but nine of us alive. Aban-azar was 
 of this number, and I arrived safe with him at Sarandib.
 
 283 
 
 I shall not enlarge, ray lord, on the riches and magnificence 
 of its young monarch, but must just tell you, that he is one 
 of the wisest and most powerful kings in the whole world, 
 and that he received us with the greatest distinction. My 
 sufferings on the desert island, and the fatigues of the 
 voyage, had made such an impression on me, that I was no 
 longer the same person. His Majesty, however, thought he 
 could distinguish some remains of beauty in my features, 
 and having ordered that I should be treated with the great- 
 est tenderness and respect, rest and good fare soon made 
 such an alteration in me for the better, that it engaged his 
 Majesty's particular attention. I lodged with Aban-azar, 
 who always passed for my husband, in a house near the 
 palace, and received every moment fresh marks of the desire 
 his Majesty had of contributing to my satisfaction ; but his 
 assiduities were too respectful to alarm my modesty. His 
 passion, however, increased daily, and in a short time be- 
 came so violent that he resolved to do everything that in 
 justice could be done, to break a union, whose closeness 
 created in him so much jealousy. He sent for Aban-azar, 
 and after having made use of the greatest precautions to dis- 
 cover his love to him, he offered him immense riches, and 
 his choice besides of twenty of the finest women in his 
 seraglio, if he would but surrender me to him, and would 
 engage me to make his passion a suitable return. 
 
 Aban-azar, my lord, who was well acquainted with the 
 secrets of my heart, and knew that I would pay but little 
 regard to the king's interested sentiments, was thunderstruck 
 at this proposal. My lord, said he to the king, if it de- 
 pended on me alone to satisfy your Majesty's desires, I 
 assure you I would readily sacrifice my own interests and 
 inclination ; but when I married tlic beautiful Fatmi (this 
 was the name I gave myself at Aden and at Sarandib), I 
 bound myself, by the most dreadful imprecations, never to 
 divorce her against her consent. If therefore you can pre*
 
 284 
 
 vail on her to consent to my parting with her, I swear not 
 to oppose her inclinations, notwithstanding the grief I must 
 feel at the loss of a wife of so much merit, but shall sur- 
 render her to you directly. But you must prepare her for 
 the proposal by every kind and engaging means your in- 
 genious love can devise ; otherwise, she would certainly take 
 fright at the bare thoughts of a separation, which she has a 
 thousand times assured me would make her the unhappiest 
 woman in the whole world. It was impossible to answer the 
 king of Sarandib in a more prudent and discreet manner. 
 The amorous monarch embraced Aban-azar a thousand 
 times, and loaded him with favors. 
 
 I was soon made acquainted with the king's pretensions. 
 Whatever reluctance I felt in flattering a passion to which 
 I was resolved to make no concessions contrary to those 
 tender sentiments which my heart ever cherished for your 
 august Majesty, Aban-azar recommended the imposition 
 with such solid arguments, that I was obliged to feign, and 
 to express some regard for this prince. He no sooner be- 
 gan to perceive, as he imagined, the progress he had made 
 in my affections, than he gave me the most open marks of 
 his satisfaction, by a thousand public rejoicings, where pro- 
 fusion and magnificence vied with each other. Aban-azar 
 even, my lord, who, as well as myself, imagined you were 
 dead, advised me with great earnestness to make the king's 
 tenderness a suitable return, and to accept of the crown of 
 Sarandib. But I can easily assure you, my lord, and the 
 rest of my adventures prove it, that I never seriously listened 
 to the proposal, however glorious it might have been. In 
 fine, the monarch, who had abstained for three months from . 
 any precise declaration, began to flatter himself so much 
 with the hopes of being loved, and of obtaining my consent 
 for a separation from Aban-azar, that he was on the point of 
 offering me his hand and his throne, when Abu Bakr's arrival 
 at Sarandib put an end to all his designs.
 
 285 
 
 I shall now leave, my lord, to this faithful subject the care 
 of acquainting your Majesty with the rest of my adventures, 
 and shall only tell you, that I was transported with joy when 
 I learned from him that you were still alive ; the knowledge 
 of which made me think it proper to inform the king of 
 Sarandib of my rank, and of the imposition of Aban-azar. 
 However amorous this monarch was, as soon as he got the 
 better of the amazement caused in him by the relation of 
 my own and of your Majesty's adventures, he generously 
 renounced his pretensions to a heart which could not con- 
 sent to be his, and offered me every assistance within the 
 reach of his greatness for my return to Astrakhan. I only 
 accepted of a ship to carry me to Ormuz. Our voyage has 
 been happy. After this I crossed Persia, with no other 
 company than that of the faithful Aban-azar, whom I now- 
 present to your Majesty, and Abu Bakr, who did not know 
 who I was ; and I have had the comfort, my lord, of restor- 
 ing you your sight, and along witii it a spouse, who has 
 always accounted it hitherto, and will ever account it, her 
 chief happiness to please your Majesty, and to be tenderly 
 loved by you. 
 
 The king of Astrakhan could not restrain his tears at these 
 new assurances of tenderness given him by his beloved 
 Zabd al-Katon. On his side, he vowed her a thousand 
 times an eternal love; and afterwards turning to Abu 
 Bakr, desired him to speak in his turn. Whatever impa- 
 tience I may have, my dear friend, to hear the conclusion 
 of the adventures of my beautiful queen, I must desire that 
 you will not omit any circumstances of those you must your- 
 self have met with in so long a voyage. I make no doubt 
 but that some of them have been singular enough ; but, be 
 that as it may, I am ready to hear you with the greatest 
 pleasure. Abu Bakr replied only by a profound inclination 
 to signify his obedience, and then returning to his seat, gave 
 his Majesty an account of what had happened to him since 
 his departure from Astrakhan, in the following manner.
 
 286 
 
 ADVENTURES OF THE PHYSICIAN 
 ABU BAKR 
 
 You know, my lord, that the jokes of the physicians of 
 Astrakhan proved a powerful motive to spur me on to un- 
 dertake this voyage ; but I must candidly own that I soon 
 began to repent having given credit to the Arabian manu- 
 script. I was very young when I had read it, so that I 
 retained but a very imperfect and confused notion of its 
 contents, and was in no ways certain that the bird in ques* 
 tion was to be found in Sarandib. I resolved therefore, 
 before I took the road for that island, to go and consult 
 some of those famous philosophers who live on a small 
 mountain in the heart of India. I therefore left Astrakhan 
 with this intention, and, after crossing the Caspian Sea, 
 arrived at Darbant, where I sought in vain for the woman 
 I wanted, to restore your Majesty's sight ; she was not to 
 be found there, nor in any other part of Persia. I then 
 went to Tauris, from Tauris to Ispahan, and from Ispahan 
 to Shiraz, where I made some stay. But may I take the 
 liberty of acquainting you, sir, with my adventures in that 
 city? I think I may, as your Majesty has so peremptorily 
 commanded me not to hide any part of them, and this 
 part may afford you some diversion. 
 
 I had heard some people speak of the kadi of Shiraz's 
 daughter, as of a complete beauty. I had often seen her 
 pass by the door of the house where I lodged, and though 
 her face and her shape were hid by a large and very thick 
 veil, I had formed to myself so ravishing an idea of her 
 perfections that I entirely lost my appetite. But a sudden 
 blast of wind having one day raised the veil that hid so 
 many perfections, the sight of them dazzled me so much 
 that I resolved to try every means of gaining the heart of 
 so accomplished a lady. I did not recollect that I was
 
 28/ 
 
 almost fifty, and consequently no longer at an age propel 
 to excite tender desires in the heart of a young person ; 
 my foolish passion made me forget everything. I acquainted 
 an old woman, who lived in the kadi's neighborhood, and 
 who had access to his house, with my love for Shahryar 
 (this was my charmer's name), and promised her a con- 
 siderable sum if she could make any impression on the 
 young lady's heart in my favor. The old woman pretended 
 to go about the affair with great earnestness, and after 
 representing my mistress to me as sometimes cruel, and 
 sometimes compassionate, at last assured me that she was 
 ready to make me happy. I paid dearly for this informa- 
 tion, and prepared myself for the rendezvous I had received. 
 I dressed myself in the most elegant manner I could, and 
 failed not to attend at the hour appointed. The old woman 
 introduced me into the kadi's house, and a young female 
 slave having conducted me by the back stairs to the top of 
 the house, shut me up in a closet, where the object of my 
 wishes soon after made her appearance. I was so ravished 
 with the sight of her that I immediately threw myself at her 
 feet, which I was embracing in spite of all the resistance 
 she could make, without being able to speak a single word, 
 when the kadi, her father, entered the room. I was thunder- 
 struck at the sight of him ; Shahryar fainted away on seeing 
 the fury that appeared in his eyes. He ordered her to be 
 removed to her apartment, and I remained the sole object 
 of his vengeance. At first he appeared determined to have 
 me immediately put to death, but changing his resolution, 
 he ordered me to be bound hand and foot, and left me in 
 the charge of two slaves till the day following, when he in- 
 tended to punish my insolence in a public and exemplary 
 manner. 
 
 It is impossible for me, my lord, continued Abu Bakr, 
 to make you sensible of my grief and confusion in this sad 
 situation. I saw I was to die, but I was only sorry for it
 
 288 
 
 on your Majesty's account. I did nothing but reproach 
 myself with being the cause of rendernog your sufferings 
 perpetual. I thought I could discover in the slaves that 
 watched me, some signs of compassion for my concern. I 
 offered them everything in my power if they could let me 
 escape. At first they rejected my proposal; but one of 
 them, feigning himself more affected at my distress than the 
 other, at length argued his companion into compliance. 
 Nothing therefore remained but to determine in what man- 
 ner I should make my escape. The closet where I was had 
 a little window looking on to the street, and they proposed 
 letting me down through it with the ropes that served to 
 bind me. I accepted the proposal with joy ; and after 
 being untied, prepared myself to put it into execution, but 
 unluckily the window was so small that it was with much 
 ado I could get through it, even naked. I made no diffi- 
 culty of stripping myself for that purpose all to my shirt, my 
 keepers promising to throw me my clothes as soon as I had 
 got down. I then, with some difficulty, worked my way 
 through the window, and slipped down the rope, which 
 unfortunately proved too short for my purpose, and the 
 darkness of the night hindered me from seeing how much 
 it wanted of reaching the ground. However, as there was 
 no other way left of escaping the kadi's anger, I resolved 
 to let myself fall to the ground at all events. Accordingly 
 I let go my hold ; but I leave your Majesty to judge of my 
 surprise, when I found myself surrounded with a net, that 
 had been placed on purpose to receive me, and heard my 
 guards ready to burst with laughing at the condition I was 
 in. Ah ! my lord, you cannot conceive the greatness ot . 
 my grief and rage, in finding that I had been thus tricked 
 by Shahryar, and that she took so cruel a vengeance on 
 my passion for her. I made a thousand sad reflections on 
 my misfortunes, and as many attempts to force the meshes 
 of my net, but all in vain, the scheme was too well concerted.
 
 289 
 
 I passed the night, which was very cold, in this cruel situa- 
 tion, and the next day had the mortification of seeing all 
 Shiraz flock about me to see so diverting a spectacle. In 
 fine, the kadi put an end to the entertainment in the even- 
 ing ; the net was let down, I was taken out of it, and then 
 received by his directions fifty strokes of a stick, well laid 
 on, on the soles of my feet ; they then gave me back my 
 clothes, and set me loose, to return to my lodging by favor 
 of the night. I got home with some difficulty, without let- 
 ting my landlord know the real cause of my absence. He 
 had been one of the first spectators of my disgrace, but 
 happily without knowing who I was. However, I had the 
 mortification of hearing my adventure related from beginning 
 to end, and even of being obliged to laugh heartily at the 
 scene, for fear of leaving him any room to suspect me of 
 having acted the principal part in it. 
 
 You may well imagine, my lord, that I soon got the better 
 of my passion, and that I made no great slay at Shiraz, 
 where I had been played such a trick. The day following, 
 I set out for Ormuz, where, going on board the first ship 
 bound for India, we landed at Diu j but I had no better 
 success here than elsewhere ; what I wanted was not to be 
 found. I then traversed part of India, and at length ar- 
 rived at the habitation of the sages, or gymnosophists, of 
 India. These philosophers live on a very high mountain, 
 almost in the midst of a plain, surrounded with a rock, as 
 likewise with a strong wall. This place is generally covered 
 with a very thick fog, which serves to render its inhabitants 
 visible or invisible, as they think proper ; but it is probable 
 they were not averse to my undertaking, since I easily 
 reached their mountain, where I saw these uncommon 
 rarities, the well of sin, the basin of pardon, the tuns so 
 serviceable to India, and the sacred fire, which they boast 
 to have kindled directly by the rays of the sun. Ah ! my 
 lord, you may conceive better than 1 can express what 
 
 19
 
 290 
 
 reason I had to be satisfied with my journey to this place, 
 when the sages informed me that I should not only find at 
 Sarandib the bird mentioned in the Arabian manuscript, but 
 likewise the only person destined to restore you your sight. 
 
 I set out then for Sarandib, full of confidence in the 
 promises of the Indian sages. I passed through a great 
 many towns without meeting with any accident ; but as I 
 was making my way through a pretty thick wood I was 
 stopped by eight robbers, who after having taken from me 
 my horse and everything I carried with me, held a con- 
 sultation about cutting my throat. Some of them were for 
 doing so, but the rest being of a more cruel disposition, were 
 of another opinion. One of these last, who had a very bad 
 horse, took mine instead of it, and ripping open the belly of 
 his own with a sabre, emptied it ; and having stripped me 
 quite naked, and bound me hand and foot, crammed me into 
 it, fastening it together in such a manner that it looked as if 
 it had never been opened. They then left me to perish by a 
 kind of death never before thought of. I was in a very short 
 time almost suffocated, and no doubt on the point of breath- 
 ing my last, when my lamentations reached the ears of some 
 travellers who happened to be going the same road. They 
 looked out for me a long time, without being able to find 
 me ; but one of them at last drawing near the horse, imagined 
 that the noise they heard proceeded from its belly, but then 
 he immediately withdrew in a great fright. His fellow- 
 travellers, however, had courage enough to turn the horse, 
 and having ripped it open, drew me out of its belly with the 
 greatest surprise imaginable. On my part, I was half dead, 
 but I had scarcely breathed the fresh air, when I began to 
 show signs of life, and in a little time I was able to give my 
 deliverers an account of my misfortune. They shuddered at 
 the thoughts of it. I then washed myself in a rivulet, and 
 put on a ragged old coat that one of them gave me. As 
 they were going to the same place I was bound to, they per-
 
 291 
 
 mitted me to travel in their company. We arrived at Jingi, 
 and putting up at a caravanserai, I was there extremely sur- 
 prised to meet my horse and my robbers. I let my friends 
 know the fortunate dis'^overy I had made, upon which some 
 of them went to the governor of the town, who immediately 
 came back with them and seized the wretches. They not 
 only confessed this last crime, but also several others, and 
 were the next day, after the governor had returned me every- 
 thing I had lost, punished in the manner their cruelty deserved. 
 As, in giving my deliverers an account of my adventures, I 
 had informed them of my being a physician, and that I was 
 bound for Sarandib to procure a remedy for your Majesty's 
 blindness, they cried up my capacity to the governor of Jingi, 
 and I found an opportunity of practising it in a very odd 
 but diverting manner, upon one of his sons. But I do not 
 know, my lord, if I can relate this passage with a delicacy 
 becoming your Majesty's presence. 
 
 Saramah (this was the governor's name) expressed great 
 pleasure at seeing me : I am told, said he, that you are an 
 able and experienced physician, and I cannot doubt it since 
 the king of Astrakhan has sent you to look for the remedy 
 he wants at so great a distance. A son of mine has been 
 afflicted with a severe hypochondria these eight days past, 
 and not one of our physicians has been able to cure him of 
 his folly. I must own indeed that it is quite new and singu- 
 lar. He has taken it into his head that he shall one day lay 
 under water the kingdom of Bisnagar ; nothing can free him 
 from this odd conceit. And accordingly, he retains his 
 urine so obstinately that he must speedily fall a victim to his 
 madness, unless means can be found of restoring him to his 
 right senses. — That, said I, my lord, is a very difficult task ; 
 the disorders of the mind are harder to be cured than those 
 of the body ; nevertheless I can assure you that in fewer than 
 four hours I shall give him relief. Saramah upon this looked 
 upon me with admiration ; he ordered me to be conducted
 
 292 
 
 immediately to his palace, where I had the patient put into 
 a warm bath. When I found the young man of the temper- 
 ament I desired, so that nothing was wanting for his cure 
 but a real desire of it in himself, I went into another room, 
 and ordered Saramah's slaves to cry out : Fire ! Fire ! with 
 all their might, and with resin and brimstone to form the 
 appearance of a conflagration at the door and windows 
 of the patient. I then returned to him in a great fright : 
 Ah ! my lord, said I, all our hopes now centre in you alone. 
 Behold the ravages which an irresistible fire makes at Jingi ! 
 Half the town is already in ashes ; the flames begin to reach 
 the palace, and everything is lost if you do not speedily inter- 
 pose your assistance. The patient upon this got out of the 
 bath in great confusion. And what then, said he, must I do 
 to extinguish it? — Ah! my lord, said I, give your water a 
 free passage ; this alone, powerful as the cataracts of the 
 Nile, can stop the furious conflagration. — You are in the 
 right, replied the young man, with all the seriousness imag- 
 inable ; I did not in the least think of it. It never entered 
 my thoughts that an inundation which I feared might prove 
 so fatal to my country, for whose sake I was ready to sacri- 
 fice my life, should turn out so much to its advantage. 
 Upon this he yielded to my advice, and delivered his water, 
 that had been so long pent up, with the greatest freedom, I 
 ordered that the flames should be removed, in the proportion 
 the young man might have reason to think he extinguished 
 them, and my orders were punctually obeyed. I had like- 
 wise posted people to come and thank the patient for 
 his seasonable interposition, and thus ended this diverting 
 comedy, which was re-acted as often as the governor's son 
 relapsed. 
 
 Saramah, my lord, thanked me in the most grateful man- 
 ner, and very generously rewarded my success in relieving 
 his son, who is now, as I have heard since my return, radi- 
 cally cured. I then set out for Nagapatan, where I thought
 
 293 
 
 to take ship for Sarandib ; but the nearer I approached the 
 port, the nearer, too, I in appearance drew to destruction. 
 I had but a few leagues to make to reach Nagapatan, when 
 I met with two Hindus a-foot, whom I took to be very hon- 
 est men. We travelled the same road together for some time, 
 discoursing on different matters ; but as I was on horseback, 
 and the town was at no great distance, I thought it would 
 be unmannerly not to make the rest of the journey a-foot. 
 I therefore alighted, and was walking in the greatest security 
 with these two men when one of them throwing a rope about 
 my neck drew me, with the help of the other, out of the high 
 road to the skirts of a wood. Here they robbed me, and, 
 stripping me naked, threw me into a ditch that was twelve 
 feet deep. After this, the two wretches, of whom I had not 
 entertained the least suspicion, tied my horse to a tree, and, 
 sitting on the brink of the ditch, began to joke about my 
 simplicity and to divide their plunder. Oh ! gentlemen, said 
 I, have some compassion on me, and as you did not think 
 proper to take away my life, do not leave me a defenceless 
 prey to wild beasts ! I only beseech you to return me my 
 bow and arrows, to keep them at a distance as long as life 
 remains. The robbers did not think they ought to refuse 
 me so small a request ; they threw me my bow and arrows ; 
 but I soon paid them for their folly, for before they could 
 get out of their place, I pierced each of them with an arrow 
 so fortunately, that they immediately tumbled down dead, 
 with all their spoil, into the ditch. Having taken from them 
 everything that belonged to me, I placed one a-top of the 
 other, and raised myself by this means enough to get out of 
 the place in which I was. I then got on horseback again 
 and reached Nagapatan, whence, after a few days' stay, I 
 took ship for Sarandib, and at last fortunately arrived there. 
 
 My first care, my lord, as soon as I landed on the island, 
 was to inquire where I could find the bird I was in search 
 of I heard with great pleasure that it was in the king's
 
 294 
 
 gardens. I then thought of nothing else but discovering the 
 woman that was Ukewise requisite for the occasion, and for 
 this purpose, I assembled by proclamation the wives of all 
 the blind men in the island. There appeared an infinite 
 number of them. I let them know my business, and pro- 
 mised them great rewards, but not one of them would ven- 
 ture to climb the dangerous tree, or flatter herself with the 
 hopes of being able to restore your Majesty's sight. I was 
 prodigiously cast down at this disappointment, and began to 
 doubt of the truth of the Indian sages, when the king of the 
 island sent one of his wazirs to me. My adventures had 
 made too much noise in the island not to have reached his 
 Majesty's ears. He was curious enough to desire to hear 
 them from my own mouth, and I had the honor of relating, 
 my lord, all your history from its beginning to my departure 
 from Astrakhan, in the presence of a well-looking young man 
 and a lady in a veil, who seemed to be mightily affected with 
 everything I said. 
 
 This monarch expressed great concern at your misfor- 
 tunes, but he could not refrain from laughing at my uneasi- 
 ness at not finding a woman who thought her virtue and 
 conjugal affection pure enough to climb the tree of Sarandib. 
 There is a tradition, said he, that the wonderful bird in one 
 of my gardens is a jinni, who has lived in that form these 
 two hundred years past on account of some offence given by 
 him to one of the sages who hve on the mountain of the 
 sacred fii-e. I know likewise that he is to continue in bond- 
 age till a woman shall have climbed up to the top of the tree 
 where he resides, and after gathering some of the divine 
 liquor that distils from his bill, shall get down again, without 
 experiencing the fatal effects of the tree ; but then she must 
 have so many and such rare qualifications, that I really be- 
 lieve the enchanter must always remain a bird, and that the 
 king of Astrakhan will never recover his sight by this means. 
 
 The lady in the veil expressed some resentment at the
 
 295 
 
 king's raillery. But what, my lord, said she, because such 
 a woman is scarce, do you think it impossible to find her? — 
 If you will permit me, madam, to speak ingenuously, replied 
 the king, I believe Abu Bakr looks for what he will never 
 meet, and that a woman of so singular a character can only 
 be considered as an imagin^^ry being. — Well, then, my lord, 
 said the lady, raising her veil, I am resolved to convince you 
 of your mistake, and to vindicate the honor of my sex, which 
 you so much despise. I myself will make a trial of the 
 dangerous tree, and will show more resolution than a great 
 number of women, who have, as well as myself, the condi- 
 tions requisite to climb it, and only want the courage to 
 attempt it. — You, madam ! cried out the king of Sarandib, 
 in great consternation ; you try the dangerous tree ! Do you 
 consider well what you say? And though I should permit 
 you to undertake it, you ought to reflect a little that you 
 have not all the necessary qualifications ; that to succeed 
 you must be the wife of a blind man and that your husband 
 has a good pair of eyes. — Let that not make your Majesty 
 uneasy, replied the lady, with great coolness ; I shall in due 
 time clear up that mystery to you ; but I cannot consistently 
 with my duty defer any longer the steps necessary for the 
 king of Astrakhan's recovery. 
 
 The frightened monarch, my lord, in vain opposed the 
 lady's resolution ; she was not to be diverted from it, and all 
 the satisfaction he could obtain was to make her defer the 
 execution of her design to the next day. I lodged this night 
 at the palace by the king's orders ; and the report being 
 spread all over the island that a woman was found bold 
 enough to venture up the dangerous tree, the palace was by 
 daybreak surrounded by an infinite number of people who 
 petitioned that they might be permitted to behold so strange 
 a sight. The king granted their request, ordered the gates 
 of the garden to be thrown open to them, and then con- 
 ducted by his hand the lady, who had no doubt informed hi3
 
 296 
 
 Majesty of her name, to the foot of the tree, as he had no 
 longer any reason to be in pain about her safety. She then 
 threw oft' a long gown that might encumber her, and climb- 
 ing with great ease from branch to branch, at length reached 
 the top of the tree, gathered the precious liquor that dis- 
 tilled from the bird's bill in a flagon of gold tied to her 
 girdle, and came down with the same ease that she went up. 
 Upon this the air resounded with a thousand acclamations of 
 admiration and of joy ; and the surprise of the spectators was 
 still further increased on seeing the bird, who had been so 
 long confined, soar freely into the skies, and the tree wither 
 away to such a degree that there did not remain a single 
 leaf on it. 
 
 The king of Sarandib thought he could never sufficiently 
 commend and admire a lady who had given so shining an 
 example of virtue and of conjugal affection. How happy is 
 Shams al-Din, said he, to possess such a woman ! Ah ! my 
 dear Abu Bakr, let him know, I beg of you, how rejoiced I 
 am at his good fortune. It is so extraordinary, that T can- 
 not see anything to equal it. The lady in the veil listened 
 to these praises with a modesty which added new charms to 
 her beauty. What more shall I say to you, my lord? con- 
 tinued the physician. After having stayed at Sarandib as 
 long as it was necessary to prepare for our return, we left it, 
 loaded with favors by the wise and powerful monarch who 
 reigns there with so much justice and moderation, and we 
 arrived at Ormuz without experiencing any of those disasters 
 which voyages by sea of such a length are generally attended 
 with. We then crossed Persia, and are now at last happily 
 arrived at Astrakhan, where I have now learned for the first 
 time, from the mouth of the incomparable Zabd al-Katon, 
 that Aban-azar, whom I always considered as her husband, 
 is not so ; and I have the happiness of finding, that at the 
 same time I have contributed to restore you your sight, I 
 have likewise the pleasure of bringing you back an illustrious
 
 297 
 
 consort, whom you had so long bewailed as lost forever, 
 and without whom your joy would have been imperfect. 
 May Heaven, my lord, propitious to my vows, grant your 
 Majesty, and this incomparable princess, a long series of 
 happiness, uninterrupted by sickness or by old age, and may 
 the houris of paradise, on Allah's assigning one day their 
 portions to your love, place all their happiness in being 
 beloved by you as much as the divine Zabd al-Katon has 
 now the happiness of being loved ! 
 
 The wishes of Abu Bakr, which put an end to his story, 
 were fully accomplished. Shams al-Din, the happy Shams 
 al-Din, loaded him, Aban-azar, and Ibn Aridun, with favors, 
 and lived in a most exemplary union with his wife, who bore 
 him many children, worthy heirs of their royal parents' vir- 
 tues. And this illustrious pair felt for each other in their 
 old days those tender sentiments which one would imagine 
 youth alone could experience. 
 
 THE END.
 
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