CHAPTER V.

COMMENCING WITH PART OF THE TWENTY-FOURTH NIGHT, AND ENDING WITH PART OF

THE THIRTY-SECOND.

THE STORY OF THE HUMPBACK.

There was, in ancient times, in the city of El-Baṣrah,[V_1] a

tailor who enjoyed an ample income, and was fond of sport and merriment.

He was in the habit of going out occasionally with his wife, that they

might amuse themselves with strange and diverting scenes; and one day

they went forth in the afternoon,[V_2] and, returning home in the

evening, met a humpbacked man, whose aspect was such as to excite

laughter in the angry, and to dispel anxiety and grief: so they

approached him to enjoy the pleasure of gazing at him, and invited him

to return with them to their house, and to join with them in a carousal

that night.

He assented to their proposal; and after he had gone with them to the

house, the tailor went out to the market; night having then approached.

He bought some dried fish, and bread and limes and sweetmeat, and,

returning with them, placed the fish before the humpback and they sat

down to eat; and the tailor's wife took a large piece of fish, and

crammed the humpback with it, and, closing his mouth with her hand,

said, By Allah, thou shalt not swallow it but by gulping it at once, and

I will not give thee time to chew it. He therefore swallowed it; but it

contained a large and sharp bone, which stuck across in his throat, his

destiny having so determined, and he expired. The tailor exclaimed,

There is no strength nor power but in God the High, the Great! Alas,

that this poor creature should not have died but in this manner by our

hands!--Wherefore this idling? exclaimed the woman.--And what can I do?

asked her husband.--Arise she answered, and take him in thy bosom, and

cover him with a silk napkin: I will go out first and do thou follow me,

this very night and say, This is my son, and this is his mother; and we

are going to convey him to the physician, that he may give him some

medicine.

No sooner had the tailor heard these words than he arose, and took the

humpback in his bosom. His wife, accompanying him, exclaimed, O my

child! may Allah preserve thee! Where is the part in which thou feelest

pain; and where hath this small-pox attacked thee?--So every one who saw

them said, They are conveying a child smitten with the small-pox. Thus

they proceeded, inquiring as they went, for the abode of the physician;

and the people directed them to the house of a physician who was a Jew;

and they knocked at the door, and there came down to them a black

slave-girl, who opened the door, and beheld a man carrying (as she

imagined) a child, and attended by its mother; and she said, What is

your business?--We have a child here answered the tailor's wife, and we

want the physician to see him: take, then, this quarter of a piece of

gold, and give it to thy master, and let him come down and see my son;

for he is ill. The girl, therefore, went up, and the tailor's wife,

entering the vestibule, said to her husband, Leave the humpback here,

and let us take ourselves away. And the tailor, accordingly, set him up

against the wall, and went out with his wife.

The slave-girl, meanwhile, went in to the Jew, and said to him, Below,

in the house, is a sick person, with a woman and a man: and they have

given me a quarter of a piece of gold for thee, that thou mayest

prescribe for them what may suit his case. And when the Jew saw the

quarter of a piece of gold, he rejoiced, and, rising in haste, went down

in the dark; and in doing so, his foot struck against the lifeless

humpback. O Ezra! he exclaimed--O Heavens and the Ten Commandments! O

Aaron, and Joshua son of Nun! It seemeth that I have stumbled against

this sick person, and he hath fallen down the stairs and died! And how

shall I go forth with one killed from my house? O Ezra's

ass![V_3]--He then raised him, and took him up from the court of

the house to his wife, and acquainted her with the accident.--And why

sittest thou here idle? said she; for if thou remain thus until daybreak

our lives will be lost: let me and thee, then, take him up to the

terrace, and throw him into the house of our neighbour the Muslim; for

he is the steward of the Sulṭán's kitchen, and often do the cats come to

his house, and eat of the food which they find there;[V_4] as do

the mice too: and if he remain there for a night, the dogs will come

down to him from the terraces and eat him up entirely.[V_5] So the

Jew and his wife went up, carrying the humpback, and let him down by his

hands and feet to the pavement; placing him against the wall; which

having done, they descended.

Not long had the humpback been thus deposited when the steward returned

to his house, and opened the door, and, going up with a lighted candle

in his hand, found a son of Adam standing in the corner next the

kitchen; upon which he exclaimed, What is this? By Allah, the thief that

hath stolen our goods is none other than a son of Adam, who taketh what

he findeth of flesh or grease, even though I keep it concealed from the

cats and the dogs; and if I killed all the cats and dogs of the quarter

it would be of no use; for he cometh down from the terraces!--And so

saying, he took up a great mallet, and struck him with it, and then,

drawing close to him, gave him a second blow with it upon the chest,

when the humpback fell down, and he found that he was dead; whereupon he

grieved, and said, There is no strength nor power but in God! And he

feared for himself, and exclaimed, Curse upon the grease and the flesh,

and upon this night, in which the destiny of this man hath been

accomplished by my hand! Then, looking upon him, and perceiving that he

was a humpback, he said, Is it not enough that thou art humpbacked, but

must thou also be a robber, and steal the flesh and the grease? O

Protector, cover me with thy gracious shelter!--And he lifted him upon

his shoulders, and descended, and went forth from his house, towards the

close of the night, and stopped not until he had conveyed him to the

commencement of the market-street, where he placed him upon his feet by

the side of a shop at the entrance of a lane, and there left him and

retired.

Soon after, there came a Christian, the Sulṭán's broker, who, in a state

of intoxication, had come forth to visit the bath; and he advanced,

staggering, until he drew near to the humpback, when he turned his eyes,

and beheld one standing by him. Now some persons had snatched off his

turban early in the night,[V_6] and when he saw the humpback

standing there, he concluded that he intended to do the same; so he

clenched his fist, and struck him on the neck. Down fell the humpback

upon the ground, and the Christian called out to the watchman of the

market,[V_7] while, still in the excess of his intoxication, he

continued beating the humpback, and attempting to throttle him. As he

was thus employed, the watchman came, and, finding the Christian

kneeling upon the Muslim[V_8] and beating him, said, Arise, and

quit him! He arose, therefore, and the watchman, approaching the

humpback, saw that he was dead, and exclaimed, How is it that the

Christian dareth to kill the Muslim? Then seizing the Christian, he

bound his hands behind him, and took him to the house of the

Wálee;[V_9] the Christian saying within himself, O Heavens! O

Virgin! how have I killed this man? and how quickly did he die from a

blow of the hand!--Intoxication had departed, and reflection had come.

The humpback and the Christian passed the remainder of the night in the

house of the Wálee, and the Wálee ordered the executioner to proclaim

the Christian's crime, and he set up a gallows, and stationed him

beneath it. The executioner then came, and threw the rope round his

neck, and was about to hang him, when the Sulṭán's steward pushed

through the crowd, seeing the Christian standing beneath the gallows,

and the people made way for him, and he said to the executioner, Do it

not; for it was I who killed him.--Wherefore didst thou kill him? said

the Wálee. He answered, I went into my house last night, and saw that he

had descended from the terrace and stolen my goods; so I struck him with

a mallet upon his chest, and he died, and I carried him out, and

conveyed him to the market-street, where I set him up in such a place,

at the entrance of such a lane. Is it not enough for me to have killed a

Muslim, that a Christian should be killed on my account? Hang, then,

none but me.--The Wálee, therefore, when he heard these words, liberated

the Christian broker, and said to the executioner, Hang this man, on the

ground of his confession. And he took off the rope from the neck of the

Christian, and put it round the neck of the steward, and, having

stationed him beneath the gallows, was about to hang him, when the

Jewish physician pushed through the crowd, and called out to the

executioner, saying to him, Do it not; for none killed him but I; and

the case was this: he came to my house to be cured of a disease, and as

I descended to him I struck against him with my foot, and he died: kill

not the steward, therefore; but kill me. So the Wálee gave orders to

hang the Jewish physician; and the executioner took off the rope from

the steward's neck, and put it round the neck of the Jew. But, lo, the

tailor came, and, forcing his way among the people, said to the

executioner, Do it not; for none killed him but I; and it happened thus:

I was out amusing myself during the day, and as I was returning at the

commencement of the night, I met this humpback in a state of

intoxication, with a tambourine, and singing merrily; and I stopped to

divert myself by looking at him, and took him to my house. I then bought

some fish, and we sat down to eat, and my wife took a piece of fish and

a morsel of bread, and crammed them into his mouth, and he was choked,

and instantly died. Then I and my wife took him to the house of the Jew,

and the girl came down and opened the door, and while she went up to her

master, I set up the humpback by the stairs, and went away with my wife:

so, when the Jew came down and stumbled against him, he thought that he

had killed him.--And he said to the Jew, Is this true? He answered, Yes.

The tailor, then, looking towards the Wálee, said to him, Liberate the

Jew, and hang me. And when the Wálee heard this he was astonished at the

case of the humpback, and said, Verily this is an event that should be

recorded in books! And he said to the executioner, Liberate the Jew, and

hang the tailor on account of his own confession. So the executioner led

him forward, saying, Dost thou put forward this and take back that; and

shall we not hang one? And he put the rope round the neck of the tailor.

Now the humpback was the Sulṭán's buffoon, and the Sulṭán could not bear

him to be out of his sight; and when the humpback had got drunk, and

been absent that night and the next day until noon, the King inquired

respecting him of some of his attendants, and they answered him, O our

lord, the Wálee hath taken him forth dead, and gave orders to hang the

person who killed him, and there came a second and a third person, each

saying, None killed him but I:--and describing to the Wálee the cause of

his killing him. When the King, therefore, heard this, he called out to

the Chamberlain, and said to him, Go down to the Wálee, and bring them

all hither before me. So the Chamberlain went down, and found that the

executioner had almost put to death the tailor, and he called out to

him, saying, Do it not:--and informed the Wálee that the case had been

reported to the King. And he took him, and the humpback borne with him,

and the tailor and the Jew and the Christian and the steward, and went

up with them all to the King; and when the Wálee came into the presence

of the King, he kissed the ground, and related to him all that had

happened. And the King was astonished, and was moved with merriment, at

hearing this tale; and he commanded that it should be written in letters

of gold. He then said to those who were present, Have ye ever heard

anything like the story of this humpback? And upon this the Christian

advanced, and said, O King of the age, if thou permit me I will relate

to thee an event that hath occurred to me more wonderful and strange and

exciting than the story of the humpback.--Tell us then thy story, said

the King. And the Christian related as follows:--

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

THE STORY TOLD BY THE CHRISTIAN BROKER.

Know, O King of the age, that I came to this country with merchandise,

and destiny stayed me among your people. I was born in Cairo, and am one

of its Copts, and there I was brought up. My father was a broker; and

when I had attained to manhood, he died, and I succeeded to his

business; and as I was sitting one day, lo, a young man of most handsome

aspect, and clad in a dress of the richest description, came to me,

riding upon an ass, and, when he saw me, saluted me; whereupon I rose to

him, to pay him honour, and he produced a handkerchief containing some

sesame, and said, What is the value of an ardebb[V_10] of this? I

answered him, A hundred pieces of silver. And he said to me, Take the

carriers and the measurers, and repair to the Khán of El-Jáwalee[V_11]

in the district of Báb en-Naṣr:[V_12] there wilt thou find me. And he

left me and went his way, after having given me the handkerchief with

the sample of the sesame. So I went about to the purchasers; and the

price of each ardebb amounted to a hundred and twenty pieces of silver;

and I took with me four carriers, and went to him. I found him waiting

my arrival; and when he saw me he rose and opened a magazine, and we

measured its contents, and the whole amounted to fifty ardebbs. The

young man then said, Thou shalt have, for every ardebb, ten pieces of

silver as brokerage; and do thou receive the price and keep it in thy

care: the whole sum will be five thousand; and thy share of it, five

hundred: so there will remain for me four thousand and five hundred; and

when I shall have finished the sale of the goods contained in my

store-rooms, I will come to thee and receive it. I replied, It shall be

as thou desirest. And I kissed his hand, and left him. Thus there

accrued to me, on that day, a thousand pieces of silver, besides my

brokerage.[V_13]

He was absent from me a month, at the expiration of which he came and

said to me, Where is the money? I answered, Here it is, ready. And he

said, Keep it until I come to thee to receive it. And I remained

expecting him; but he was absent from me another month; after which he

came again, and said, Where is the money? Whereupon I arose and saluted

him, and said to him, Wilt thou eat something with us? He, however,

declined, and said, Keep the money until I shall have gone and returned

to receive it from thee. He then departed; and I arose, and prepared for

him the money, and sat expecting him; but again he absented himself from

me for a month, and then came and said, After this day I will receive it

from thee. And he departed, and I made ready the money for him as

before, and sat waiting his return. Again, however, he remained a month

absent from me, and I said within myself, Verily this young man is

endowed with consummate liberality! After the month he came, attired in

rich clothing, and resembling the full moon, appearing as if he had just

come out of the bath, with red cheek and fair forehead, and a mole like

a globule of ambergris. When I beheld him I kissed his hand, and invoked

a blessing upon him, and said to him, O my master, wilt thou not take

thy money?--Have patience with me, he answered, until I shall have

transacted all my affairs, after which I will receive it from thee. And

so saying, he departed; and I said within myself, By Allah, when he

cometh I will entertain him as a guest, on account of the profit which I

have derived from his money; for great wealth hath accrued to me from

it.

At the close of the year he returned, clad in a dress richer than the

former; and I swore to him that he should alight to be my guest.--On the

condition, he replied, that thou expend nothing of my money that is in

thy possession. I said, Well:--and, having seated him, prepared what was

requisite of meats and drinks and other provisions, and placed them

before him, saying, In the name of Allah! And he drew near to the table,

and put forth his left hand, and thus ate with me: so I was surprised at

him;[V_14] and when we had finished he washed his hand, and I gave

him a napkin with which to wipe it. We then sat down to converse, and I

said, O my master dispel a trouble from my mind. Wherefore didst thou

eat with thy left hand? Probably something paineth thee in thy right

hand?--On hearing these words, he stretched forth his arm from his

sleeve,[V_15] and behold, it was maimed--an arm without a hand! And

I wondered at this; but he said to me, Wonder not; nor say in thy heart

that I ate with thee with my left hand from a motive of self-conceit;

for rather to be wondered at is the cause of the cutting off of my right

hand. And what, said I, was the cause of it? He answered, thus:--

Know that I am from Baghdád: my father was one of the chief people of

that city; and when I had attained the age of manhood, I heard the

wanderers and travellers and merchants conversing respecting the land of

Egypt, and their words remained in my heart until my father died, when I

took large sums of money, and prepared merchandise consisting of the

stuffs of Baghdád and of El-Móṣil, and similar precious goods, and,

having packed them up, journeyed from Baghdád; and God decreed me safety

until I entered this your city. And so saying, he wept, and repeated

these verses:--

The blear-eyed escapeth a pit into which the clear-sighted falleth;

And the ignorant, an expression by which the shrewd sage is ruined.

The believer can scarce earn his food, while the impious infidel

is favoured.

What art or act can a man devise? It is what the Almighty appointeth!

I entered Cairo, continued the young man, and deposited the stuffs in

the Khán of Mesroor,[V_16] and, having unbound my packages and put

them in the magazines, gave to the servant some money to buy for us

something to eat, after which I slept a little; and when I arose, I went

to Beyn el-Ḳaṣreyn.[V_17] I then returned, and passed the night;

and in the morning following, I opened a bale of stuff, and said within

myself, I will arise and go through some of the market-streets, and see

the state of the mart. So I took some stuff, and made some of my

servants carry it, and proceeded until I arrived at the Ḳeysáreeyeh of

Jahárkas,[V_18] where the brokers came to me, having heard of my

arrival, and took from me the stuff, and cried it about for sale; but

the price bidden amounted not to the prime cost. And upon this the

Sheykh of the brokers said to me, O my master, I know a plan by which

thou mayest profit; and it is this: that thou do as other merchants, and

sell thy merchandise upon credit for a certain period, employing a

scrivener and a witness and a money-changer, and receive a portion of

the profits every Thursday and Monday; so shalt thou make of every piece

of silver two; and besides that, thou wilt be able to enjoy the

amusements afforded by Egypt and its Nile.--The advice is judicious, I

replied: and accordingly I took the brokers with me to the Khán, and

they conveyed the stuffs to the Ḳeysáreeyeh, where I sold it to the

merchants, writing a bond in their names, which I committed to the

money-changer, and taking from him a corresponding bond. I then returned

to the Khán, and remained there some days; and every day I took for my

breakfast a cup of wine, and had mutton and sweetmeats prepared for me,

until the month in which I became entitled to the receipt of the

profits, when I seated myself every Thursday and Monday at the shops of

the merchants, and the money-changer went with the scrivener and brought

me the money.

[Illustration]

Thus did I until one day I went to the bath and returned to the Khán,

and, entering my lodging, took for my breakfast a cup of wine, and then

slept; and when I awoke I ate a fowl,[V_19] and perfumed myself

with essence, and repaired to the shop of a merchant named Bedr-ed-Deen

the Gardener,[V_20] who, when he saw me, welcomed me, and conversed

with me a while in his shop; and as we were thus engaged, lo, a female

came and seated herself by my side. She wore a headkerchief inclined on

one side, and the odours of sweet perfumes were diffused from her, and

she captivated my reason by her beauty and loveliness as she raised her

izár and I beheld her black eyes. She saluted Bedr-ed-Deen, and he

returned her salutation, and stood conversing with her; and when I heard

her speech, love for her took entire possession of my heart. She then

said to Bedr-ed-Deen, Hast thou a piece of stuff woven with pure gold

thread? And he produced to her a piece; and she said, May I take it and

go, and then send thee the price? But he answered, It is impossible, O

my mistress; for this is the owner of the stuff, and I owe him a portion

of the profit.--Wo to thee! said she: it is my custom to take of thee

each piece of stuff for a considerable sum of money, giving thee a gain

beyond thy wish, and then to send thee the price.--Yes, he rejoined; but

I am in absolute want of the price this day. And upon this she took the

piece and threw it back to him upon his breast, saying, Verily your

class knows not how to respect any person's rank! And she arose, and

turned away. I felt then as if my soul went with her, and, rising upon

my feet, I said to her, O my mistress, kindly bestow a look upon me, and

retrace thine honoured steps. And she returned, and smiled and said, For

thy sake I return. And she sat opposite me upon the seat of the shop;

and I said to Bedr-ed-Deen, What is the price that thou hast agreed to

give for this piece. He answered, Eleven hundred pieces of silver. And I

said to him, Thy profit shall be a hundred pieces of silver: give me

then a paper, and I will write for thee the price upon it. I then took

the piece of stuff from him, and wrote him the paper with my own hand,

and gave the piece of stuff to the lady, saying to her, Take it and go;

and if thou wilt, bring the price to me in the market; or, if thou wilt,

it shall be my present to thee. She replied, God recompense thee, and

bless thee with my property, and make thee my husband; and may God

accept this prayer!--O my mistress, said I, let this piece of stuff be

thine, and another like it, and permit me to see thy face. And upon this

she raised her veil; and when I beheld her face, the sight drew from me

a thousand sighs, and my heart was entangled by her love, so that I no

longer remained master of my reason. She then lowered the veil again,

and took the piece of stuff, saying, O my master, leave me not desolate.

So she departed, while I continued sitting in the market-street until

past the hour of afternoon-prayer, with wandering mind, overpowered by

love. In the excess of my passion, before I rose I asked the merchant

respecting her; and he answered me, She is a rich lady, the daughter of

a deceased Emeer, who left her great property.

I then took leave of him, and returned to the Khán, and the supper was

placed before me; but, reflecting upon her, I could eat nothing. I laid

myself down to rest; but sleep came not to me, and I remained awake

until the morning, when I arose and put on a suit of clothing different

from that which I had worn the day before; and, having drunk a cup of

wine, and eaten a few morsels as my breakfast, repaired again to the

shop of the merchant, and saluted him, and sat down with him. The lady

soon came, wearing a dress more rich than the former, and attended by a

slave-girl; and she seated herself, and saluted me instead of

Bedr-ed-Deen, and said, with an eloquent tongue which I had never heard

surpassed in softness or sweetness, Send with me some one to receive the

twelve hundred pieces of silver, the price of the piece of

stuff.--Wherefore, said I, this haste? She replied, May we never lose

thee! And she handed to me the price; and I sat conversing with her, and

made a sign to her, which she understood, intimating my wish to visit

her: whereupon she rose in haste, expressing displeasure at my hint. My

heart clung to her, and I followed in the direction of her steps through

the market-street; and lo, a slave-girl came to me, and said, O my

master, answer the summons of my mistress. Wondering at this, I said, No

one here knoweth me.--How soon, she rejoined, hast thou forgotten her!

My mistress is she who was to-day at the shop of the merchant

Bedr-ed-Deen.--So I went with her until we arrived at the

money-changer's;[V_21] and when her mistress, who was there, beheld

me, she drew me to her side, and said, O my beloved, thou hast wounded

my heart, and love of thee hath taken possession of it; and from the

time that I first saw thee, neither sleep nor food nor drink hath been

pleasant to me. I replied, And more than that do I feel; and the state

in which I am needs no complaint to testify it.--Then shall I visit

thee, O my beloved, she asked, or wilt thou come to me? For our marriage

must be a secret.[V_22]--I am a stranger, I answered, and have no

place of reception but the Khán; therefore, if thou wilt kindly permit

me to go to thine abode the pleasure will be perfect.--Well, she

replied; but to-night is the eve of Friday, and let nothing be done till

to-morrow, when, after thou hast joined in the prayers, do thou mount

thine ass, and inquire for the Ḥabbáneeyeh;[V_23] and when thou

hast arrived there, ask for the house called the Ḳá'ah[V_24] of

Barakát the Naḳeeb,[V_25] known by the surname of Aboo-Shámeh; for

there do I reside; and delay not; for I shall be anxiously expecting

thee.

On hearing this I rejoiced exceedingly, and we parted; and I returned to

the Khán in which I lodged. I passed the whole night sleepless, and was

scarcely sure that the daybreak had appeared when I rose and changed my

clothes, and, having perfumed myself with essences and sweet scents,

took with me fifty pieces of gold in a handkerchief, and walked from the

Khán of Mesroor to Báb Zuweyleh,[V_26] where I mounted an ass, and

said to its owner, Go with me to the Ḥabbáneeyeh. And in less than the

twinkling of an eye he set off, and soon he stopped at a by-street

called Darb El-Munaḳḳiree, when I said to him, Enter the street, and

inquire for the Ḳá'ah of the Naḳeeb. He was absent but a little while,

and, returning, said, Alight.--Walk on before me, said I, to the Ḳá'ah.

And he went on until he had led me to the house; whereupon I said to

him, To-morrow come to me hither to convey me back.--In the name of

Allah, he replied: and I handed to him a quarter of a piece of gold, and

he took it and departed. I then knocked at the door, and there came

forth to me two young virgins in whom the forms of womanhood had just

developed themselves, resembling two moons, and they said, Enter; for

our mistress is expecting thee, and she hath not slept last night from

her excessive love for thee. I entered an upper saloon with seven doors:

around it were latticed windows looking upon a garden in which were

fruits of every kind, and running streams and singing birds: it was

plastered with imperial gypsum, in which a man might see his face

reflected:[V_27] its roof was ornamented with gilding, and

surrounded by inscriptions in letters of gold upon a ground of

ultramarine: it comprised a variety of beauties, and shone in the eyes

of beholders: the pavement was of coloured marbles, having in the midst

of it a fountain, with four snakes of red gold casting forth water from

their mouths like pearls and jewels at the corners of the

pool;[V_28] and it was furnished with carpets of coloured silk, and

mattresses.

[Illustration]

Having entered, I seated myself; and scarcely had I done so when the

lady approached me. She wore a crown set with pearls and

jewels;[V_29] her hands and feet were stained with ḥennà; and her

bosom was ornamented with gold. As soon as she beheld me she smiled in

my face, and embraced me, saying, Is it true that thou hast come to me,

or is this a dream?--I am thy slave, I answered; and she said, Thou art

welcome. Verily, from the time when I first saw thee, neither sleep hath

been sweet to me, nor hath food been pleasant!--In such case have _I_

been, I replied;--and we sat down to converse; but I hung down my head

towards the ground, in bashfulness; and not long had I thus remained

when a repast was placed before me, consisting of the most exquisite

dishes, as fricandoes and hashes and stuffed fowls. I ate with her until

we were satisfied; when they brought the basin and ewer, and I washed my

hands; after which we perfumed ourselves with rose-water infused with

musk, and sat down again to converse: expressing to each other our

mutual passion; and her love took such possession of me that all the

wealth I possessed seemed worthless in comparison. In this manner we

continued to enjoy ourselves until, night approaching, the female slaves

brought supper and wine, a complete service; and we drank until

midnight. Never in my life had I passed such a night. And when morning

came, I arose, and, having thrown to her the handkerchief containing the

pieces of gold,[V_30] I took leave of her and went out; but as I

did so she wept, and said, O my master, when shall I see again this

lovely face? I answered her, I will be with thee at the commencement of

the night. And when I went forth, I found the owner of the ass, who had

brought me the day before, waiting for me at the door; and I mounted,

and returned with him to the Khán of Mesroor, where I alighted, and gave

to him half a piece of gold, saying to him, Come hither at sunset. He

replied, On the head be thy command.

I entered the Khán, and ate my breakfast, and then went forth to collect

the price of my stuffs; after which I returned. I had prepared for my

wife a roasted lamb, and purchased some sweetmeat and I now called the

porter, described to him the house, and gave him his hire. Having done

this, I occupied myself again with my business until sunset, when the

owner of the ass came, and I took fifty pieces of gold, and put them

into a handkerchief. Entering the house, I found that they had wiped the

marble and polished the vessels of copper and brass, and filled the

lamps and lighted the candles, and dished the supper and strained the

wine; and when my wife saw me, she threw her arms around my neck, and

said, Thou hast made me desolate by thine absence! The tables were then

placed before us, and we ate until we were satisfied, and the

slave-girls took away the first table, and placed before us the wine;

and we sat drinking, and eating of the dried fruits, and making merry,

until midnight. We then slept until morning, when I arose and handed her

the fifty pieces of gold as before, and left her.

Thus I continued to do for a long time, until I passed the night and

awoke possessing not a piece of silver nor one of gold; and I said

within myself, This is the work of the Devil! And I repeated these

verses:--

Poverty causeth the lustre of a man to grow dim, like the yellowness

of the setting sun.

When absent, he is not remembered among mankind; and when present,

he shareth not their pleasures.

In the market-streets he shunneth notice; and in desert places

he poureth forth his tears.

By Allah! a man, among his own relations, when afflicted with poverty,

is as a stranger!

[Illustration]

With these reflections I walked forth into Beyn el-Ḳaṣreyn, and

proceeded thence to Báb Zuweyleh, where I found the people crowding

together, so that the gate was stopped up by their number; and, as

destiny willed, I saw there a trooper, and, unintentionally pressing

against him, my hand came in contact with his pocket, and I felt it, and

found that it contained a purse; and I caught hold of the purse, and

took it from his pocket. But the trooper felt that his pocket was

lightened, and, putting his hand into it, found nothing; upon which he

looked aside at me, and raised his hand with the mace,[V_31] and

struck me upon my head. I fell to the ground, and the people surrounded

us, and seized the bridle of the trooper's horse, saying, On account of

the crowd dost thou strike this young man such a blow? But he called out

to them and said, This is a robber! On hearing this I feared. The people

around me said, This is a comely young man, and hath taken nothing.

While some, however, believed this, others disbelieved; and after many

words, the people dragged me along, desiring to liberate me: but, as it

was predestined, there came at this moment the Wálee and other

magistrates entering the gate, and, seeing the people surrounding me and

the trooper, the Wálee said, What is the news? The trooper answered, By

Allah, O Emeer, this is a robber: I had in my pocket a blue purse

containing twenty pieces of gold; and he took it while I was pressed by

the crowd.--Was any one with thee? asked the Wálee. The trooper

answered, No. And the Wálee called out to the chief of his servants,

saying, Seize him and search him. So he seized me; and protection was

withdrawn from me; and the Wálee said to him, Strip him of all that is

upon him. And when he did so, they found the purse in my clothes: and

the Wálee, taking it, counted the money, and found it to be twenty

pieces of gold, as the trooper had said; whereupon he was enraged, and

called out to his attendants, saying, Bring him forward. They,

therefore, brought me before him, and he said to me, O young man, tell

the truth. Didst thou steal this purse?--And I hung down my head towards

the ground, saying within myself, If I answer that I did not steal it,

it will be useless, for he hath produced it from my clothes; and if I

say, I stole it, I fall into trouble. I then raised my head, and said,

Yes, I took it. And when the Wálee heard these words, he wondered, and

called witnesses, who presented themselves, and gave their testimony to

my confession.--All this took place at Báb Zuweyleh.--The Wálee then

ordered the executioner to cut off my hand; and he cut off my right

hand;[V_32] but the heart of the trooper was moved with compassion for

me, and he interceded for me that I should not be killed:[V_33] so the

Wálee left me and departed. The people however continued around me, and

gave me to drink a cup of wine; and the trooper gave me the purse,

saying, Thou art a comely youth, and it is not fit that thou shouldst

be a thief. And I took it from him, and addressed him with these

verses:--

By Allah! good sir, I was not a robber; nor was I a thief, O, best

of mankind!

But fortune's vicissitudes overthrew me suddenly, and anxiety

and trouble and poverty overpowered me.

I cast it not; but it was the Deity who cast an arrow that threw

down the kingly diadem from my head.[V_34]

The trooper then left me and departed, after having given me the purse,

and I went my way; but first I wrapped my hand in a piece of

rag,[V_35] and put it in my bosom. My condition thus altered, and

my countenance pallid in consequence of my sufferings, I walked to the

Ḳá'ah, and, in a disordered state of mind, threw myself upon the bed. My

wife, seeing my complexion thus changed, said to me, What hath pained

thee, and wherefore do I see thee thus altered? I answered her, My head

acheth, and I am not well. And on hearing this she was vexed, and became

ill on my account, and said, Burn not my heart, O my master! Sit up, and

raise thy head, and tell me what hath happened to thee this day; for I

read a tale in thy face.--Abstain from speaking to me, I replied. And

she wept, and said, It seemeth that thou art tired of us; for I see thee

to be conducting thyself in a manner contrary to thy usual habit. Then

she wept again, and continued addressing me, though I made her no reply,

until the approach of night, when she placed some food before me; but I

abstained from it, fearing that she should see me eat with my left hand,

and said, I have no desire to eat at present. She then said again, Tell

me what hath happened to thee this day, and wherefore I see thee anxious

and broken-hearted. I answered, I will presently tell thee at my

leisure. And she put the wine towards me, saying, Take it; for it will

dispel thine anxiety; and thou must drink, and tell me thy story. I

replied, therefore, If it must be so, give me to drink with thy hand.

And she filled a cup and drank it; and then filled it again and handed

it to me, and I took it from her with my left hand, and, while tears ran

from my eyes, I repeated these verses:--

When God willeth an event to befall a man who is endowed with reason

and hearing and sight,

He deafeneth his ears, and blindeth his heart, and draweth his reason

from him as a hair.[V_36]

Till, having fulfilled his purpose against him, He restoreth him

his reason that he may be admonished.[V_37]

Having thus said, I wept again; and when she saw me do so, she uttered a

loud cry, and said, What is the reason of thy weeping? Thou hast burned

my heart! And wherefore didst thou take the cup with thy left hand?--I

answered her, I have a boil upon my right hand.--Then put it forth, said

she, that I may open it for thee.--It is not yet, I replied, the proper

time for opening it; and continue not to ask me; for I will not put it

forth at present. I then drank the contents of the cup, and she

continued to hand me the wine until intoxication overcame me, and I

fell asleep in the place where I was sitting; upon which she discovered

that my right arm was without a hand, and, searching me, saw the purse

containing the gold.

Grief, such as none else experienceth, overcame her at the sight; and

she suffered incessant torment on my account until the morning, when I

awoke, and found that she had prepared for me a dish composed of four

boiled fowls, which she placed before me. She then gave me to drink a

cup of wine; and I ate and drank, and put down the purse, and was about

to depart; but she said, Whither wouldst thou go? I answered, To such a

place, to dispel somewhat of the anxiety which oppresseth my heart.--Go

not, said she; but rather sit down again. So I sat down, and she said to

me, Hath thy love of me become so excessive that thou hast expended all

thy wealth upon me, and lost thy hand? I take thee, then, as witness

against me, and God also is witness, that I will never desert thee; and

thou shalt see the truth of my words.--Immediately, therefore, she sent

for witnesses, who came; and she said to them, Write my contract of

marriage to this young man, and bear witness that I have received the

dowry. And they did as she desired them; after which she said, Bear

witness that all my property which is in this chest, and all my memlooks

and female slaves, belong to this young man. Accordingly, they declared

themselves witnesses of her declaration, and I accepted the property,

and they departed after they had received their fees. She then took me

by my hand, and, having led me to a closet, opened a large chest, and

said to me, See what is contained in this chest. I looked, therefore;

and lo, it was full of handkerchiefs; and she said, This is thy

property; which I have received from thee: for every time that thou

gavest me a handkerchief containing fifty pieces of gold, I wrapped it

up, and threw it into this chest: take, then, thy property; for God hath

restored it to thee, and thou art now of high estate. Fate hath

afflicted thee on my account so that thou hast lost thy right hand, and

I am unable to compensate thee: if I should sacrifice my life, it would

be but a small thing, and thy generosity would still have surpassed

mine.--She then added, Now take possession of thy property. So I

received it; and she transferred the contents of her chest to mine,

adding her property to mine which I had given her. My heart rejoiced, my

anxiety ceased, and I approached and kissed her, and made myself merry

by drinking with her; after which she said again, Thou hast sacrificed

all thy wealth and thy hand through love of me, and how can I compensate

thee? By Allah, if I gave my life for love of thee, it were but a small

thing, and I should not do justice to thy claims upon me.--She then

wrote a deed of gift transferring to me all her apparel, and her

ornaments of gold and jewels, and her houses and other possessions; and

she passed that night in grief on my account, having heard my relation

of the accident that had befallen me.

Thus we remained less than a month, during which time she became more

and more infirm and disordered; and she endured no more than fifty days

before she was numbered among the people of the other world. So I

prepared her funeral, and deposited her body in the earth, and having

caused recitations of the Ḳur-án to be performed for her, and given a

considerable sum of money in alms for her sake, returned from the tomb.

I found that she had possessed abundant wealth, and houses and lands,

and among her property were the store-rooms of sesame of which I sold to

thee the contents of one; and I was not prevented from settling with

thee during this period but by my being busied in selling the remainder,

the price of which I have not yet entirely received. Now I desire of

thee that thou wilt not oppose me in that which I am about to say to

thee; since I have eaten of thy food: I give thee the price of the

sesame, which is in thy hands.--This which I have told thee was the

cause of my eating with my left hand.

I replied, Thou hast treated me with kindness and generosity:--and he

then said, Thou must travel with me to my country; for I have bought

merchandise of Cairo and Alexandria. Wilt thou accompany me?--I

answered, Yes;--and promised him that I would be ready by the first day

of the following month. So I sold all that I possessed, and, having

bought merchandise with the produce, travelled with the young man to

this thy country, where he sold his merchandise and bought other in its

stead, after which he returned to the land of Egypt: but it was my lot

to remain here, and to experience that which hath befallen me this night

during my absence from my native country.--Now is not this, O King of

the age, more wonderful than the story of the humpback?

The King replied, Ye must be hanged, all of you!--And upon this, the

Sulṭán's steward advanced towards the King, and said, If thou permit me,

I will relate to thee a story that I happened to hear just before I

found this humpback; and if it be more wonderful than the events

relating to him, wilt thou grant us our lives?--The King answered, Tell

thy story:--and he began thus:--

[Illustration]

THE STORY TOLD BY THE SULṬÁN'S STEWARD.

I was last night with a party who celebrated a recitation of the

Ḳur-án,[V_38] for which purpose they had assembled the professors

of religion and law; and when these reciters had accomplished their

task, the servants spread a repast, comprising among other dishes a

zirbájeh.[V_39] We approached, therefore, to eat of the zirbájeh;

but one of the company drew back, and refused to partake of it: we

conjured him; yet he swore that he would not eat of it: and we pressed

him again; but he said, Press me not; for I have suffered enough from

eating of this dish. And when we had finished, we said to him, By Allah,

tell us the reason of thine abstaining from eating of this zirbájeh. He

replied, Because I cannot eat of it unless I wash my hands forty times

with kali, and forty times with cyperus, and forty times with soap;

altogether, a hundred and twenty times. And upon this, the giver of the

entertainment ordered his servants, and they brought water and the other

things which this man required: so he washed his hands as he had

described, and advanced, though with disgust, and, having seated

himself, stretched forth his hand as one in fear, and put it into the

zirbájeh, and began to eat, while we regarded him with the utmost

wonder. His hand trembled, and when he put it forth, we saw that his

thumb was cut off, and that he ate with his four fingers: we therefore

said to him, We conjure thee, by Allah, to tell us how was thy thumb

maimed: was it thus created by God, or hath some accident happened to

it?--O my brothers, he answered, not only have I lost this thumb, but

also the thumb of the other hand; and each of my feet is in like manner

deprived of the great toe: but see ye:--and, so saying, he uncovered the

stump of the thumb of his other hand, and we found it like the right;

and so also his feet, destitute of the great toes. At the sight of this,

our wonder increased, and we said to him, We are impatient to hear thy

story, and thine account of the cause of the amputation of thy thumbs

and great toes, and the reason of thy washing thy hands a hundred and

twenty times. So he said,--

Know that my father was a great merchant, the chief of the merchants of

the city of Baghdád in the time of the Khaleefeh Hároon Er-Rasheed; but

he was ardently addicted to the drinking of wine, and hearing the lute;

and when he died, he left nothing. I buried him, and caused recitations

of the Ḳur-án to be performed for him, and, after I had mourned for him

days and nights, I opened his shop, and found that he had left in it but

few goods, and that his debts were many: however, I induced his

creditors to wait, and calmed their minds, and betook myself to selling

and buying from week to week, and so paying the creditors.[V_40]

Thus I continued to do for a considerable period, until I had discharged

all the debts and increased my capital; and as I was sitting one day, I

beheld a young lady, than whom my eye had never beheld any more

beautiful, decked with magnificent ornaments and apparel, riding on a

mule, with a slave before her and a slave behind her; and she stopped

the mule at the entrance of the market-street, and entered, followed by

a eunuch, who said to her, O my mistress, enter, but inform no one who

thou art, lest thou open the fire of indignation upon us. The eunuch

then further cautioned her; and when she looked at the shops of the

merchants, she found none more handsome than mine; so, when she arrived

before me, with the eunuch following her, she sat down upon the seat of

my shop, and saluted me; and I never heard speech more charming than

hers, or words more sweet. She then drew aside the veil from her face,

and I directed at her a glance which drew from me a sigh; my heart was

captivated by her love, and I continued repeatedly gazing at her face,

and recited these two verses:--

Say to the beauty in the dove-coloured veil, Death would indeed

be welcome to relieve me from thy torment.

Favour me with a visit, that so I may live. See, I stretch forth

my hand to accept thy liberality.

And when she had heard my recitation of them, she answered thus:--

May I lose my heart if it cease to love you! For verily my heart

loveth none but you.

If my eye regard any charms but yours, may the sight of you never

rejoice it after absence!

She then said to me, O youth, hast thou any handsome stuffs?--O my

mistress, I answered, thy slave is a poor man; but wait until the other

merchants open their shops, and then I will bring thee what thou

desirest. So I conversed with her, drowned in the sea of her love, and

bewildered by my passion for her, until the merchants had opened their

shops, when I arose, and procured all that she wanted, and the price of

these stuffs was five thousand pieces of silver: and she handed them all

to the eunuch, who took them; after which, they both went out from the

market-street, and the slaves brought to her the mule, and she mounted,

without telling me whence she was, and I was ashamed to mention the

subject to her: consequently, I became answerable for the price to the

merchants, incurring a debt of five thousand pieces of silver.

I went home, intoxicated with her love, and they placed before me the

supper, and I ate a morsel; but reflections upon her beauty and

loveliness prevented my eating more. I desired to sleep, but sleep came

not to me; and in this condition I remained for a week. The merchants

demanded of me their money; but I prevailed upon them to wait another

week; and after this week, the lady came again, riding upon a mule, and

attended by a eunuch and two other slaves; and, having saluted me, said,

O my master, we have been tardy in bringing to thee the price of the

stuffs: bring now the money-changer, and receive it.[V_41] So the

money-changer came, and the eunuch gave him the money, and I took it,

and sat conversing with her until the market was replenished, and the

merchants opened their shops, when she said to me, Procure for me such

and such things. Accordingly, I procured for her what she desired of the

merchants, and she took the goods and departed without saying anything

to me respecting the price. When she had gone, therefore, I repented of

what I had done; for I had procured for her what she demanded for the

price of a thousand pieces of gold; and as soon as she had disappeared

from my sight, I said within myself, What kind of love is this? She hath

brought me five thousand pieces of silver, and taken goods for a

thousand pieces of gold!--I feared that the result would be my

bankruptcy, and the loss of the property of others, and said, The

merchants know none but me, and this woman is no other than a cheat, who

hath imposed upon me by her beauty and loveliness: seeing me to be

young, she hath laughed at me, and I asked her not where was her

residence.

[Illustration]

I remained in a state of perplexity, and her absence was prolonged more

than a month. Meanwhile the merchants demanded of me their money, and so

pressed me that I offered my possessions for sale, and was on the brink

of ruin; but as I was sitting absorbed in reflection, suddenly she

alighted at the gate of the market-street, and came in to me. As soon as

I beheld her, my solicitude ceased, and I forgot the trouble which I had

suffered. She approached, and addressed me with her agreeable

conversation, and said, Produce the scales, and weigh thy money:--and

she gave me the price of the goods which she had taken, with a surplus;

after which, she amused herself by talking with me, and I almost died

with joy and happiness. She then said to me, Hast thou a wife? I

answered, No: for I am not acquainted with any woman:--and wept. So she

asked me, What causeth thee to weep? And I answered, A thought that hath

come into my mind:--and, taking some pieces of gold, gave them to the

eunuch, requesting him to grant me his mediation in the affair; upon

which he laughed, and said, She is in love with thee more than thou art

with her, and hath no want of the stuffs, but hath done this only from

her love of thee: propose to her, therefore, what thou wilt; for she

will not oppose thee in that which thou wilt say. Now she observed me

giving the pieces of gold to the eunuch, and returned, and resumed her

seat; and I said to her, Shew favour to thy slave, and pardon me for

that which I am about to say. I then acquainted her with the feelings of

my heart, and my declaration pleased her, and she consented to my

proposal, saying, This eunuch will come with my letter; and do thou what

he shall tell thee;--and she arose, and departed.

I went to the merchants, and delivered to them their money, and all

profited except myself; for when she left me I mourned for the

interruption of our intercourse, and I slept not during the whole of the

next night: but a few days after, her eunuch came to me, and I received

him with honour, and asked him respecting his mistress. He answered, She

is sick:--and I said to him, Disclose to me her history. He replied, The

lady Zubeydeh, the wife of Hároon Er-Rasheed, brought up this damsel,

and she is one of her slaves: she had desired of her mistress to be

allowed the liberty of going out and returning at pleasure, and the

latter gave her permission: she continued, therefore, to do so until she

became a chief confident; after which, she spoke of thee to her

mistress, and begged that she would marry her to thee: but her mistress

said, I will not do it until I see this young man, and if he have a

desire for thee, I will marry thee to him. We therefore wish to

introduce thee immediately into the palace; and if thou enter without

any one's having knowledge of thy presence, thou wilt succeed in

accomplishing thy marriage with her; but if thy plot be discovered, thy

head will be struck off. What, then, sayest thou?--I answered, Good: I

will go with thee, and await the event that shall befall me there.--As

soon, then, as this next night shall have closed in, said the eunuch,

repair to the mosque which the lady Zubeydeh hath built on the bank of

the Tigris, and there say thy prayers, and pass the night.[V_42]--Most

willingly, I replied.

Accordingly, when the time of nightfall arrived, I went to the mosque,

and said my prayers there, and passed the night; and as soon as the

morning began to dawn, I saw two eunuchs approaching in a small boat,

conveying some empty chests, which they brought into the mosque. One of

them then departed, and the other remained; and I looked attentively at

him, and lo, it was he who had been our intermediary: and soon after,

the damsel, my companion, came up to us. I rose to her when she

approached, and embraced her; and she kissed me, and wept: and after we

had conversed together for a little while, she took me and placed me in

a chest, and locked it upon me.[V_43] The slaves then brought a

quantity of stuffs, and filled with them the other chests, which they

locked, and conveyed, together with the chest in which I was enclosed,

to the boat, accompanied by the damsel; and having embarked them, they

plied the oars, and proceeded to the palace of the honoured lady

Zubeydeh. The intoxication of love now ceased in me, and reflection came

in its place: I repented of what I had done, and prayed God to deliver

me from my dangerous predicament.

[Illustration]

Meanwhile, they arrived at the gate of the Khaleefeh, where they landed,

and took out all the chests, and conveyed them into the palace: but the

chief of the door-keepers, who had been asleep when they arrived, was

awoke by the sounds of their voices, and cried out to the damsel,

saying, The chests must be opened, that I may see what is in them:--and

he arose, and placed his hand upon the chest in which I was hidden. My

reason abandoned me, my heart almost burst from my body, and my limbs

trembled; but the damsel said, These are the chests of the lady

Zubeydeh, and if thou open them and turn them over, she will be incensed

against thee, and we shall all perish. They contain nothing but clothes

dyed of various colours, except this chest upon which thou hast put thy

hand, in which there are also some bottles filled with the water of

Zemzem,[V_44] and if any of the water run out upon the clothes it

will spoil their colours. Now I have advised thee, and it is for thee to

decide: so do what thou wilt.--When he heard, therefore, these words, he

said to her, Take the chests, and pass on:--and the eunuchs immediately

took them up, and, with the damsel, conveyed them into the palace: but

in an instant, I heard a person crying out, and saying, The Khaleefeh!

The Khaleefeh!

I was bereft of my reason, and seized with a colick from excessive fear;

I almost died, and my limbs were affected with a violent shaking. The

Khaleefeh cried out to the damsel, saying to her, What are these chests?

She answered, O my lord (may God exalt thy dominion!), these chests

contain clothes of my mistress Zubeydeh.--Open them, said the

Khaleefeh, that I may see the clothes.--When I heard this, I felt sure

of my destruction. The damsel could not disobey his command; but she

replied, O Prince of the Faithful, there is nothing in these chests but

clothes of the lady Zubeydeh, and she hath commanded me not to open them

to any one. The Khaleefeh, however, said, The chests must be opened, all

of them, that I may see their contents:--and immediately he called out

to the eunuchs to bring them before him. I therefore felt certain that I

was on the point of destruction. They then brought before him chest

after chest, and opened each to him, and he examined the contents; and

when they brought forward the chest in which I was enclosed, I bade

adieu to life, and prepared myself for death; but as the eunuchs were

about to open it, the damsel said, O Prince of the Faithful, verily this

chest containeth things especially appertaining to women; and it is

proper, therefore, that it should be opened before the lady

Zubeydeh:--and when the Khaleefeh heard her words, he ordered the

eunuchs to convey all the chests into the interior of the palace. The

damsel then hastened, and ordered two eunuchs to carry away the chest in

which I was hidden, and they took it to an inner chamber, and went their

way: whereupon she quickly opened it, and made a sign to me to come out:

so I did as she desired, and entered a closet that was before me, and

she locked the door upon me, and closed the chest: and when the eunuchs

had brought in all the chests, and had gone back, she opened the door of

the closet, and said, Thou hast nothing to fear! May God refresh thine

eye! Come forth now, and go up with me, that thou mayest have the

happiness of kissing the ground before the lady Zubeydeh.

I therefore went with her, and beheld twenty other female slaves,

high-bosomed virgins, and among them was the lady Zubeydeh, who was

scarcely able to walk from the weight of the robes and ornaments with

which she was decked. As she approached, the female slaves dispersed

from around her, and I advanced to her, and kissed the ground before

her. She made a sign to me to sit down: so I seated myself before her;

and she began to ask me questions respecting my condition and lineage;

to all of which I gave such answers that she was pleased, and said, By

Allah, the care which we have bestowed on the education of this damsel

hath not been in vain. She then said to me, Know that this damsel is

esteemed by us as though she were really our child, and she is a trust

committed to thy care by God. Upon this, therefore, I again kissed the

ground before her, well pleased to marry the damsel; after which, she

commanded me to remain with them ten days. Accordingly, I continued with

them during this period; but I knew nothing meanwhile of the damsel;

certain of the maids only bringing me my dinner and supper, as my

servants. After this, however, the lady Zubeydeh asked permission of her

husband, the Prince of the Faithful, to marry her maid, and he granted

her request, and ordered that ten thousand pieces of gold should be

given to her.

[Illustration]

The lady Zubeydeh, therefore, sent for the Ḳáḍee and witnesses, and

they wrote my contract of marriage to the damsel; and the maids then

prepared sweetmeats and exquisite dishes, and distributed them in all

the apartments. Thus they continued to do for a period of ten more days;

and after the twenty days had passed, they conducted the damsel into the

bath, preparatively to my being introduced to her as her husband. They

then brought to me a repast comprising a basin of zirbájeh sweetened

with sugar, perfumed with rose-water infused with musk, and containing

different kinds of fricandoed fowls and a variety of other ingredients,

such as astonished the mind; and, by Allah, when this repast was

brought, I instantly commenced upon the zirbájeh, and ate of it as much

as satisfied me, and wiped my hand, but forgot to wash it. I remained

sitting until it became dark; when the maids lighted the candles, and

the singing-girls approached with the tambourines, and they continued to

display the bride, and to give presents of gold, until she had

perambulated the whole of the palace; after which, they brought her to

me, and disrobed her; and as soon as I was left alone with her, I threw

my arms around her neck, scarcely believing in our union: but as I did

so, she perceived the smell of the zirbájeh from my hand, and

immediately uttered a loud cry: whereupon the female slaves ran in to

her from every quarter.

I was violently agitated, not knowing what was the matter; and the

slaves who had come in said to her, What hath happened to thee, O our

sister?--Take away from me, she exclaimed to them, this madman, whom I

imagined to be a man of sense!--What indication of my insanity hath

appeared to thee? I asked. Thou madman, said she, wherefore hast thou

eaten of the zirbájeh, and not washed thy hand? By Allah, I will not

accept thee for thy want of sense, and thy disgusting conduct!--And so

saying, she took from her side a whip,[V_45] and beat me with it

upon my back until I became insensible from the number of the stripes.

She then said to the other maids, Take him to the magistrate of the city

police, that he may cut off his hand with which he ate the zirbájeh

without washing it afterwards. On hearing this, I exclaimed, There is no

strength nor power but in God! Wilt thou cut off my hand on account of

my eating a zirbájeh and neglecting to wash it?--And the maids who were

present entreated her, saying to her, O our sister, be not angry with

him for what he hath done this time. But she replied, By Allah, I must

cut off something from his extremities! And immediately she departed,

and was absent from me ten days: after which, she came again, and said

to me, O thou black-faced! Am I not worthy of thee? How didst thou dare

to eat the zirbájeh and not wash thy hand?--And she called to the maids,

who bound my hands behind me, and she took a sharp razor, and cut off

both my thumbs and both my great toes, as ye see, O companions; and I

swooned away. She then sprinkled upon my wounds some powder, by means of

which the blood was stanched; and I said, I will not eat of a zirbájeh

as long as I live unless I wash my hands forty times with kali and forty

times with cyperus and forty times with soap:--and she exacted of me an

oath that I would not eat of this dish unless I washed my hands as I

have described to you. Therefore, when this zirbájeh was brought, my

colour changed, and I said within myself, This was the cause of the

cutting off of my thumbs and great toes:--so, when ye compelled me, I

said, I must fulfil the oath which I have sworn.

I then said to him (continued the Sulṭán's steward), And what happened

to thee after that? He answered, When I had thus sworn to her, she was

appeased, and I was admitted into her favour; and we lived happily

together for a considerable time: after which she said, The people of

the Khaleefeh's palace know not that thou hast resided here with me,

and no strange man beside thee hath entered it; nor didst thou enter but

through the assistance of the lady Zubeydeh. She then gave me fifty

thousand pieces of gold, and said to me, Take these pieces of gold, and

go forth and buy for us a spacious house. So I went forth, and purchased

a handsome and spacious house, and removed thither all the riches that

she possessed, and all that she had treasured up, and her dresses and

rarities.--This was the cause of the amputation of my thumbs and great

toes.--So we ate (said the Sulṭán's steward), and departed; and after

this, the accident with the humpback happened to me: this is all my

story; and peace be on thee.

[Illustration]

The King said, This is not more pleasant than the story of the humpback:

nay, the story of the humpback is more pleasant than this; and ye must

all of you be crucified.--The Jew, however, then came forward, and,

having kissed the ground, said, O King of the age, I will relate to thee

a story more wonderful than that of the humpback:--and the King said,

Relate thy story. So he commenced thus:--

[Illustration]

THE STORY TOLD BY THE JEWISH PHYSICIAN.

The most wonderful of the events that happened to me in my younger days

was this:--I was residing in Damascus, where I learnt and practised my

art; and while I was thus occupied, one day there came to me a memlook

from the house of the governor of the city: so I went forth with him,

and accompanied him to the abode of the governor. I entered, and beheld,

at the upper end of a saloon, a couch of alabaster overlaid with plates

of gold, upon which was reclining a sick man: he was young; and a person

more comely had not been seen in his age. Seating myself at his head, I

ejaculated a prayer for his restoration;[V_46] and he made a sign

to me with his eye. I then said to him, O my master, stretch forth to me

thy hand:--whereupon he put forth to me his left hand; and I was

surprised at this, and said within myself, What self-conceit! I felt his

pulse, however, and wrote a prescription for him, and continued to visit

him for a period of ten days, until he recovered his strength; when he

entered the bath, and washed himself, and came forth: and the governor

conferred upon me a handsome dress of honour, and appointed me

superintendent of the hospital of Damascus.[V_47] But when I went

with him into the bath, which they had cleared of all other visitors for

us alone, and the servants had brought the clothes, and taken away those

which he had pulled off within, I perceived that his right hand had been

cruelly amputated; at the sight of which I wondered, and grieved for

him; and looking at his skin, I observed upon him marks of beating with

miḳra'ahs, which caused me to wonder more. The young man then turned

towards me, and said, O doctor of the age, wonder not at my case; for I

will relate to thee my story when we have gone out from the bath:--and

when we had gone forth, and arrived at the house, and had eaten some

food, and rested, he said to me, Hast thou a desire to divert thyself in

the supper-room? I answered, Yes:--and immediately he ordered the slaves

to take up thither the furniture, and to roast a lamb and bring us some

fruit. So the slaves did as he commanded them: and when they had brought

the fruit, and we had eaten, I said to him, Relate to me thy story:--and

he replied, O doctor of the age, listen to the relation of the events

which have befallen me.

Know that I am of the children of El-Móṣil. My paternal grandfather died

leaving ten male children, one of whom was my father: he was the eldest

of them; and they all grew up and married; and my father was blest with

me; but none of his nine brothers was blest with children. So I grew up

among my uncles, who delighted in me exceedingly; and when I had

attained to manhood, I was one day with my father in the chief mosque of

El-Móṣil. The day was Friday; and we performed the congregational

prayers, and all the people went out, except my father and my uncles,

who sat conversing together respecting the wonders of various countries,

and the strange sights of different cities, until they mentioned Egypt;

when one of my uncles said, The travellers assert, that there is not on

the face of the earth a more agreeable country than Egypt with its

Nile:[V_48]--and my father added, He who hath not seen Cairo hath

not seen the world: its soil is gold; its Nile is a wonder; its women

are like the black-eyed virgins of Paradise; its houses are palaces; and

its air is temperate; its odour surpassing that of aloes-wood, and

cheering the heart: and how can Cairo be otherwise when it is the

metropolis of the world?[V_49] Did ye see its gardens in the

evening (he continued), with the shade obliquely extending over them, ye

would behold a wonder, and yield with ecstasy to their attractions.[V_50]

When I heard these descriptions of Egypt, my mind became wholly engaged

by reflections upon that country; and after they had departed to their

homes, I passed the night sleepless from my excessive longing towards

it, and neither food nor drink was pleasant to me. A few days after, my

uncles prepared to journey thither, and I wept before my father that I

might go with them, so that he prepared a stock of merchandise for me,

and I departed in their company; but he said to them, Suffer him not to

enter Egypt, but leave him at Damascus, that he may there sell his

merchandise.

[Illustration]

I took leave of my father, and we set forth from El-Móṣil, and continued

our journey until we arrived at Aleppo, where we remained some days;

after which we proceeded thence until we came to Damascus; and we beheld

it to be a city with trees and rivers and fruits and birds, as though it

were a paradise, containing fruits of every kind. We took lodgings in

one of the Kháns, and my uncles remained there until they had sold and

bought; and they also sold my merchandise, gaining, for every piece of

silver, five, so that I rejoiced at my profit. My uncles then left me,

and repaired to Egypt, and I remained, and took up my abode in a

handsome Ḳá'ah, such as the tongue cannot describe; the monthly rent of

which was two pieces of gold.[V_51]

Here I indulged myself with eating and drinking, squandering away the

money that was in my possession; and as I was sitting one day at the

door of the Ḳá'ah, a damsel approached me, attired in clothing of the

richest description, such as I had never seen surpassed in costliness,

and I invited her to come in; whereupon, without hesitation, she

entered; and I was delighted at her compliance, and closed the door upon

us both. She then uncovered her face, and took off her izár, and I found

her to be so surprisingly beautiful that love for her took possession of

my heart: so I went and brought a repast consisting of the most

delicious viands and fruit and everything else that was requisite for

her entertainment, and we ate and sported together; after which, we

drank till we were intoxicated, and fell asleep, and so we remained

until the morning, when I handed her ten pieces of gold; but she swore

that she would not accept them from me, and said, Expect me again, O my

beloved, after three days: at the hour of sunset I will be with thee:

and do thou prepare for us, with these pieces of gold, a repast similar

to this which we have just enjoyed. She then gave me ten pieces of gold,

and took leave of me, and departed, taking my reason with her. And after

the three days had expired, she came again, decked with embroidered

stuffs and ornaments and other attire more magnificent than those which

she wore on the former occasion. I had prepared for her what was

required previously to her arrival; so we now ate and drank and fell

asleep as before; and in the morning she gave me again ten pieces of

gold, promising to return to me after three more days. I therefore made

ready what was requisite, and after the three days she came attired in a

dress still more magnificent than the first and second, and said to me,

O my master, am I beautiful?--Yea, verily, I answered.--Wilt thou give

me leave, she rejoined, to bring with me a damsel more beautiful than

myself, and younger than I, that she may sport with us, and we may make

merry with her? For she hath requested that she may accompany me, and

pass the night in frolicking with us.--And so saying, she gave me twenty

pieces of gold, desiring me to prepare a more plentiful repast, on

account of the lady who was to come with her; after which, she bade me

farewell, and departed.

Accordingly, on the fourth day, I procured what was requisite, as usual,

and soon after sunset she came, accompanied by a female wrapped in an

izár, and they entered, and seated themselves. I was rejoiced, and I

lighted the candles, and welcomed them with joy and exultation. They

then took off their outer garments, and when the new damsel uncovered

her face, I perceived that she was like the full moon: I had never

beheld a person more beautiful. I arose immediately, and placed before

them the food and drink, and we ate and drank, while I continued

caressing the new damsel, and filling the wine-cup for her, and drinking

with her: but the first lady was affected with a secret jealousy.--By

Allah, she said, verily this girl is beautiful! Is she not more charming

than I?--Yea, indeed, I answered.--Soon after this, I fell asleep, and

when I awoke in the morning, I found my hand defiled with blood, and,

opening my eyes, perceived that the sun had risen; so I attempted to

rouse the damsel, my new companion, whereupon her head rolled from her

body. The other damsel was gone, and I concluded, therefore, that she

had done this from her jealousy; and after reflecting a while, I arose,

and took off my clothes, and dug a hole in the Ḳá'ah, in which I

deposited the murdered damsel, afterwards covering her remains with

earth, and replacing the marble pavement as it was before. I then

dressed myself again, and, taking the remainder of my money, went forth,

and repaired to the owner of the Ḳá'ah, and paid him a year's rent,

saying to him, I am about to journey to my uncles in Egypt.

So I departed to Egypt, where I met with my uncles, and they were

rejoiced to see me. I found that they had concluded the sale of their

merchandise, and they said to me, What is the cause of thy coming? I

answered, I had a longing desire to be with you, and feared that my

money would not suffice me.--For a year I remained with them, enjoying

the pleasures of Egypt and its Nile; and I dipped my hand into the

residue of my money, and expended it prodigally in eating and drinking

until near the time of my uncles' departure, when I fled from them: so

they said, Probably, he hath gone before us, and returned to

Damascus:--and they departed. I then came forth from my concealment, and

remained in Cairo three years, squandering away my money until scarcely

any of it remained: but meanwhile I sent every year the rent of the

Ḳá'ah at Damascus to its owner: and after the three years my heart

became contracted, for nothing remained in my possession but the rent

for the year.

I therefore journeyed back to Damascus, and alighted at the Ḳá'ah. The

owner was rejoiced to see me, and I entered it, and cleansed it of the

blood of the murdered damsel, and, removing a cushion, I found, beneath

this, the necklace that she had worn that night. I took it up and

examined it, and wept a while. After this I remained in the house two

days, and on the third day I entered the bath, and changed my clothes. I

now had no money left; and I went one day to the market, where (the

Devil suggesting it to me, in order to accomplish the purpose of

destiny) I handed the necklace of jewels to a broker; and he rose to me,

and seated me by his side: then having waited until the market was

replenished, he took it, and announced it for sale secretly, without my

knowledge. The price bidden for it amounted to two thousand pieces of

gold; but he came to me and said, This necklace is of brass, of the

counterfeit manufacture of the Franks, and its price hath amounted to a

thousand pieces of silver. I answered him, Yes; we had made it for a

woman, merely to laugh at her, and my wife has inherited it, and we

desire to sell it: go, therefore, and receive the thousand pieces of

silver. Now when the broker heard this, he perceived that the affair was

suspicious, and went and gave the necklace to the chief of the market,

who took it to the Wálee, and said to him, This necklace was stolen from

me, and we have found the thief, clad in the dress of the sons of the

merchants. And before I knew what had happened, the officers had

surrounded me, and they took me to the Wálee, who questioned me

respecting the necklace. I told him, therefore, the same story that I

had told to the broker; but he laughed, and said, This is not the

truth:--and instantly his people stripped me of my outer clothing, and

beat me with miḳra'ahs all over my body, until, through the torture that

I suffered from the blows, I said, I stole it;--reflecting that it was

better I should say I stole it, than confess that its owner was murdered

in my abode; for then they would kill me to avenge her: and as soon as I

had said so, they cut off my hand, and scalded the stump with boiling

oil,[V_52] and I swooned away. They then gave me to drink some

wine, by swallowing which I recovered my senses; and I took my amputated

hand, and returned to the Ḳá'ah; but its owner said to me, Since this

hath happened to thee, leave the Ḳá'ah, and look for another abode; for

thou art accused of an unlawful act.--O my master, I replied, give me

two or three days' delay that I may seek for a lodging:--and he assented

to this, and departed and left me. So I remained alone, and sat weeping,

and saying, How can I return to my family with my hand cut off? He who

cut it off knoweth not that I am innocent: perhaps, then, God will bring

about some event for my relief.

[Illustration]

I sat weeping violently; and when the owner of the Ḳá'ah had departed

from me, excessive grief overcame me, and I was sick for two days; and

on the third day, suddenly the owner of the Ḳá'ah came to me, with some

officers of the police, and the chief of the market, and accused me

again of stealing the necklace. So I went out to them, and said, What is

the news?--whereupon, without granting me a moment's delay, they bound

my arms behind me, and put a chain around my neck, saying to me, The

necklace which was in thy possession hath proved to be the property of

the governor of Damascus, its Wezeer and its Ruler: it hath been lost

from the governor's house for a period of three years, and with it was

his daughter.--When I heard these words from them, my limbs trembled,

and I said within myself, They will kill me! My death is inevitable! By

Allah, I must relate my story to the governor; and if he please he will

kill me, or if he please he will pardon me.--And when we arrived at the

governor's abode, and they had placed me before him, and he beheld me,

he said, Is this he who stole the necklace and went out to sell it?

Verily ye have cut off his hand wrongfully.--He then ordered that the

chief of the market should be imprisoned, and said to him, Give to this

person the compensatory fine for his hand,[V_53] or I will hang

thee and seize all thy property. And he called out to his attendants,

who took him and dragged him away.

I was now left with the governor alone, after they had, by his

permission, loosed the chain from my neck, and untied the cords which

bound my arms; and the governor, looking towards me, said to me, O my

son, tell me thy story, and speak truth. How did this necklace come into

thy possession?--So I replied, O my lord, I will tell thee the

truth:--and I related to him all that had happened to me with the first

damsel, and how she had brought to me the second, and murdered her from

jealousy; on hearing which, he shook his head, and covered his face with

his handkerchief, and wept. Then looking towards me, he said, Know, O my

son, that the elder damsel was my daughter: I kept her closely; and when

she had attained a fit age for marriage, I sent her to the son of her

uncle in Cairo; but he died, and she returned to me, having learnt

habits of profligacy from the inhabitants of that city:[V_54] so

she visited thee four times; and on the fourth occasion, she brought to

thee her younger sister. They were sisters by the same mother, and much

attached to each other; and when the event which thou hast related

occurred to the elder, she imparted her secret to her sister, who asked

my permission to go out with her; after which the elder returned alone;

and when I questioned her respecting her sister, I found her weeping

for her, and she answered, I know no tidings of her:--but she afterwards

informed her mother, secretly, of the murder which she had committed;

and her mother privately related the affair to me; and she continued to

weep for her incessantly, saying, By Allah, I will not cease to weep for

her until I die. Thy account, O my son, is true; for I knew the affair

before thou toldest it me. See then, O my son, what hath happened: and

now I request of thee that thou wilt not oppose me in that which I am

about to say; and it is this:--I desire to marry thee to my youngest

daughter; for she is not of the same mother as they were:[V_55] she

is a virgin, and I will receive from thee no dowry, but will assign to

you both an allowance; and thou shalt be to me as an own son.--I

replied, Let it be as thou desirest, O my master. How could I expect to

attain unto such happiness?--The governor then sent immediately a

courier to bring the property which my father had left me (for he had

died since my departure from him), and now I am living in the utmost

affluence.

I wondered, said the Jew, at his history; and after I had remained with

him three days, he gave me a large sum of money; and I left him, to set

forth on a journey; and, arriving in this your country, my residence

here pleased me, and I experienced this which hath happened to me with

the humpback.

The King, when he had heard this story, said, This is not more wonderful

than the story of the humpback, and ye must all of you be hanged, and

especially the tailor, who is the source of all the mischief. But he

afterwards added, O tailor, if thou tell me a story more wonderful than

that of the humpback, I will forgive you your offences. So the tailor

advanced, and said,--

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

THE STORY TOLD BY THE TAILOR.

Know, O King of the age, that what hath happened to me is more wonderful

than the events which have happened to all the others. Before I met the

humpback, I was, early in the morning, at an entertainment given to

certain tradesmen of my acquaintance, consisting of tailors and

linen-drapers and carpenters and others; and when the sun had risen, the

repast was brought for us to eat; and lo, the master of the house came

in to us, accompanied by a strange and handsome young man, of the

inhabitants of Baghdád. He was attired in clothes of the handsomest

description, and was a most comely person, except that he was lame; and

as soon as he had entered and saluted us, we rose to him; but when he

was about to seat himself, he observed among us a man who was a barber,

whereupon he refused to sit down, and desired to depart from us. We and

the master of the house, however, prevented him, and urged him to seat

himself; and the host conjured him, saying, What is the reason of thy

entering, and then immediately departing?--By Allah, O my master,

replied he, offer me no opposition; for the cause of my departure is

this barber, who is sitting with you. And when the host heard this, he

was exceedingly surprised, and said, How is it that the heart of this

young man, who is from Baghdád, is troubled by the presence of this

barber? We then looked towards him, and said, Relate to us the cause of

thy displeasure against this barber; and the young man replied, O

company, a surprising adventure happened to me with this barber in

Baghdád, my city; and he was the cause of my lameness, and of the

breaking of my leg; and I have sworn that I will not sit in any place

where he is present, nor dwell in any town where he resides: I quitted

Baghdád and took up my abode in this city, and I will not pass the next

night without departing from it.--Upon this, we said to him, We conjure

thee, by Allah, to relate to us thy adventure with him.--And the

countenance of the barber turned pale when he heard us make this

request. The young man then said,--

Know, O good people, that my father was one of the chief merchants of

Baghdád; and God (whose name be exalted!) blessed him with no son but

myself; and when I grew up, and had attained to manhood, my father was

admitted to the mercy of God, leaving me wealth and servants and other

dependants; whereupon I began to attire myself in clothes of the

handsomest description, and to feed upon the most delicious meats. Now

God (whose perfection be extolled!) made me to be a hater of women; and

so I continued, until, one day, I was walking through the streets of

Baghdád, when a party of them stopped my way: I therefore fled from

them, and, entering a by-street which was not a thoroughfare, I reclined

upon a maṣṭabah at its further extremity. Here I had been seated but a

short time when, lo, a window opposite the place where I sat was opened,

and there looked out from it a damsel like the full moon, such as I had

never in my life beheld. She had some flowers, which she was watering,

beneath the window; and she looked to the right and left, and then shut

the window, and disappeared from before me. Fire had been shot into my

heart, and my mind was absorbed by her; my hatred of women was turned

into love, and I continued sitting in the same place until sunset, in a

state of distraction from the violence of my passion, when, lo, the

Ḳáḍee of the city came riding along, with slaves before him and servants

behind him, and alighted, and entered the house from which the damsel

had looked out: so I knew that he must be her father.

I then returned to my house, sorrowful; and fell upon my bed, full of

anxious thoughts; and my female slaves came in to me, and seated

themselves around me, not knowing what was the matter with me; and I

acquainted them not with my case, nor returned any answers to their

questions; and my disorder increased. The neighbours, therefore, came

to cheer me with their visits; and among those who visited me was an old

woman, who, as soon as she saw me, discovered my state; whereupon she

seated herself at my head, and, addressing me in a kind manner, said, O

my son, tell me what hath happened to thee? So I related to her my

story, and she said, O my son, this is the daughter of the Ḳáḍee of

Baghdád, and she is kept in close confinement: the place where thou

sawest her is her apartment, and her father occupies a large saloon

below, leaving her alone; and often do I visit her: thou canst obtain an

interview with her only through me: so brace up thy nerves. When I

heard, therefore, what she said, I took courage, and fortified my heart;

and my family rejoiced that day. I rose up firm in limb, and hoping for

complete restoration; and the old woman departed; but she returned with

her countenance changed, and said, O my son, ask not what she did when I

told her of thy case; for she said, If thou abstain not, O ill-omened

old woman, from this discourse, I will treat thee as thou

deservest:--but I must go to her a second time.

[Illustration]

On hearing this, my disorder increased: after some days, however, the

old woman came again, and said, O my son, I desire of thee a reward for

good tidings. My soul returned to my body at these words, and I replied,

Thou shalt receive from me everything that thou canst wish. She then

said, I went yesterday to the damsel, and when she beheld me with broken

heart and weeping eye, she said to me, O my aunt, wherefore do I see

thee with contracted heart?--and when she had thus said, I wept, and

answered, O my daughter and mistress, I came to thee yesterday from

visiting a youth who loveth thee, and he is at the point of death on thy

account:--and, her heart being moved with compassion, she asked, Who is

this youth of whom thou speakest? I answered, He is my son, and the

child that is dear to my soul: he saw thee at the window some days ago,

while thou wast watering thy flowers; and when he beheld thy face, he

became distracted with love for thee: I informed him of the conversation

that I had with thee the first time; upon which his disorder increased,

and he took to his pillow: he is now dying, and there is no doubt of his

fate.--And upon this, her countenance became pale, and she said, Is this

all on my account?--Yea, by Allah, I answered; and what dost thou order

me to do?--Go to him, said she; convey to him my salutation, and tell

him that my love is greater than his; and on Friday next, before the

congregational prayers, let him come hither: I will give orders to open

the door to him, and to bring him up to me, and I will have a short

interview with him, and he shall return before my father comes back from

the prayers.

When I heard these words of the old woman, the anguish which I had

suffered ceased; my heart was set at rest, and I gave her the suit of

clothes which I was then wearing, and she departed, saying to me, Cheer

up thy heart. I replied, I have no longer any pain. The people of my

house, and my friends, communicated, one to another, the good news of my

restoration to health, and I remained thus until the Friday, when the

old woman came in to me, and asked me respecting my state: so I informed

her that I was happy and well. I then dressed and perfumed myself, and

sat waiting for the people to go to prayers, that I might repair to the

damsel; but the old woman said to me, Thou hast yet more than ample

time, and if thou go to the bath and shave, especially for the sake of

obliterating the traces of thy disorder, it will be more becoming.--It

is a judicious piece of advice, replied I; but I will shave my head

first, and then go into the bath.

[Illustration]

So I sent for a barber to shave my head, saying to the boy, Go to the

market, and bring me a barber, one who is a man of sense, little

inclined to impertinence, that he may not make my head ache by his

chattering. And the boy went, and brought this sheykh, who, on entering,

saluted me; and when I had returned his salutation, he said to me, May

God dispel thy grief and thine anxiety, and misfortunes and sorrows! I

responded, May God accept thy prayer! He then said, Be cheerful, O my

master, for health hath returned to thee. Dost thou desire to be shaved

or to be bled?--for it hath been handed down, on the authority of

Ibn-'Abbás,[V_56] that the Prophet said, Whoso shorteneth his hair

on Friday, God will avert from him seventy diseases;--and it hath been

handed down also, on the same authority, that the Prophet said, Whoso is

cupped on Friday will not be secure from the loss of sight and from

frequent disease.--Abstain, said I, from this useless discourse, and

come immediately, shave my head, for I am weak. And he arose, and,

stretching forth his hand, took out a handkerchief, and opened it; and

lo, there was in it an astrolabe, consisting of seven plates;[V_57]

and he took it, and went into the middle of the court, where he raised

his head towards the sun, and looked for a considerable time; after

which he said to me, Know that there have passed, of this our day, which

is Friday, and which is the tenth of Ṣafar,[V_58] of the year

263[V_59] of the Flight of the Prophet,--upon whom be the most

excellent of blessings and peace!--and the ascendant star of which,

according to the required rules of the science of computation, is the

planet Mars,--seven degrees[V_60] and six minutes; and it happeneth

that Mercury hath come in conjunction with that planet; and this

indicateth that the shaving of hair is now a most excellent operation:

and it hath indicated to me, also, that thou desirest to confer a

benefit upon a person: and fortunate is he!--but after that, there is an

announcement that presenteth itself to me respecting a matter which I

will not mention to thee.

By Allah, I exclaimed, thou hast wearied me, and dissipated my mind, and

augured against me, when I required thee only to shave my head: arise,

then, and shave it; and prolong not thy discourse to me. But he replied,

By Allah, if thou knewest the truth of the case, thou wouldst demand of

me a further explication; and I counsel thee to do this day as I direct

thee, according to the calculations deduced from the stars: it is thy

duty to praise God, and not to oppose me; for I am one who giveth thee

good advice, and who regardeth thee with compassion: I would that I were

in thy service for a whole year, that thou mightest do me justice; and I

desire not any pay from thee for so doing.--When I heard this, I said to

him, Verily thou art killing me this day, and there is no escape for

me.--O my master, he replied, I am he whom the people call

Eṣ-Ṣámit,[V_61] on account of the paucity of my speech, by which I

am distinguished above my brothers; for my eldest brother is named

El-Baḳbooḳ;[V_62] and the second, El-Heddár; and the third, Baḳbaḳ;

and the fourth is named El-Kooz el-Aṣwánee; and the fifth, El-Feshshár;

and the sixth is named Shaḳáliḳ; and the seventh brother is named

Eṣ-Ṣámit; and he is myself.

Now when this barber thus overwhelmed me with his talk, I felt as if my

gall-bladder had burst, and said to the boy, Give him a quarter of a

piece of gold, and let him depart from me for the sake of Allah: for I

have no need to shave my head. But the barber on hearing what I said to

the boy, exclaimed, What is this that thou hast said, O my lord? By

Allah, I will accept from thee no pay unless I serve thee; and serve

thee I must; for to do so is incumbent on me, and to perform what thou

requirest; and I care not if I receive from thee no money. If thou

knowest not my worth, I know thine; and thy father--may Allah have mercy

upon him!--treated us with beneficence; for he was a man of generosity.

By Allah, thy father sent for me one day, like this blessed day, and

when I went to him, he had a number of his friends with him, and he said

to me, Take some blood from me. So I took the astrolabe, and observed

the altitude for him, and found the ascendant of the hour to be of evil

omen, and that the letting of blood would be attended with trouble: I

therefore acquainted him with this, and he conformed to my wish, and

waited until the arrival of the approved hour, when I took the blood

from him. He did not oppose me; but, on the contrary, thanked me; and in

like manner all the company present thanked me; and thy father gave me

a hundred pieces of gold for services similar to the letting of

blood.--May God, said I, shew no mercy to my father for knowing such a

man as thou!--and the barber laughed, and exclaimed, There is no deity

but God! Moḥammad is God's Apostle! Extolled be the perfection of Him

who changeth others, but is not changed! I did not imagine thee to be

otherwise than a man of sense; but thou hast talked nonsense in

consequence of thine illness. God hath mentioned, in his Excellent Book,

those who restrain their anger, and who forgive men:[V_63]--but

thou art excused in every case. I am unacquainted, however, with the

cause of thy haste; and thou knowest that thy father used to do nothing

without consulting me; and it hath been said, that the person to whom

one applies for advice should be trusted: now thou wilt find no one

better acquainted with the affairs of the world than myself, and I am

standing on my feet to serve thee. I am not displeased with thee, and

how then art thou displeased with me? But I will have patience with thee

on account of the favours which I have received from thy father.--By

Allah, said I, thou hast wearied me with thy discourse, and overcome me

with thy speech! I desire that thou shave my head and depart from me.

I gave vent to my rage; and would have risen, even if he had wetted my

head, when he said, I knew that displeasure with me had overcome thee;

but I will not be angry with thee, for thy sense is weak, and thou art a

youth: a short time ago I used to carry thee on my shoulder,[V_64]

and take thee to the school.--Upon this, I said to him, O my brother, I

conjure thee by Allah, depart from me that I may perform my business,

and go thou thy way. Then I rent my clothes; and when he saw me do this,

he took the razor, and sharpened it, and continued to do so until my

soul almost parted from my body; then advancing to my head, he shaved a

small portion of it; after which he raised his hand, and said, O my

lord, haste is from the Devil;--and he repeated this couplet:--

Deliberate, and haste not to accomplish thy desire; and be merciful,

so shalt thou meet with one merciful:

For there is no hand but God's hand is above it;[V_65] nor

oppressor that shall not meet with an oppressor.

O my lord (he then continued), I do not imagine that thou knowest my

condition in society; for my hand lighteth upon the heads of kings and

emeers and wezeers and sages and learned men; and of such a one as

myself hath the poet said,--

The trades altogether are like a necklace, and this barber is

the chief pearl of the strings.

He excelleth all that are endowed with skill, and under his hands

are the heads of Kings.

--Leave, said I, that which doth not concern thee! Thou hast contracted

my heart, and troubled my mind.--I fancy that thou art in haste, he

rejoined. I replied, Yes! Yes! Yes!--Proceed slowly, said he; for verily

haste is from the Devil, and it giveth occasion to repentance and

disappointment; and he upon whom be blessing and peace[V_65] hath

said, The best of affairs is that which is commenced with

deliberation:--and, by Allah, I am in doubt as to thine affair: I wish,

therefore, that thou wouldst make known to me what thou art hasting to

do; and may it be good; for I fear it is otherwise.

There now remained, to the appointed time, three hours; and he threw the

razor from his hand in anger, and, taking the astrolabe, went again to

observe the sun; then after he had waited a long time, he returned,

saying, There remain, to the hour of prayer, three hours, neither more

nor less. For the sake of Allah, said I, be silent; for thou hast

crumbled my liver!--and thereupon, he took the razor, and sharpened it

as he had done the first time, and shaved another portion of my head.

Then stopping again, he said, I am in anxiety on account of thy hurry:

if thou wouldst acquaint me with the cause of it, it would be better for

thee; for thou knowest that thy father used to do nothing without

consulting me.

I perceived now that I could not avoid his importunity, and said within

myself, The time of prayer is almost come, and I desire to go before the

people come out from the service: if I delay a little longer, I know not

how to gain admission to her. I therefore said to him, Be quick, and

cease from this chattering and impertinence; for I desire to repair to

an entertainment with my friends. But when he heard the mention of the

entertainment, he exclaimed, The day is a blessed day for me! I

yesterday conjured a party of my intimate friends to come and feast with

me, and forgot to prepare for them anything to eat; and now I have

remembered it. Alas for the disgrace that I shall experience from

them!--So I said to him, Be in no anxiety on this account, since thou

hast been told that I am going to-day to an entertainment; for all the

food and drink that is in my house shall be thine if thou use expedition

in my affair, and quickly finish shaving my head.--May God recompense

thee with every blessing! he replied: describe to me what thou hast for

my guests, that I may know it. I have, said I, five dishes of meat, and

ten fowls fricandoed, and a roasted lamb.--Cause them to be brought

before me, he said, that I may see them. So I had them brought to him,

and he exclaimed, Divinely art thou gifted! How generous is thy soul!

But the incense and perfumes are wanting.--I brought him, therefore, a

box containing nedd[V_67] and aloes-wood and ambergris and musk,

worth fifty pieces of gold.--The time had now become contracted, like my

own heart; so I said to him, Receive this, and shave the whole of my

head, by the existence of Moḥammad, God bless and save him! But he

replied, By Allah, I will not take it until I see all that it

contains.--I therefore ordered the boy, and he opened the box to him;

whereupon the barber threw down the astrolabe from his hand, and,

seating himself upon the ground, turned over the perfumes and incense

and aloes-wood in the box until my soul almost quitted my body.

[Illustration]

He then advanced, and took the razor, and shaved another small portion

of my head; after which he said, By Allah, O my son, I know not whether

I should thank thee or thank thy father; for my entertainment to-day is

entirely derived from thy bounty and kindness, and I have no one among

my visiters deserving of it; for my guests are, Zeytoon the bath-keeper,

and Ṣaleeạ the wheat-seller, and 'Owkal the bean-seller, and 'Akresheh

the grocer, and Ḥomeyd the dustman, and 'Akárish the milk-seller, and

each of these hath a peculiar dance which he performeth, and peculiar

verses which he reciteth; and the best of their qualities is, that they

are like thy servant, the memlook who is before thee; and I, thy slave,

know neither loquacity nor impertinence. As to the bath-keeper, he

saith, If I go not to the feast, it cometh to my house!--and as to the

dustman, he is witty, and full of frolick: often doth he dance, and say,

News, with my wife, is not kept in a chest!--and each of my friends hath

jests that another hath not: but the description is not like the actual

observation. If thou choose, therefore, to come to us, it will be more

pleasant both to thee and to us: relinquish, then, thy visit to thy

friends of whom thou hast told us that thou desirest to go to them; for

the traces of disease are yet upon thee, and probably thou art going to

a people of many words, who will talk of that which concerneth them not;

or probably there will be among them one impertinent person; and thy

soul is already disquieted by disease.--I replied, If it be the will of

God, that shall be on some other day:--but he said, It will be more

proper that thou first join my party of friends, that thou mayest enjoy

their conviviality, and delight thyself with their salt. Act in

accordance with the saying of the poet:--

Defer not a pleasure when it can be had; for fortune often destroyeth

our plans.

Upon this I laughed from a heart laden with anger, and said to him, Do

what I require, that I may go in the care of God, whose name be exalted!

and do thou go to thy friends, for they are waiting thine arrival. He

replied, I desire nothing but to introduce thee into the society of

these people; for verily they are of the sons of that class among which

is no impertinent person; and if thou didst but behold them once, thou

wouldst leave all thine own companions.--May God, said I, give thee

abundant joy with them, and I must bring them together here some

day.--If that be thy wish, he rejoined, and thou wilt first attend the

entertainment of thy friends this day, wait until I take this present

with which thou hast honoured me, and place it before my friends, that

they may eat and drink without waiting for me, and then I will return to

thee, and go with thee to thy companions; for there is no false delicacy

between me and my companions that should prevent my leaving them: so I

will return to thee quickly, and repair with thee whithersoever thou

goest.--Upon this I exclaimed, There is no strength nor power but in

God, the High, the Great! Go thou to thy companions, and delight thy

heart with them, and leave me to repair to mine, and to remain with them

this day, for they are waiting my arrival.--But he said, I will not

leave thee to go alone.--The place to which I am going, said I, none can

enter except myself.--I suppose then, he rejoined, that thou hast an

appointment to-day with some female: otherwise, thou wouldst take me

with thee; for I am more deserving than all other men, and will assist

thee to attain what thou desirest. I fear that thou art going to visit

some strange woman, and that thy life will be lost; for in this city of

Baghdád no one can do anything of this kind, especially on such a day

as this; seeing that the Wálee of Baghdád is a terrible, sharp

sword.--Wo to thee, O wicked old man! I exclaimed, what are these words

with which thou addressest me?--And upon this, he kept a long silence.

The time of prayer had now arrived, and the time of the

Khuṭbeh[V_68] was near, when he had finished shaving my head: so I

said to him, Go with this food and drink to thy friends, and I will wait

for thee until thou return, and thou shalt accompany me:--and I

continued my endeavours to deceive him, that he might go away; but he

said to me, Verily thou art deceiving me, and wilt go alone, and

precipitate thyself into a calamity from which there will be no escape

for thee: by Allah! by Allah! then, quit not this spot until I return to

thee and accompany thee, that I may know what will be the result of

thine affair.--I replied, Well: prolong not thine absence from me. And

he took the food and drink and other things which I had given him, but

intrusted them to a porter to convey them to his abode, and concealed

himself in one of the by-streets. I then immediately arose. The muëddins

on the menárehs had chanted the Selám of Friday;[V_69] and I put on

my clothes, and went forth alone, and, arriving at the by-street,

stopped at the door of the house where I had seen the damsel: and lo,

the barber was behind me, and I knew it not. I found the door open, and

entered; and immediately the master of the house returned from the

prayers, and entered the saloon, and closed the door; and I said within

myself, How did this devil discover me?

Now it happened, just at this time, for the fulfilment of God's purpose

to rend the veil of protection before me, that a female slave belonging

to the master of the house committed some offence, in consequence of

which he beat her, and she cried out; whereupon a male slave came in to

him to liberate her; but he beat him also, and he likewise cried out;

and the barber concluded that he was beating me; so he cried, and rent

his clothes, and sprinkled dust upon his head, shrieking, and calling

for assistance. He was surrounded by people, and said to them, My master

hath been killed in the house of the Ḳáḍee! Then running to my house,

crying out all the while, and with a crowd behind him, he gave the news

to my family; and I knew not what he had done when they approached,

crying, Alas for our master!--the barber all the while being before

them, with his clothes rent, and a number of the people of the city with

them. They continued shrieking, the barber shrieking at their head, and

all of them exclaiming, Alas for our slain!--Thus they advanced to the

house in which I was confined; and when the Ḳáḍee heard of this

occurrence, the event troubled him, and he arose, and opened the door,

and seeing a great crowd, he was confounded, and said, O people, what is

the news? The servants replied, Thou hast killed our master.--O people,

rejoined he, what hath your master done unto me that I should kill him;

and wherefore do I see this barber before you?--Thou hast just now

beaten him with miḳra'ahs, said the barber; and I heard his cries.--What

hath he done that I should kill him? repeated the Ḳáḍee. And whence, he

added, came he; and whither would he go?--Be not an old man of

malevolence, exclaimed the barber; for I know the story, and the reason

of his entering thy house, and the truth of the whole affair: thy

daughter is in love with him, and he is in love with her; and thou hast

discovered that he had entered thy house, and hast ordered thy young

men, and they have beaten him. By Allah, none shall decide between us

and thee except the Khaleefeh; or thou shalt bring forth to us our

master that his family may take him; and oblige me not to enter and take

him forth from you: haste then thyself to produce him.

[Illustration]

Upon this, the Ḳáḍee was withheld from speaking, and became utterly

abashed before the people: but presently he said to the barber, If thou

speak truth, enter thyself, and bring him forth. So the barber advanced,

and entered the house; and when I saw him do so, I sought for a way to

escape; but I found no place of refuge except a large chest which I

observed in the same apartment in which I then was: I therefore entered

this, and shut down the lid, and held in my breath. Immediately after,

the barber ran into the saloon, and, without looking in any other

direction than that in which I had concealed myself, came thither: then

turning his eyes to the right and left, and seeing nothing but the

chest, he raised it upon his head; whereupon my reason forsook me. He

quickly descended with it; and I, being now certain that he would not

quit me, opened the chest, and threw myself upon the ground. My leg was

broken by the fall; and when I came to the door of the house, I found a

multitude of people: I had never seen such a crowd as was there

collected on that day; so I began to scatter gold among them, to divert

them; and while they were busied in picking it up, I hastened through

the by-streets of Baghdád, followed by this barber; and wherever I

entered, he entered after me, crying, They would have plunged me into

affliction on account of my master! Praise be to God who aided me

against them, and delivered my master from their hands! Thou

continuedst, O my master, to be excited by haste for the accomplishment

of thine evil design until thou broughtest upon thyself this event; and

if God had not blessed thee with me, thou hadst not escaped from this

calamity into which thou hast fallen; and they might have involved thee

in a calamity from which thou wouldst never have escaped. Beg,

therefore, of God, that I may live for thy sake, to liberate thee in

future. By Allah, thou hast almost destroyed me by thine evil design,

desiring to go alone: but we will not be angry with thee for thine

ignorance, for thou art endowed with little sense, and of a hasty

disposition.--Art thou not satisfied, replied I, with that which thou

hast done, but wilt thou run after me through the market-streets?--And I

desired for death to liberate me from him; but found it not; and in the

excess of my rage I ran from him, and, entering a shop in the midst of

the market, implored the protection of its owner; and he drove away the

barber from me.

I then seated myself in a magazine belonging to him, and said within

myself, I cannot now rid myself of this barber; but he will be with me

night and day, and I cannot endure the sight of his face. So I

immediately summoned witnesses, and wrote a document, dividing my

property among my family, and appointing a guardian over them, and I

ordered him to sell the house and all the immoveable possessions,

charging him with the care of the old and young, and set forth at once

on a journey in order to escape from this wretch. I then arrived in your

country, where I took up my abode, and have remained a considerable

time; and when ye invited me, and I came unto you, I saw this vile

wretch among you, seated at the upper end of the room. How, then, can my

heart be at ease, or my sitting in your company be pleasant to me, with

this fellow, who hath brought these events upon me, and been the cause

of the breaking of my leg?

The young man still persevered in his refusal to remain with us; and

when we had heard his story, we said to the barber, Is this true which

the young man hath said of thee?--By Allah, he answered, it was through

my intelligence that I acted thus towards him; and had I not done so, he

had perished: myself only was the cause of his escape; and it was

through the goodness of God, by my means, that he was afflicted by the

breaking of his leg instead of being punished by the loss of his life.

Were I a person of many words, I had not done him this kindness; and now

I will relate to you an event that happened to me, that ye may believe

me to be a man of few words, and less of an impertinent than my

brothers; and it was this:--

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

THE BARBER'S STORY OF HIMSELF

I was living in Baghdád, in the reign of the Prince of the Faithful

El-Muntaṣir bi-lláh,[V_70] who loved the poor and indigent, and

associated with the learned and virtuous; and it happened, one day, that

he was incensed against ten persons, in consequence of which, he ordered

the chief magistrate of Baghdád to bring them to him in a boat. I saw

them, and I said within myself, These persons have assembled for nothing

but an entertainment, and, I suppose, will pass their day in this boat

eating and drinking; and none shall be their companion but

myself:[V_71]--so I embarked, and mixed myself among them; and when

they had landed on the opposite bank, the guards of the Wálee came with

chains, and put them upon their necks, and put a chain upon my neck

also.--Now this, O people, is it not a proof of my generosity, and of my

paucity of speech? For I determined not to speak.--They took us,

therefore, all together, in chains, and placed us before El-Muntaṣir

bi-lláh, the Prince of the Faithful; whereupon he gave orders to strike

off the heads of the ten; and the executioner struck off the heads of

the ten, and I remained. The Khaleefeh then turning his eyes, and

beholding me, said to the executioner, Wherefore dost thou not strike

off the heads of all the ten? He answered, I have beheaded every one of

the ten.--I do not think, rejoined the Khaleefeh, that thou hast

beheaded more than nine; and this who is before me is the tenth. But the

executioner replied, By thy beneficence, they are ten.--Count them, said

the Khaleefeh. And they counted them; and lo, they were ten. The

Khaleefeh then looked towards me, and said, What hath induced thee to

be silent on this occasion; and how hast thou become included among the

men of blood?--And when I heard the address of the Prince of the

Faithful, I said to him, Know, O Prince of the Faithful, that I am the

sheykh Eṣ-Ṣámit (the silent): I possess, of science, a large stock; and

as to the gravity of my understanding, and the quickness of my

apprehension, and the paucity of my speech, they are unbounded: my trade

is that of a barber; and yesterday, early in the morning, I saw these

ten men proceeding to the boat; whereupon I mixed myself with them, and

embarked with them, thinking that they had met together for an

entertainment; but soon it appeared that they were criminals; and the

guards came to them, and put chains upon their necks, and upon my neck

also they put a chain; and from the excess of my generosity I was

silent, and spoke not: my speech was not heard on that occasion, on

account of the excess of my generosity; and they proceeded with us until

they stationed us before thee, and thou gavest the order to strike off

the heads of the ten, and I remained before the executioner, and

acquainted you not with my case. Was not this great generosity which

compelled me to accompany them to slaughter? But throughout my life I

have acted in this excellent manner.

When the Khaleefeh heard my words, and knew that I was of a very

generous character, and of few words, and not inclined to impertinence

as this young man, whom I delivered from horrors, asserteth, he said,

Hast thou brothers? I answered, Yes: six.--And are thy six brothers,

said he, like thyself, distinguished by science and knowledge, and

paucity of speech? I answered, They lived not so as to be like me: thou

hast disparaged me by thy supposition, O Prince of the Faithful, and it

is not proper that thou shouldst compare my brothers to me; for through

the abundance of their speech, and the smallness of their generous

qualities, each of them experienced a defect: the first was lame; the

second, deprived of many of his teeth; the third, blind; the fourth,

one-eyed; the fifth, cropped of his ears; and the sixth had both his

lips cut off:[V_72] and think not, O Prince of the Faithful, that I

am a man of many words: nay, I must prove to thee that I am of a more

generous character than they; and each of them met with a particular

adventure, in consequence of which he experienced a defect: if thou

please, I will relate their stories to thee.

[Illustration]

THE BARBER'S STORY OF HIS FIRST BROTHER.

Know, O Prince of the Faithful, that the first (who was named

El-Baḳbooḳ) was the lame one. He practised the art of a tailor in

Baghdád, and used to sew in a shop which he hired of a man possessing

great wealth, who lived over the shop, and who had, in the lower part of

his house, a mill. And as my lame brother was sitting in his shop one

day, sewing, he raised his head, and saw a woman like the rising full

moon, at a projecting window of the house, looking at the people passing

by; and as soon as he beheld her, his heart was entangled by her love.

He passed that day gazing at her, and neglecting his occupation, until

the evening; and on the following morning he opened his shop, and sat

down to sew; but every time that he sewed a stitch, he looked towards

the window; and in this state he continued, sewing nothing sufficient to

earn a piece of silver.[V_73]

On the third day he seated himself again in his place, looking towards

the woman; and she saw him, and, perceiving that he had become enslaved

by her love, laughed in his face, and he, in like manner, laughed in her

face. She then disappeared from before him, and sent to him her

slave-girl, with a wrapper containing a piece of red flowered silk; and

the girl, coming to him, said to him, My mistress saluteth thee, and

desireth thee to cut out for her, with the hand of skill, a shirt of

this piece, and to sew it beautifully. So he answered, I hear and

obey:--and he cut out for her the shirt, and finished the sewing of it

on that day; and on the following day the slave-girl came to him again;

and said to him, My mistress saluteth thee, and saith to thee, How didst

thou pass last night?--for she tasted not sleep, from her passion for

thee.--She then placed before him a piece of yellow satin, and said to

him, My mistress desireth thee to cut out for her, of this piece, two

pairs of trousers, and to make them this day. He replied, I hear and

obey. Salute her with abundant salutations, and say to her, Thy slave is

submissive to thine order, and command him to do whatsoever thou

wilt.--He then busied himself with the cutting out, and used all

diligence in sewing the two pairs of trousers; and presently the woman

looked out at him from the window, and saluted him by a sign, now

casting down her eyes, and now smiling in his face, so that he imagined

he should soon obtain possession of her. After this, she disappeared

from before him, and the slave-girl came to him; so he delivered to her

the two pairs of trousers, and she took them and departed: and when the

night came, he threw himself upon his bed, and remained turning himself

over in restlessness until the morning.

On the following day, the master of the house came to my brother,

bringing some linen, and said to him, Cut out and make this into shirts

for me. He replied, I hear and obey:--and ceased not from his work until

he had cut out twenty shirts by the time of nightfall, without having

tasted food. The man then said to him, How much is thy hire for

this?--but my brother answered not; and the damsel made a sign to him

that he should receive nothing, though he was absolutely in want of a

single copper coin. For three days he continued scarcely eating or

drinking anything, in his diligence to accomplish his work, and when he

had finished it, he went to deliver the shirts.

Now the young woman had acquainted her husband with the state of my

brother's mind, but my brother knew not this; and she planned with her

husband to employ him in sewing without remuneration, and moreover to

amuse themselves by laughing at him: so, when he had finished all the

work that they gave him, they contrived a plot against him, and married

him to their slave-girl; and on the night when he desired to introduce

himself to her, they said to him, Pass this night in the mill, and

to-morrow thou shalt enjoy happiness. My brother, therefore, thinking

that their intention was good, passed the night in the mill alone.

Meanwhile, the husband of the young woman went to the miller, and

instigated him by signs to make my brother turn the mill. The miller,

accordingly, went in to him at midnight, and began to exclaim, Verily

this bull is lazy, while there is a great quantity of wheat, and the

owners of the flour are demanding it: I will therefore yoke him in the

mill, that he may finish the grinding of the flour:--and so saying, he

yoked my brother, and thus he kept him until near morning, when the

owner of the house came, and saw him yoked in the mill, and the miller

flogging him with the whip; and he left him, and retired. After this,

the slave-girl to whom he had been contracted in marriage came to him

early in the morning, and, having unbound him from the mill, said to

him, Both I and my mistress have been distressed by this which hath

befallen thee, and we have participated in the burden of thy sorrow. But

he had no tongue wherewith to answer her, by reason of the severity of

the flogging. He then returned to his house; and lo, the sheykh who had

performed the marriage-contract came and saluted him, saying, May God

prolong thy life! May thy marriage be blessed!--May God not preserve the

liar! returned my brother: thou thousandfold villain! By Allah, I went

only to turn the mill in the place of the bull until the morning.--Tell

me thy story, said the sheykh:--and my brother told him what had

happened to him: upon which the sheykh said, Thy star agreeth not with

hers: but if thou desire that I should change for thee the mode of the

contract, I will change it for another better than it, that thy star may

agree with hers.[V_74]--See then, replied my brother, if thou hast

any other contrivance to employ.

My brother then left him, and repaired again to his shop, hoping that

somebody might give him some work, with the profit of which he might

obtain his food; and lo, the slave-girl came to him. She had conspired

with her mistress to play him this trick, and said to him, Verily, my

mistress is longing for thee, and she hath gone up to look at thy face

from the window. And my brother had scarcely heard these words when she

looked out at him from the window, and, weeping, said, Wherefore hast

thou cut short the intercourse between us and thee? But he returned her

no answer: so she swore to him that all that had happened to him in the

mill was not with her consent; and when my brother beheld her beauty and

loveliness, the troubles that had befallen him became effaced from his

memory, and he accepted her excuse, and rejoiced at the sight of her. He

saluted her, therefore, and conversed with her, and then sat a while at

his work; after which the slave-girl came to him, and said, My mistress

saluteth thee, and informeth thee that her husband hath determined to

pass this next night in the house of one of his intimate friends;

wherefore, when he hath gone thither, do thou come to her.--Now the

husband of the young woman had said to her, How shall we contrive when

he cometh to thee that I may take him and drag him before the Wálee? She

replied, Let me then play him a trick, and involve him in a disgrace for

which he shall be paraded throughout this city as an example to

others:--and my brother knew nothing of the craftiness of women.

Accordingly, at the approach of evening, the slave-girl came to him,

and, taking him by the hand, returned with him to her mistress, who said

to him, Verily, O my master, I have been longing for thee.--Hasten then,

said he, to give me a kiss, first of all. And his words were not

finished, when the young woman's husband came in from his neighbour's

house, and, seizing my brother, exclaimed to him, By Allah, I will not

loose thee but in the presence of the chief magistrate of the police. My

brother humbled himself before him; but, without listening to him, he

took him to the house of the Wálee, who flogged him with whips, and

mounted him upon a camel, and conveyed him through the streets of the

city, the people crying out, This is the recompense of him who breaketh

into the ḥareems of others!--and he fell from the camel, and his leg

broke: so he became lame. The Wálee then banished him from the city; and

he went forth, not knowing whither to turn his steps: but I, though

enraged, overtook him, and brought him back; and I have taken upon

myself to provide him with meat and drink unto the present day.

The Khaleefeh laughed at my story, and exclaimed, Thou hast spoken

well:--but I replied, I will not accept this honour until thou hast

listened to me while I relate to thee what happened to the rest of my

brothers; and think me not a man of many words.--Tell me, said the

Khaleefeh, what happened to all thy brothers, and grace my ears with

these nice particulars: I beg thee to employ exuberance of diction in

thy relation of these pleasant tales.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

THE BARBER'S STORY OF HIS SECOND BROTHER.

So I said, Know, O Prince of the Faithful, that my second brother, whose

name was El-Heddár,[V_75] was going one day to transact some

business, when an old woman met him, and said to him, O man, stop a

little, that I may propose to thee a thing, which, if it please thee,

thou shalt do for me. My brother, therefore, stopped; and she said to

him, I will guide thee to a thing, and rightly direct thee to it, on the

condition that thy words be not many. So he said, Communicate what thou

hast to tell me:--and she proceeded thus:--What sayest thou of a

handsome house, with running water, and fruit and wine, and a beautiful

face to behold, and a smooth cheek to kiss, and an elegant form to

embrace; and to enjoy all these pleasures without interruption? Now, if

thou wilt act agreeably with the condition that I have imposed upon

thee, thou wilt see prosperity.--When my brother had heard her words, he

said to her, O my mistress, how is it that thou hast sought me out in

preference to all the rest of the creation for this affair; and what is

there in me that hath pleased thee? She replied, Did I not say to thee

that thou must not be a person of many words? Be silent then, and come

with me.

The old woman then went her way, my brother following her, eager to

enjoy the pleasures which she had described to him, until they had

entered a spacious house, when she went up with him to an upper story,

and my brother perceived that he was in a beautiful palace, in which he

beheld four damsels, than whom none more lovely had ever been seen,

singing with voices that would charm a heart as insensible as stone. One

of these damsels drank a cup of wine; and my brother said to her, May it

be attended with health and vigour!--and advanced to wait upon her; but

she prevented his doing so, giving him to drink a cup of wine; and as

soon as he had drunk it, she slapped him on his neck. When he found that

she treated him thus, he went out from the chamber in anger, and with

many words; but the old woman, following him, made a sign to him with

her eye that he should return: so he returned, and seated himself,

without speaking; and upon this, the damsel slapped him again upon the

back of his neck until he became senseless; after which, recovering, he

withdrew again. The old woman, however, overtook him, and said to him,

Wait a little, and thou shalt attain thy wish.--How many times, said he,

shall I wait a little before I attain it? The old woman answered, When

she hath become exhilarated with wine thou shalt obtain her favour. He

therefore returned to his place, and resumed his seat. All the four

damsels then arose, and the old woman directed them to divest my brother

of his outer clothes, and to sprinkle some rose-water upon his face; and

when they had done so, the most beautiful one among them said to him,

May Allah exalt thee to honour! Thou hast entered my abode, and if thou

have patience to submit to my requisitions, thou wilt attain thy

wish.--O my mistress, he replied, I am thy slave, and under thy

authority.--Know then, said she, that I am devotedly fond of frolic, and

he who complieth with my demands will obtain my favour. Then she ordered

the other damsels to sing; and they sang so that their hearers were in

an ecstasy; after which the chief lady said to one of the other damsels,

Take thy master, and do what is required, and bring him back to me

immediately.

Accordingly, she took him away, ignorant of that which she was about to

do; and the old woman came to him, and said, Be patient; for there

remaineth but little to do. He then turned towards the damsel, and the

old woman said to him, Be patient: thou hast almost succeeded, and there

remaineth but one thing, which is, to shave thy beard.--How, said he,

shall I do that which will disgrace me among the people? The old woman

answered, She desireth this only to make thee like a beardless youth,

that there may be nothing on thy face to prick her; for her heart is

affected with a violent love for thee. Be patient, therefore, and thou

shalt attain thy desire.--So my brother patiently submitted to the

damsel's directions: his beard was shaven, and he was shorn also of his

eyebrows and mustaches, and his face was painted red, before the damsel

took him back to the chief lady, who, when she saw him, was at first

frightened at him, and then laughed until she fell backwards, and

exclaimed, O my master, thou hast gained me by these proofs of thine

amiable manners! She then conjured him by her life to arise and dance;

and he did so; and there was not a single cushion in the chamber that

she did not throw at him. In like manner also the other damsels threw at

him various things, such as oranges, and limes, and citrons, until he

fell down senseless from the pelting, while they slapped him incessantly

upon the back of his neck, and cast things in his face. But at length

the old woman said to him, Now thou hast attained thy wish. Know that

there remaineth to thee no more beating, nor doth there remain for thee

to do more than one thing, namely, this: it is her custom, when she is

under the influence of wine, to suffer no one to come near her until she

hath taken off her outer clothes; thou, being prepared in the like

manner, must run after her, and she will run before thee as though she

were flying from thee; but cease not to follow her from place to place

until thou overtake her. He arose, therefore, and did so: the lady ran

before, and as he followed her, she passed from chamber to chamber, and

he still ran after her. At last he heard her utter a slight sound as she

ran before him, and, continuing his pursuit, he suddenly found himself

in the midst of the street.

This street was in the market of the leather-sellers, who were then

crying skins for sale; and when the people there collected saw him in

this condition, almost naked, with shaven beard and eyebrows and

mustaches, and with his face painted red, they shouted at him, and

raised a loud laugh, and some of them beat him with the skins until he

became insensible. They then placed him upon an ass, and conducted him

to the Wálee, who exclaimed, What is this?--They answered, This

descended upon us from the house of the Wezeer, in this condition. And

the Wálee inflicted upon him a hundred lashes, and banished him from the

city: but I went out after him, and brought him back privately into the

city, and allotted him a maintenance. Had it not been for my generous

disposition, I had not borne with such a person.

[Illustration]

THE BARBER'S STORY OF HIS THIRD BROTHER.

As to my third brother (the blind man, Baḳbaḳ), who was also surnamed

Ḳuffeh,[V_76] fate and destiny impelled him one day to a large

house, and he knocked at the door, hoping that its master would answer

him, and that he might beg of him a trifle. The owner called out, Who is

at the door?--but my brother answered not; and then heard him call with

a loud voice, Who is this? Still, however, he returned him no answer;

and he heard the sounds of his footsteps approaching until he came to

the door and opened it, when he said to him, What dost thou desire? My

brother answered, Something for the sake of God, whose name be

exalted!--Art thou blind? said the man; and my brother answered,

Yes.--Then give me thy hand rejoined the master of the house;--so my

brother stretched forth to him his hand, and the man took him into the

house, and led him up from stair-case to stair-case until he had

ascended to the highest platform of the roof: my brother thinking that

he was going to give him some food or money: and when he had arrived at

this highest terrace, of his house, the owner said, What dost thou

desire, O blind man!--I desire something, he answered again, for the

sake of God, whose name be exalted!--May God, replied the man, open to

thee some other way!--What is this! exclaimed my brother: couldst thou

not tell me so when I was below?--Thou vilest of the vile! retorted the

other: why didst thou not ask of me something for the sake of God when

thou heardest my voice the first time, when thou wast knocking at the

door?--What then, said my brother, dost thou mean to do to me?--The man

of the house answered, I have nothing to give thee.--Then take me down

the stairs, said my brother. The man replied, The way is before thee. So

my brother made his way to the stairs, and continued descending until

there remained, between him and the door, twenty steps, when his foot

slipped and he fell, and, rolling down, broke his head.[V_77]

He went forth, not knowing whither to direct his steps, and presently

there met him two blind men, his companions, who said to him, What hath

happened to thee this day? My brother, therefore, related to them the

event that had just befallen him: and then said to them, O my brothers,

I desire to take a portion of the money now in our possession, to expend

it upon myself.--Now the owner of the house which he had just before

entered had followed him to acquaint himself with his proceedings, and

without my brother's knowledge he walked behind him until the latter

entered his abode; when he went in after him, still unknown. My brother

then sat waiting for his companions; and when they came in to him, he

said to them, Shut the door, and search the room, lest any stranger have

followed us. When the intruder, therefore, heard what he said, he arose,

and clung to a rope that was attached to the ceiling; and the blind men

went feeling about the whole of the chamber, and, finding no one,

returned and seated themselves by my brother, and brought forth their

money, and counted it; and lo, it was more than ten thousand pieces of

silver. Having done this, they laid it in a corner of the room, and each

of them took of the surplus of that sum as much as he wanted, and they

buried the ten thousand pieces of silver in the earth; after which, they

placed before themselves some food, and sat eating; but my brother heard

the sound of a stranger by his side, and said to his friends, Is there a

stranger among us? Then stretching forth his hand, it grasped the hand

of the intruder; whereupon he cried out to his companions, saying, Here

is a stranger!--and they fell upon him with blows until they were tired,

when they shouted out, O Muslims![V_78] a thief hath come in upon

us, and desireth to take our property!--and immediately a number of

persons collected around them.

Upon this, the stranger whom they accused of being a thief shut his

eyes, feigned to be blind like themselves, so that no one who saw him

doubted him to be so; and shouted, O Muslims! I demand protection of

Allah and the Sulṭán! I demand protection of Allah and the Wálee! I

demand protection of Allah and the Emeer! for I have important

information to give to the Emeer!--and before they could collect their

thoughts, the officers of the Wálee surrounded them and took them all,

including my brother, and conducted them before their master. The Wálee

said, What is your story?--and the stranger replied, Hear my words, O

Wálee; the truth of our case will not become known to thee but by means

of beating;[V_79] and if thou wilt, begin by beating me before my

companions. The Wálee therefore said, Throw down this man, and flog him

with whips:--and accordingly they threw him down and flogged him; and

when the stripes tortured him, he opened one of his eyes; and after they

had continued the flogging a little longer, he opened his other eye;

upon which the Wálee exclaimed, What meaneth this conduct, O thou

villain?--Grant me indemnity, replied the man, and I will acquaint

thee:--and the Wálee having granted his request, he said, We four

pretend that we are blind, and, intruding among other people, enter

their houses, and see their women, and employ stratagems to corrupt

them, and to obtain money from them. We have acquired, by these means,

vast gain, amounting to ten thousand pieces of silver; and I said to my

companions, Give me my due, two thousand and five hundred; and they rose

against me and beat me, and took my property. I beg protection,

therefore, of Allah and of thee; and thou art more deserving of my share

than they. If thou desire to know the truth of that which I have said,

flog each of them more than thou hast flogged me, and he will open his

eyes.

So the Wálee immediately gave orders to flog them, and the first of them

who suffered was my brother. They continued beating him until he almost

died; when the Wálee said to them, O ye scoundrels! do ye deny the

gracious gift of God, feigning yourselves to be blind? My brother

exclaimed, Alláh! Alláh! Alláh! there is none among us who seeth!--They

then threw him down again, and ceased not to beat him until he became

insensible, when the Wálee said, Leave him until he shall have

recovered, and then give him a third flogging:--and in the meantime, he

gave orders to flog his companions, to give each of them more than three

hundred stripes; while the seeing man said to them, Open your eyes, or

they will flog you again after this time. Then addressing himself to the

Wálee, he said, Send with me some person to bring thee the property; for

these men will not open their eyes, fearing to be disgraced before the

spectators. And the Wálee sent with him a man, who brought him the

money; and he took it, and gave to the informer, out of it, two

thousand and five hundred pieces of silver, according to the share which

he claimed, in spite of the others (retaining the rest), and banished

from the city my brother and the two other men; but I went forth, O

Prince of the Faithful, and, having overtaken my brother, asked him

respecting his sufferings; and he acquainted me with that which I have

related unto thee. I then brought him back secretly into the city, and

allotted him a supply of food and drink as long as he lived.

The Khaleefeh laughed at my story, and said, Give him a present, and let

him go:--but I replied, I will receive nothing until I have declared to

the Prince of the Faithful what happened to the rest of my brothers, and

made it manifest to him that I am a man of few words:--whereupon the

Khaleefeh said, Crack our ears, then, with thy ridiculous stories, and

continue to us thy disclosure of vices and misdeeds. So I proceeded

thus:--

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

THE BARBER'S STORY OF HIS FOURTH BROTHER.

My fourth brother, O Prince of the Faithful, was the one-eyed (named

El-Kooz el-Aṣwánee): he was a butcher in Baghdád, and both sold meat and

reared lambs; and the great and the rich had recourse to him to purchase

of him their meat; so that he amassed great wealth, and became possessor

of cattle and houses. Thus he continued to prosper for a long time; and

as he was in his shop, one day, there accosted him an old man with a

long beard, who handed to him some money, saying, Give me some meat for

it. So he took the money, and gave him the meat; and when the old man

had gone away, my brother looked at the money which he had payed him,

and, seeing that it was of a brilliant whiteness, put it aside by

itself. This old man continued to repair to him during a period of five

months, and my brother always threw his money into a chest by itself;

after which period he desired to take it out for the purpose of buying

some sheep; but on opening the chest, he found all the contents

converted into white paper, clipped round; and he slapped his face, and

cried out; whereupon a number of people collected around him, and he

related to them his story, at which they were astonished.

He then went again, as usual, into his shop, and, having killed a ram,

and hung it up within the shop, he cut off some of the meat, and

suspended it outside, saying within himself, Perhaps now this old man

will come again, and if so, I will seize him:--and very soon after, the

old man approached with his money; upon which my brother arose, and,

laying hold upon him, began to cry out, O Muslims, come to my aid, and

hear what this scoundrel hath done unto me! But when the old man heard

his words, he said to him, Which will be more agreeable to thee--that

thou abstain from disgracing me, or that I disgrace thee, before the

people?--For what wilt thou disgrace me? said my brother. The old man

answered, For thy selling human flesh for mutton.--Thou liest, thou

accursed! exclaimed my brother.--None is accursed, rejoined the old man,

but he who hath a man suspended in his shop. My brother said, If it be

as thou hast asserted, my property and blood shall be lawful to

thee:--and immediately the old man exclaimed, O ye people here

assembled! verily this butcher slaughtereth human beings, and selleth

their flesh for mutton; and if ye desire to know the truth of my

assertion, enter his shop! So the people rushed upon his shop, and

beheld the ram converted into a man, hung up; and they laid hold upon my

brother, crying out against him, Thou infidel! Thou scoundrel!--and

those who had been his dearest friends turned upon him and beat him; and

the old man gave him a blow upon his eye, and knocked it out. The people

then carried the carcass, and took with them my brother, to the chief

magistrate of the police; and the old man said to him, O Emeer, this man

slaughtereth human beings, and selleth their flesh for mutton; and we

have therefore brought him to thee: arise, then, and perform the

requisition of God, whose might and glory be extolled! Upon this, the

magistrate thrust back my brother from him, and, refusing to listen to

what he would have said, ordered that five hundred blows of a staff

should be inflicted upon him, and took all his property. Had it not been

for the great amount of his wealth, he had put him to death.[V_80]

He then banished him from the city.

My brother, therefore, went forth in a state of distraction, not knowing

what course to pursue; but he journeyed onwards until he arrived at a

great city, where he thought fit to settle as a shoemaker: so he opened

a shop, and sat there working for his subsistence. And one day he went

forth on some business, and, hearing the neighing of horses, he inquired

respecting the cause, and was told that the King was going forth to

hunt; whereupon he went to amuse himself with the sight of the

procession: but the King happening to look on one side, his eye met that

of my brother, and immediately he hung down his head, and exclaimed, I

seek refuge with God from the evil of this day! He then turned aside the

bridle of his horse, and rode back, and all his troops returned with

him; after which, he ordered his pages to run after my brother, and to

beat him; and they did so, giving him so severe a beating that he

almost died; and he knew not the cause. He returned to his abode in a

miserable plight, and afterwards went and related his misfortune to one

of the King's attendants, who laughed at the recital until he fell

backwards, and said to him, O my brother, the King cannot endure the

sight of a one-eyed person, and especially when the defect is that of

the left eye;[V_81] for in this case, he faileth not to put the

person to death.

When my brother heard these words, he determined to fly from that city;

and forthwith departed from it, and repaired to another city, where

there was no King. Here he remained a long time; and after this, as he

was meditating upon his adventure in the former city, he went out one

day to amuse himself, and heard again the neighing of horses behind him;

upon which he exclaimed, The decree of God hath come to pass! and ran

away, seeking for a place in which to conceal himself; but he found

none, until, continuing his search, he saw a door set up as a barricade:

so he pushed this, and it fell down; and, entering the doorway, he

beheld a long passage, into which he advanced. Suddenly, however, two

men laid hold upon him, and exclaimed, Praise be to God who hath enabled

us to take thee, O thou enemy of God! For these three nights thou hast

suffered us to enjoy neither quiet nor sleep, and we have found no

repose: nay, thou hast given us a foretaste of death!--O men, said my

brother, what hath happened unto you? They answered, Thou keepest a

watch upon us, and desirest to disgrace us, and to disgrace the master

of the house! Is it not enough for thee that thou hast reduced him to

poverty, thou and thy companions? Produce now the knife wherewith thou

threatenest us every night.--And so saying, they searched him, and found

upon his waist the knife with which he cut the shoe-leather.--O men, he

exclaimed, fear God in your treatment of me, and know that my story is

wonderful. They said, What then is thy story? So he related it to them,

in the hope that they would liberate him: but they believed not what he

said; and, instead of shewing him any regard, they beat him, and tore

his clothes; whereupon, his body becoming exposed to their view, they

discovered upon his sides the marks of beating with miḳra'ahs, and

exclaimed, O wretch! these scars bear testimony to thy guilt. They then

conducted him before the Wálee, while he said within himself, I am

undone for my transgressions, and none can deliver me but God, whose

name be exalted! And when he was brought before the Wálee, the

magistrate said to him, O thou scoundrel! nothing but a heinous crime

hath occasioned thy having been beaten with miḳra'ahs:--and he caused a

hundred lashes to be inflicted upon him; after which, they mounted him

upon a camel, and proclaimed before him, This is the recompense of him

who breaketh into men's houses!--But I had already heard of his

misfortunes, and gone forth, and found him; and I accompanied him about

the city while they were making this proclamation, until they left him;

when I took him, and brought him back secretly into Baghdád, and

apportioned him a daily allowance of food and drink.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

THE BARBER'S STORY OF HIS FIFTH BROTHER.[V_82]

My fifth brother (El-Feshshár[V_83]) was cropped of his ears, O

Prince of the Faithful. He was a pauper, who begged alms by night, and

subsisted upon what he thus acquired by day: and our father was a very

old man, and he fell sick and died, leaving to us seven hundred pieces

of silver, of which each of us took his portion; namely, a hundred

pieces. Now my fifth brother, when he had received his share, was

perplexed, not knowing what to do with it; but while he was in this

state, it occurred to his mind to buy with it all kinds of articles of

glass, and to sell them and make profit; so he bought glass with his

hundred pieces of silver, and put it in a large tray, and sat upon an

elevated place, to sell it, leaning his back against a wall. And as he

sat, he meditated, and said within himself, Verily my whole stock

consisteth of this glass: I will sell it for two hundred pieces of

silver; and with the two hundred I will buy other glass, which I will

sell for four hundred; and thus I will continue buying and selling until

I have acquired great wealth. Then with this I will purchase all kinds

of merchandise and essences and jewels, and so obtain vast gain. After

that, I will buy a handsome house, and memlooks, and horses, and gilded

saddles; and I will eat and drink; and I will not leave in the city a

single female singer but I will have her brought to my house that I may

hear her songs.--All this he calculated with the tray of glass lying

before him.--Then, said he, I will send all the female betrothers to

seek in marriage for me the daughters of Kings and Wezeers; and I will

demand as my wife the daughter of the chief Wezeer;[V_84] for I

have heard that she is endowed with perfect beauty and surprising

loveliness: and I will give as her dowry a thousand pieces of gold. If

her father consent, my wish is attained; and if he consent not, I will

take her by force, in spite of him: and when I have come back to my

house, I will buy ten young eunuchs, and I will purchase the apparel of

Kings and Sulṭáns, and cause to be made for me a saddle of gold set with

jewels: after which I will ride every day upon a horse, with slaves

behind me and before me,[V_85] and go about through the streets and

markets to amuse myself, while the people will salute me and pray for

me.[V_86] Then I will pay a visit to the Wezeer, who is the father

of the maiden, with memlooks behind me and before me, and on my right

hand and on my left; and when he seeth me, he will rise to me, in

humility, and seat me in his own place; and he himself will sit down

below me,[V_87] because I am his son-in-law. I will then order one

of the servants to bring a purse containing the pieces of gold which

compose the dowry; and he will place it before the Wezeer; and I will

add to it another purse, that he may know my manly spirit and excessive

generosity, and that the world is contemptible in my eye: and when he

addresseth me with ten words, I will answer him with two. And I will

return to my house; and when any person cometh to me from the house of

the Wezeer, I will clothe him with a rich dress: but if any come with a

present, I will return it: I will certainly not accept it.[V_88]

Then, on the night of the bridal display, I will attire myself in the

most magnificent of my dresses, and sit upon a mattress covered with

silk; and when my wife cometh to me, like the full moon, decked with her

ornaments and apparel, I will command her to stand before me as stands

the timid and the abject; and I will not look at her, on account of the

haughtiness of my spirit and the gravity of my wisdom; so that the maids

will say, O our master and our lord, may we be thy sacrifice! This thy

wife, or rather thy handmaid, awaiteth thy kind regard, and is standing

before thee: then graciously bestow on her one glance; for the posture

hath become painful to her.[V_89]--Upon this, I will raise my

head, and look at her with one glance, and again incline my head

downwards; and thus I will do until the ceremony of displaying her is

finished; whereupon they will conduct her to the sleeping-chamber; and I

will rise from my place, and go to another apartment, and put on my

night-dress, and go to the chamber in which she is sitting, where I will

seat myself upon the deewán; but I will not look towards her. The

tire-women will urge me to approach her; but I will not hear their

words, and will order some of the attendants to bring a purse containing

five hundred pieces of gold for them, and command them to retire from

the chamber.[V_90] And when they have gone, I will seat myself by

the side of the bride; but with averted countenance, that she may say,

Verily this is a man of a haughty spirit. Then her mother will come to

me, and will kiss my hands, and say to me, O my master, look upon thy

handmaid with the eye of mercy; for she is submissively standing before

thee. But I will return her no answer. And she will kiss my feet, again

and again, and will say, O my master, my daughter is young, and hath

seen no man but thee; and if she experience from thee repugnance, her

heart will break: incline to her, therefore, and speak to her, and calm

her mind. And upon this I will look at her through the corner of my eye,

and command her to remain standing before me, that she may taste the

savour of humiliation, and know that I am the Sulṭán of the age. Then

her mother will say to me, O my master, this is thy handmaid: have

compassion upon her, and be gracious to her:--and she will order her to

fill a cup with wine, and to put it to my mouth. So her daughter will

say, O my lord, I conjure thee by Allah that thou reject not the cup

from thy slave; for verily I am thy slave. But I will make her no

reply; and she will urge me to take it, and will say, It must be

drunk:--and will put it to my mouth: and upon this, I will shake my hand

in her face, and spurn her with my foot, and do thus.--So saying, he

kicked the tray of glass, which, being upon a place elevated above the

ground, fell, and all that was in it broke: there escaped nothing: and

he cried out and said, All this is the result of my pride! And he

slapped his face, and tore his clothes; the passengers gazing at him,

while he wept, and exclaimed, Ah! O my grief!

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

The people were now repairing to perform the Friday-prayers; and some

merely cast their eyes at him, while others noticed him not: but while

he was in this state, deprived of his whole property, and weeping

without intermission, a female approached him, on her way to attend the

Friday-prayers: she was of admirable loveliness; the odour of musk was

diffused from her; under her was a mule with a stuffed saddle covered

with gold-embroidered silk; and with her was a number of servants; and

when she saw the broken glass, and my brother's state and his tears, she

was moved with pity for him, and asked respecting his case. She was

answered, He had a tray of glass, by the sale of which to obtain his

subsistence and it is broken, and he is afflicted as thou seest:--and

upon this, she called to one of the servants, saying, Give what thou

hast with thee to this poor man. So he gave him a purse, and he took it,

and when he had opened it, he found in it five hundred pieces of gold,

whereupon he almost died from excessive joy, and offered up prayers for

his benefactress.

He returned to his house a rich man, and sat reflecting, and lo, a

person knocked at the door: he rose, therefore, and opened it; and

beheld an old woman whom he knew not, and she said to him, O my son,

know that the time of prayer hath almost expired, and I am not prepared

by ablution; wherefore I beg that thou wilt admit me into thy house,

that I may perform it. He replied, I hear and obey;--and, retiring

within, gave her permission to enter; his mind still wandering from joy

on account of the gold; and when she had finished the ablution, she

approached the spot where he was sitting, and there performed the

prayers of two rek'ahs. She then offered up a supplication for my

brother; and he thanked her, and offered her two pieces of gold; but

when she saw this, she exclaimed, Extolled be God's perfection! Verily I

wonder at the person who fell in love with thee in thy beggarly

condition! Take back thy money from me, and if thou want it not, return

it to her who gave it thee when thy glass broke.--O my mother, said he,

how can I contrive to obtain access to her? She answered, O my son, she

hath an affection for thee; but she is the wife of an affluent man; take

then with thee all thy money, and when thou art with her be not

deficient in courteousness and agreeable words; so shalt thou obtain of

her favours and her wealth whatever thou shalt desire. My brother,

therefore, took all the gold, and arose and went with the old woman,

hardly believing what she had told him; and she proceeded, and my

brother behind her, until they arrived at a great door, at which she

knocked; whereupon a Greek damsel came and opened the door, and the old

woman entered, ordering my brother to do the same. He did so, and found

himself in a large house, where he beheld a great furnished chamber,

with curtains hung in it; and, seating himself there, he put down the

gold before him, and placed his turban on his knees;[V_91] and

scarcely had he done so, when there came to him a damsel, the like of

whom had never been seen, attired in most magnificent apparel. My

brother stood up at her approach; and when she beheld him, she laughed

in his face, and rejoiced at his visit: then going to the door, she

locked it; after which she returned to my brother, and took his hand,

and both of them went together into a private chamber, carpeted with

various kinds of silk, where my brother sat down, and she seated herself

by his side, and toyed with him for a considerable time. She then rose,

saying to him, Move not from this place until I return to thee;--and was

absent from him for a short period;--and as my brother was waiting for

her, there came in to him a black slave, of gigantic stature, with a

drawn sword, the brightness of which dazzled the sight; and he exclaimed

to my brother. Wo to thee! Who brought thee to this place? Thou vilest

of men! Thou misbegotten wretch, and nursling of impurity!--My brother

was unable to make any reply; his tongue was instantly tied; and the

slave laid hold upon him, and stripped him, and struck him more than

eighty blows with the flat of his sword, until he fell sprawling upon

the floor; when he retired from him, concluding that he was dead, and

uttered a great cry, so that the earth trembled, and the place resounded

at his voice, saying, Where is El-Meleeḥah?[V_92]--upon which a

girl came to him, holding a handsome tray containing salt; and with this

she forthwith stuffed the flesh-wounds with which my brother's skin was

gashed until they gaped open; but he moved not, fearing the slave would

discover that he was alive, and kill him. The girl then went away, and

the slave uttered another cry, like the first, whereupon the old woman

came to my brother, and, dragging him by the feet to a deep and dark

vault, threw him into it upon a heap of slain.[V_93] In this place

he remained for two whole days; and God (whose perfection be extolled!)

made the salt to be the means of preserving his life, by stanching the

flow of blood from his veins; so, when he found that he had strength

sufficient to move, he arose, and, opening a shutter in the wall,

emerged from the place of the slain; and God (to whom be ascribed all

might and glory!) granted him his protection. He therefore proceeded in

the darkness, and concealed himself in the passage until the morning,

when the old woman went forth to seek another victim, and my brother,

going out after her, without her knowledge, returned to his house.

[Illustration]

He now occupied himself with the treatment of his wounds until he was

restored; and continued to watch for the old woman, and constantly saw

her taking men, one after another, and conducting them to the same

house. But he uttered not a word on the subject; and when his health

returned, and his strength was completely renewed, he took a piece of

rag, and made of it a purse, which he filled with pieces of glass: he

then tied it to his waist, and disguised himself so that no one would

know him, in the dress of a foreigner; and, taking a sword, placed it

within his clothes; and as soon as he saw the old woman, he said to her,

in the dialect of a foreigner, Old woman, hast thou a pair of scales fit

for weighing nine hundred pieces of gold? The old woman answered, I have

a young son, a money-changer, and he hath all kinds of scales; therefore

accompany me to him before he go forth from his abode, that he may weigh

for thee thy gold. So my brother said, Walk on before me:--and she went,

and my brother followed her until she arrived at the door, and knocked;

upon which the girl came out, and laughed in his face; and the old woman

said to her, I have brought you to-day some fat meat. The girl then took

my brother's hand, and conducted him into the house (the same which he

had entered before), and after she had sat with him a short time, she

rose, saying to him, Quit not this place until I return to thee:--and

she retired; and my brother had remained not long after when the slave

came to him with the drawn sword, and said to him, Rise, thou unlucky!

So my brother rose, and, as the slave walked before him, he put his hand

to the sword which was concealed beneath his clothes, and struck the

slave with it, and cut off his head; after which he dragged him by his

feet to the vault, and called out, Where is El-Meleeḥah? The slave-girl,

therefore, came, having in her hand the tray containing the salt; but

when she saw my brother with the sword in his hand, she turned back and

fled: my brother, however, overtook her, and struck off her head. He

then called out, Where is the old woman?--and she came; and he said to

her, Dost thou know me, O malevolent hag? She answered, No, O my

lord.--I am, said he, the man who had the pieces of gold, and in whose

house thou performedst the ablution and prayedst; after which, devising

a stratagem against me, thou betrayedst me into this place.--The old

woman exclaimed, Fear God in thy treatment of me!--but my brother,

turning towards her, struck her with the sword, and clove her in twain.

He then went to search for the chief damsel, and when she saw him, her

reason fled, and she implored his pardon; whereupon he granted her his

pardon, and said to her, What occasioned thy falling into the hands of

this black? She answered, I was a slave to one of the merchants, and

this old woman used to visit me; and one day she said to me, We are

celebrating a festivity, the like of which no one hath seen, and I have

a desire that thou shouldst witness it. I replied, I hear and obey:--and

arose, and clad myself in the best of my attire, and, taking with me a

purse containing a hundred pieces of gold,[V_94] proceeded with her

until she entered this house, when suddenly this black took me, and I

have continued with him in this state three years, through the stratagem

of the old witch.--My brother then said to her, Is there any property of

his in the house?--Abundance, she answered; and if thou canst remove it,

do so:--and upon this, he arose and went with her, when she opened to

him chests filled with purses, at the sight of which he was confounded;

and she said to him, Go now, and leave me here, and bring some person to

remove the property. So he went out, and, having hired ten men,

returned; but on his arrival at the door, he found it open, and saw

neither the damsel nor the purses; he found, however, some little money

remaining, and the stuffs. He discovered, therefore, that she had

eluded him; and he took the money that remained, and, opening the

closets, took all the stuffs which they contained, leaving nothing in

the house.

He passed the next night full of happiness; but when the morning came,

he found at the door twenty soldiers, and on his going forth to them,

they laid hold upon him, saying, The Wálee summoneth thee. So they took

him, and conducted him to the Wálee, who, when he saw him, said to him,

Whence obtainedst thou these stuffs?--Grant me indemnity, said my

brother:--and the Wálee gave him the handkerchief of indemnity;[V_95]

and my brother related to him all that had befallen him with the old

woman from first to last, and the flight of the damsel; adding,--and of

that which I have taken, take thou what thou wilt; but leave me

wherewith to procure my food. The Wálee thereupon demanded the whole of

the money and the stuffs; but fearing that the Sulṭán[V_96] might become

acquainted with the matter, he retained a portion only, and gave the

rest to my brother, saying to him, Quit this city, or I will hang thee.

My brother replied, I hear and obey:--and went forth to one of the

surrounding cities. Some robbers, however, came upon him, and stripped

and beat him, and cut off his ears; and I, having heard of his

situation, went forth to him, taking to him some clothes; and brought

him back privily into the city, and supplied him with daily food and

drink.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

THE BARBER'S STORY OF HIS SIXTH BROTHER

My sixth brother (Shaḳáliḳ), O Prince of the Faithful, had his lips cut

off. He was in a state of extreme poverty, possessing nothing of the

goods of this perishable world; and he went forth one day to seek for

something with which to stay his departing spirit, and on his way he

beheld a handsome house, with a wide and lofty vestibule, at the door of

which were servants, commanding and forbidding; whereupon he inquired of

one of the persons standing there, who answered, This house belongeth to

a man of the sons of the Barmekees.[V_97] My brother, therefore,

advanced to the door-keepers, and begged them to give him something; and

they said, Enter the door of the house, and thou wilt obtain what thou

desirest of its master. So he entered the vestibule, and proceeded

through it a while until he arrived at a mansion of the utmost beauty

and elegance, having a garden in the midst of it, unsurpassed in beauty

by anything that had ever been seen: its floors were paved with marble,

and its curtains were hanging around. He knew not in which direction to

go; but advanced to the upper extremity, and there he beheld a man of

handsome countenance and beard, who, on seeing my brother, rose to him,

and welcomed him, inquiring respecting his circumstances. He accordingly

informed him that he was in want; and when the master of the house heard

his words, he manifested excessive grief, and, taking hold of his own

clothes, rent them, and exclaimed, Am I in the city, and thou in it

hungry? It is a thing that I cannot endure!--Then promising him every

kind of happiness, he said, Thou must stay and partake of my salt. But

my brother replied, O my master, I have not patience to wait; for I am

in a state of extreme hunger.

Upon this, the master of the house called out, Boy, bring the basin and

ewer!--and he said, O my guest, advance, and wash thy hand. He then

performed the same motions as if he were washing his hand; and called to

his attendants to bring the table; whereupon they began to come and go

as though they were preparing it; after which the master of the house

took my brother, and sat down with him at this imaginary table, and

proceeded to move his hands and lips as if he were eating; saying to my

brother, Eat, and be not ashamed, for thou art hungry, and I know how

thou art suffering from the violence of thy hunger. My brother,

therefore, made the same motions, as if he also were eating, while his

host said to him, Eat, and observe this bread and its whiteness. To

this, my brother at first made no reply; but observed in his own mind,

Verily this is a man who loveth to jest with others:--so he said to him,

O my master, in my life I have never seen bread more beautifully white

than this, or any of sweeter taste:--on which the host rejoined, This

was made by a female slave of mine whom I purchased for five hundred

pieces of gold. He then called out, Boy, bring to us the

sikbáj,[V_98] the like of which is not found among the dishes of

Kings!--and, addressing my brother, he said, Eat, O my guest; for thou

art hungry, vehemently so, and in absolute want of food. So my brother

began to twist about his mouth, and to chew, as in eating. The master of

the house now proceeded to demand different kinds of viands, one after

another; and, though nothing was brought, he continued ordering my

brother to eat. Next he called out, Boy, place before us the chickens

stuffed with pistachio-nuts:--and said to his guest, Eat of that which

thou hast never tasted the like.--O my master, replied my brother,

verily this dish hath not its equal in sweetness of flavour:--and the

host, thereupon, began to put his hand to my brother's mouth as though

he were feeding him with morsels; and proceeded to enumerate to him the

various different kinds of viands, and to describe their several

excellencies; while his hunger so increased that he longed for a cake of

barley-bread. The master of the house then said to him, Hast thou tasted

anything more delicious than the spices in these dishes?--No, O my

master, answered my brother.--Eat more then, resumed the host; and be

not ashamed.--I have eaten enough of the meats, replied the guest. So

the man of the house called to his attendants to bring the sweets; and

they moved their hands about in the air as if they were bringing them;

whereupon the host said to my brother, Eat of this dish; for it is

excellent; and of these ḳaṭáïf,[V_99] by my life! and take this one

before the sirup runs from it.--May I never be deprived of thee, O my

master! exclaimed my brother, proceeding to inquire of him respecting

the abundance of musk in the ḳaṭáïf.--This, answered the host, is my

usual custom in my house: they always put for me, in each of the ḳaṭáïf,

a mithḳál[V_100] of musk, and half a mithḳál of ambergris.--All

this time my brother was moving his head and mouth, and rolling about

his tongue between his cheeks, as if he were enjoying the sweets. After

this, the master of the house called out to his attendants, Bring the

dried fruits!--and again they moved about their hands in the air as

though they were doing what he ordered; when he said to my brother, Eat

of these almonds, and of these walnuts, and of these raisins;--and so

on; enumerating the various kinds of dried fruits; and added again, Eat,

and be not ashamed.--O my master, replied my brother, I have had enough,

and have not power to eat anything more:--but the host rejoined, If thou

desire, O my guest, to eat more, and to delight thyself with

extraordinary dainties, by Allah! by Allah! remain not hungry.

My brother now reflected upon his situation, and upon the manner in

which this man was jesting with him, and said within himself, By Allah,

I will do to him a deed that shall make him repent before God of these

actions! The man of the house next said to his attendants, Bring us the

wine:--and, as before, they made the same motions with their hands in

the air as if they were doing what he commanded; after which he

pretended to hand to my brother a cup, saying, Take this cup, for it

will delight thee:--and his guest replied, O my master, this is of thy

bounty:--and he acted with his hand as though he were drinking it.--Hath

it pleased thee? said the host.--O my master, answered my brother, I

have never seen anything more delicious than this wine.--Drink then,

rejoined the master of the house, and may it be attended with benefit

and health:--and he himself pretended to drink, and to hand a second cup

to my brother, who, after he had affected to drink it, feigned himself

intoxicated, and, taking his host unawares, raised his hand until the

whiteness of his arm-pit appeared, and struck him such a slap upon his

neck that the chamber rang at the blow; and this he followed by a second

blow; whereupon the man exclaimed, What is this, thou vilest of the

creation?--O my master, answered my brother, I am thy slave, whom thou

hast graciously admitted into thine abode, and thou hast fed him with

thy provisions, and treated him with old wine, and he hath become

intoxicated, and committed an outrage upon thee; but thou art of too

exalted dignity to be angry with him for his ignorance.

When the master of the house heard these words of my brother, he uttered

a loud laugh, and said to him, Verily for a long time have I made game

of men, and jested with all persons accustomed to joking and rudeness,

but I have not seen among them any who could endure this trick, nor any

who had sagacity to conform to all my actions, except thee: now,

therefore, I pardon thee; and be thou my companion in reality, and never

relinquish me. He then gave orders to bring a number of the dishes above

mentioned, and he and my brother ate together to satisfaction; after

which they removed to the drinking-chamber, where female slaves like so

many moons sang all kinds of melodies, and played on all kinds of

musical instruments. There they drank until intoxication overcame them:

the master of the house treated my brother as a familiar friend, became

greatly attached to him, and clad him with a costly dress; and on the

following morning they resumed their feasting and drinking. Thus they

continued to live for a period of twenty years: the man then died, and

the Sulṭán[V_101] seized upon his property, and took possession of

it.

My brother, upon this, went forth from the city, a fugitive; and upon

his way, a party of Arabs[V_102] came upon him. They made him a

captive; and the man who captured him tortured him with beating, and

said to him, By Allah, purchase thyself of me by wealth, or I will kill

thee:--but my brother, weeping, replied, By Allah, I possess nothing, O

Sheykh of the Arabs; nor do I know the means of obtaining any property:

I am thy captive; I have fallen into thy hands, and do with me what thou

wilt. And immediately the tyrannical Bedawee drew forth from his girdle

a broad-bladed knife (such as, if plunged into the neck of a camel,

would cut it across from one jugular vein to the other), and, taking it

in his right hand, approached my poor brother, and cut off with it his

lips; still urging his demand.--Now this Bedawee had a handsome wife,

who, when he was absent, used to manifest a strong affection for my

brother; though he observed a proper decorum towards her, fearing God

(whose name be exalted!); and it happened, one day, that she had called

him, and seated him with her; but while they were together, lo, her

husband came in upon them; and when he beheld my brother, he exclaimed,

Wo to thee, thou base wretch! Dost thou desire now to corrupt my

wife?--Then drawing his knife, he inflicted upon him another cruel

wound; after which he mounted him upon a camel, and, having cast him

upon a mountain, left him there, and went his way. Some travellers,

however, passed by him, and when they discovered him, they gave him food

and drink, and acquainted me with his case: so I went forth to him, and

conveyed him back into the city, and allotted him a sufficient

maintenance.

[Illustration]

Now I have come unto thee, O Prince of the Faithful, continued the

barber, and feared to return to my house without relating to thee these

facts; for to neglect doing so had been an error. Thus thou hast seen

that, although having six brothers, I am of a more upright character

than they.--But when the Prince of the Faithful had heard my story, and

all that I had related to him respecting my brothers, he laughed, and

said, Thou hast spoken truth, O Ṣámit (O silent man); thou art a person

of few words, and devoid of impertinence; now, however, depart from this

city, and take up thine abode in another. So he banished me from

Baghdád; and I journeyed through various countries, and traversed many

regions, until I heard of his death, and of the succession of another

Khaleefeh; when, returning to my city, I met with this young man, unto

whom I did the best of deeds, and who, had it not been for me, had been

slain: yet he hath accused me of that which is not in my character; for

all that he hath related of me, with respect to impertinence, and

loquacity, and dulness, and want of taste, is false, O people.

CONTINUATION OF THE STORY TOLD BY THE TAILOR.

The tailor then proceeded thus:--When we heard the story of the barber,

and were convinced of his impertinence and loquacity, and that the young

man had been treated unjustly by him, we seized hold upon him, and put

him in confinement, and, seating ourselves to keep watch over him, ate

and drank; and the feast was finished in the most agreeable manner. We

remained sitting together until the call to afternoon-prayers, when I

went forth, and returned to my house; but my wife looked angrily at me,

and said, Thou hast been all the day enjoying thy pleasure while I have

been sitting at home sorrowful; now if thou go not forth with me and

amuse me for the remainder of the day, thy refusal will be the cause of

my separation from thee. So I took her and went out with her, and we

amused ourselves until nightfall, when, returning home, we met this

humpback, full of drink, and repeating verses; upon which I invited him

to come home with us, and he consented. I then went forth to buy some

fried fish, and having bought it and returned, we sat down to eat; and

my wife took a morsel of bread and a piece of fish, and put them into

his mouth, and choked him, so that he died; whereupon I took him up, and

contrived to throw him into the house of this physician, and he

contrived to throw him into the house of the steward, and the steward

contrived to throw him in the way of the broker.--This is the story of

what happened to me yesterday. Is it not more wonderful than that of the

humpback?

CONTINUATION OF THE STORY OF THE HUMPBACK.

When the King had heard this story, he ordered certain of his

chamberlains to go with the tailor, and to bring the barber; saying to

them, His presence is indispensable, that I may hear his talk, and it

may be the cause of the deliverance of you all: then we will bury this

humpback decently in the earth, for he hath been dead since yesterday;

and we will make him a monument around his grave, since he hath been the

occasion of our acquaintance with these wonderful stories.

The chamberlains and the tailor soon came back, after having gone to the

place of confinement and brought the barber, whom they placed before the

King; and when the King beheld him, he saw him to be an old man, passed

his ninetieth year, of dark countenance, and white beard and eyebrows,

with small ears, and long nose, and a haughty aspect. The King laughed

at the sight of him, and said to him, O silent man, I desire that thou

relate to me somewhat of thy stories.--O King of the age, replied the

barber, what is the occasion of the presence of this Christian and this

Jew and this Muslim, and this humpback lying dead among you; and what is

the reason of this assembly?--Wherefore dost thou ask this? said the

King. The barber answered, I ask it in order that the King may know me

to be no impertinent person, nor one who meddleth with that which doth

not concern him, and that I am free from the loquacity of which they

accuse me: for I am fortunate in my characteristic appellation, since

they have surnamed me Eṣ-Ṣámit; and, as the poet hath said,--

Seldom hast thou seen a person honoured with a surname,

but thou wilt find, if thou search, that his character

is expressed by it.

The King therefore said, Explain to the barber the case of this

humpback, and what happened to him yesterday evening, and explain to him

also what the Christian hath related, and the Jew and the steward and

the tailor. So they repeated to him the stories of all these persons.

The barber, thereupon, shook his head, saying, By Allah, this is a

wonderful thing! Uncover this humpback, that I may examine him.--And

they did so. He then seated himself at his head, and, taking it up,

placed it upon his lap, and looked at his face, and laughed so violently

that he fell backwards, exclaiming, For every death there is a cause;

and the death of this humpback is most wonderful: it is worthy of being

registered in the records, that posterity may be instructed by this

event!--The King, astonished at his words, said, O Ṣámit, explain to us

the reason of thy saying this.--O King, replied the barber, by thy

beneficence, life is yet in the humpback! He then drew forth from his

bosom a pot containing some ointment, and with this he anointed the neck

of the humpback; after which he covered it up until it perspired; when

he took forth an iron forceps, and put it down his throat, and extracted

the piece of fish with its bone, and all the people saw them. The

humpback now sprang upon his feet, and sneezed, and, recovering his

consciousness, drew his hands over his face, and exclaimed, There is no

Deity but God! Moḥammad is God's Apostle! God bless and save him!--and

all who were present were astonished at the sight, and the King laughed

until he became insensible; as did also the other spectators. The King

exclaimed, By Allah, this accident is wonderful! I have never witnessed

anything more strange!--and added, O Muslims! O assembly of soldiers!

have ye ever in the course of your lives seen any one die and after

that come to life? But had not God blessed him with this barber, the

humpback had been to-day numbered among the people of the other world;

for the barber hath been the means of restoring him to life.--They

replied, This is indeed a wonderful thing!

The King then gave orders to record this event; and when they had done

so, he placed the record in the royal library; and he bestowed dresses

of honour upon the Jew and the Christian and the steward; upon each of

them, a costly dress: the tailor he appointed to be his own tailor,

granting him regular allowances, and reconciling him and the humpback

with each other: the humpback he honoured with a rich and beautiful

dress, and with similar allowances, and appointed him his cup-companion;

and upon the barber also he conferred the like favours, rewarding him

with a costly dress of honour, regular allowances, and a fixed salary,

and appointing him state-barber, and his own cup-companion: so they all

lived in the utmost happiness and comfort until they were visited by the

terminator of delights and the separator of friends.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIFTH.

NOTE 1. As the story of the Humpback is one of the best in this

collection, and purely Arab, I have been glad to find, in the Calcutta

edition of the first two hundred nights, authority for deviating here

from my usual standard copy, by substituting "El-Baṣrah" for a city of

China. The Breslau edition, in the opening of the story, lays the scene

at "El-Baṣrah _and_ Ḳajḳár." By the latter, I suppose Káshghar to be

meant.

NOTE 2. In my original, they are said to have gone out early in the

morning; but this is contradicted by the sequel.

NOTE 3. The appeal to Ezra's ass, which alludes to a tradition believed

by the Muslims, as it is mentioned in the Ḳur-án, is omitted in the

Cairo edition. The story is this:--'Ozeyr, or Ezra, "riding on an ass by

the ruins of Jerusalem, after it had been destroyed by the Chaldeans,

doubted in his mind by what means God could raise the city and its

inhabitants again; whereupon God caused him to die, and he remained in

that condition a hundred years; at the end of which, God restored him to

life, and he found a basket of figs and a cruise of wine that he had

with him, not in the least spoiled or corrupted; but his ass was dead,

the bones only remaining; and these, while the Prophet looked on, were

raised and clothed with flesh, becoming an ass again, which, being

inspired with life, began immediately to bray."[323]

NOTE 4. Most Arab cities abound with cats, which are much favoured by

the inhabitants. These animals are often seen leaping across from the

terrace of one house to that of another on the opposite side of a narrow

street; and often has my kitchen in Cairo been robbed by them. They are

said to contribute greatly to the spreading of the plague.

NOTE 5. Occurrences of this kind are said to have often happened in Arab

towns, where dogs, though esteemed unclean by the Muslims, are, like

cats, generally very numerous. Few of them have masters; but they

compose distinct tribes; those of each tribe confining themselves to a

particular quarter or district of the town, and suffering no strange dog

to intrude among them and share with them in the offal thrown out from

the butchers' shops and from private houses; or prowling about the

mounds of rubbish in the environs, and, like the vultures, feeding upon

the carcasses of camels, asses, and other beasts, thrown out by the

inhabitants. I was once told that the master of an English

merchant-vessel, having fallen asleep in a state of intoxication on the

shore of the harbour of Alexandria, at night, was devoured by dogs.

NOTE 6. The snatching of turbans by night is still a frequent practice

of Arab rogues, and one which is often very lucrative; many a turban

being composed of a costly Kashmeer shawl wound round a ṭarboosh, which

latter alone is worth eight or nine shillings, or more, and some also

having money or other valuables secreted in them.

NOTE 7. Watchmen are generally employed to guard by night the sooḳs, or

market-streets, and other districts, in Arab towns. Those in Cairo carry

a nebboot, or long staff, but no lantern. Their usual cries are of a

religious nature; as, "I extol the perfection of the Living King, who

sleepeth not nor dieth!" When they see a passenger approaching, they

call out to him, "Attest the unity of God!" or merely, "Attest the

unity!" and the reply is, "There is no deity but God!" It is supposed

that a person bound on any unlawful undertaking would not dare to utter

these words.

NOTE 8. At the period when this work was composed, the Christians were

distinguished from the Muslims by a black or blue turban, and this was

wound in a peculiar manner.

NOTE 9.--_On the Title and Office of_ Wálee. "Wálee" is the title given

to the chief magistrate of the police, and was so employed in the time

of El-Maḳreezee, instead of the older appellation of "Ṣáḥeb

esh-Shurṭah." The same officer was also called "Mutawellee." It was the

duty of this magistrate to perambulate the streets at night, attended by

a body of his officers, including an executioner; for he often inflicted

capital punishment on criminals immediately after their detection. He

was invested with a degree of despotic power, and often put to death

persons accused of capital crimes without the formalities required by

the law. It was also his duty to superintend the infliction of the

punishments of criminals legally condemned. An officer was employed to

perform the nightly rounds in El-Medeeneh in the reign of Aboo-Bekr; but

it appears that the first regular guard for this purpose was appointed

in the reign of 'Othmán.[324]

NOTE 10. The ardebb, thus commonly pronounced, but properly written

irdebb, varies in different places. In Cairo it is very nearly

equivalent to five English bushels.

NOTE 11. In the original, this building is called the Khán of

El-Jawálee; but it evidently should be----of El-Jáwalee; and the error

is to be attributed to a copyist. The Khán of El-Jáwalee is mentioned by

El-Maḳreezee,[325] as being situate at a short distance within the

present gate called Báb en-Naṣr, and by the site of the older gate so

called; and as existing in his time, in the former half of the ninth

century of the Flight. [El-Maḳreezee also informs us, in his account of

the Medreseh el-Jáwaleeyeh, that El-Jáwalee's full name was

'Alam-ed-Deen Senjer, and that he was originally a memlook of one

Jáwalee (whence his surname), an Emeer of El-Melik eẓ-Ẓáhir Beybars. He

died in the year of the Flight 745.--ED.]

NOTE 12. Báb en-Naṣr (the Gate of Victory, or----of Aid) is the name

of the easternmost of the northern gates of Cairo. It was built in the

reign of the Khaleefeh El-Mustanṣir, in the year of the Flight 480 (A.

D. 1087-8).

NOTE 13. The words "besides my brokerage," I have inserted as necessary

to make the account correct.

NOTE 14. It has been shewn in a former note that the Arabs consider it

indecorous to eat with the left hand.

NOTE 15. As it is held impolite to shew the hands, unless unavoidably,

in the presence of a person of rank, the sleeve of the cloth coat, or

that of the silk vest which is worn beneath it, is made sufficiently

long to extend a little beyond the ends of the fingers; and so also, in

general, is the sleeve of the shirt worn by persons of the lower orders.

NOTE 16. This building is first called, in the Cairo edition, the Khán

of Suroor; and afterwards,----of Mesroor: the latter is the

appellation given to it in the edition of Breslau; and is the correct

name. The Khán of Mesroor is mentioned by El-Maḳreezee,[326] as situate

at the southern extremity of Beyn el-Ḳaṣreyn (respecting which see the

next note), adjacent to the site of the Great Palace of the Khaleefehs.

There were two Kháns of this name near each other. El-Maḳreezee says,

that, in his earlier days, the greater of these, which appears to be

that here alluded to, was one of the finest and largest Kháns in Cairo,

in a most flourishing state, the resort of the chief Syrian merchants,

and the dépôt of their goods; but that latterly it had declined, and

some portions of it were ruined.

NOTE 17. Beyn el-Ḳaṣreyn (which signifies "Between the Two Palaces") is

the name still applied to that part of the principal street of Cairo

which intervenes between the sites of the two famous palaces of the

Khaleefehs.

NOTE 18. A Ḳeysáreeyeh is a superior kind of sooḳ, consisting of ranges

of shops facing each other. That which is here mentioned (called in the

Cairo edition, the Ḳeysereeyeh of Jirjis; in the edition of Breslau, the

Ḳeysáreeyeh of Jarkash; and in the old English version, erroneously, the

Circassian bezestein) is the Ḳeysáreeyeh of Jahárkas, which, as I learn

from El-Maḳreezee,[327] was situate near the centre of what constituted

the old city, on the east of the principal street. It existed in his

time, and was built by the Emeer Fakhr-ed-Deen Jahárkas, in the year of

the Flight 502 (A.D. 1108-9). Ibn-Khallikán,[328] as quoted by

El-Maḳreezee, says of it, "I have seen a number of merchants who have

traversed various countries, and who say, 'We have not seen in any

country its equal in beauty and greatness, and compactness of

construction.'" He explains also the orthography of the name of

"Jahárkas," and states that it is Persian (Chahár-kas), and signifies

"four persons."

NOTE 19. The Egyptian fowls are much smaller than those of our country,

and one is not too much for one man's breakfast. The eggs are usually

hatched in ovens.

NOTE 20. The appellation of "the Gardener" is here to be understood as a

mere surname derived from the occupation of some ancestor of the

merchant; it being a common custom of the Arabs to retain an appellation

of this kind, however humble.

NOTE 21. El-Maḳreezee[329] mentions a "sooḳ of the money-changers" as

near to the Khán of Mesroor; and it seems to be the place here alluded

to: the word "sooḳ" being often omitted.

NOTE 22. The lady having offered up a prayer that the young merchant

might be her husband, I have taken the liberty of inserting here a

slight interpolation, which does not detract from the probability or

consistency of the story; but rather the contrary.

NOTE 23.--_On one of the Passages in this Work indicating a very late

Date._ The Ḥabbáneeyeh is the name now applied to a portion of a main

street, a little to the west of the lake called Birket el-Feel, in the

southern part of Cairo. It is evidently thus applied in the passage to

which this note relates; but El-Maḳreezee, writing in the former half of

the ninth century of the Flight,[330] says, "In this our time, bordering

upon it [the Birket el-Feel] is a _garden_ called by the name of the

Ḥabbáneeyeh, who were a family of Darmà the son of 'Amr the son of 'Owf

the son of Thaạlebeh the son of Baạl the son of 'Amr the son of El-Ghóth

the son of Ṭeiyi: so Darmà was a minor family of [the tribe of] Ṭeiyi,

and the Ḥabbáneeyoon [or Ḥabbáneeyeh--for the terms are synonymous] were

a family of Darmà; and the people have made a road between the garden of

the Ḥabbáneeyeh and the lake." He proceeds to say, that on the _east_ of

the Birket el-Feel there _were_ gardens; but that _houses_ and _streets_

had been built _there_.--Now, in the work before us, the tract which was

a _garden_ in the time of El-Maḳreezee is mentioned as occupied by

_houses_ and _streets_. Many years must have elapsed since that period

before such could have been the case; and surely at least a century

before the houses could have presented such an appearance as would lead

a writer to imagine them of "ancient times." It may be objected against

an argument drawn from this passage, that it is perhaps an interpolation

of a copyist; but it agrees with many evidences of a late date, and

occurs in at least one other copy (that from which the Breslau edition

is printed), with only this slight difference--that "Ḥabbáneeyeh," by

the erroneous addition of a point beneath the first letter, is converted

into "Jebbáneeyeh;" and it should be remarked that the latter copy

varies considerably in other points from that of Cairo. It would imply

that Cairo was almost as extensive a city at the time when this work was

composed or modernized as it is at present; and would account for its

being here called Miṣr, or Maṣr; a name which was retained by El-Fusṭáṭ

at least as late as the commencement of the tenth century of the Flight,

and probably until the year 1517 of our era or a little later, as I have

remarked in a former note.

NOTE 24. "Ḳá'ah" is a term generally signifying "a lofty saloon;" but

also often applied to an elegant house.

NOTE 25. "Naḳeeb" signifies "a chief," "a leader," &c., and has various

applications. In the present instance, the office which it designates is

doubtful, but is evidently of high dignity, as Naḳeeb of the Shereefs,

the Chief, or Syndic, of the Descendants of the Prophet.

NOTE 26. Báb Zuweyleh (the Gate of Zuweyleh, or, more properly, of

Zaweeleh, which is the name of a tribe) is a gate that was built at the

same period as Báb en-Naṣr, before mentioned. It marked the southern

limit of Cairo; but is now in the heart of the metropolis. With two

round-fronted towers, each surmounted by a lofty and elegant mád'neh, or

menaret, pertaining to the adjoining great mosque of El-Mueiyad, it

presents a very noble appearance.

NOTE 27. "Imperial gypsum" is a name given to the best kind of plaster

used in Cairo. I have often admired the smoothness of its surface upon

the walls of chambers in some of the older houses in that city; but, I

need hardly say, never saw any that reflected like a mirror.

NOTE 28. In the Cairo edition, "with pearls and jewels at its corners."

The deficiency I have supplied from the edition of Breslau: but I may

here remark, that it would have been more proper to describe the snakes

as _gilt_.

NOTE 29.--_On the Crowns worn by Arab Ladies._ From Eastern drawings and

descriptions, it appears that the kind of crown here mentioned was

generally a circle of jewelled gold (the lower edge of which was

straight; and the upper, fancifully heightened to four or more points)

surrounding the lower part of a dome-shaped cap with a jewel or some

other ornament at the summit. This crown was worn by many Arab ladies of

high rank or great wealth, probably until about two centuries ago.

Another kind of crown is now more generally worn, called a "ḳurṣ." This

is a round, convex ornament, generally about five inches in diameter,

composed of gold set with a profusion of diamonds, of open work,

representing roses, leaves, &c. It is sewed upon the top of the

ṭarboosh; and is worn by most of the ladies of Cairo, at least in full

dress. An engraving of a crown of this description, and another of one

of a more common kind, may be seen in my work on the Modern Egyptians,

vol. ii. Appendix A.

NOTE 30. It is a common custom of the Arabs to give a present of money

tied up in a corner of an embroidered handkerchief.

NOTE 31. The mace is a weapon still used in the East; but not so

commonly as it was in former times. There was a petty governor in Upper

Egypt during my first visit to that country, who, in his daily rides,

indulged a frequent habit of striking persons with a weapon of this

kind, a tolerably-heavy steel mace; but he did it with a happy knack, so

as never, I believe, to inflict a dangerous wound, unless intentionally.

Maces, like other arms of steel, are often tastefully inlaid with

arabesque ornaments and inscriptions in gold.

NOTE 32.--_On the Punishment of Theft._ The Mohammadan law ordains that

a person who is adult and of sound mind, if he steals an article of the

value of a quarter of a deenár (or piece of gold) from a place to which

he has not ordinary or free access, shall lose his right hand; but this

punishment is not to be inflicted for stealing a free child, or anything

which, in the eye of the law, is of no pecuniary value; as wine, or a

musical instrument; and there are some other cases in which the thief is

not to be so punished. For the second offence, the left foot is to be

cut off; and for the third and subsequent offences, according to the

Ḥanafee code, the culprit is to be punished by a long imprisonment; or,

by the Sháfe'ee law, for the third offence, he is to lose his left hand;

for the fourth, his right foot; and for further offences, he is to be

flogged or beaten. The punishment is the same for a woman as for a

man.--This law induced a freethinking Muslim to ask, "If the hand is

worth five hundred deenárs, [this being the fine for depriving a man of

that member,] why should it be cut off for a quarter of a deenár?" He

was answered, "An honest hand is of great value; but not so is the hand

that hath stolen."--Amputation for theft is now seldom practised:

beating, or some other punishment, is usually inflicted in its stead for

the first, second, and third offence; and, frequently, death for the

fourth.

NOTE 33. Capital punishment in this case would be contrary to the law;

but it is often inflicted upon highway-robbers.

NOTE 34. The meaning is, that the doer is God. An allusion is here

conveyed to a verse (the 17th) in the Soorat el-Anfál (the eighth

chapter of the Ḳur-án)--"Thou didst not cast [the gravel into their

eyes] when thou didst [seem to] cast [it]; but God cast [it]."[331]

NOTE 35. The honour that is due to the human body requires that any

portion disunited from it be decently deposited in the earth.

NOTE 36. As a hair, for instance, is drawn from paste.[332]

NOTE 37. These verses are founded on a tradition of the Prophet.[333]

NOTE 38. _On_ Khatmehs, _or Recitations of the whole of the_ Ḳur-án _at

Private Festivities._ The most approved and common mode of entertaining

guests at modern private festivities among the Arabs is by a Khatmeh,

which is the recitation of the whole of the Ḳur-án. Three or more

persons of the inferior class of the professors of religion and law, who

are called faḳeehs (vulgarly, fiḳees), are usually hired for this

purpose. Schoolmasters, and students of the collegiate mosques who

devote themselves to religion and law, are the persons most commonly

thus employed. Their mode of recitation is a peculiar kind of

chanting,[334] which, when well executed, I found very agreeable, at

least for an hour or so: but the guests seldom have to listen to the

chanting of the whole of the Ḳur-án: the reciters usually accomplish the

greater portion of their task, in a somewhat hurried manner, before the

guests have assembled, each of them chanting, in turn, a certain

portion, as a thirtieth part of the whole (called a "juz"), or half of

one of these sections (a "ḥezb"), or, more commonly, a quarter (rubạ).

Afterwards they chant more leisurely, and in a more musical manner; but

still by turns.--These recitations of the whole of the Ḳur-án are

performed on various festive occasions, but are most usual after a

death; the merit of the performance being transferred to the soul of the

deceased.

NOTE 39. The mess termed "zirbájeh," by some called "zurbájeh," from the

Persian "zeerbáj," is a kind of spoon-meat. Some of its ingredients are

described in the sequel of the present story.

NOTE 40.--_On Atonements and other Services for the Dead._ As filial

piety is a general characteristic of the Arabs, and various services are

believed by them to atone for the minor sins of the deceased, and thus

to diminish his misery, or to increase his happiness, it is natural, and

not uncommon, for a son to act in the manner here related. Recitations

of the Ḳur-án are performed for the dead, to whom the merit of these

works is transferred, and a sacrifice is often offered at the tomb after

the burial; the flesh of the victim being distributed to the poor. But a

more important service for the deceased is the payment of his debts; for

it is affirmed by the Prophet, that even martyrdom will not atone for a

debt unpaid.

NOTE 41. A money-changer is very frequently employed to examine the

money which a purchaser offers; and if it be old, to weigh it. The

money-changers are mostly Jews and Christians.

NOTE 42. Some mosques (as the Azhar, for instance, the principal mosque

of Cairo) remain open all night; and many houseless persons sleep in

them, upon the matting which covers the paved floor. Men are also often

seen, at other times, but not at the hours of prayer, lounging, eating,

or working, in the mosques; such practices not being deemed inconsistent

with the high respect which the Muslims pay to these buildings.

NOTE 43. The remainder of this paragraph, and the whole of the next two

paragraphs, being omitted in the edition of Cairo, I translate from the

Calcutta edition of the first two hundred nights, and the edition of

Breslau; but almost entirely from the former.

NOTE 44. The water of the well of Zemzem, in the temple of Mekkeh, is

believed to possess miraculous virtues, and is therefore brought away in

bottles or flasks by many of the pilgrims, to be used when occasion may

require as medicine, or to be sprinkled on grave-linen. A bottle of it

is a common and acceptable present from a pilgrim, and a guest is

sometimes treated with a sip of this holy water.

NOTE 45. A whip is sometimes used in the ḥareem of a great man; and its

being attached to the waist of the damsel here mentioned marks her

authority. It is generally formed of a strip of hippopotamus' hide,

hammered into a round shape; and this kind is called a "kurbáj." I

believe it is seldom used in the ḥareem with severity; but usually for

intimidation. [I once saw some of the ladies of Názlee Khánim (thus

vulgarly pronounced for Názloo Khánum) struck with a kurbáj, for too

curiously looking in at the window of an apartment in that lady's

palace, in which I and some friends happened to be, and which overlooked

the private garden. They were speedily driven away by two or three black

eunuchs, who appeared to use their heavy whips indiscriminately and

severely; their excuse for this conduct undoubtedly being, that these

ladies were guilty of a great impropriety in thus shewing themselves to

men; for when riding abroad, it is usual for passengers in the streets

to turn their faces to the wall on the approach of the women of a great

man's household. Moreover, the ḥareem of Názlee Khánim was well known to

be ruled with an iron hand, and its mistress herself to have acquired

the character of her brutal husband, Moḥammad Bey, the Defterdár, whose

cruelties are mentioned in the "Modern Egyptians."--ED.]

NOTE 46. It is a universal custom of the Arabs, on visiting the sick, to

say, "May our Lord restore thee!" or, "No evil befall thee!" &c.

NOTE 47. The first hospital built by a Muslim was that of Damascus,

founded by El-Weleed the son of 'Abd-El-Melik, in the eighty-eighth year

of the Flight (A. D. 706-7). The Arabs would deprive St. Ephrem Syrus of

the honour of having been the author of the first institution of this

kind; one of their historians ascribing it to an early Pharaoh, named

Menáḳiyoosh; another, to Hippocrates.[335]

NOTE 48. The remainder of the paragraph is translated from the Calcutta

edition of the first two hundred nights.

Note 49. "The metropolis of the world," or literally, "the mother of the

world" ("umm ed-dunyà"), is a title given to several cities, as well as

to Cairo, by their respective inhabitants. This passage, therefore, and

others of a similar kind, in which even _foreigners_ are made to rank

Egypt and Cairo as superior to every other country and city, strongly

favour the opinion that some of its tales were written, or altered, by

an Egyptian.

NOTE 50. A more ample eulogium upon Egypt and the Nile, but abounding

with such gross errors that I could not confidently offer a translation,

is found in the Breslau edition. It agrees better with the old

translation; which, however, in this place, presents considerable

unauthorized amplifications, and some misconceptions: "Birket el-Ḥabash"

(for instance), the name of a lake on the south of Cairo, being mistaken

for Ethiopia.

NOTE 51. For this monthly rent (or about a guinea of our money), a large

and handsome house may be hired at the present day in Cairo.

NOTE 52. After the amputation of the hand for theft, the stump is

usually plunged in boiling pitch or tar, or oil, to stanch the blood.

NOTE 53.--_On Retaliation and Fines for Wounds and Mutilations._

Retaliation for intentional wounds and mutilations is allowed by the

Mohammadan law, like as for murder; "eye for eye," &c.:[336] but a fine

may be accepted instead, which the law allows also for unintentional

injuries. The fine for a member that is single (as the nose) is the

whole price of blood, as for homicide; namely a thousand deenárs (about

500_l._) from him who possesses gold; or, from him who possesses

silver, twelve thousand dirhems (about 300_l._); for a member of which

there are two, and not more (as a hand), half the price of blood; for

one of which there are ten (a finger or toe), a tenth of the price of

blood: but the fine of a man for maiming or wounding a woman is half of

that for the same injury to a man; and that of a free person for

injuring a slave varies according to the value of the slave. The fine

for depriving a man of any of his five senses, or dangerously wounding

him, or grievously disfiguring him for life, is the whole price of

blood.

NOTE 54. See No. 20 of the notes to Chapter ii.--"The women of Egypt

have the character of being the most licentious in their feelings of all

females who lay any claim to be considered as members of a civilized

nation; and this character is freely bestowed upon them by their

_countrymen_, even in conversation with foreigners."[337]--In the work

from which the above passage is quoted, I have expatiated upon this

subject more than I need do in the present case.

NOTE 55. The Arabs are generally of opinion that the innate dispositions

of a child are inherited more from the mother than from the father. They

believe that a daughter commonly resembles, in good or evil qualities,

her mother; and a son, his maternal uncle. Hence they often address a

man, "Yá ṭeiyib el-khál!"--"O thou who hast a good maternal uncle!"

NOTE 56. 'Abd-Allah Ibn-'Abbás was one of the most learned of the

companions of his cousin Moḥammad, and one of the most celebrated of the

relaters of his sayings and actions. He has received the titles of

"Interpreter of the Ḳur-án" and "Sulṭán of Commentators." He died in the

year of the Flight 68. His father, 'Abbás, the son of 'Abd-El-Muṭṭalib,

was paternal uncle of Moḥammad, and ancestor of the 'Abbásee Khaleefehs.

NOTE 57.--_On the Astrolabe._ The astrolabe is more commonly used by the

Arabs than any other instrument for astronomical observations. It is

generally between four and six inches in diameter. It consists of a

circular plate with a graduated rim, within which fit several thinner

plates, and of a limb, moving on a pivot in the centre, with two sights.

The plates are engraved with complicated diagrams, &c., for various

calculations. The instrument is held by a ring, or by a loop of cord

attached to the ring, during an observation; and thus its own weight

answers the same purpose as the plumb-line of the quadrant (which the

Arabs sometimes use in its stead); the position of the moveable limb

with the sights marking the required altitude.

NOTE 58. Ṣafar is the second mouth of the Mohammadan year.

NOTE 59. As different copies vary here as to the date, I have taken the

liberty of putting 263 instead of 763 or 653, in order to avoid a

glaring anachronism. It is probable, however, that the last of these is

the author's date, as it is found both in the old translation, and in

the Breslau edition. The date in the Cairo edition is 763.

NOTE 60. A degree is four minutes; it would have been more proper,

therefore, to have said, eight degrees and two minutes, than seven

degrees and six minutes.

NOTE 61. "Eṣ-Ṣámit" signifies "the Silent."

NOTE 62. This and the two following names, or rather, surnames, convey

the same meaning. Baḳbooḳ, Heddár, and Baḳbaḳ (here, in my original,

erroneously written Yaḳyaḳ), signify "Chatterer." "El-Kooz el-Aṣwánee"

(not to be mistaken for "---- ---- Aswánee," with a _soft_ s) seems to

imply that the person thus named was always like a mug, with open mouth,

and insensible as flint to rebuke. The two remaining names are different

in different copies: "Shaḳáliḳ" is perhaps put erroneously for some

other word, as "Shiḳáḳ," "Discord."

NOTE 63. Ḳur-án, ch. iii. v. 128.

NOTE 64. The Arabs generally carry their young children in this manner,

seated astride upon the shoulder.

NOTE 65. This expression is borrowed from the Ḳur-án, ch. xlviii. v. 10.

The meaning is, "there is no power of man, but God's power is superior

to it."

NOTE 66. The Prophet (Moḥammad) is always alluded to when this form of

benediction is used and the name of the person to whom it is applied is

not mentioned.

NOTE 67. "Nedd" is a perfume composed of ambergris, musk, and aloes

wood; or simply ambergris.

NOTE 68. Two khuṭbehs are recited on the occasion of the congregational

Friday-prayers. It is the first of these which is here alluded to. See

the next note.

NOTE 69.--_On the Congregational Friday-prayers._ The Selám (or

Salutation) of Friday is a form of blessing on the Prophet and his

family and companions, which is chanted by the muëddins from the

mád'nehs (or towers) of the congregational mosques half an hour before

noon. The worshippers begin to assemble in the mosque as soon as they

hear it, and, ranging themselves in rows parallel to, and facing, that

side in which is the niche, that marks the direction of Mekkeh, each

performs, by himself, the prayers of two rek'ahs, which are

supererogatory, and then sits in his place while a reader recites part

or the whole of the 18th chapter of the Ḳur-án. At the call of noon,

they all stand up, and each again performs, separately, the prayers of

two rek'ahs, ordained by the Prophet. A minister, standing at the foot

of the pulpit-stairs, then proposes to bless the Prophet: and

accordingly, a second Selám is chanted by one or more other ministers

stationed on an elevated platform. After this, the former minister, and

the latter after him, repeat the call of noon (which the muëddins have

before chanted from the mád'nehs); and the former enjoins silence. The

chief minister (Khaṭeeb, or Imám,) has already seated himself on the top

step or platform of the pulpit. He now rises, and recites a khuṭbeh of

praise to God and exhortation to the congregation; and if in a country

or town acquired by arms from unbelievers, he holds a wooden sword,

resting its point on the ground.[338] Each of the congregation next

offers up some private supplication; after which, the Khaṭeeb recites a

second khuṭbeh, which is always the same, or nearly so; part, of a

similar nature to the first, but chiefly, prayer for the Prophet and his

family, &c., and for the general welfare of the Muslims. This finished,

the Khaṭeeb or Imám descends from the pulpit, and, stationed before the

niche, after a form of words[339] differing slightly from the call to

prayer has been chanted by the ministers on the elevated platform before

mentioned, recites the divinely-ordained prayers of Friday (two

rek'ahs), while the people do the same silently, keeping time with him

exactly in the various postures. Thus are completed the Friday-prayers;

but some of the congregation remain, and perform the ordinary

divinely-ordained prayers of noon.[340]

NOTE 70. So in the Cairo edition. El-Muntaṣir bi-lláh was the

great-grandson of Hároon Er-Rasheed, and acceded to the throne in the

year of the Flight 247 (A.D. 861). A slight anachronism, therefore, is

here presented, unless we suppose that the hero of the story told by

the Sulṭán's steward was an old man at the period of the misfortune of

the humpback. The reign of El-Muntaṣir was somewhat less than six

months. The copy from which the old translation was made, and the

edition of Breslau, date the adventure of the barber, here related, more

than three centuries and a half later, in the reign of El-Mustaṣir

bi-lláh.

NOTE 71. The practice of spunging, or the intrusion of strangers at

entertainments, has long been very prevalent in Arab towns. An instance

has been given towards the close of Note 22 to Chapter iii.

NOTE 72. I have altered the order in which the brothers are described,

and omitted two particulars, to agree with the sequel.

NOTE 73. The next paragraph is translated from the Calcutta edition of

the first two hundred nights; being omitted in the Cairo edition. An

equal portion, later, is wanting in the old translation.

NOTE 74.--_On Augurations with respect to Marriage._ This passage

alludes to an astrological calculation made with the view of determining

by what sign of the zodiac the two persons are influenced who

contemplate becoming man and wife, and thence ascertaining whether they

will agree. This is often done in the present day by adding together the

numerical values of the letters composing his or her name and that of

the mother, and, if I remember right, subtracting from 12 the whole sum

if this is less than 12, or what remains after subtracting, or dividing

by, 12. Thus is obtained the number of the sign. The twelve signs,

commencing with Aries, correspond respectively with the elements of

fire, earth, air, water, fire, earth, and so on; and if the signs of the

two parties indicate the same element, it is inferred that they will

agree; but if they indicate different elements, the inference is, that

the one will be affected by the other in the same manner as the element

of the one is by that of the other: thus, if the element of the man is

fire, and that of the woman, water, he will be subject to her rule.

Among other calculations of the same kind is the following, which my

sheykh has mentioned in a marginal note on this passage, in the copy

from which I translate.--The numerical values of the letters composing

the name of each of the two parties are added together, and one of these

two sums is subtracted from the other: if the remainder is an uneven

number, the inference is unfavourable; but if even, the reverse.

In the present instance, the dupe, knowing that there are various modes

of divining whether he will be happy with his wife, is made to believe

that his fortune depends upon the mode, instead of the result, of the

calculation.

NOTE 75. Here, in my original, "Baḳbaḳ;" but this, as before mentioned,

was the name of the _third_ brother.

NOTE 76. "Ḳuffeh," signifying "a basket of palm-leaves," and "a dry

gourd," seems to be here equivalent to "empty-head."

NOTE 77. The blind in Egypt are notorious for their impudence.--It is

related that Moses, while bathing one day in the Nile, saw a blind man

pass by, and, being moved with pity, prayed that God would restore his

sight. His prayer was answered; but as soon as the eyes of the blind man

were opened, he seized the clothes of his benefactor, which were lying

on the bank, and protested that they were his own. Moses, therefore, now

prayed that the thief might be struck blind again; and God, answering

his prayer, said, O Moses, know that I am wiser than thou with respect

to my creatures.--This tradition was related to me in Cairo.

NOTE 78. It is generally thus that an injured Muslim calls others to his

aid.

NOTE 79. Like the natives of Egypt in the period of the Roman

domination,[341] its modern inhabitants, and the Arabs of other

countries (though, I believe, in a less degree), are notorious for their

obstinacy in refusing to pay their taxes until they have been severely

beaten. They well know that, the more readily they pay, the more will be

exacted from them; and are often heard to boast of the number of stripes

which they have received before yielding their money. The same obstinacy

is generally displayed by an Arab accused of any offence; and often,

even by a witness: in either case the man fears that, should he tell at

once all he can, the judge will try whether the stick or the kurbáj[342]

will elicit a further confession.

NOTE 80.--_On the general Corruptness of Muslim Judges._ Khiḍr Bey

(whether he was a judge I do not know), conversing one day with his

friends on the difficulties experienced in the exercise of judicature,

one of the company remarked, "In my opinion, the greatest difficulty

that is met with is, when one of the parties is rich, and the other,

poor."--"In that case," replied Khiḍr Bey, "I find none; for it is clear

that the rich will gain his cause, and the poor will lose: but the great

difficulty is, when the two parties are equally rich and powerful. If

thou, he continued, being a poor man, have a suit against one who is

rich and powerful, beware of applying to the Ḳáḍee; for he will not fail

to condemn thee: my advice is, that thou desist altogether from thy

suit, and rather throw thyself at the feet of thine adversary; for thou

wilt obtain more justice from him than from the Ḳáḍee."[343]--For a

justification of the opinion here expressed, see my work on the Modern

Egyptians, vol. i. ch. iv.

NOTE 81.--_On good and evil Omens._ Of omens I have already treated, in

Note 15 to Chapter i.: but a few words on this subject must be here

added.--It is common to draw a lucky or unlucky omen from the first

object seen on going out in the morning; and according as that object is

pleasant or the contrary, the person says, "my morning is good," or

"---- bad." A one-eyed man is regarded as of evil omen; and especially

one who is blind of the _left_ eye. Many a person is related to have

suffered for having an unlucky countenance.

NOTE 82. The portion of this story comprised in the first paragraph

having been the subject of a specimen of the present publication,

translated from the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred nights,

and printed and distributed when I had not in my possession the copy of

the original which I have taken as my general standard, it is here given

nearly in the same words: I have only made a few slight additions and

alterations derived from a comparison of the two editions. Some of the

notes inserted in the specimen I omit in this place, as they relate to

matters already explained.--Hole remarks (in page 223), that this part

of the Barber's story of his Fifth Brother is derived "from an Indian

fable of the remotest antiquity ... found in the Heeto-pades of

Veeshnoo-Sarma," in which a Brahman "inadvertently breaks his pottery

ware ... with a walking-stick ... in the act of suppressing the

outrageous jealousy of four beautiful but turbulent wives."

NOTE 83. "El-Feshshár" signifies "the Foolish Talker," or "Vain

Boaster." I have substituted this name for "El-'Ashshár," the reading in

my original. In the Arabic characters, the latter differs from the

former in little more than the want of a point, and has no appropriate

meaning. It appears that, in most copies of the original, the barber's

Fifth Brother is surnamed "En-Neshshár," or "the Sawyer," perhaps in

allusion to his incessant loquacity: but this, also, in the Arabic

characters, very nearly resembles "El-Feshshár," which I doubt not to be

the right name.

NOTE 84. There is nothing very extravagant in this hope of the barber's

brother; for in the East, persons frequently rise from very low to very

high stations; and it is remarkable that, notwithstanding their usual

pride, they generally retain the appellation of the trade or craft which

they or their fathers pursued, however ignoble, before their elevation.

It is common for a great man to distinguish himself by adding to his

name the appellation of "the druggist or perfumer," or "the grocer,"

&c.; and he is not a whit the less respected on this account.

NOTE 85. The Eastern grandee rides not at the head or rear of his

attendants, but in the midst of them.

NOTE 86. Persons distinguished by rank or wealth or learning are saluted

by many of the shopkeepers and passengers as they pass through the

streets of Eastern cities, and often greeted with a short ejaculatory

prayer for the continuance of their life and happiness. When a very

great man rides through the streets, most of the shopkeepers rise to

him, and pay their respect to him by inclining the head, and touching

the lips and forehead or turban with the fingers of the right hand.

NOTE 87. See Note 12 to Chapter iii.

NOTE 88. He could scarcely shew his pride more strongly; for it is an

affront to reject a present.

NOTE 89. An Arab lady of high rank seldom makes use of her feet but to

move from one chamber to another; when she goes abroad, she always

rides: to stand for many minutes together is, therefore, fatiguing to

her.

NOTE 90. See the close of Note 39 to Chapter iv.

NOTE 91. This is said either to shew his vulgarity or that the weather

was sultry.

NOTE 92. "El-Meleeḥah" signifies "the Beautiful:" it is derived from

"milḥ" (salt, &c.).

NOTE 93. An occurrence of a similar nature, which happened a few years

ago in Cairo, was related to me by one of my friends there.--An old

woman frequented the tomb of a saint in that city, near the eastern gate

called the Báb el-Maḥrooḳ, to which many women afflicted with disease or

barrenness often resorted to offer up prayers, believing their petitions

would be effectual through the saint's intercession; and she was in the

habit of enticing ladies from this tomb to the house of her husband,

which was near by, under pretence of his serving them with medicines or

with charms. The unsuspecting victim, being desired to go thither alone,

was conducted by the old woman to an upper room, at the end of which the

man was seated; and in walking over the matted floor to approach him,

suddenly fell through a trap-door into a place so deep that the fall

rendered her senseless. In this state, she was put to death; and as

ladies in Cairo always wear valuable ornaments and costly clothes, the

murderers were sure of obtaining considerable spoil.

NOTE 94. This money, we are to understand, was prepared for the purpose

of giving those presents which are customary from a guest at a

marriage-festivity; but the mention of a smaller sum would have been

more proper. It is given to the singing-women and tire-women who, in

great houses, parade the bride through the different apartments, and

display her in different rich suits of attire before the bridegroom.

NOTE 95.--_On the Handkerchief, and Signet, of Indemnity._ Sometimes,

the handkerchief, and sometimes, the signet, or seal-ring, is given as a

pledge of indemnity.--It was a frequent custom of many a chief of the

Memlooks of Egypt (there commonly called "the Ghuzz"), to bastinade men

in the court of his mansion (when he desired to make a show of strict

justice), in order that one of the women of the family, hearing the

cries, might drop a handkerchief from a window, and so the punishment

might soon cease, in respect for the ḥareem, whose protection is often

appealed to by offenders.

NOTE 96. The title of "Sulṭán" is here, and afterwards, given to the

Khaleefeh; and it has been so employed by a celebrated historian,

El-Maḳreezee.[344]

NOTE 97. So, apparently, in most copies; but in the Cairo edition, "of

the sons of the Kings." It is said to have been a custom of some of the

Barmekees (the family so renowned for their generosity) to keep open

house during the hours of meals, and to allow no one who applied at such

times for admission to be repulsed.

NOTE 98. "Sikbáj" is a dish composed of meat, wheat-flour, and vinegar.

NOTE 99. "Ḳaṭáïf" is a name applied to various kinds of sweet pastry:

particularly to a kind of small pancakes, made of a thin paste of fine

flour and water, about three inches broad, and a sixth of an inch or

less in thickness, baked upon a copper tray over a fire, like kunáfeh

(the composition of which is the same), and eaten with honey or sugar:

also to cakes composed of fine flour, treacle or honey, and sesame-oil.

The sirup mentioned in the same sentence is (as my sheykh states in a

marginal note) treacle thickened over the fire.--The proper singular of

ḳaṭáïf, namely, "ḳaṭeefeh," is seldom used; one of these cakes being

generally called "fard ḳaṭáïf." Sometimes, it appears, they were

perfumed with musk.

NOTE 100. The "mithḳál" is the weight of a deenár, or a dirhem and a

half,--in Cairo, about 71-1/2 or 72 English grains.

NOTE 101. See above, Note 96.

NOTE 102. By "Arabs," we are here to understand Bedawees, or Arabs of

the Desert, who are termed, by the older writers, "Aạráb," or

"Aạrábees;" but in my original, as in other late works, "'Arab," which

was the _old_ appellation of the _townspeople_ and _villagers_.

[Illustration]

[323] Sale's Korán; note near the close of chap. ii.

[324] See De Sacy, Relation de l'Egypte par Abd-allatif, pp.

381 et seq.; and Quatremère, Histoire des Sultans Mamlouks,

vol. i. pp. 109 et seq., a work of very great value, especially

for the notes.

[325] In his "Khiṭaṭ;" description of the principal street of

Cairo, and its branches (MS. in my possession).

[326] In his "Khiṭaṭ;" description of the principal street of

Cairo, and its branches; and account of the Kháns.

[327] Idem; account of the Ḳeysáreeyehs; and description of the

principal street of Cairo, and its branches.

[328] The orthography of this celebrated name is disputed; and

I may therefore mention that I have found it written Khall'kán

in an Arabic MS. of the year of the Flight 843; and in many

MSS. in which the reduplication of the _l_ is not marked, the

vowel _a_ is given to the first syllable. According to the

general opinion of the learned in Cairo, it is Khillikán.

[329] In his "Khiṭaṭ;" description of the principal street of

Cairo.

[330] In his "Khiṭaṭ;" description of the suburbs or environ

(ḍawáḥee) of Cairo--[The latest date in that work, as far as I

am aware, is found in the account of the mosques, in two

separate places. It is that of the year of the Flight 843 (in

the edition recently printed at Cairo); and, as El-Maḳreezee

died in the year 845, its occurrence is curious as shewing the

likelihood that he continued the composition of his most

celebrated work until very near his death. Indeed, it is

probable that he never finished it; the seventh and last

section, which is mentioned in the Preface, being wanting in

all the MSS. This date, in each instance, may be an insertion

by a later hand; but the author's History of the Sulṭáns of

Egypt was brought down, it is said by himself, to the year

preceding his death.--ED.]

[331] Marginal note, in my copy of the original, by the sheykh

Mohammad 'Eiyád.

[332] Marginal note, in my copy of the original, by the sheykh

Moḥammad 'Eiyád.

[333] Idem.

[334] A specimen of this mode of chanting is given in my work

on the Modern Egyptians, vol. ii. end of chap. v.

[335] El-Maḳreezee's "Khiṭaṭ;" account of the hospitals.

[336] Ḳur-án, ch. v. v. 49.

[337] "Modern Egyptians," vol. i. ch. xiii.

[338] It would not be necessary to remark on this explanation

of a curious custom if it had not been lately contradicted. Mr.

Lane derived his information from Arab authors, and from his

friends in Cairo; but D'Ohsson, also, says, in his Tableau

Général de l'Empire Othoman, Code Religieux, livre ii. ch. iv.

(and the authority of the works from which he translated will

hardly be questioned), that the Khaṭeeb "est même tenu de

réciter tout le _Khouthbé_ sur la chaire, _Minnber_, en

s'appuyant de la main sur la garde d'un sabre, dans tous les

temples qui ont été pris avec la ville par la force des armes."

The writer alluded to thinks that the use of the sword at

Mekkeh proves Mr. Lane to be in error; whereas the custom is

observed at Mekkeh because it was taken in war; but not at

El-Medeeneh because this city was not so taken.--ED.

[339] The iḳámeh see Note 24 to Chapter iv.

[340] For a more full account of the Friday-prayers, see my

work on the Modern Egyptians, vol. i. ch. iii.

[341] Ammianus Marcellinus, lib. xxii.

[342] See Note 6 to Chapter iv.

[343] D'Herbelot, Bibl. Or., article "Cadhi."

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