CHAPTER I.

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[Illustration]

The THOUSAND & ONE nights.

VOL. I.

LONDON: CHATTO AND WINDUS.

THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS

COMMONLY CALLED THE

ARABIAN NIGHTS' ENTERTAINMENTS

TRANSLATED FROM THE ARABIC, WITH COPIOUS NOTES, BY

EDWARD WILLIAM LANE

EDITED BY HIS NEPHEW EDWARD STANLEY POOLE

FROM A COPY ANNOTATED BY THE TRANSLATOR

WITH A PREFACE BY STANLEY LANE-POOLE AND

ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE DESIGNS OF WILLIAM HARVEY

[Illustration]

A NEW IMPRESSION IN THREE VOLUMES

VOL. I

LONDON

CHATTO & WINDUS

1912

LONDON:

PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED.

DUKE STREET, STAMFORD STREET, S.E., AND GREAT WINDMILL STREET, W.

[Illustration]

ADVERTISEMENT.

The present edition is an exact reproduction of that edited by my

father, with my great-uncle's final corrections, and published by Mr.

John Murray in 1859. Several reprints of that edition have testified to

the continued popularity of the work, and the necessity for the present

issue shows that an acquaintance of nearly half a century has not yet

wearied the public of the standard translation of the _Thousand and One

Nights_. The secret of Mr. Lane's success is to be found partly in the

instinctive sympathy for the spirit of the East, which enabled him

faithfully to reproduce the characteristic tone of the original, and

partly in the rich store of illustrations of oriental life and thought

contained in his Notes. In the various cheap versions, based upon

Galland's French paraphrase, the Eastern tone and local colour is wholly

wanting; and the peculiarities of life and manners, which contrast so

markedly with those of the West, are left unnoted and unexplained. Such

versions may serve in an inadequate degree to make the Arabian Nights

known to those who care only for the bare stories; but educated readers,

who are capable of something more than the mere enjoyment of the

romance, and desire to understand the character and habits of the actors

and the spectators, find in Mr. Lane's translation, and in his only, a

complete satisfaction of their want. It is not merely a scholar's

edition, though no oriental student can afford to be without it; but

beyond this narrow circle it has ever appealed to the wide audience that

cares to know the famous books of the world in their most perfect and

faithful reflections.

The actual moment is an opportune one for the reappearance of the work.

Egypt just now holds a foremost place in the eyes of the world, and it

is of Egypt that the _Thousand and One Nights_ have most to tell. Indian

or Persian as many of the tales are in their origin, their setting is

almost purely Egyptian; and though the place may be nominally Baghdád or

India, or even furthest China, it is in mediæval Cairo, in the days of

the Memlooks, that the scene of the Arabian Nights is really laid. The

people described are not Hindoos or Chinese, but Arabs and Egyptians as

they lived and moved in the fifteenth century, when some of the

beautiful mosques and tombs, that still make Cairo the delight of

artists, were being built, and the devastating hand of the Ottoman Turk

had not yet been laid on the land of the Pharaohs. For a minute picture

of Arabian society as it was in the Middle Ages, the _Thousand and One

Nights_ have no rival, and it is Mr. Lane's appreciation of this

picture, and the wealth of illustration lavished upon it in his Notes,

that render his edition the most complete commentary we possess on

Muslim life and manners, religion and literature, and make it an

indispensable supplement to his famous _Account of the Manners and

Customs of the Modern Egyptians_. The poetry of Eastern life is rapidly

fading away under the effacing touch of European civilisation; the

characteristic society in which an Haroon-Er-Rasheed, an Aboo-Nuwas, a

Káfoor, a Saladin, or a Kaït-Bey, revelled and jested and conquered, is

fast becoming matter of history rather than of experience, a field for

the antiquary instead of the traveller; and it is well that we can

reconstruct it in the pages of the _Thousand and One Nights_, whose

compiler saw it when it was still almost in its Golden Prime, and in the

_Modern Egyptians_, whose author knew it when it still preserved the

romantic character which has charmed and fascinated readers of every age

and condition.

STANLEY LANE-POOLE.

THE DAY OF TELL-EL-KEBEER, 1882.

[Illustration]

THE EDITOR'S PREFACE.

A new edition of this work having been required, Mr. Lane was requested

to undertake the correction of the press. But severe literary labours

allowing him no leisure for this object, he named me, as his pupil in

the study of Arabic, familiar with his writings, and for many years

resident with him in Cairo, to fill, in some measure, his place. I have

undertaken this duty with great diffidence, from a sense of my own

deficiencies and his extensive knowledge; but I have felt that I could

at least insure the correctness of the text, and a scrupulous adherence

to his wishes. The present edition is printed, without any variations of

my own (except those which are marked as such, and have been submitted

to Mr. Lane), from a copy of the first and complete edition, with

corrections and additions made by Mr. Lane, from time to time, since its

first publication. These, however, from the accuracy with which the

translation was made, and the fulness of the Notes, are not very

numerous. The same reasons have also caused my own notes to be few: I

believe that my Uncle's notes are complete in themselves; and that I

have sometimes erred, even in the rare exceptions I have made, on the

side of unnecessary addition.

An edition of any book not superintended by the author is sometimes

regarded with distrust. I would therefore assure the reader that in this

instance he may depend even on the punctuation; the whole having been

laboriously collated with Mr. Lane's annotated copy, notwithstanding the

great delay which this process has occasioned in the printing of the

work.

I have called this a _complete_ edition, to distinguish it from two

others which have been published without Mr. Lane's notes or his method

of writing oriental words, and with other variations from the standard

edition. The public appreciation of these notes, and of the advantage of

correctly-written foreign words, is, I conceive, proved by the call for

the present edition. On the subject of the mode of writing oriental

words in European characters, I need say little, for the controversy has

well nigh died out. The present generation does not regard antiquated

blunders as "the familiar names of childhood," but rather strives to

attain accuracy in all things; and those few who still cling to

"Mahomet" or "Mahomed" should consistently exhume the forgotten

"Mahound" of the Crusades.

The translator's views respecting the origin and literary history of

"The Thousand and One Nights" will be found fully expressed in the

Review at the end of the third volume. In his original preface, he

stated, "The remarks which I here submit to the reader, being written

when only one-third of the work to which they principally relate is

printed, must unavoidably be more defective than they would be if

reserved until a later period. During the progress of the publication I

may be enabled to form clearer and more complete views of the several

subjects which might with propriety be fully discussed at the head of

my translation, and I think it better, therefore, to append at the close

of the work many observations which I originally intended to prefix to

the first volume." He has therefore wished me to remodel the preface,

transferring all portions relating to the subjects in question to the

Review, retaining whatever may more properly stand at the commencement

of the work, and adding any matter of my own.

The object with which the translation was made is best expressed in the

words of Mr. Lane's preface.

"My undertaking to translate anew the Tales of 'The Thousand and One

Nights' implies an unfavourable opinion of the version which has so long

amused us; but I must express my objections with respect to the latter

in plain terms, and this I shall do by means of a few words on the

version of Galland, from which it is derived; for to him alone its chief

faults are to be attributed. I am somewhat reluctant to make this

remark, because several persons, and among them some of high and

deserved reputation as Arabic scholars, have pronounced an opinion that

his version is an _improvement_ upon the original. That 'The Thousand

and One Nights' may be greatly improved, I most readily admit; but as

confidently do I assert that Galland has excessively _perverted_ the

work. His acquaintance with Arab manners and customs was insufficient to

preserve him always from errors of the grossest description, and by the

_style_ of his version he has given to the whole a false character, thus

sacrificing, in a great measure, what is most valuable in the original

work,--I mean its minute accuracy with respect to those peculiarities

which distinguish the Arabs from every other nation, not only of the

West, but also of the East. Deceived by the vague nature of Galland's

version, travellers in Persia, Turkey, and India, have often fancied

that the Arabian Tales describe the particular manners of the natives of

those countries; but no one who has read them in the original language,

having an intimate acquaintance with the Arabs, can be of this opinion:

it is in Arabian countries, and especially in Egypt, that we see the

people, the dresses, and the buildings, which it describes in almost

every case, even when the scene is laid in Persia, in India, or in

China.

"Convinced of the truth of this assertion, I consider myself possessed

of the chief qualifications for the proper accomplishment of my present

undertaking, from my having lived several years in Cairo, associating

almost exclusively with Arabs, speaking their language, conforming to

their general habits with the most scrupulous exactitude, and received

into their society on terms of perfect equality. Since the downfall of

the Arab Empire of Baghdád, Cairo has been the chief of Arabian cities:

its Memlook Sulṭáns, introduced into Egypt in their youth, naturally

adopted, to a great degree, the manners of its native inhabitants, which

the 'Osmánlee Turks in later days have but little altered. Cairo is the

city in which Arabian manners now exist in the most refined state; and

such I believe to have been the case when the present work was

composed."

Mr. Lane's first two visits to Egypt were made when, for the last time,

Arab manners and customs as they existed in the age of the Arabian

Nights could be studied; and his translation was written very shortly

after his second return to England. Though some of the tales may be

Indian or Persian in origin, in their present state they exhibit a

picture of the manners, modes of thought, and language, of the court and

times of the Memlook Sulṭáns of Egypt, which nearly resembled in these

points those of the Khaleefehs of Baghdád, or the great Arab Empire. De

Sacy and Von Hammer, the two celebrated orientalists who differed widely

in opinion as to the origin of the book, agreed that the tales in which

the Khaleefeh Hároon Er-Rasheed is introduced (the best, with few

exceptions, in the collection) are Egyptian in character. But since the

"Modern Egyptians" were described by Mr. Lane, all things in the East

have changed, and every day witnesses the decay of some old custom, to

be followed by a bastard European imitation. During Mohammad 'Alee's

rule, all traces of the state and circumstance of the Memlook court

gradually passed away. European dress has displaced oriental costume,

cloth of gold, and dresses of honour; European architecture elbows the

quaint beauty of the old Arab capital; and the cavalcade of fifty

horsemen around a grandee is succeeded by an English carriage that

profanes the quiet streets of the city, and frightens away both 'Efreets

and their memory. Mr. Lane saw the last of Cairo in its integrity; and

he has not overstated his qualifications, as author of the "Modern

Egyptians," for the task of translating the Arabian Nights.

Of the copy from which this translation was made, and the method

observed in its execution, I may again quote the preface to the first

edition. Mr. Lane says,--

"I have taken as my general standard of the original text the Cairo

edition lately printed; it being greatly superior to the other printed

editions, and probably to every manuscript copy.[1] It appears to agree

almost exactly with the celebrated MS. of Von Hammer, than which no copy

more copious, I believe, exists; and contains all the tales in the old

version except those which, as Von Hammer says, Galland appears to have

taken from other works, Arabic, Persian, and Turkish, in the Royal

Library of Paris. The manuscript from which it was printed was carefully

collated and corrected by a very learned man, the sheykh 'Abd-Er-Raḥmán

Eṣ-Ṣaftee Esh-Sharḳáwee, who also superintended the progress of the work

through the press. But in addition to the value conferred upon it by the

corrections of this sheykh, the copy from which the whole of my

translation is made, except in a few instances, possesses an advantage

which, I believe, renders it incomparably superior to any other now

existing: it has been again revised and corrected, and illustrated with

numerous manuscript notes, by a person whom I think I may safely

pronounce the first philologist of the first Arab college of the present

day, the sheykh Moḥammad 'Eiyád Eṭ-Ṭanṭáwee, or, more properly,

Eṭ-Ṭanditáee. His notes are chiefly philological, and explanatory of

words which do not belong to the classical language; and many of them

are of very great assistance to me; though most of them I find

unnecessary, from the knowledge of the modern Arabic which I have

acquired during my intercourse with the people who speak it. His

corrections of the text are numerous; and as they would interest very

few persons, I have mentioned but few of them in the notes to my

translation, notwithstanding a strong temptation that I felt to do

otherwise in order that Arabic scholars might be assisted to judge of

the fidelity of my version by comparing it with the text of the Cairo

edition.[2] To the pieces of poetry which are interspersed throughout

the work he has paid especial attention; not only correcting the errors

which he found in them, but also always adding the vowel-points, and

generally, commentaries or explanations. Thus I have shewn that I am

very greatly indebted to him for his learned labours. I should, however,

add, that I have ventured to differ from him in interpreting a few

words; having found more appropriate meanings assigned to them by Arabs

in parts not visited by him, or such meanings given in printed

dictionaries with which he is unacquainted; and I have also corrected a

few errors which have escaped his notice.[3] Without the valuable aid

which he has afforded me, I would not have attempted the translation;

nor with it would I have done so were it not for the advantage that I

derive from my having lived among Arabs. No translator can always be

certain that, from twenty or more significations which are borne by one

Arabic word, he has selected that which his author intended to convey;

but, circumstanced as I am, I have the satisfaction of feeling confident

that I have never given, to a word or phrase in this work, a meaning

which is inconsistent with its presenting faithful pictures of Arab life

and manners.

"I have thought it right to omit such tales, anecdotes, &c., as are

comparatively uninteresting or on any account objectionable. In other

words, I insert nothing that I deem greatly inferior in interest to the

tales in the old version. Certain passages which, in the original work,

are of an objectionable nature, I have slightly varied; but in doing

this, I have been particularly careful to render them so as to be

perfectly agreeable with Arab manners and customs. It was originally my

intention to omit almost the whole of the poetry, thinking that the loss

of measure and rhyme, and the impossibility of preserving the examples

of paronomasia and some other figures with which they abound, would

render translations of them generally intolerable to the reader: but

afterwards I reflected that the character of the work would be thus

greatly altered; and its value, as illustrating Arab manners and

feelings, much diminished. I therefore determined to preserve a

considerable number of select pieces, chosen either for their relative

merits or because required by the context. The number of those comprised

in the first volume of my translation is nearly half of the number

contained in the corresponding portion of the original work; but in

several cases I have omitted one or more verses of a piece as

unsuitable, or for some other reason; and in a few instances I have

given only the first verse or the first couplet. These pieces of poetry

are not in general to be regarded as the compositions of the author or

authors of the work: they appear to be mostly borrowed from others, and

many of them are taken from the works of celebrated poets.--To avoid the

tedious interruptions which occur in the original at the close of each

Night, I have divided the translation into chapters, each of which

consists of one tale, or of two or more tales connected one with

another, and have merely mentioned the Night with which each chapter

commences, and that with which it terminates.

"The original work being designed solely for the entertainment of Arabs,

I add copious notes to the translation, to render it more intelligible

and agreeable to the English reader. These are entirely my own, except

in those cases when I have stated otherwise;[4] and my general object in

them has been to give such illustrations as may satisfy the general

reader, without obliging him to consult other works. In many of them I

endeavour to shew, by extracts from esteemed Arabic histories and

scientific and other writings, chiefly drawn from MSS. in my possession,

as well as by assertions and anecdotes that I have heard, and conduct

that I have witnessed, during my intercourse with Arabs, that the most

extravagant relations in this work are not in general regarded, even by

the educated classes of that people, as of an incredible nature. This is

a point which I deem of much importance to set the work in its proper

light before my countrymen. I have resided in a land where genii are

still firmly believed to obey the summons of the magician or the owner

of a talisman, and to act in occurrences of every day; and I have

listened to stories of their deeds related as facts by persons of the

highest respectability, and by some who would not condescend to read the

tales of 'The Thousand and One Nights,' merely because they are

fictions, and not written in the usual polished style of literary

compositions."

I have already mentioned that the literary history of "The Thousand and

One Nights" is discussed in Mr. Lane's Review appended to this

translation. In the course of my Arabic studies, and more especially

since I have been occupied in editing the present work, I have

endeavoured to form an unbiassed judgment on this difficult question;

and all my researches have confirmed me in agreeing with the opinions

there expressed. Von Hammer was inclined to lay too much stress on the

supposed Persian or Indian origin of these Tales; while De Sacy, on the

other hand, rejected the belief in any connection between the old work

and the more modern; contending that the latter was an independent

production. The discovery, however, of a passage in an Arabic author, by

Von Hammer, since the publication of De Sacy's Essay and Mr. Lane's

Preface, has placed the matter beyond a doubt; and scholars are now

agreed, notwithstanding De Sacy's pleasant sarcasm, and the weight of

his great name, that "The Thousand Nights" formed in some measure the

prototype of "The Thousand and One Nights." On the other hand, De Sacy's

keen appreciation of the modern (and chiefly Egyptian, or Arab,)

character of the book, in its present form, must be fully recognised,

and was indeed thus acknowledged by Von Hammer himself. The manners,

dresses, and modes of thought, portrayed by it are Arab throughout, even

in the stories which are probably retained from the Persian or Indian

original, of which that of the Magic Horse is the best example in this

translation. Besides those relating to the court and adventures of

Hároon Er-Rasheed, which, as I have before remarked, are curiously

Egyptian, many others appear to have been remodelled, if not actually

composed, in Egypt. It is not less true that these tales are generally

the best in the collection, if those of the Slave Káfoor, of 'Azeez and

'Azeezeh, and of Es-Sindibád, be excepted; for these certainly are

inferior to none. The more colloquial and familiar stories point to the

same origin; such as that of 'Alá-ed-Deen Abu-sh-Shámát (which is

pervaded by Egyptian characteristics in phraseology and in other

respects), that of Aboo-Ṣeer and Aboo-Ḳeer, and that of Maạroof. The

stories founded mainly on Persian or Indian originals appear to be

those in which supernatural beings play the most conspicuous parts; and,

as Mr. Lane remarks, these are generally deficient in verses, although

the converse does not hold good of the former class. The anecdotes are

mostly historical: many of them are, in the Notes, identified with

similar ones in other Arabic works; and almost all are of Arab origin.

The evidences of a late date scattered through the book may be additions

of copyists and reciters; but considered with reference to its general

character, they have a certain weight that cannot be overlooked: this is

carefully stated in the Review.

Mr. Lane's arguments in favour of the collective "Thousand and One

Nights" being an individual work, and not one of many similar

collections, seem to me to be conclusive: not the least important of

these is the fact that no similar collection is known to exist, nor is

mentioned by any Arab author, with the sole exception of the old

"Thousand Nights," which I believe he has demonstrated to be the

prototype, in a remote degree, of the "Thousand and One." To cite the

words of the Preface on the question of the original of the work as it

is known to us--"I have shewn it to be my opinion that all the complete

copies of 'The Thousand and One Nights' now known are in the main

derived, though not immediately, from one original; and I hold the same

opinion with respect to every fragment containing the commencement of

the work;" "not regarding the work as wholly original, nor as the first

of its kind; for many of the tales which it contains are doubtless of

different and early origins; and I think that its general plan is

probably borrowed from a much older production, bearing the same title

of 'The Thousand and One Nights,' [or 'The Thousand Nights,'] a

translation of a Persian work having a corresponding title, namely

'Hezár Afsáneh.'... One thing is certain--that 'The Thousand and One

Nights,' [or 'The Thousand Nights,'] translated from the Persian was

much older than the work now known by that title, and also extremely

different from the latter."

When these facts are considered in reference to each other, the date

assigned, in the Review, to the composition of the work cannot

reasonably be regarded as far from the truth. It is in Egypt, and

especially in the Memlook court, that we must look to find the people,

the manners, and the habits of thought, of "The Arabian Nights;" while

the style of the language in which they are written is that which we

might expect from an Egyptian of those times, who, unskilled in the

classical Arabic, yet endeavouring to imitate it, was doubtless more

generally intelligible then than he is now to the modern Egyptians. This

assumption of the old language, I may remark, is, and always has been,

characteristic of all learned Arabs, be they Egyptians or natives of

other Arabian countries (for such Egypt truly is); but no other instance

exists of a work of fiction in which the attempt fails so singularly in

affecting the classical, or retaining the modern tongue; while all other

Arabic _tales_ are certainly composed in either the one or the other.

The modern Egyptian romances are mostly written in the colloquial

dialect of every-day life; but those which are of older date are not

_modernized_, as some have supposed, against all reason, "The Thousand

and One Nights" to be: such an alteration would be without a parallel in

Arabic literature, as Mr. Lane proves in the Review in a way to relieve

me of the necessity of further alluding here to this particular

question. "The Thousand and One Nights" exhibit a style which would be

unfamiliar to the audience of the reciter of romances, without attaining

to the classical diction: and the conclusion is forced on us that the

work exhibits the language of a by-gone generation, which (taking into

consideration the other indications of its age and country), is, it can

scarcely be disputed, that of the later period of the Memlook rulers of

Egypt, before the Turkish conquest of that country. In the words of Mr.

Lane's Preface:--"Most of the tales which it contains are doubtless of

an older _origin_, and many of them founded upon very old traditions and

legends; but all these traditions or legends were evidently remodelled

so as to become pictures of the state of manners which existed among the

Arabs, and especially among those of Egypt, at the period here

mentioned; and I think that the composer of the work, or each of the

composers, if one commenced and another completed it, was an Egyptian."

But a more popular subject than its obscure origin is the literary merit

of this work. The rare fascination of these old Arab stories, their

supernatural romance, excessive love, quaint philosophy, and grotesque

humour, have, since the days of Galland, secured to them more readers

than any other profane work. The translation of Galland, with all its

lameness, puerility, and indecency, gained for them a hold which has

never been relaxed; and it only required the appearance of a scholarlike

and readable translation, freed from these defects, to make them

generally accepted in English families. The fashion of travelling in the

East has not a little added to the desire for a standard and annotated

edition of a work unique, even in those lands of genii and adventure, in

its remarkable portrayal of Eastern character, life, and, when closely

translated, idiom. The humour of the book, now broad, now subtle, (who

does not delight in Káfoor and his "half lie?") renders the comic

stories generally superior to the romantic; but the pathos perhaps

excels every other beauty. The story of Shems-en-Nahár is remarkable for

this characteristic; and that of 'Azeez and 'Azeezeh (first published in

this translation), surpasses in delicate tenderness any Arab tale with

which we are acquainted.

Of the critical value of Mr. Lane's translation I ought scarcely to

speak. Yet I may observe that students of Arabic make it a text-book in

reading the original; while the English reader not uncommonly forgets

that it is a translation, and detects not the literal accuracy of its

rendering of an unfamiliar, or unknown, language.

I have adverted to the system adopted in transcribing foreign words, and

I now conclude these preliminary remarks (intended only to render the

learned Review easier of perusal to the general reader, and to smooth

his first steps in a strange land), by quoting, with some slight

improvements by Mr. Lane, the explanation of that system given in the

preface to the first edition.

"In writing Arabic and other Oriental words in the present work, I have

employed a system congenial with our language, and of the most simple

kind; and to this system I adhere in every case, for the sake of

uniformity as well as _truth_.[5] Some persons have objected to my

writing in this manner a few familiar words which are found in our

dictionaries; but they will excuse me for remarking that general usage

is not altogether accordant with their opinion. Almost every author, I

believe, now writes 'Koran,' or 'Kurán,' and 'Pasha,' or 'Pacha,' for

our dictionary-words 'Alcoran' and 'Bashaw;' and most of our best

authors on Arabian History, of late, have written 'Khalif' for 'Caliph.'

In a work relating to a people who pronounce the Arabic w as v, I should

write 'Vezeer' for the Arabic word 'Wezeer;' but to do so when the

subject is Arabian, I consider inexpedient: and in this opinion I am

upheld by a great majority of literary and other friends whom I have

consulted on the subject, in the proportion of five to one. I may add

that Dr. Johnson has written in his Dictionary, 'Vizier [properly

_Wazir_];' and if we express the Arabic vowels by their _Italian_

equivalents, it _is_ properly 'Wazír' or 'Wezír.'--The system which I

here employ requires but little explanation; the general reader may be

directed to pronounce

a as in our word 'beggar:'[6]

á as in 'father:'[7]

e as in 'bed:'

é as in 'there:'

ee as in 'bee:'

ei as our word 'eye:'

ey as in 'they:'

i as in 'bid:'

o as in 'obey' (short):

ó as in 'bone:'

oo as in 'boot:'

ow as in 'down:'

and

u as in 'bull.'

The letter y is to be pronounced as in 'you' and 'lawyer:' never as

in 'by.'

An _apostrophe_, when immediately preceding or following a vowel, I

employ to denote the place of a letter which has no equivalent in our

alphabet; it has a guttural sound like that which is heard in the

bleating of sheep: ạ (with a dot beneath) represents the same sound

at the end of a syllable, when it is more forcibly pronounced.

Each of the consonants distinguished by a dot beneath has a

peculiarly hard sound.

Having avoided as much as possible making use of accents, I must

request the reader to bear in mind that a single vowel, when not

marked with an accent, is always short; and that a double vowel or

diphthong at the end of a word, when not so marked, is not accented

('Welee,' for instance, being pronounced 'Wĕ'lee'): also, that the

acute accent does not always denote the principal or only emphasis

('Hároon' being pronounced 'Hároón'); that a vowel with a grave

accent (only occurring at the end of a word), is not emphasized,

though it is long; and that dh, gh, kh, sh, and th, when not divided

by a hyphen, represent, each, a single Arabic letter."[8]

I have only to add one more extract from Mr. Lane's Preface.

"Many of the engravings which are so numerously interspersed in this

work will considerably assist to explain both the Text and the Notes;

and to insure their accuracy, to the utmost of my ability, I have

supplied the artist with modern dresses, and with other requisite

materials. Thus he has been enabled to make his designs agree more

nearly with the costumes &c. of the times which the tales generally

illustrate than they would if he trusted alone to the imperfect

descriptions which I have found in Arabic works.[9] Except in a few

cases, when I had given him such directions as I deemed necessary, his

original designs have been submitted to me; and in suggesting any

corrections, I have, as much as possible, avoided fettering his

imagination, which needs no eulogy from me. He has acquired a general

notion of Arabian architecture from the great work of Murphy on the

Arabian remains in Spain, and from the splendid and accurate work on the

Alhambra by Messrs. Goury and Jones; and through the kindness of my

friend Mr. Hay, of Linplum, he has been allowed to make a similar use of

a very accurate and very beautiful collection of drawings of a great

number of the finest specimens of Arabian architecture in and around

Cairo, executed by M. Pascal Coste, and now the property of Mr. Hay.[10]

He has also consulted a number of Oriental drawings, and various other

sources. My acknowledgments to other persons I have expressed in several

of the Notes.

"The portion which is comprised in the first volume of this translation,

terminates with part of the hundred and thirty-seventh Night: it is

therefore necessary to remark,--first, that there is less to omit in the

early part of the original work than in the later:--secondly, that the

_Nights_ in the early part are generally much _longer_ than in the

subsequent portion; the first hundred Nights (without the Introduction)

comprising 213 pages in the Cairo edition of the original work; the

second hundred, 149 pages; the third, 107; the fourth, 106; the fifth,

94:[11]--thirdly, that a similar observation applies to the _Notes_

which are inserted in my translation; those appended to the early tales

being necessarily much more copious than the others."

[1] Two other printed editions were also used by Mr. Lane--that

of the first two hundred Nights, printed at Calcutta, and in

consequence of the loss, by shipwreck, of nearly the whole

impression of the first volume, never completed; and that of

Breslau. The former differs much, in matter and manner, from

any other known copy; the latter, which was edited to the close

of the seven hundred and third night by Professor Habicht, and

completed by Professor Fleischer, is far inferior to all the

others. One other edition has appeared in the Arabic, that of

Calcutta, or "the Calcutta edition of the complete work." It

was brought from Cairo, and is apparently (though not

immediately) from the same original as the Booláḳ edition. I

have continually referred to it for various readings, without

finding any one of importance. And here I must animadvert on

the practice of German orientalists of wasting their own time

and their readers' patience in collecting such various readings

of a work like "The Thousand and One Nights" as must

necessarily be the result of the carelessness or the ignorance

of copyists and reciters. The habit is unfortunately adopted by

some Englishmen, who seem to imagine that all that is German is

therefore learned.--ED.

[2] "I must here state, that peculiar qualifications are

required to enable a person to judge of the fidelity of my

translation. The original work contains many words not

comprised in any printed dictionary, and a great number of

words used in senses which no such dictionary gives: in cases

of both these kinds, I am guided either by the explanations of

the sheykh Moḥammad 'Eiyád, or by my having been long in the

habit of noting down new words during conversation with Arabs,

and in the perusal of works in which they are explained."

[3] "As I hope that the copy which he has rendered so valuable

may be of great utility to many students of the Arabic language

when I have ceased to profit by it, I may mention here, that

the few corrections, and some explanations, which I have

inserted upon the margins of pages will be easily distinguished

from those of the sheykh Moḥammad 'Eiyád by the difference of

our handwritings."

[4] "When I mention 'my sheykh' in the notes, the sheykh

Moḥammad 'Eiyád is the person to whom I allude. In several

instances, when he has given brief explanations of words,

phrases, customs, &c., with which I was previously acquainted,

I have not thought it necessary to name him as my authority in

notes which I have inserted, though I have sometimes done so."

[5] "English writers generally express the Arabic vowels and

diphthongs by their nearest _Italian_ equivalents. This mode is

very well suited for those who know, and for those who do not

care for, the correct pronunciation of the words so

transcribed; but for others I think it objectionable. Our

language is altogether much more suitable to the purpose of

expressing the sounds of Arabic than the Italian. Besides, I

believe it is the custom of every other European nation, in

transcribing Oriental words, to employ a system congenial with

its own language. In a former work, I made use of a double h to

express a very strong Arabic aspirate (as others had done

before me), and the word 'Hhágg' or 'Hhájj' was pointed out by

a critic as one remarkably uncouth: Von Hammer, in a review of

that work, writes the same word (and very properly as a German

writer) 'Hadschdsch.'"

[6] "Strictly speaking, it has a sound between that of a in

'bad' and that of u in 'bud;' sometimes approximating more to

the former; and sometimes to the latter."

[7] "Its sound, however, often approximates to that of a in

'ball.'"

[8] "Dh is pronounced as th in 'that:' gh represents a guttural

sound like that produced in gargling: kh represents a guttural

sound like that which is produced in expelling saliva from the

throat, and approaching nearer to the sound of ḥ (a very strong

aspirate) than to that of k: sh is pronounced as in 'shall:'

and th, as in 'thin.'"

[9] "Es-Suyooṭee, in his 'Ḥosn el-Moḥáḍarah,' after quoting a

description of certain dresses, says, 'As to their dresses of

honour, and those of the Wezeers and others of similar rank, I

have struck out the description of them from the words of

Ibn-Faḍl-Allah; for they are composed of silk and gold, which

is forbidden by the law, and I have obliged myself not to

mention in this book any thing of which I should be questioned

in the world to come, if it be the will of God.'--I have never

seen any Arabic work with drawings of costumes; but Persian

drawings are often useful in explaining Arab dresses."

[10] These drawings, with some few exceptions, have now been

published, from copies in the possession of M. Coste.

[11] "The substance of the first five chapters in my

translation, ending with part of the thirty-second Night,

occupies a hundred and sixty-eight Nights in the edition of

Breslau."

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME.

PAGE

Introduction 1

Notes 15

CHAPTER I.

Story of the Merchant and the Jinnee 38

Story of the First Sheykh and the Gazelle 42

Story of the Second Sheykh and the two Black Hounds 46

Story of the Third Sheykh and the Mule 50

Notes 52

CHAPTER II.

Story of the Fisherman 69

Story of King Yoonán and the Sage Doobán 75

Story of the Husband and the Parrot 79

Story of the Envious Wezeer and the Prince and the Ghooleh 81

Continuation of the Story of King Yoonán and the Sage Doobán 83

Continuation of the Story of the Fisherman 86

Story of the Young King of the Black Islands 94

Notes 104

CHAPTER III.

Story of the Porter and the Ladies of Baghdád, and of

the Three Royal Mendicants, &c. 120

Story of the First Royal Mendicant 134

Story of the Second Royal Mendicant 140

Story of the Envier and the Envied 149

Continuation of the Story of the Second Royal Mendicant 151

Story of the Third Royal Mendicant 160

Continuation of the Story of the Ladies of Baghdád, &c. 173

Story of the First of the Three Ladies of Baghdád 173

Story of the Second of the Three Ladies of Baghdád 181

Conclusion of the Story of the Ladies of Baghdád, &c. 187

Notes 190

CHAPTER IV.

Story of the Three Apples, &c. 222

Story of Noor-ed-Deen and his Son, and of Shems-ed-Deen

and his Daughter 230

Notes 272

CHAPTER V.

Story of the Humpback 291

Story told by the Christian Broker 297

Story told by the Sulṭán's Steward 310

Story told by the Jewish Physician 320

Story told by the Tailor 328

The Barber's Story of Himself 342

The Barber's Story of his First Brother 344

The Barber's Story of his Second Brother 348

The Barber's Story of his Third Brother 351

The Barber's Story of his Fourth Brother 355

The Barber's Story of his Fifth Brother 359

The Barber's Story of his Sixth Brother 369

Conclusion of the Story told by the Tailor 374

Conclusion of the Story of the Humpback 374

Notes 377

CHAPTER VI.

Story of Noor-ed-Deen and Enees-el-Jelees 390

Notes 430

CHAPTER VII.

Story of Ghánim the Son of Eiyoob, the Distracted Slave

of Love 436

Story of the Slave Káfoor 440

Continuation of the Story of Ghánim 445

Notes 463

CHAPTER VIII.

Story of Táj-el-Mulook and the Lady Dunyà 469

Story of 'Azeez and 'Azeezeh 480

Continuation of the Story of Táj-el-Mulook and the

Lady Dunyà 512

Notes 544

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME I.

Engraver's Names. Page

Ornamental Title.--At the foot is the

Title in Arabic JACKSON.

Head-piece to Preface.--The Vase is formed

of the Arabic words signifying "In the

name of God, the Compassionate, the

Merciful" (always placed at the head of a

Muslim work), written doubly, and

contrarily MARY CLINT vii

Tail-piece to Preface LANDELLS xxii

Head-piece to Table of Contents LANDELLS xxiii

Tail-piece to Table of Contents WILLIAMSON xxv

Head-piece to List of Illustrations LANDELLS xxvi

Shahriyár going out to hunt, and Ornamental

Border JACKSON 1

The Wezeer presenting the letter to Sháh-Zemán O. SMITH 3

Sháh-Zemán, after having killed his Wife O. SMITH 4

Meeting of Shahriyár and Sháh-Zemán O. SMITH 5

Shahriyár's return from the Chase GRAY 6

Garden of Shahriyár's Palace THOMPSON 7

'Efreet and Lady T. WILLIAMS 8

The Wezeer and his two Daughters O. SMITH 11

The Ass at Plough LANDELLS 12

The Dog and the Cock LANDELLS 13

Shahriyár unveiling Shahrazád THOMPSON 14

Head-piece to Notes to Introduction.--The Arabic

inscription is the subject of the first

paragraph of the first Note LANDELLS 15

Tail-piece to Notes to Introduction.--Morning LANDELLS 37

Head-piece to Chapter I.--Shahrazád narrating

her Stories MISS WILLIAMS 38

Merchant and Jinnee S. WILLIAMS 39

Meeting of the Merchant and the Sheykh with

the Gazelle O. SMITH 41

Return of the Jinnee O. SMITH 42

Transformation of the Concubine into a Cow THOMPSON 43

The Herdsman introducing his Daughter to

the Sheykh BENNEWORTH 45

The Second Sheykh receiving his poor Brother GRAY 47

The Second Sheykh finding the Maiden on

the Sea-shore GRAY 48

The Second Sheykh saved from drowning LINTON 49

The Second Sheykh and the two Black Hounds GRAY 50

Tail-piece to Chapter I.--The Jinnee listening

to the Tales of the Sheykhs F. W. BRANSTON 51

Head-piece to Notes to Chapter I.--The Merchant

eating in the Garden LANDELLS 52

Tail-piece to Notes to Chapter I. MASON JACKSON 68

Head-piece to Chapter II.--The Fisherman.--Motto,

"Small things stir up great" JACKSON 69

The 'Efreet liberated from the Bottle ORRIN SMITH 71

The Fisherman enclosing the 'Efreet in

the Bottle GREEN 74

King Yoonán playing at Goff LANDELLS 76

Doobán in his Dress of Honour THOMPSON 78

The Intelligent Parrot GRAY 79

The Prince Meeting the Ghooleh LANDELLS 82

Doobán and the Executioner GRAY 84

The Death of King Yoonán THOMPSON 86

The Fish of Four Colours GRAY 88

The Fisherman shewing the Fish to the Sulṭán THOMPSON 89

The Cook-maid dressing the Fish KIRCHNER 90

The Black Palace LANDELLS 92

The Sulṭán discovering the Young King of

the Black Islands ORRIN SMITH 94

The Young King on his Bed, attended by

Two Maids T. WILLIAMS 95

The Black Slave wounded by the Young King GRAY 97

The Ḳubbeh, or Tomb MISS WILLIAMS 100

The Sulṭán killing the Enchantress S. WILLIAMS 101

Tail-piece to Chapter II.--The Journey home LANDELLS 103

Head-piece to Notes to Chapter II.--The Fisherman

and the dead Ass LANDELLS 104

Head-piece to Chapter III.--The Porter,

&c.--The Motto is the Inscription upon

the Door, in Koofee Characters MASON JACKSON 120

The Porter pleading with the Three Ladies SMITH 123

The Porter and Ladies carousing T. WILLIAMS 124

The Three Royal Mendicants VASEY 126

The Concert of the Mendicants SMITH 127

The Ladies preparing to whip the Bitches GRAY 129

The Portress fainting T. WILLIAMS 130

The Porter seized GRAY 132

First Prince (afterwards a Mendicant) leading

the Lady to the Tomb SMITH 135

Second Prince (afterwards a Mendicant)

meeting the Robbers GREEN 140

Second Prince as a Wood-cutter T. WILLIAMS 142

Second Prince discovering the Trap-door LANDELLS 143

Second Prince ascending the Steps LANDELLS 145

Second Prince carried off by the 'Efreet THOMPSON 146

Second Prince begging his life of the 'Efreet THOMPSON 148

The Envied Sheykh and the Jinn in the Well T. WILLIAMS 150

Second Prince transformed into an Ape S. WILLIAMS 152

The Ape recognised by the Princess GRAY 155

The Combat with the Lion (Head-piece) S. WILLIAMS, Jun. 156

Transformations WRIGHT & FOLKARD 156

Ditto WRIGHT & FOLKARD 157

Disenchantment of the Ape SMITH 158

The Mountain of Loadstone WHIMPER 162

The Prince thrown ashore M. JACKSON 163

Death of the Youth in the Cave GREEN 166

Garden M. JACKSON 171

First Lady recognising her Sisters GREEN 174

The Prince in the Oratory SMITH 177

First Lady after killing the Serpent LANDELLS 180

Bázár, or Market-Street M. JACKSON 184

Old Woman interceding for the Second Lady THOMPSON 186

Palace GREEN 189

Head-piece to Notes to Chapter III.--The Porter J. JACKSON 190

Persian Harps LANDELLS 205

Tail-piece to Notes to Chapter III. T. WILLIAMS 221

Head-piece to Chapter IV.--Fisherman drawing

his Nets THOMPSON 222

The Young Man presenting the Apples to

his Wife F. BRANSTON 226

The Wezeer finding the Apple GREEN 229

The Pyramids J. JACKSON 232

The Mule of Noor-ed-Deen LANDELLS 233

Noor-ed-Deen after the Bath M. JACKSON 235

The Old Wezeer instructing his Grandchild THOMPSON 238

Noor-ed-Deen and his Son LINTON 241

Bedr-ed-Deen at his Father's Tomb J. JACKSON 243

The 'Efreet, attended by the Jinneeyeh,

carrying off Bedr-ed-Deen THOMPSON 245

Transformations WRIGHT & FOLKARD 248

Ditto WRIGHT & FOLKARD 249

Bedr-ed-Deen and his Bride WRIGHT & FOLKARD 249

Gate of Damascus M. JACKSON 251

The Wezeer Shems-ed-Deen recovering from

a Swoon SLADER 255

The School GRAY 257

Damascus SMITH 260

The Widow of Noor-ed-Deen kissing the feet

of his Brother T. WILLIAMS 263

Bedr-ed-Deen waiting upon his Son and

the Eunuch GREEN 265

Bedr-ed-Deen bound SMITH 267

Bedr-ed-Deen's perplexity J. JACKSON 270

Head-piece to Notes to Chapter IV.--The Old

Fisherman MISS WILLIAMS 273

Tail-piece to Notes to Chapter IV. WRIGHT & FOLKARD 290

Head-piece to Chapter V.--The Humpback, &c. T. WILLIAMS 291

The Humpback Dead WRIGHT & FOLKARD 296

Báb en-Naṣr (from a Sketch by

Mr. E.W. Lane), &c. J. JACKSON 297

Money-Changer and Scrivener, &c. WRIGHT & FOLKARD 300

Saloon THOMPSON 303

Interior of Báb Zuweyleh (from a Sketch

by M. Coste) LANDELLS 306

Head-piece to the Story told by the Sulṭán's

Steward LANDELLS 310

Arrival of the Lady on the Mule M. JACKSON 313

Mosque on the Bank of the Tigris J. JACKSON 315

Displaying of the Bride THOMPSON 317

Portrait of the Jew SLADER 319

Head-piece to the Story told by the Jewish

Physician SMITH 320

Aleppo SMITH 322

The Arrest GRAY 325

The Lady confessing her Crime GRAY 327

Head-piece to the Story told by the Tailor SMITH 328

Young Man sitting on a Maṣṭabah SMITH 330

The Barber and the Young Man LANDELLS 332

The Barber and Servants with Dishes LANDELLS 336

The Barber rending his Clothes J. JACKSON 339

Portrait of the Barber VASEY 341

Head-piece to the Barber's Story of Himself J. JACKSON 342

Head-piece to the Barber's Story of his First

Brother.--The Motto, "How different is

to-night from yesterday!" LANDELLS 344

Tail-piece to the same WILLIAMSON 347

Head-piece to the Barber's Story of his

Second Brother T. WILLIAMS 348

Head-piece to the Barber's Story of his

Third Brother S. WILLIAMS 351

Tail-piece to the same JENNINGS 354

Head-piece to the Barber's Story of his

Fourth Brother JACKSON 355

Tail-piece to the same GRAY 358

Head-piece to the Barber's Story of his Fifth

Brother.--The Motto, "The emulous desire

of increase employeth you until ye visit

the graves."

(Ḳur-án, ch. cii. vv. 1 and 2.) JACKSON 359

The Reverie of the Barber's Fifth Brother THOMPSON 360

Ditto S. WILLIAMS 361

Ditto T. WILLIAMS 362

Ditto GRAY 363

The Result LEE 363

The Second Misfortune of the Barber's

Fifth Brother THOMPSON 366

Tail-piece to the Barber's Story of his

Fifth Brother WILLIAMSON 368

Head-piece to the Barber's Story of his

Sixth Brother LANDELLS 369

The Barber's Sixth Brother taken by

Bedawees GREEN 373

Tail-piece to the Story of the Humpback SLADER 376

Head-piece to Notes to Chapter V. LANDELLS 377

Tail-piece to Notes to Chapter V. VASEY 389

Head-piece to Chapter VI. SMITH 390

Noor-ed-Deen embracing the Slave THOMPSON 394

The Funeral of the Wezeer El-Faḍl WRIGHT & FOLKARD 397

The Wezeer El-Mo'een in the Slave-Market J. JACKSON 402

El-Mo'een in his Abasement MISS H. CLARKE 404

The Lane leading to "The Garden of Delight" GREEN 408

Bower in "The Garden of Delight" T. WILLIAMS 410

Enees-el-Jelees offering the Wine WRIGHT & FOLKARD 412

The Khaleefeh and the Wezeer in the Tree S. WILLIAMS 415

Kereem, the Fisherman JENNINGS 418

Enees-el-Jelees playing on the Lute S. WILLIAMS 421

Enees-el-Jelees and the Khaleefeh

and Jaạfar SLADER 427

Tail-piece to Chapter VI. BASTIN 429

Head-piece to Notes to Chapter VI. LANDELLS 430

Tail-piece to Notes to Chapter VI. BRANSTON 435

Head-piece to Chapter VII. LANDELLS 436

Ghánim in the Palm-tree SMITH 439

The Merchant meeting his Family JACKSON 443

Ḳoot-el-Ḳuloob awaking GRAY 446

Pretended Tomb of Ḳoot-el-Ḳuloob WILLIAMSON 451

Ghánim sick in a Mosque M. JACKSON 455

Ghánim's Mother and Sister as Beggars WRIGHT & FOLKARD 459

Tail-piece to Chapter VII. LANDELLS 462

Head-piece to Notes to Chapter

VII.--Damascus LANDELLS 463

Tail-piece to Notes to Chapter

VII.--The Decision M. JACKSON 468

Head-piece to Chapter VIII.--Suleymán Sháh

and his Wezeer J. JACKSON 469

Zahr Sháh on his Throne VASEY 473

The Troops of Suleymán Sháh meeting

his Bride WRIGHT & FOLKARD 475

Táj-el-Mulook hunting GREEN 477

Descent of the Handkerchief S. WILLIAMS 482

'Azeez and 'Azeezeh SLADER 485

The Maḳ'ad O. SMITH 490

'Azeez returned with the Knife and Dirhem LANDELLS 495

'Azeezeh weeping over the Design of

the Gazelles SLADER 497

'Azeezeh dead LANDELLS 499

'Azeez and his Mistress at the Grave

of 'Azeezeh WILLIAMSON 502

The future Wife of 'Azeez JENNINGS 505

The Punishment of 'Azeez GRAY 508

The Lady Dunyà THOMPSON 512

Halt on the Journey WHIMPER 514

Táj-el-Mulook receiving the Old Woman VASEY 519

The Lady Dunyà writing HARRIET CLARKE 523

The Lady Dunyà untwisting the Old Woman's

Hair T. WILLIAMS 526

The Old Woman beaten by Female Slaves S. WILLIAMS 528

Illustrations of the Stratagem in the Lady

Dunyá's Garden LANDELLS 532

Táj-el-Mulook and the Lady Dunyà LANDELLS 535

Scene on the Arrival of the Troops of

Suleymán Sháh WHIMPER 538

The Horses sent to Suleymán Sháh GRAY 541

Tail-piece to Chapter VIII. WRIGHT & FOLKARD 543

Head-piece to Notes to Chapter VIII. LANDELLS 544

Tail-piece to Notes to Chapter VIII. GREEN 555

[Illustration]

INTRODUCTION.

_In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful._[i_1]

Praise be to God, the Beneficent King, the Creator of the universe, who

hath raised the heavens without pillars, and spread out the earth as a

bed;[i_2] and blessing and peace be on the lord of apostles, our

lord and our master Moḥammad, and his Family; blessing and peace,

enduring and constant, unto the day of judgment.

To proceed:--The lives of former generations are a lesson to posterity;

that a man may review the remarkable events which have happened to

others, and be admonished; and may consider the history of people of

preceding ages, and of all that hath befallen them, and be restrained.

Extolled be the perfection of Him who hath thus ordained the history of

former generations to be a lesson to those which follow. Such are the

Tales of a Thousand and One Nights, with their romantic stories and

their fables.

It is related (but God alone is all-knowing,[i_3] as well as

all-wise, and almighty, and all-bountiful,) that there was, in ancient

times, a King[i_4] of the countries of India and China, possessing

numerous troops, and guards, and servants, and domestic dependents: and

he had two sons; one of whom was a man of mature age; and the other, a

youth. Both of these princes were brave horsemen; but especially the

elder, who inherited the kingdom of his father; and governed his

subjects with such justice that the inhabitants of his country and whole

empire loved him. He was called King Shahriyár:[i_5] his younger

brother was named Sháh-Zemán,[i_6] and was King of Samarḳand.[i_7]

The administration of their governments was conducted with rectitude,

each of them ruling over his subjects with justice during a period of

twenty years with the utmost enjoyment and happiness. After this period,

the elder King felt a strong desire to see his brother, and ordered his

Wezeer[i_8] to repair to him and bring him.

[Illustration]

Having taken the advice of the Wezeer on this subject,[i_9] he

immediately gave orders to prepare handsome presents, such as horses

adorned with gold and costly jewels, and memlooks, and beautiful

virgins, and expensive stuffs.[i_10] He then wrote a letter to his

brother, expressive of his great desire to see him;[i_11] and

having sealed it, and given it to the Wezeer, together with the presents

above mentioned, he ordered the minister to strain his nerves, and tuck

up his skirts, and use all expedition in returning. The Wezeer answered,

without delay, I hear and obey; and forthwith prepared for the journey:

he packed his baggage, removed the burdens, and made ready all his

provisions within three days; and on the fourth day, he took leave of

the King Shahriyár, and went forth towards the deserts and wastes. He

proceeded night and day; and each of the kings under the authority of

King Shahriyár by whose residence he passed came forth to meet

him,[i_12] with costly presents, and gifts of gold and silver, and

entertained him three days;[i_13] after which, on the fourth day,

he accompanied him one day's journey, and took leave of him. Thus he

continued on his way until he drew near to the city of Samarḳand, when

he sent forward a messenger to inform King Sháh-Zemán of his approach.

The messenger entered the city, inquired the way to the palace, and,

introducing himself to the King, kissed the ground before

him,[i_14] and acquainted him with the approach of his brother's

Wezeer; upon which Sháh-Zemán ordered the chief officers of his court,

and the great men of his kingdom, to go forth a day's journey to meet

him; and they did so; and when they met him, they welcomed him, and

walked by his stirrups until they returned to the city. The Wezeer then

presented himself before the King Sháh-Zemán, greeted him with a prayer

for the divine assistance in his favour, kissed the ground before him,

and informed him of his brother's desire to see him; after which he

handed to him the letter. The King took it, read it, and understood its

contents;[i_15] and answered by expressing his readiness to obey

the commands of his brother. But, said he (addressing the Wezeer), I

will not go until I have entertained thee three days. Accordingly, he

lodged him in a palace befitting his rank, accommodated his troops in

tents, and appointed them all things requisite in the way of food and

drink: and so they remained three days. On the fourth day, he equipped

himself for the journey, made ready his baggage, and collected together

costly presents suitable to his brother's dignity.

These preparations being completed, he sent forth his tents and camels

and mules and servants and guards, appointed his Wezeer to be governor

of the country during his absence, and set out towards his brother's

dominions. At midnight,[i_16] however, he remembered that he had

left in his palace an article which he should have brought with him; and

having returned to the palace to fetch it, he there beheld his wife

sleeping in his bed, and attended by a male negro slave, who had fallen

asleep by her side. On beholding this scene, the world became black

before his eyes; and he said within himself, If this is the case when I

have not departed from the city, what will be the conduct of this vile

woman while I am sojourning with my brother? He then drew his sword, and

slew them both in the bed: after which he immediately returned, gave

orders for departure, and journeyed to his brother's capital.

[Illustration]

Shahriyár, rejoicing at the tidings of his approach, went forth to meet

him, saluted him, and welcomed him with the utmost delight. He then

ordered that the city should be decorated on the occasion,[i_17]

and sat down to entertain his brother with cheerful conversation: but

the mind of King Sháh-Zemán was distracted by reflections upon the

conduct of his wife; excessive grief took possession of him; and his

countenance became sallow; and his frame, emaciated. His brother

observed his altered condition, and, imagining that it was occasioned by

his absence from his dominions, abstained from troubling him or asking

respecting the cause, until after the lapse of some days, when at length

he said to him, O my brother, I perceive that thy body is emaciated, and

thy countenance is become sallow. He answered, O brother, I have an

internal sore:--and he informed him not of the conduct of his wife which

he had witnessed. Shahriyár then said, I wish that thou wouldest go out

with me on a hunting excursion; perhaps thy mind might so be

diverted:--but he declined; and Shahriyár went alone to the

chase.[i_18]

[Illustration]

Now there were some windows in the King's palace commanding a view of

his garden; and while his brother was looking out from one of these, a

door of the palace was opened, and there came forth from it twenty

females and twenty male black slaves; and the King's wife, who was

distinguished by extraordinary beauty and elegance,[i_19] accompanied

them to a fountain, where they all disrobed themselves, and sat down

together. The King's wife then called out, O Mes'ood![i_20] and

immediately a black slave came to her, and embraced her; she doing the

like. So also did the other slaves and the women; and all of them

continued revelling together until the close of the day. When Sháh-Zemán

beheld this spectacle, he said within himself, By Allah! my affliction

is lighter than this! His vexation and grief were alleviated, and he no

longer abstained from sufficient food and drink.

When his brother returned from his excursion, and they had saluted each

other, and King Shahriyár observed his brother Sháh-Zemán, that his

colour had returned, that his face had recovered the flush of health,

and that he ate with appetite, after his late abstinence, he was

surprised, and said, O my brother, when I saw thee last, thy countenance

was sallow, and now thy colour hath returned to thee: acquaint me with

thy state.--As to the change of my natural complexion, answered

Sháh-Zemán, I will inform thee of its cause; but excuse my explaining to

thee the return of my colour.--First, said Shahriyár, relate to me the

cause of the change of thy proper complexion, and of thy weakness: let

me hear it.--Know then, O my brother, he answered, that when thou

sentest thy Wezeer to me to invite me to thy presence, I prepared myself

for the journey, and when I had gone forth from the city, I remembered

that I had left behind me the jewel that I have given thee; I therefore

returned to my palace for it, and there I found my wife sleeping in my

bed, and attended by a black male slave; and I killed them both, and

came to thee: but my mind was occupied by reflections upon this affair,

and this was the cause of the change of my complexion, and of my

weakness: now, as to the return of my colour, excuse my informing thee

of its cause.--But when his brother heard these words, he said, I

conjure thee by Allah that thou acquaint me with the cause of the return

of thy colour:--so he repeated to him all that he had seen. I would see

this, said Shahriyár, with my own eye.--Then, said Sháh-Zemán, give out

that thou art going again to the chase, and conceal thyself here with

me, and thou shalt witness this conduct, and obtain ocular proof of it.

[Illustration]

Shahriyár, upon this, immediately announced that it was his intention to

make another excursion. The troops went out of the city with the tents,

and the King followed them; and after he had reposed awhile in the camp,

he said to his servants, Let no one come in to me:--and he disguised

himself, and returned to his brother in the palace, and sat in one of

the windows overlooking the garden; and when he had been there a short

time, the women and their mistress entered the garden with the black

slaves, and did as his brother had described, continuing so until the

hour of the afternoon-prayer.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

When King Shahriyár beheld this occurrence, reason fled from his head,

and he said to his brother Sháh-Zemán, Arise, and let us travel whither

we please, and renounce the regal state, until we see whether such a

calamity as this have befallen any other person like unto us; and if

not, our death will be preferable to our life. His brother agreed to his

proposal, and they went out from a private door of the palace, and

journeyed continually, days and nights, until they arrived at a tree in

the midst of a meadow, by a spring of water, on the shore of the sea.

They drank of this spring, and sat down to rest; and when the day had a

little advanced, the sea became troubled before them, and there arose

from it a black pillar, ascending towards the sky, and approaching the

meadow. Struck with fear at the sight, they climbed up into the tree,

which was lofty; and thence they gazed to see what this might be: and

behold, it was a Jinnee,[i_21] of gigantic stature, broad-fronted

and bulky, bearing on his head a chest.[i_22] He landed, and came

to the tree into which the two Kings had climbed, and, having seated

himself beneath it, opened the chest, and took out of it another box,

which he also opened; and there came forth from it a young woman, fair

and beautiful, like the shining sun. When the Jinnee cast his eyes upon

her, he said, O lady of noble race, whom I carried off on thy

wedding-night, I have a desire to sleep a little:--and he placed his

head upon her knee, and slept. The damsel then raised her head towards

the tree, and saw there the two Kings; upon which she removed the head

of the Jinnee from her knee, and, having placed it on the ground, stood

under the tree, and made signs to the two Kings, as though she would

say, Come down, and fear not this 'Efreet.[i_23] They answered her,

We conjure thee by Allah that thou excuse us in this matter. But she

said, I conjure you by the same that ye come down; and if ye do not, I

will rouse this 'Efreet, and he shall put you to a cruel death. So,

being afraid, they came down to her; and, after they had remained with

her as long as she required, she took from her pocket a purse, and drew

out from this a string, upon which were ninety-eight seal-rings;[i_24]

and she said to them, Know ye what are these? They answered, We know

not.--The owners of these rings, said she, have, all of them, been

admitted to converse with me, like as ye have, unknown to this foolish

'Efreet; therefore, give me your two rings,[i_25] ye brothers. So they

gave her their two rings from their fingers; and she then said to them,

This 'Efreet carried me off on my wedding-night, and put me in the box,

and placed the box in the chest, and affixed to the chest seven locks,

and deposited me, thus imprisoned, in the bottom of the roaring sea,

beneath the dashing waves; not knowing that, when one of our sex desires

to accomplish any object, nothing can prevent her. In accordance with

this, says one of the poets:--

Never trust in women; nor rely upon their vows;

For their pleasure and displeasure depend upon their passions.

They offer a false affection; for perfidy lurks within their clothing.

By the tale of Yoosuf[i_26] be admonished, and guard against their

stratagems.

Dost thou not consider that Iblees ejected Adam by means of woman?

And another poet says:--

Abstain from censure; for it will strengthen the censured, and increase

desire into violent passion.

If I suffer such passion, my case is but the same as that of many a man

before me:

For greatly indeed to be wondered at is he who hath kept himself safe

from women's artifice.[i_27]

When the two Kings heard these words from her lips, they were struck

with the utmost astonishment, and said, one to the other, If this is an

'Efreet, and a greater calamity hath happened unto him than that which

hath befallen us, this is a circumstance that should console us:--and

immediately they departed, and returned to the city.

As soon as they had entered the palace, Shahriyár caused his wife to be

beheaded, and in like manner the women and black slaves; and

thenceforth he made it his regular custom, every time that he took a

virgin to his bed, to kill her at the expiration of the night. Thus he

continued to do during a period of three years; and the people raised an

outcry against him, and fled with their daughters, and there remained

not a virgin in the city of a sufficient age for marriage.[i_28]

Such was the case when the King ordered the Wezeer to bring him a virgin

according to his custom; and the Wezeer went forth and searched, and

found none; and he went back to his house enraged and vexed, fearing

what the King might do to him.

Now the Wezeer had two daughters; the elder of whom was named Shahrazád;

and the younger, Dunyázád. The former had read various books of

histories, and the lives of preceding kings, and stories of past

generations: it is asserted that she had collected together a thousand

books of histories, relating to preceding generations and kings, and

works of the poets: and she said to her father on this occasion, Why do

I see thee thus changed, and oppressed with solicitude and sorrows? It

has been said by one of the poets:--

Tell him who is oppressed with anxiety, that anxiety will not last:

As happiness passeth away, so passeth away anxiety.

When the Wezeer heard these words from his daughter, he related to her

all that had happened to him with regard to the King: upon which she

said, By Allah, O my father, give me in marriage to this King: either I

shall die, and be a ransom for one of the daughters of the Muslims,

or I shall live, and be the cause of their deliverance from

him.[i_29]--I conjure thee by Allah, exclaimed he, that thou expose

not thyself to such peril:--but she said, It must be so. Then, said he,

I fear for thee that the same will befall thee that happened in the case

of the ass and the bull and the husbandman.--And what, she asked, was

that, O my father.

[Illustration]

Know, O my daughter, said the Wezeer, that there was a certain merchant,

who possessed wealth and cattle, and had a wife and children; and God,

whose name be exalted, had also endowed him with the knowledge of the

languages of beasts and birds.[i_30] The abode of this merchant was

in the country; and he had, in his house, an ass and a bull.[i_31]

When the bull came to the place where the ass was tied, he found it

swept and sprinkled;[i_32] in his manger were sifted barley and

sifted cut straw,[i_33] and the ass was lying at his ease; his

master being accustomed only to ride him occasionally, when business

required, and soon to return: and it happened, one day, that the

merchant overheard the bull saying to the ass, May thy food benefit

thee![i_34] I am oppressed with fatigue, while thou art enjoying

repose: thou eatest sifted barley, and men serve thee; and it is only

occasionally that thy master rides thee, and returns; while I am

continually employed in ploughing, and turning the mill.[i_35]--The

ass answered,[i_36] When thou goest out to the field, and they

place the yoke upon thy neck, lie down, and do not rise again, even if

they beat thee; or, if thou rise, lie down a second time; and when they

take thee back, and place the beans before thee, eat them not, as

though thou wert sick: abstain from eating and drinking a day, or

two days, or three; and so shalt thou find rest from trouble and

labour.--Accordingly, when the driver came to the bull with his fodder,

he ate scarcely any of it; and on the morrow, when the driver came again

to take him to plough, he found him apparently quite infirm: so the

merchant said, Take the ass, and make him draw the plough in his stead

all the day. The man did so; and when the ass returned at the close of

the day, the bull thanked him for the favour he had conferred upon him

by relieving him of his trouble on that day; but the ass returned him no

answer, for he repented most grievously. On the next day, the ploughman

came again, and took the ass, and ploughed with him till evening; and

the ass returned with his neck flayed by the yoke, and reduced to an

extreme state of weakness; and the bull looked upon him, and thanked and

praised him. The ass exclaimed, I was living at ease, and nought but my

meddling hath injured me! Then said he to the bull, Know that I am one

who would give thee good advice: I heard our master say, If the bull

rise not from his place, take him to the butcher, that he may kill him,

and make a naṭạ[i_37] of his skin:--I am therefore in fear for

thee, and so I have given thee advice; and peace be on thee!--When the

bull heard these words of the ass, he thanked him, and said, To-morrow

I will go with alacrity:--so he ate the whole of his fodder, and even

licked the manger.--Their master, meanwhile, was listening to their

conversation.

[Illustration]

On the following morning, the merchant and his wife went to the bull's

crib, and sat down there; and the driver came, and took out the bull;

and when the bull saw his master, he shook his tail, and showed his

alacrity by sounds and actions, bounding about in such a manner that the

merchant laughed until he fell backwards. His wife, in surprise, asked

him, At what dost thou laugh? He answered, At a thing that I have heard

and seen; but I cannot reveal it; for if I did, I should die. She said,

Thou must inform me of the cause of thy laughter, even if thou die.--I

cannot reveal it, said he: the fear of death prevents me.--Thou

laughedst only at _me_, she said; and she ceased not to urge and

importune him until he was quite overcome and distracted. So he called

together his children, and sent for the Ḳáḍee[i_38] and witnesses,

that he might make his will, and reveal the secret to her, and die: for

he loved her excessively, since she was the daughter of his paternal

uncle, and the mother of his children, and he had lived with her to the

age of a hundred and twenty years.[i_39] Having assembled her

family and his neighbours, he related to them his story, and told them

that as soon as he revealed his secret he must die; upon which every one

present said to her, We conjure thee by Allah that thou give up this

affair, and let not thy husband, and the father of thy children, die.

But she said, I will not desist until he tell me, though he die for it.

So they ceased to solicit her; and the merchant left them, and went to

the stable to perform the ablution, and then to return, and tell them

the secret, and die.[i_40]

[Illustration]

Now he had a cock, with fifty hens under him, and he had also a dog; and

he heard the dog call to the cock, and reproach him, saying, Art thou

happy when our master is going to die? The cock asked, How so?--and the

dog related to him the story; upon which the cock exclaimed, By Allah!

our master has little sense: _I_ have _fifty_ wives; and I please this,

and provoke that; while _he_ has but _one_ wife, and cannot manage this

affair with her: why does he not take some twigs of the mulberry-tree,

and enter her chamber, and beat her until she dies or repents? She would

never, after that, ask him a question respecting anything.--And when the

merchant heard the words of the cock, as he addressed the dog, he

recovered his reason, and made up his mind to beat her.--Now, said the

Wezeer to his daughter Shahrazád, perhaps I may do to thee as the

merchant did to his wife. She asked, And what did he? He answered, He

entered her chamber, after he had cut off some twigs of the

mulberry-tree, and hidden them there; and then said to her, Come into

the chamber, that I may tell thee the secret while no one sees me, and

then die:--and when she had entered, he locked the chamber-door upon

her, and beat her until she became almost senseless and cried out, I

repent:--and she kissed his hands and his feet, and repented, and went

out with him; and all the company, and her own family, rejoiced; and

they lived together in the happiest manner until death.

When the Wezeer's daughter heard the words of her father, she said to

him, It must be as I have requested. So he arrayed her, and went to the

King Shahriyár. Now she had given directions to her young sister, saying

to her, When I have gone to the King, I will send to request thee to

come; and when thou comest to me, and seest a convenient time, do thou

say to me, O my sister, relate to me some strange story to beguile our

waking hour:[i_41]--and I will relate to thee a story that shall,

if it be the will of God, be the means of procuring deliverance.

Her father, the Wezeer, then took her to the King, who, when he saw

him, was rejoiced, and said, Hast thou brought me what I desired? He

answered, Yes. When the King, therefore, introduced himself to her, she

wept; and he said to her, What aileth thee? She answered, O King, I have

a young sister, and I wish to take leave of her. So the King sent to

her; and she came to her sister, and embraced her, and sat near the foot

of the bed; and after she had waited for a proper opportunity, she said,

By Allah! O my sister, relate to us a story to beguile the waking hour

of our night. Most willingly, answered Shahrazád, if this virtuous King

permit me. And the King, hearing these words, and being restless, was

pleased with the idea of listening to the story; and thus, on the first

night of the thousand and one, Shahrazád commenced her recitations.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

NOTES TO THE INTRODUCTION.

NOTE 1.--_On the Initial Phrase, and on the Mohammadan Religion and

Laws._ It is a universal custom of the Muslims to write this phrase at

the commencement of every book, whatever may be the subject, and to

pronounce it on commencing every lawful act of any importance. This they

do in imitation of the Ḳur-án (every chapter of which, excepting one, is

thus prefaced), and in accordance with a precept of their Prophet. The

words which I translate "Compassionate" and "Merciful" are both derived

from the same root, and have nearly the same meaning: the one being of a

form which is generally used to express an accidental or occasional

passion or sensation; the other, to denote a constant quality: but the

most learned of the 'Ulamà (or professors of religion and law, &c.)

interpret the former as signifying "Merciful in great things;" and the

latter, "Merciful in small things." Sale has erred in rendering them,

conjunctly, "Most merciful."

In the books of the Muslims, the first words, after the above phrase,

almost always consist (as in the work before us) of some form of praise

and thanksgiving to God for his power and goodness, followed by an

invocation of blessing on the Prophet; and in general, when the author

is not very concise in these expressions, he conveys in them some

allusion to the subject of his book. For instance, if he write on

marriage, he will commence his work with some such form as this (after

the phrase first mentioned)--"Praise be to God, who hath created the

human race, and made them males and females," &c.

The exordium of the present work, showing the duty imposed upon a Muslim

by his religion, even on the occasion of his commencing the composition

or compilation of a series of fictions, suggests to me the necessity of

inserting a brief prefatory notice of the fundamental points of his

faith, and the principal laws of the ritual and moral, the civil, and

the criminal code; leaving more full explanations of particular points

to be given when occasions shall require such illustrations.

The confession of the Muslim's faith is briefly made in these

words:--"There is no deity but God: Moḥammad is God's Apostle:"--which

imply a belief and observance of everything that Moḥammad taught to be

the word or will of God. In the opinion of those who are commonly called

orthodox, and termed "Sunnees" (the only class whom we have to consider;

for they are Sunnee tenets and Arab manners which are described in this

work in almost every case, wherever the scene is laid), the Mohammadan

code is founded upon the Ḳur-án, the Traditions of the Prophet, the

concordance of his principal early disciples, and the decisions which

have been framed from analogy or comparison. This class consists of four

sects, Ḥanafees, Sháfe'ees, Málikees, and Ḥambelees; so called after the

names of their respective founders. The other sects, who are called

"Shiya'ees" (an appellation particularly given to the Persian sect, but

also used to designate generally all who are not Sunnees), are regarded

by their opponents in general nearly in the same light as those who do

not profess El-Islám (or the Mohammadan faith); that is, as destined to

eternal or severe punishment.

The Mohammadan faith embraces the following points:

1. Belief in God, who is without beginning or end, the sole Creator and

Lord of the universe, having absolute power, and knowledge, and glory,

and perfection.

2. Belief in his Angels, who are impeccable beings, created of light;

and Genii (Jinn), who are peccable, created of smokeless fire. The

Devils, whose chief is Iblees, or Satan, are evil Genii.

3. Belief in his Scriptures, which are his uncreated word, revealed to

his prophets. Of these there now exist, but held to be greatly

corrupted, the Pentateuch of Moses, the Psalms of David, and the Gospels

of Jesus Christ; and, in an uncorrupted and incorruptible state, the

Ḳur-án, which is held to have abrogated, and to surpass in excellence,

all preceding revelations.

4. Belief in his Prophets and Apostles;[12] the most distinguished of

whom are Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Moḥammad. Jesus is held

to be more excellent than any of those who preceded him; to have been

born of a virgin, and to be the Messiah, and the word of God, and a

Spirit proceeding from Him, but not partaking of his essence, and not to

be called the Son of God. Moḥammad is held to be more excellent than

all; the last and greatest of prophets and apostles; the most excellent

of the creatures of God.

5. Belief in the general resurrection and judgment, and in future

rewards and punishments, chiefly of a corporeal nature: that the

punishments will be eternal to all but wicked Mohammadans; and that none

but Mohammadans will enter into a state of happiness.

6. Belief in God's predestination of all events, both good and evil.

The principal Ritual and Moral Laws are on the following subjects, of

which the first four are the most important.

1. Prayer (eṣ-ṣaláh, commonly pronounced eṣ-ṣalah), including

preparatory purifications. There are partial or total washings to be

performed on particular occasions which need not be mentioned. The

ablution which is more especially preparatory to prayer (and which is

called wuḍoó) consists in washing the hands, mouth, nostrils, face, arms

(as high as the elbow, the right first), each three times; and then the

upper part of the head, the beard, ears, neck, and feet, each once. This

is done with running water, or from a very large tank, or from a lake,

or the sea.--Prayers are required to be performed five times in the

course of every day; between daybreak and sunrise, between noon and the

'aṣr (which latter period is about mid-time between noon and nightfall),

between the 'aṣr and sunset, between sunset and the 'eshè (or the period

when the darkness of night commences), and at, or after, the 'eshè. The

commencement of each of these periods is announced by a chant (called

adán), repeated by a crier (muëddin) from the mád'neh, or menaret, of

each mosque; and it is more meritorious to commence the prayer then than

at a later time. On each of these occasions, the Muslim has to perform

certain prayers held to be ordained by God, and others ordained by the

Prophet; each kind consisting of two, three, or four "rek'ahs;" which

term signifies the repetition of a set form of words, chiefly from the

Ḳur-án, and ejaculations of "God is most Great!" &c., accompanied by

particular postures; part of the words being repeated in an erect

posture; part, sitting; and part, in other postures: an inclination of

the head and body, followed by two prostrations, distinguishing each

rek'ah. These prayers may in some cases be abridged, and in others

entirely omitted. Other prayers must be performed on particular

occasions. 1. On Friday, the Mohammadan Sabbath. These are

congregational prayers, and are similar to those of other days, with

additional prayers and exhortations by a minister, who is called Imám,

or Khaṭeeb. 2. On two grand annual festivals. 3. On the nights of

Ramaḍán, the month of abstinence. 4. On the occasion of an eclipse of

the sun or moon. 5. For rain. 6. Previously to the commencement of

battle. 7. In pilgrimage. 8. At funerals.

2. Alms-giving. An alms, called "zekáh," commonly pronounced "zekah," is

required by law to be given annually, to the poor, of camels, oxen

(bulls and cows), and buffaloes, sheep and goats, horses and mules and

asses, and gold and silver (whether in money or in vessels, ornaments,

&c.), provided the property be of a certain amount, as five camels,

thirty oxen, forty sheep, five horses, two hundred dirhems, or twenty

deenárs. The proportion is generally one-fortieth, which is to be paid

in kind, or in money, or other equivalent.

3. Fasting (eṣ-ṣiyám). The Muslim must abstain from eating and drinking,

and from every indulgence of the senses, every day during the month of

Ramaḍán, from the first appearance of daybreak until sunset, unless

physically incapacitated.--On the first day of the following month, a

festival, called the Minor Festival, is observed with public prayer, and

with general rejoicing, which continues three days.

4. Pilgrimage (el-ḥajj). It is incumbent on the Muslim, if able, to

perform, at least once in his life, the pilgrimage to Mekkeh and Mount

'Arafát. The principal ceremonies of the pilgrimage are completed on the

9th of the month of Zu-l-Ḥejjeh: on the following day, which is the

first of the Great Festival, on the return from 'Arafát to Mekkeh, the

pilgrims who are able to do so perform a sacrifice, and every other

Muslim who can is required to do the same: part of the meat of the

victim he should eat, and the rest he should give to the poor. This

festival is observed otherwise in a similar manner to the minor one,

above mentioned; and lasts three or four days.

The less important ritual and moral laws may here be briefly mentioned

in a single paragraph.--One of these is circumcision, which is not

absolutely obligatory.--The distinctions of clean and unclean meats are

nearly the same in the Mohammedan as in the Mosaic code. Camels' flesh

is an exception; being lawful to the Muslim. Swine's flesh, and blood,

are especially condemned; and a particular mode of slaughtering animals

for food is enjoined, accompanied by the repetition of the name of

God.--Wine and all inebriating liquors are strictly forbidden.--So also

are gaming and usury.--Music is condemned; but most Muslims take great

delight in hearing it.--Images and pictures representing living

creatures are contrary to law.--Charity, probity in all transactions,

veracity (excepting in a few cases), and modesty, are virtues

indispensable.--Cleanliness in person, and decent attire, are

particularly required. Clothes of silk, and ornaments of gold or silver,

are forbidden to men, but allowed to women: this precept, however, is

often disregarded.--Utensils of gold and silver are also condemned: yet

they are used by many Muslims.--The manners of Muslims in society are

subject to particular laws or rules, with respect to salutations, &c.

Of the Civil Laws, the following notices will at present suffice.--A man

may have four wives at the same time, and, according to common opinion,

as many concubine slaves as he pleases.--He may divorce a wife twice,

and each time take her back again; but if he divorce her a third time,

or by a triple sentence, he cannot make her his wife again unless by her

own consent, and by a new contract, and after another man has

consummated a marriage with her, and divorced her.--The children by a

wife and those by a concubine slave inherit equally, if the latter be

acknowledged by the father. Sons inherit equally: so also do daughters;

but the share of a daughter is half that of a son. One-eighth is the

share of the wife or wives of the deceased if he have left issue, and

one-fourth if he have left no issue. A husband inherits one-fourth of

his wife's property if she have left issue, and one-half if she have

left no issue. The debts and legacies of the deceased must be first

paid. A man may leave one-third of his property in any way he

pleases.--When a concubine slave has borne a child to her master, she

becomes entitled to freedom on his death.--There are particular laws

relating to commerce. Usury and monopoly are especially condemned.

Of the Criminal Laws, a few only need here be mentioned. Murder is

punishable by death, or by a fine to be paid to the family of the

deceased, if they prefer it.--Theft, if the property stolen amount to a

quarter of a deenár, is to be punished by cutting off the right hand,

except under certain circumstances.--Adultery, if attested by four

eye-witnesses, is punishable by death (stoning): fornication, by a

hundred stripes, and banishment for a year.--Drunkenness is punished

with eighty stripes.--Apostasy, persevered in, by death.

NOTE 2.--_On the Arabian System of Cosmography._ The words translated

"as a bed" would be literally rendered "and the bed;" but the

signification is that which I have expressed. (See the Ḳur-án, ch.

lxxviii. v. 6; and, with respect to what is before said of the heavens,

idem, ch. xiii. v. 2.[13]) These, and the preceding words, commencing

with "the Beneficent King," I have introduced (in the place of "the Lord

of all creatures") from the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred

nights, as affording me an opportunity to explain here the Arabian

system of Cosmography, with which the reader of this work cannot be too

early acquainted.

When we call to mind how far the Arabs surpassed their great master,

Aristotle, in natural and experimental philosophy, and remember that

their brilliant discoveries constituted an important link between those

of the illustrious Greek and of our equally illustrious countryman,

Roger Bacon, their popular system of cosmography becomes an interesting

subject for our consideration.

According to the common opinion of the Arabs (an opinion sanctioned by

the Ḳur-án, and by assertions of their Prophet, which almost all Muslims

take in their literal sense), there are Seven Heavens, one above

another, and Seven Earths, one beneath another; the earth which we

inhabit being the highest of the latter, and next below the lowest

heaven. The upper surface of each heaven, and that of each earth, are

believed to be nearly plane, and are generally supposed to be circular;

and are said to be five hundred years' journey in width. This is also

said to be the measure of the depth or thickness of each heaven and each

earth, and of the distance between each heaven or earth and that next

above or below it. Thus is explained a passage of the Ḳur-án, (ch. lxv.

last verse), in which it is said, that God hath created seven heavens

and as many earths, or stories of the earth, in accordance with

traditions from the Prophet.[14]--This notion of the seven heavens

appears to have been taken from the "seven spheres;" the first of which

is that of the Moon; the second, of Mercury; the third, of Venus; the

fourth, of the Sun; the fifth, of Mars; the sixth, of Jupiter; and the

seventh, of Saturn; each of which orbs was supposed to revolve round the

earth in its proper sphere. So also the idea of the seven earths seems

to have been taken from the division of the earth into seven climates; a

division which has been adopted by several Arab geographers.--But to

return to the opinions of the religious and the vulgar.

Traditions differ respecting the _fabric_ of the seven heavens. In the

most credible account, according to a celebrated historian, the first is

described as formed of emerald; the second, of white silver; the third,

of large white pearls; the fourth, of ruby; the fifth, of red gold; the

sixth, of yellow jacinth; and the seventh, of shining light.[15]

Some assert Paradise to be in the seventh heaven; and, indeed, I have

found this to be the general opinion of my Muslim friends: but the

author above quoted proceeds to describe, next above the seventh heaven,

seven seas of light; then, an undefined number of veils, or separations,

of different substances, seven of each kind; and then, Paradise, which

consists of seven stages, one above another; the first (Dár el-Jelál, or

the Mansion of Glory), of white pearls; the second (Dár es-Selám, or the

Mansion of Peace), of ruby; the third (Jennet el-Ma-wà, or the Garden of

Rest), of green chrysolite; the fourth (Jennet el-Khuld, or the Garden

of Eternity), of green[16] coral; the fifth (Jennet en-Na'eem, or the

Garden of Delight), of white silver; the sixth (Jennet el-Firdós, or the

Garden of Paradise), of red gold; and the seventh (Jennet 'Adn, or the

Garden of Perpetual Abode, or--of Eden), of large pearls; this

overlooking all the former, and canopied by the Throne, or rather

Empyrean, of the Compassionate ('Arsh Er-Raḥmán), _i. e._ of God.--These

several regions of Paradise are described in some traditions as forming

so many degrees, or stages, ascended by steps.

Though the opinion before mentioned respecting the form of the earth

which we inhabit is that generally maintained by the Arabs, there have

been, and still are, many philosophical men among this people who have

argued that it is a globe, because, as El-Ḳazweenee says, an eclipse of

the moon has been observed to happen at different hours of the night in

eastern and western countries. Thus we find Ptolemy's measurement of the

earth quoted and explained by Ibn-El-Wardee:--The circumference of the

earth is 24,000 miles, or 8,000 leagues; the league being three miles;

the mile, 3,000 royal cubits; the cubit, three spans; the span, twelve

digits; the digit, five barley-corns placed side by side; and the width

of the barley-corn, six mule's-hairs. El-Maḳreezee also, among the more

intelligent Arabs, describes[17] the globular form of the earth, and its

arctic and antarctic regions, with their day of six months, and night of

six months, and their frozen waters, &c.

For ourselves, however, it is necessary that we retain in our minds the

opinions first stated, with regard to the form and dimensions of our

earth; agreeing with those Muslims who allow not philosophy to trench

upon revelation or sacred traditions. It is written, say they, that God

hath "spread out the earth,"[18] "as a bed,"[19] and "as a carpet;"[20]

and what is round or globular cannot be said to be spread out, nor

compared to a bed, or a carpet. It is therefore decided to be an almost

plane expanse. The continents and islands of the earth are believed by

the Arabs (as they were by the Greeks in the age of Homer and Hesiod) to

be surrounded by "the Circumambient Ocean," "el-Baḥr el-Moḥeeṭ;" and

this ocean is described as bounded by a chain of mountains called Káf,

which encircle the whole as a ring, and confine and strengthen the

entire fabric. With respect to the extent of the earth, our faith must

at least admit the assertion of the Prophet, that its width (as well as

its depth or thickness) is equal to five hundred years' journey:

allotting the space of two hundred to the sea, two hundred to

uninhabited desert, eighty to the country of Yájooj and Májooj (or Gog

and Magog), and the rest to the remaining creatures:[21] nay, vast as

these limits are, we must rather extend than contract them, unless we

suppose some of the heroes of this work to travel by circuitous routes.

Another tradition will suit us better, wherein it is said, that the

inhabited portion of the earth is, with respect to the rest, as a tent

in the midst of a desert.[22] But even according to the former

assertion, it will be remarked, that the countries now commonly known to

the Arabs (from the western extremity of Africa to the eastern limits of

India, and from the southern confines of Abyssinia to those of Russia,)

occupy a comparatively insignificant portion of this expanse. They are

situated in the middle; Mekkeh, according to some,--or Jerusalem,

according to others,--being exactly in the centre. Adjacent to the tract

occupied by these countries are other lands and seas, partially known to

the Arabs. On the north-west, with respect to the central point, lies

the country of the Christians, or Franks, comprising the principal

European nations; on the north, the country of Yájooj and Májooj, before

mentioned, occupying, in the maps of the Arabs, large tracts of Asia and

Europe; on the north-east, central Asia; on the east, Eṣ-Ṣeen (or

China); on the south-east, the sea, or seas, of El-Hind (or India), and

Ez-Zinj (or Southern Ethiopia), the waves of which (or of the former of

which) mingle with those of the sea of Eṣ-Ṣeen, beyond; on the south,

the country of the Zinj; on the south-west, the country of the Soodán,

or Blacks: on the west is a portion of the Circumambient Ocean, which

surrounds all the countries and seas already mentioned, as well as

immense unknown regions adjoining the former, and innumerable islands

interspersed in the latter. These _terræ incognitæ_ are the scenes of

some of the greatest wonders described in the present work; and are

mostly peopled with Jinn, or Genii. On the Moḥeeṭ, or Circumambient

Ocean, is the 'Arsh Iblees, or Throne of Iblees: in a map accompanying

my copy of the work of Ibn-El-Wardee, a large yellow tract is marked

with this name, adjoining Southern Africa. The western portion of the

Moḥeeṭ is often called "the Sea of Darkness" (Baḥr eẓ-Ẓulumát,

or,--eẓ-Ẓulmeh). Under this name (and the synonymous appellation of

el-Baḥr el-Muẓlim) the Atlantic Ocean is described by the author just

mentioned; though, in the introduction to his work, he says that the Sea

of Darkness surrounds the Moḥeeṭ. The former may be considered either as

the western or the more remote portion of the latter. In the dark

regions (Eẓ-Ẓulumát, from which, perhaps, the above-mentioned portion of

the Moḥeeṭ takes its name),[23] in the south-west quarter of the earth,

according to the same author, is the Fountain of Life, of which El-Khiḍr

drank, and by virtue of which he still lives, and will live till the day

of judgment. This mysterious person, whom the vulgar and some others

regard as a prophet, and identify with Ilyás (Elias, or Elijah), and

whom some confound with St. George, was, according to the more approved

opinion of the learned, a just man, or saint, the Wezeer and counsellor

of the first Zu-l-Ḳarneyn, who was a universal conqueror, but an equally

doubtful personage, contemporary with the patriarch Ibráheem, or

Abraham. El-Khiḍr is said to appear frequently to Muslims in perplexity,

and to be generally clad in green garments; whence, according to some,

his name. The Prophet Ilyás (or Elias) is also related to have drunk of

the Fountain of Life. During the day-time, it is said, El-Khiḍr wanders

upon the seas, and directs voyagers who go astray; while Ilyás

perambulates the mountains or deserts, and directs persons who chance to

be led astray by the Ghools:[24] but at night, they meet together, and

guard the rampart of Yájooj and Májooj,[25] to prevent these people from

making irruptions upon their neighbours. Both, however, are generally

believed by the modern Muslims to assist pious persons in distress in

various circumstances, whether travelling by land or by water.--The

mountains of Ḳáf, which bound the Circumambient Ocean, and form a

circular barrier round the whole of our earth, are described by

interpreters of the Ḳur-án as composed of green chrysolite, like the

green tint of the sky.[26] It is the colour of these mountains, said the

Prophet, that imparts a greenish hue to the sky.[27] It is said, in a

tradition, that beyond these mountains are other countries; one of gold,

seventy of silver, and seven of musk, all inhabited by angels, and each

country ten thousand years' journey in length, and the same in

breadth.[28] Some say that beyond it are creatures unknown to any but

God:[29] but the general opinion is, that the mountains of Ḳáf terminate

our earth, and that no one knows what is beyond them. They are the chief

abode of the Jinn, or Genii.--Such is a concise account of the earth

which we inhabit, according to the notions of the Arabs.

We must now describe what is _beneath_ our earth.--It has already been

said, that this is the first, or highest, of seven earths, which are all

of equal width and thickness, and at equal distances apart. Each of

these earths has occupants. The occupants of the first are men, genii,

brutes, &c.: the second is occupied by the suffocating wind that

destroyed the infidel tribe of 'Ád: the third, by the stones of Jahennem

(or Hell), mentioned in the Ḳur-án, in these words, "the fuel of which

is men and stones:"[30] the fourth, by the sulphur of Jahennem: the

fifth, by its serpents: the sixth, by its scorpions, in colour and size

like black mules, and with tails like spears: the seventh, by Iblees and

his troops.[31] Whether these several earths are believed to be

connected with each other by any means, and if so, how, we are not

expressly informed; but, that they are supposed to be so is evident.

With respect to our earth in particular, as some think, it is said that

it is supported by a rock, with which the mountains of Ḳáf communicate

by means of veins or roots; and that, when God desires to effect an

earthquake at a certain place, He commands the mountain [or rock] to

agitate the vein that is connected with that place.[32]--But there is

another account, describing our earth as upheld by certain successive

supports of inconceivable magnitude, which are under the seventh earth;

leaving us to infer that the seven earths are in some manner connected

together. This account, as inserted in the work of one of the writers

above quoted, is as follows:--The earth [under which appellation are

here understood the seven earths] was, it is said, originally unstable;

"therefore God created an angel of immense size and of the utmost

strength, and ordered him to go beneath it, [_i.e._ beneath the lowest

earth,] and place it on his shoulders; and his hands extended beyond the

east and west, and grasped the extremities of the earth [or, as related

in Ibn-El-Wardee, the seven earths], and held it [or them]. But there

was no support for his feet: so God created a rock of ruby, in which

were seven thousand perforations; and from each of these perforations

issued a sea, the size of which none knoweth but God, whose name be

exalted: then He ordered this rock to stand under the feet of the angel.

But there was no support for the rock: wherefore God created a huge

bull, with four thousand eyes, and the same number of ears, noses,

mouths, tongues, and feet; between every two of which was a distance of

five hundred years' journey: and God, whose name be exalted, ordered

this bull to go beneath the rock: and he bore it on his back and his

horns. The name of this bull is Kuyootà.[33] But there was no support

for the bull: therefore God, whose name be exalted, created an enormous

fish, that no one could look upon, on account of its vast size, and the

flashing of its eyes and their greatness; for it is said that if all the

seas were placed in one of its nostrils, they would appear like a grain

of mustard-seed in the midst of a desert: and God, whose name be

exalted, commanded the fish to be a support to the feet of the bull.[34]

The name of this fish in Bahamoot. He placed, as its support, water; and

under the water, darkness: and the knowledge of mankind fails as to

what is under the darkness."[35]--Another opinion is, that the [seventh]

earth is upon water; the water, upon the rock; the rock, on the back of

the bull; the bull, on a bed of sand; the sand, on the fish; the fish,

upon a still, suffocating wind; the wind, on a veil of darkness; the

darkness, on a mist; and what is beneath the mist is unknown.[36]

It is generally believed, that, under the lowest earth, and beneath seas

of darkness of which the number is unknown, is Hell, which consists of

seven stages, one beneath another. The first of these, according to the

general opinion, is destined for the reception of wicked Mohammadans;

the second, for the Christians; the third, for the Jews; the fourth, for

the Sabians; the fifth, for the Magians; the sixth, for the Idolaters;

the seventh, by general consent, for the Hypocrites. "Jahennem" is the

general name for Hell, and the particular name for its first stage. The

situation of Hell has been a subject of dispute; some place it in the

seventh earth; and some have doubted whether it be above or below the

earth which _we_ inhabit.

At the consummation of all things, God, we are told, will take the whole

earth in his [left] hand, and the heavens will be rolled together in his

right hand;[37] and the earth will be changed into another earth; and

the heavens [into other heavens];[38] and Hell will be brought nigh [to

the tribunal of God].[39]

NOTE 3. The phrase "God is all-knowing," or "surpassing in knowledge,"

or, as some say, simply "knowing," is generally used by an Arab writer

when he relates anything for the truth of which he cannot vouch; and

Muslims often use it in conversation, in similar cases, unless when they

are uttering intentional falsehoods, which most of them are in the

frequent habit of doing. It is worthy of remark, that, though falsehood

is permitted by their religion in some cases, their doctors of religion

and law generally condemn all works of fiction (even though designed to

convey useful instruction), excepting mere fables, or apologues of a

high class.

NOTE 4. In my usual standard-copy of the original work, as also in that

from which the old translation was made, and in the edition of Breslau,

this prince is called a king of the dynasty of Sásán; but as he is not

so designated in the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred nights, I

have here omitted, in my translation, what would render the whole work

full of anachronisms.

NOTE 5. Shahriyár is a Persian word, signifying "Friend of the City."

The name of the elder King is thus written in the Calcutta edition above

mentioned: in the edition of Cairo (which I generally follow) it is

written Shahrabáz, by errors in diacritical marks; and in that of

Breslau, Shahrabán.

NOTE 6. This name, Sháh-Zemán, is a compound of Persian and Arabic, and

signifies "King of the Age." By the omission of a diacritical point, in

the Cairo edition, it is written Sháh-Remán.

NOTE 7. In the Calcutta edition before mentioned, the elder brother is

called King of Samarḳand; and the younger, King of China.

NOTE 8.--_On the title and office of_ Wezeer. Wezeer is an Arabic word,

and is pronounced by the Arabs as I have written it; but the Turks and

Persians pronounce the first letter V. There are three opinions

respecting the etymology of this word. Some derive it from "wizr" (a

burden); because the Wezeer bears the burdens of the King: others, from

"wezer" (a refuge); because the King has recourse to the counsels of his

Wezeer, and his knowledge and prudence: others, again, from "azr" (back,

or strength); because the King is strengthened by his Wezeer as the

human frame is by the back.[40]

The proper and chief duties of a Wezeer are explained by the above, and

by a saying of the Prophet:--"Whosoever is in authority over Muslims, if

God would prosper him, He giveth him a virtuous Wezeer, who, when he

forgetteth his duty, remindeth him, and when he remembereth, assisteth

him: but if He would do otherwise, He giveth him an evil Wezeer, who,

when he forgetteth, doth not remind him, and when he remembereth, doth

not assist him."[41]

The post of Wezeer was the highest that was held by an officer of the

pen; and the person who occupied it was properly the next to the Sulṭán:

but the Turkish Sulṭáns of Egypt made the office of Náïb (or Viceroy) to

have the pre-eminence. Under them, the post of Wezeer was sometimes

occupied by an officer of the sword, and sometimes by an officer of the

pen; and, in both cases, the Wezeer was also called "the Ṣáḥeb." The

Sulṭán Barḳooḳ so degraded this office, by intrusting its most important

functions to other ministers, that the Wezeer became, in reality, the

King's purveyor, and little else; receiving the indirect taxes, and

employing them in the purchase of provisions for the royal kitchen.[42]

It is even said, that he was usually chosen, by the Turkish Sulṭáns of

Egypt, from among the Copts (or Christian Egyptians); because the

administration of the taxes had, from time immemorial, been committed to

persons of that race.[43] This, it would seem, was the case about the

time of the Sulṭán Barḳooḳ. But in the present work, we are to

understand the office of Wezeer as being what it was in earlier

times,--that of Prime Minister; though we are not hence to infer that

the editions of the Tales of a Thousand and One Nights known to us were

written at a period anterior to that of the Memlook Sulṭáns of Egypt and

Syria; for, in the time of these monarchs, the degradation of the office

was commonly known to be a recent innovation, and it may have been of no

very long continuance.

NOTE 9. The paragraph to which this note relates is from the Calcutta

edition of the first two hundred Nights.

NOTE 10.--_On Presents._ The custom of giving presents on the occasion

of paying a visit, or previously, which is of such high antiquity as to

be mentioned in the book of Genesis,[44] has continued to prevail in the

East to this day. Presents of provisions of some kind, wax candles, &c.,

are sent to a person about to celebrate any festivity, by those who are

to be his guests: but after paying a mere visit of ceremony, and on some

other occasions, only money is commonly given to the servants of the

person visited. In either case, the latter is expected to return the

compliment on a similar occasion by presents of equal value. To reject a

present generally gives great offence; being regarded as an insult to

him who has offered it. When a person arrives from a foreign country, he

generally brings some articles of the produce or merchandise of that

country as presents to his friends. Thus, pilgrims returning from the

holy places bring water of Zemzem, dust from the Prophet's tomb, &c.,

for this purpose.--Horses, and male and female slaves, are seldom given

but by kings or great men. Of the condition of slaves in Mohammadan

countries, an account will be given hereafter.

NOTE 11.--_On the Letters of Muslims._ The letters of Muslims are

distinguished by several peculiarities dictated by the rules of

politeness. The paper is thick, white, and highly polished: sometimes it

is ornamented with flowers of gold; and the edges are always cut

straight with scissors. The upper half is generally left blank: and the

writing never occupies any portion of the second side. A notion of the

usual style of letters will be conveyed by several examples in this

work. The name of the person to whom the letter is addressed, when the

writer is an inferior or an equal, and even in some other cases,

commonly occurs in the first sentence, preceded by several titles of

honour; and is often written a little above the line to which it

apertains; the space beneath it in that line being left blank: sometimes

it is written in letters of gold, or red ink. A king, writing to a

subject, or a great man to a dependent, usually places his name and seal

at the head of his letter. The seal is the impression of a signet

(generally a ring, worn on the little finger of the right hand), upon

which is engraved the name of the person, commonly accompanied by the

words "His [_i.e._ God's] servant," or some other words expressive of

trust in God, &c. Its impression is considered more valid than the

sign-manual, and is indispensable to give authenticity to the letter. It

is made by dabbing some ink upon the surface of the signet, and pressing

this upon the paper: the place which is to be stamped being first

moistened, by touching the tongue with a finger of the right hand, and

then gently rubbing the part with that finger. A person writing to a

superior, or to an equal, or even an inferior to whom he wishes to shew

respect, signs his name at the bottom of his letter, next the left side

or corner, and places the seal immediately to the right of this: but if

he particularly desire to testify his humility, he places it beneath his

name, or even partly over the lower edge of the paper, which

consequently does not receive the whole of the impression. The letter is

generally folded twice, in the direction of the writing, and enclosed in

a cover of paper, upon which is written the address, in some such form

as this:--"It shall arrive, if it be the will of God, whose name be

exalted, at such a place, and be delivered into the hand of our honoured

friend, &c., such a one, whom God preserve." Sometimes it is placed in a

small bag, or purse, of silk embroidered with gold.

NOTE 12. The custom of sending forth a deputation to meet and welcome an

approaching ambassador, or other great man, is still observed in Eastern

countries; and the rank of the persons thus employed conveys to him some

intimation of the manner in which he is to be received at the court: he

therefore looks forward to this ceremony with a degree of anxiety. A

humorous illustration of its importance in the eye of an Oriental

ambassador, is given in "The Adventures of Hajji Baba in England."

NOTE 13.--_On Hospitality._ The hospitable custom here mentioned is

observed by Muslims in compliance with a precept of their Prophet.

"Whoever," said he, "believes in God and the day of resurrection must

respect his guest; and the time of being kind to him is one day and one

night; and the period of entertaining him is three days; and after that,

if he does it longer, he benefits him more; but it is not right for a

guest to stay in the house of the host so long as to incommode him." He

even allowed the "right of a guest" to be taken by force from such as

would not offer it.[45] The following observations, respecting the

treatment of guests by the Bedawees, present an interesting commentary

upon the former precept, and upon our text:--"Strangers who have not any

friend or acquaintance in the camp, alight at the first tent that

presents itself: whether the owner be at home or not, the wife or

daughter immediately spreads a carpet, and prepares breakfast or dinner.

If the stranger's business requires a protracted stay, as, for instance,

if he wishes to cross the Desert under the protection of the tribe, the

host, after a lapse of three days and four hours from the time of his

arrival, asks whether he means to honour him any longer with his

company. If the stranger declares his intention of prolonging his visit,

it is expected that he should assist his host in domestic matters,

fetching water, milking the camel, feeding the horse, &c. Should he even

decline this, he may remain; but will be censured by all the Arabs of

the camp: he may, however, go to some other tent of the nezel [or

encampment], and declare himself there a guest. Thus, every third or

fourth day he may change hosts, until his business is finished, or he

has reached his place of destination."[46]

NOTE 14.--_On different modes of Obeisance._ Various different modes of

obeisance are practised by the Muslims. Among these, the following are

the more common or more remarkable: they differ in the degree of respect

that they indicate, nearly in the order in which I shall mention them;

the last being the most respectful:--1. Placing the right hand upon the

breast.--2. Touching the lips and the forehead or turban (or the

forehead or turban only) with the right hand.--3. Doing the same, but

slightly inclining the head during that action.--4. The same as the

preceding, but inclining the body also.--5. As above, but previously

touching the ground with the right hand.--6. Kissing the hand of the

person to whom the obeisance is paid.--7. Kissing his sleeve.--8.

Kissing the skirt of his clothing.--9. Kissing his feet.--10. Kissing

the carpet or ground before him.--The first five modes are often

accompanied by the salutation of "Peace be on you!" to which the reply

is, "On you be peace, and the mercy of God, and his blessings!" The

sixth mode is observed by servants or pupils to masters, by the wife to

the husband, and by children to their father, and sometimes to the

mother. It is also an act of homage paid to the aged by the young; or to

learned or religious men by the less instructed or less devout. The last

mode is seldom observed but to kings; and in Arabian countries it is now

very uncommon.

NOTE 15. It might seem unnecessary to say, that a King understood what

he read, were it not explained that the style of Arabic epistolary

compositions, like that of the literature in general, differs

considerably from that of common conversation.

NOTE 16. The party travelled chiefly by night, on account of the heat of

the day.

NOTE 17.--_On the occasional Decorations of Eastern Cities._ On various

occasions of rejoicing in the palace of the king or governor, the

inhabitants of an Eastern city are commanded to decorate their houses,

and the tradesmen, in particular, to adorn their shops, by suspending

shawls, brocades, rich dresses, women's ornaments, and all kinds of

costly articles of merchandise; lamps and flags are attached to cords

drawn across the streets, which are often canopied over; and when

sufficient notice has been given, the shops, and the doors, &c., of

private houses, are painted with gay colours.--Towards the close of the

year 1834, the people of Cairo were ordered to decorate their houses and

shops previously to the arrival of Ibráheem Báshà, after his victorious

campaigns in Syria and Asia Minor. They ornamented the lower parts of

their houses with whitewash and red ochre, generally in broad,

alternate, horizontal stripes; that is, one course of stone white, and

the next red; but the only kind of oil-paint that they could procure in

large quantities was blue, the colour of mourning; so that they were

obliged to use this as the ground upon which to paint flowers and other

ornamental devices on their shops; but they regarded this as portending

a pestilence; and the awful plague of the following spring confirmed

them in their superstitious notions.

NOTE 18. As the notes to this introductory portion are especially

numerous, and the chase is here but cursorily alluded to, I shall

reserve an account of the mode of hunting to be given on a future

occasion.

NOTE 19.--_On the opinions of the Arabs respecting Female Beauty._ The

reader should have some idea of the qualifications or charms which the

Arabs in general consider requisite to the perfection of female beauty;

for erroneous fancies on this subject would much detract from the

interest of the present work. He must not imagine that excessive fatness

is one of these characteristics; though it is said to be esteemed a

chief essential to beauty throughout the greater part of Northern

Africa: on the contrary, the maiden whose loveliness inspires the most

impassioned expressions in Arabic poetry and prose is celebrated for her

slender figure: she is like the cane among plants, and is elegant as a

twig of the oriental willow.[47] Her face is like the full moon,

presenting the strongest contrast to the colour of her hair, which (to

preserve the nature of the simile just employed,) is of the deepest hue

of night, and descends to the middle of her back. A rosy blush

overspreads the centre of each cheek; and a mole is considered an

additional charm. The Arabs, indeed, are particularly extravagant in

their admiration of this natural beauty-spot; which, according to its

place, is compared to a globule of ambergris upon a dish of alabaster or

upon the surface of a ruby.[48] The eyes of the Arab beauty are

intensely black, large, and long; of the form of an almond: they are

full of brilliancy; but this is softened by a lid slightly depressed,

and by long silken lashes, giving a tender and languid expression, which

is full of enchantment, and scarcely to be improved by the adventitious

aid of the black border of koḥl; for this the lovely maiden adds rather

for the sake of fashion than necessity; having, what the Arabs term,

natural koḥl. The eyebrows are thin and arched; the forehead is wide,

and fair as ivory; the nose, straight; the mouth, small; the lips are of

a brilliant red; and the teeth, "like pearls set in coral." The forms of

the bosom are compared to two pomegranates; the waist is slender; the

hips are wide and large; the feet and hands, small; the fingers,

tapering, and their extremities dyed with the deep orange-red tint

imparted by the leaves of the ḥennà.[49] The person in whom these charms

are combined exhibits a lively image of "the rosy-fingered Aurora:" her

lover knows neither night nor sleep in her presence, and the

constellations of heaven are no longer seen by him when she approaches.

The most bewitching age is between fourteen and seventeen years; for

then the forms of womanhood are generally developed in their greatest

beauty; but many a maiden in her twelfth year possesses charms

sufficient to fascinate every youth or man who beholds her.

The reader may perhaps desire a more minute analysis of Arabian beauty.

The following is the most complete that I can offer him.--"Four things

in a woman should be _black_; the hair of the head, the eyebrows, the

eyelashes, and the dark part of the eyes: four _white_; the complexion

of the skin, the white of the eyes, the teeth, and the legs: four _red_;

the tongue, the lips, the middle of the cheeks, and the gums: four

_round_; the head, the neck, the fore-arms, and the ankles: four _long_;

the back, the fingers, the arms, and the legs:[50] four _wide_; the

forehead, the eyes, the bosom, and the hips: four _fine_; the eyebrows,

the nose, the lips, and the fingers: four _thick_; the lower part of the

back, the thighs, the calves of the legs, and the knees: four _small_;

the ears, the breasts, the hands, and the feet."[51]

NOTE 20. Mes'ood is a common proper name of men, and signifies "happy,"

or "made happy."

NOTE 21.--_On the_ Jinn, _or Genii._ The frequent mention of Genii in

this work, and the erroneous accounts that have been given of these

fabulous beings by various European writers, have induced me to examine

the statements respecting them in several Arabic works; and I shall here

offer the result of my investigation, with a previous account of the

Angels.

The Muslims, in general, believe in three different species of created

intelligent beings; namely, Angels, who are created of light; Genii, who

are created of fire; and Men, created of earth. The first species are

called "Meláikeh" (sing. "Melek"); the second, "Jinn" or "Ginn" (sing.

"Jinnee" or "Ginnee"); the third, "Ins" (sing. "Insee"). Some hold that

the Devils (Sheyṭáns) are of a species distinct from Angels and Jinn;

but the more prevailing opinion, and that which rests on the highest

authority, is, that they are rebellious Jinn.

"It is believed," says El-Ḳazweenee, "that the Angels are of a simple

substance, endowed with life, and speech, and reason; and that the

difference between them and the Jinn and Sheyṭáns is a difference of

species. Know," he adds, "that the Angels are sanctified from carnal

desire and the disturbance of anger: they disobey not God in what He

hath commanded them, but do what they are commanded. Their food is the

celebrating of his glory; their drink, the proclaiming of his holiness;

their conversation, the commemoration of God, whose name be exalted;

their pleasure, his worship: they are created in different forms, and

with different powers." Some are described as having the forms of

brutes. Four of them are Archangels; Jebraeel or Jibreel (or Gabriel),

the angel of revelations; Meekaeel or Meekál (or Michael), the patron of

the Israelites; 'Azraeel, the angel of death; and Isráfeel, the angel of

the trumpet, which he is to sound twice, or as some say thrice, at the

end of the world: one blast will kill all living creatures (himself

included): another, forty years after, (he being raised again for this

purpose, with Jebraeel and Meekaeel), will raise the dead. These

Archangels are also called Apostolic Angels. They are inferior in

dignity to human prophets and apostles, though superior to the rest of

the human race: the angelic nature is held to be inferior to the human

nature, because all the Angels were commanded to prostrate themselves

before Adam. Every believer is attended by two guardian and recording

angels; one of whom writes his good actions; the other, his evil

actions: or, according to some, the number of these angels is five, or

sixty, or a hundred and sixty. There are also two Angels called Munkar

(vulg. Nákir) and Nekeer, who examine all the dead, and torture the

wicked, in their graves.

The species of Jinn is said to have been created some thousands of years

before Adam. According to a tradition from the Prophet, this species

consists of five orders or classes; namely, Jánn (who are the least

powerful of all), Jinn, Sheyṭáns (or Devils), 'Efreets, and Márids. The

last, it is added, are the most powerful; and the Jánn are transformed

Jinn; like as certain apes and swine were transformed men.[52]--It must,

however, be remarked here, that the terms Jinn and Jánn are generally

used indiscriminately, as names of the whole species (including the

other orders above mentioned), whether good or bad; and that the former

term is the more common. Also, that "Sheyṭán" is commonly used to

signify any evil Jinnee. An 'Efreet is a powerful evil Jinnee:[53] a

Márid, an evil Jinnee of the most powerful class. The Jinn (but

generally speaking, evil ones) are called by the Persians "Deevs," the

most powerful evil Jinn, "Narahs" (which signifies "males," though they

are said to be males and females); the good Jinn, "Perees;" though this

term is commonly applied to females.

In a tradition from the Prophet, it is said, "The Jánn were created of a

smokeless fire."[54] The word which signifies "a smokeless fire" has

been misunderstood by some as meaning "the flame of fire:" El-Jóharee

(in the Ṣeḥáḥ) renders it rightly; and says that of this fire was _the_

Sheyṭán (Iblees) created. "El-Jánn" is sometimes used as a name for

Iblees; as in the following verse of the Ḳur-án:--"And the Jánn [the

father of the Jinn; _i. e._ Iblees] we had created before [_i. e._

before the creation of Adam] of the fire of the samoom [_i. e._ of fire

without smoke]."[55] "Jánn" also signifies "a serpent;" as in other

passages of the Ḳur-án;[56] and is used in the same book as synonymous

with "Jinn."[57] In the last sense it is generally believed to be used

in the tradition quoted in the commencement of this paragraph. There are

several apparently contradictory traditions from the Prophet which are

reconciled by what has been above stated: in one, it is said, that

Iblees was the father of all the Jánn and Sheyṭáns;[58] Jánn being here

synonymous with Jinn: in another, that Jánn was the father of all the

Jinn;[59] here, Jánn being used as a name of Iblees.

"It is held," says El-Ḳazweenee, "that the Jinn are aerial animals, with

transparent bodies, which can assume various forms. People differ in

opinion respecting these beings: some consider the Jinn and Sheyṭáns as

unruly men; but these persons are of the Moạtezileh [a sect of Muslim

freethinkers]: and some hold, that God, whose name be exalted, created

the Angels of the light of fire, and the Jinn of its flame [but this is

at variance with the general opinion], and the Sheytáns of its smoke

[which is also at variance with the common opinion]; and that [all]

these kinds of beings are [usually] invisible[60] to men, but that they

assume what forms they please, and when their form becomes condensed

they are visible."--This last remark illustrates several descriptions of

Jinnees in this work; where the form of the monster is at first

undefined, or like an enormous pillar, and then gradually assumes a

human shape and less gigantic size. The particular forms of brutes,

reptiles, &c., in which the Jinn most frequently appear will be

mentioned hereafter.

It is said that God created the Jánn [or Jinn] two thousand years before

Adam [or, according to some writers, much earlier]; and that there are

believers and infidels and every sect among them, as among

men.[61]--Some say that a prophet, named Yoosuf, was sent to the Jinn:

others, that they had only preachers, or admonishers: others, again,

that seventy apostles were sent, before Moḥammad, to Jinn and men

conjointly.[62] It is commonly believed that the preadamite Jinn were

governed by forty (or, according to some, seventy-two) kings, to each of

whom the Arab writers give the name of Suleymán (or Solomon); and that

they derive their appellation from the last of these, who was called

Jánn Ibn-Jánn, and who, some say, built the Pyramids of Egypt. The

following account of the preadamite Jinn is given by El-Ḳazweenee.--"It

is related in histories, that a race of Jinn, in ancient times, before

the creation of Adam, inhabited the earth, and covered it, the land and

the sea, and the plains and the mountains; and the favours of God were

multiplied upon them, and they had government, and prophecy, and

religion, and law; but they transgressed and offended, and opposed their

prophets, and made wickedness to abound in the earth; whereupon God,

whose name be exalted, sent against them an army of Angels, who took

possession of the earth, and drove away the Jinn to the regions of the

islands, and made many of them prisoners; and of those who were made

prisoners was 'Azázeel [afterwards called Iblees, from his _despair_];

and a slaughter was made among them. At that time, 'Azázeel was young:

he grew up among the Angels [and probably for that reason was called one

of them], and became learned in their knowledge, and assumed the

government of them; and his days were prolonged until he became their

chief; and thus it continued for a long time, until the affair between

him and Adam happened, as God, whose name be exalted, hath said, 'When

we said unto the Angels, Worship[63] ye Adam, and [all] worshipped

except Iblees, [who] was [one] of the Jinn.'"[64]

"Iblees," we are told by another authority, "was sent as a governor upon

the earth, and judged among the Jinn a thousand years, after which he

ascended into heaven, and remained employed in worship until the

creation of Adam."[65] The name of Iblees was originally, according to

some, 'Azázeel (as before mentioned); and according to others,

El-Ḥárith: his patronymic is Aboo-Murrah, or Abu-l-Ghimr.[66]--It is

disputed whether he was of the Angels or of the Jinn. There are three

opinions on this point.--1. That he was of the Angels, from a tradition

from Ibn-'Abbás.--2. That he was of the Sheyṭáns (or evil Jinn); as it

is said in the Ḳur-án, "except Iblees, [who] was [one] of the Jinn:"

this was the opinion of El-Ḥasan El-Baṣree, and is that commonly

held.--3. That he was neither of the Angels nor of the Jinn; but created

alone, of fire.--Ibn-'Abbás founds his opinion on the same text from

which El-Ḥasan El-Baṣree derives his: "When we said unto the Angels,

Worship ye Adam, and [all] worshipped except Iblees, [who] was [one] of

the Jinn" (before quoted): which he explains by saying, that the most

noble and honourable among the Angels are called "the Jinn," because

they are _veiled_ from the eyes of the other Angels on account of their

superiority; and that Iblees was one of these Jinn. He adds, that he had

the government of the lowest heaven and of the earth, and was called the

Ṭáoos (literally, Peacock) of the Angels; and that there was not a spot

in the lowest heaven but he had prostrated himself upon it: but when the

Jinn rebelled upon the earth, God sent a troop of Angels who drove them

to the islands and mountains; and Iblees being elated with pride, and

refusing to prostrate himself before Adam, God transformed him into a

Sheyṭán.--But this reasoning is opposed by other verses, in which Iblees

is represented as saying, "Thou hast created _me_ of _fire_, and hast

created _him_ [Adam] of _earth_."[67] It is therefore argued, "If he

were created originally of fire, how was he created of light? for the

Angels were [all] created of light."[68]--The former verse may be

explained by the tradition, that Iblees, having been taken captive, was

exalted among the Angels; or perhaps there is an ellipsis after the word

"Angels;" for it might be inferred that the command given to the Angels

was also (and _à fortiori_) to be obeyed by the Jinn.

According to a tradition, Iblees and all the Sheyṭáns are distinguished

from the other Jinn by a longer existence. "The Sheyṭáns," it is added,

"are the children of Iblees, and die not but with him: whereas the

[other] Jinn die before him;"[69] though they may live many centuries.

But this is not altogether accordant with the popular belief: Iblees and

many other evil Jinn are to survive mankind; but they are to die before

the general resurrection; as also even the Angels; the last of whom will

be the Angel of Death, 'Azraeel: yet not _all_ the evil Jinn are to live

thus long: many of them are killed by shooting stars, hurled at them

from heaven; wherefore, the Arabs, when they see a shooting star

(shiháb), often exclaim, "May God transfix the enemy of the

faith!"--Many also are killed by other Jinn; and some, even by men. The

fire of which the Jinnee is created circulates in his veins, in place of

blood: therefore, when he receives a mortal wound, this fire, issuing

from his veins, generally consumes him to ashes.--The Jinn, it has been

already shown, are peccable. They also eat and drink, and propagate

their species, sometimes in conjunction with human beings; in which

latter case, the offspring partakes of the nature of both parents. In

all these respects they differ from the Angels. Among the evil Jinn are

distinguished the five sons of their chief, Iblees; namely, Teer, who

brings about calamities, losses, and injuries; El-Aạwar, who encourages

debauchery; Sóṭ, who suggests lies; Dásim, who causes hatred between man

and wife; and Zelemboor, who presides over places of traffic.[70]

The most common forms and habitations or places of resort of the Jinn

must now be described.

The following traditions from the Prophet are the most to the purpose

that I have seen.--The Jinn are of various shapes; having the forms of

serpents, scorpions, lions, wolves, jackals, &c.[71]--The Jinn are of

three kinds; one on the land; one in the sea; and one in the air.[72]

The Jinn consist of forty troops; each troop consisting of six hundred

thousand.[73]--The Jinn are of three kinds; one have wings, and fly;

another are snakes, and dogs; and the third move about from place to

place like men.[74]--Domestic snakes are asserted to be Jinn on the same

authority.[75]

The Prophet ordered his followers to kill serpents and scorpions if they

intruded at prayers; but on other occasions, he seems to have required

first to admonish them to depart, and then, if they remained, to kill

them. The Doctors, however, differ in opinion whether _all_ kinds of

snakes or serpents should be admonished first; or whether _any_ should;

for the Prophet, say they, took a covenant of the Jinn [probably after

the above-mentioned command], that they should not enter the houses of

the faithful: therefore, it is argued, if they enter, they break their

covenant, and it becomes lawful to kill them without previous

admonishment. Yet it is related that 'Áisheh, the Prophet's wife, having

killed a serpent in her chamber, was alarmed by a dream, and, fearing

that it might have been a Muslim Jinnee, as it did not enter her chamber

when she was undressed, gave in alms, as an expiation, twelve thousand

dirhems (about £300), the price of the blood of a Muslim.[76]

The Jinn are said to appear to mankind most commonly in the shapes of

serpents, dogs, cats, or human beings. In the last case, they are

sometimes of the stature of men, and sometimes of a size enormously

gigantic. If good, they are generally resplendently handsome: if evil,

horribly hideous. They become invisible at pleasure (by a rapid

extension or rarefaction of the particles which compose them), or

suddenly disappear in the earth or air, or through a solid wall. Many

Muslims in the present day profess to have seen and held intercourse

with them.

The Zóba'ah, which is a whirlwind that raises the sand or dust in the

form of a pillar of prodigious height, often seen sweeping across the

deserts and fields, is believed to be caused by the flight of an evil

Jinnee. To defend themselves from a Jinnee thus "riding in the

whirlwind," the Arabs often exclaim, "Iron! Iron!" (Ḥadeed! Ḥadeed!),

or, "Iron! thou unlucky!" (Ḥadeed! yá mashoom!), as the Jinn are

supposed to have a great dread of that metal: or they exclaim, "God is

most great!" (Alláhu akbar!).[77] A similar superstition prevails with

respect to the water-spout at sea, as the reader may have discovered

from the first instance of the description of a Jinnee in the present

work, which occasions this note to be here inserted.

It is believed that the chief abode of the Jinn is in the Mountains of

Ḳáf, which are supposed (as mentioned on a former occasion) to encompass

the whole of our earth. But they are also believed to pervade the solid

body of our earth, and the firmament; and to choose, as their principal

places of resort, or of occasional abode, baths, wells, the latrina,

ovens, ruined houses, market-places, the junctures of roads, the

sea, and rivers. The Arabs, therefore, when they pour water, &c.,

on the ground, or enter a bath, or let down a bucket into a well,

or visit the latrina, and on various other occasions, say,

"Permission!" or "Permission, ye blessed!" ("Destoor! or, Destoor yá

mubárakeen!").[78]--The evil spirits (or evil Jinn), it is said, had

liberty to enter any of the seven heavens till the birth of Jesus, when

they were excluded from three of them; on the birth of Moḥammad, they

were forbidden the other four.[79] They continue, however, to ascend to

the confines of the lowest heaven, and there listening to the

conversation of the Angels respecting things decreed by God, obtain

knowledge of futurity, which they sometimes impart to men, who, by means

of talismans, or certain invocations, make them to serve the purposes of

magical performances. To this particular subject it will be necessary to

revert.--What the Prophet said of Iblees, in the following tradition,

applies also to the evil Jinn over whom he presides:--His chief abode

[among men] is the bath; his chief places of resort are the markets, and

the junctures of roads; his food is whatever is killed without the name

of God being pronounced over it; his drink, whatever is intoxicating;

his muëddin, the mizmár (a musical pipe; _i. e._ any musical

instrument); his ḳurán, poetry; his written character, the marks made in

geomancy;[80] his speech, falsehood; his snares are women.[81]

That particular Jinnees presided over particular places, was an opinion

of the early Arabs. It is said in the Ḳur-án, "And there were certain

men who sought refuge with certain of the Jinn."[82] In the Commentary

of the Jeláleyn, I find the following remark on these words:--"When they

halted, on their journey, in a place of fear, each man said, 'I seek

refuge with the lord of this place, from the mischief of his foolish

ones!'" In illustration of this, I may insert the following tradition,

translated from El-Ḳazweenee:--"It is related by a certain narrator of

traditions, that he descended into a valley, with his sheep, and a wolf

carried off a ewe from among them; and he arose, and raised his voice,

and cried, 'O inhabitant of the valley!' whereupon he heard a voice

saying, 'O wolf, restore to him his sheep!' and the wolf came with the

ewe, and left her, and departed."--The same opinion is held by the

modern Arabs, though probably they do not use such an invocation.--A

similar superstition, a relic of ancient Egyptian credulity, still

prevails among the people of Cairo. It is believed that each quarter of

this city has its peculiar guardian-genius, or Agathodæmon, which has

the form of a serpent.[83]

It has already been mentioned that some of the Jinn are Muslims; and

others, infidels. The good Jinn acquit themselves of the imperative

duties of religion; namely, prayers, alms-giving, fasting during the

month of Ramaḍán, and pilgrimage to Mekkeh and Mount 'Arafát: but in the

performance of these duties they are generally invisible to human

beings. Some examples of the mode in which good Jinn pay the alms

required of them by the law, I have given in a former work.[84]

Of the services and injuries done by Jinn to men, some account must be

given.

It has been stated, that, by means of talismans, or certain invocations,

men are said to obtain the services of Jinn; and the manner in which the

latter are enabled to assist magicians, by imparting to them the

knowledge of future events, has been explained. No man ever obtained

such absolute power over the Jinn as Suleymán, Ibn-Dáood (Solomon, the

Son of David). This he did by virtue of a most wonderful talisman, which

is said to have come down to him from heaven. It was a seal-ring, upon

which was engraved "the most great name" of God; and was partly composed

of brass, and partly of iron. With the brass he stamped his written

commands to the good Jinn; with the iron (for a reason before

mentioned), those to the evil Jinn, or Devils. Over both orders he had

unlimited power; as well as over the birds and the winds,[85] and, as is

generally said, the wild beasts. His Wezeer, Aṣaf the son of Barkhiyà,

is also said to have been acquainted with "the most great name," by

uttering which, the greatest miracles may be performed; even that of

raising the dead. By virtue of this name, engraved on his ring, Suleymán

compelled the Jinn to assist in building the Temple of Jerusalem, and in

various other works. Many of the evil Jinn he converted to the true

faith; and many others of this class, who remained obstinate in

infidelity, he confined in prisons. He is said to have been monarch of

the whole earth. Hence, perhaps, the name of Suleymán is given to the

universal monarchs of the preadamite Jinn; unless the story of his own

universal dominion originated from confounding him with those kings of

the Jinn.

The injuries related to have been inflicted upon human beings by evil

Jinn are of various kinds. Jinnees are said to have often carried off

beautiful women, whom they have forcibly kept as their wives or

concubines. I have mentioned in a former work, that malicious or

disturbed Jinnees are asserted often to station themselves on the roofs,

or at the windows, of houses, and to throw down bricks and stones on

persons passing by.[86] When they take possession of an uninhabited

house, they seldom fail to persecute terribly any person who goes to

reside in it. They are also very apt to pilfer provisions, &c. Many

learned and devout persons, to secure their property from such

depredations, repeat the words "In the name of God, the Compassionate,

the Merciful!" on locking the doors of their houses, rooms, or closets,

and on covering the bread-basket, or anything containing food.[87]

During the month of Ramaḍán, the evil Jinn are believed to be confined

in prison; and therefore, on the last night of that month, with the same

view, women sometimes repeat the words above mentioned, and sprinkle

salt upon the floors of the apartments of their houses.[88]

To complete this sketch of Arabian mythology, an account must be added

of several creatures generally believed to be of inferior orders of the

Jinn.

One of these is the Ghool, which is commonly regarded as a kind of

Sheytán, or evil Jinnee, that eats men; and is also described by some as

a Jinnee or an enchanter who assumes various forms. The Ghools are said

to appear in the forms of various animals, and of human beings, and in

many monstrous shapes; to haunt burial-grounds and other sequestered

spots; to feed upon dead human bodies; and to kill and devour any human

creature who has the misfortune to fall in their way: whence the term

"Ghool" is applied to any cannibal. An opinion quoted by a celebrated

author, respecting the Ghool, is, that it is a demoniacal animal, which

passes a solitary existence in the deserts, resembling both man and

brute; that it appears to a person travelling alone in the night and in

solitary places, and, being supposed by him to be itself a traveller,

lures him out of his way.[89] Another opinion stated by him is this:

that, when the Sheytáns attempt to hear words by stealth [from the

confines of the lowest heaven], they are struck by shooting stars; and

some are burnt; some, falling into a sea, or rather a large river

(baḥr), become converted into crocodiles; and some, falling upon the

land, become Ghools. The same author adds the following tradition:--"The

Ghool is any Jinnee that is opposed to travels, assuming various forms

and appearances;"[90] and affirms that several of the Companions of the

Prophet saw Ghools in their travels; and that 'Omar, among them, saw a

Ghool while on a journey to Syria, before El-Islám, and struck it with

his sword.--It appears that "Ghool" is, properly speaking, a name only

given to a _female_ demon of the kind above described: the male is

called "Ḳuṭrub."[91] It is said that these beings, and the Ghaddár, or

Gharrár, and other similar creatures which will presently be mentioned,

are the offspring of Iblees and of a wife whom God created for him of

the fire of the Samoom (which here signifies, as in an instance before

mentioned, "a smokeless fire"); and that they sprang from an egg.[92]

The female Ghool, it is added, appears to men in the deserts, in various

forms, converses with them, and sometimes prostitutes herself to

them.[93]

The Seạláh, or Saạláh, is another demoniacal creature, described by some

[or rather, by most authors] as of the Jinn. It is said that it is

mostly found in forests, and that when it captures a man, it makes him

dance, and plays with him as the cat plays with the mouse. A man of

Iṣfahán asserted that many beings of this kind abounded in his country;

that sometimes the wolf would hunt one of them by night, and devour it,

and that, when it had seized it, the Seạláh would cry out, "Come to my

help, for the wolf devoureth me!" or it would cry, "Who will liberate

me? I have a hundred deenárs, and he shall receive them!" but the people

knowing that it was the cry of the Seạláh, no one would liberate it; and

so the wolf would eat it.[94]--An island in the sea of Eṣ-Ṣeen (or

China) is called "the Island of the Seạláh," by Arab geographers, from

its being said to be inhabited by the demons so named: they are

described as creatures of hideous forms, supposed to be Sheyṭáns, the

offspring of human beings and Jinn, who eat men.[95]

The Ghaddár, or Gharrár (for its name is written differently in two

different MSS. in my possession), is another creature of a similar

nature, described as being found in the borders of El-Yemen, and

sometimes in Tihámeh, and in the upper parts of Egypt. It is said that

it entices a man to it, and either tortures him in a manner not to be

described, or merely terrifies him, and leaves him.[96]

The Delhán is also a demoniacal being, inhabiting the islands of the

seas, having the form of a man, and riding on an ostrich. It eats the

flesh of men whom the sea casts on the shore from wrecks. Some say that

a Delhán once attacked a ship in the sea, and desired to take the crew;

but they contended with it; whereupon it uttered a cry which caused them

to fall upon their faces, and it took them.[97]--In my MS. of

Ibn-El-Wardee, I find the name written "Dahlán." He mentions an island

called by this name, in the Sea of 'Omán; and describes its inhabitants

as cannibal Sheyṭáns, like men in form, and riding on birds resembling

ostriches.

The Shiḳḳ is another demoniacal creature, having the form of half a

human being (like a man divided longitudinally); and it is believed that

the Nesnás is the offspring of a Shiḳḳ and of a human being. The Shiḳḳ

appears to travellers; and it was a demon of this kind who killed, and

was killed by, 'Alḳamah, the son of Ṣafwán, the son of Umeiyeh; of whom

it is well known that he was killed by a Jinnee. So says El-Ḳazweenee.

The Nesnás (above mentioned) is described as resembling half a human

being; having half a head, half a body, one arm, and one leg, with which

it hops with much agility; as being found in the woods of El-Yemen, and

being endowed with speech: "but God," it is added, "is all-knowing."[98]

It is said that it is found in Ḥaḍramót as well as El-Yemen; and that

one was brought alive to El-Mutawekkil: it resembled a man in form,

excepting that it had but half a face, which was in its breast, and a

tail like that of a sheep. The people of Ḥaḍramót, it is added, eat it;

and its flesh is sweet. It is only generated in their country. A man who

went there asserted that he saw a captured Nesnás, which cried out for

mercy, conjuring him by God and by himself.[99] A race of people whose

head is in the breast is described as inhabiting an island called Jábeh

(supposed to be Java), in the Sea of El-Hind, or India.[100] A kind of

Nesnás is also described as inhabiting the Island of Ráïj, in the Sea of

Eṣ-Ṣeen, or China, and having wings like those of the bat.[101]

The Hátif is a being that is heard, but not seen; and is often mentioned

by Arab writers. It is generally the communicator of some intelligence

in the way of advice, or direction, or warning.

Here terminating this long note, I must beg the reader to remark, that

the superstitious fancies which it describes are prevalent among all

classes of the Arabs, and the Muslims in general, learned as well as

vulgar. I have comprised in it much matter not necessary to illustrate

the introductory portion of this work, in order to avoid frequent

recurrence to the same subject. Another apology for its length may also

be offered:--its importance as confuting Schlegel's opinion, that the

frequent mention of Genii is more consistent with Indian than with Arab

notions.

NOTE 22. This chest is described in some copies as formed of glass.

NOTE 23. The term "'Efreet" has been explained above, in Note 21.

NOTE 24. Most of the copies of the original, it appears, make the number

of rings ninety-eight; therefore, I have substituted this, as less

extraordinary, for five hundred and seventy, which is the number

mentioned in the Cairo edition.

NOTE 25. Almost every Muslim who can afford it has a seal-ring, for a

reason shewn in a former note (No. 11).[102]

NOTE 26. For the story of Yoosuf and Zeleekha (or Joseph and the wife of

Potiphar), see the Ḳur-án, ch. xii.

NOTE 27.--_On the wickedness of Women._ The wickedness of women is a

subject upon which the stronger sex among the Arabs, with an affected

feeling of superior virtue, often dwell in common conversation. That

women are deficient in judgment or good sense is held as a fact not to

be disputed even by themselves, as it rests on an assertion of the

Prophet; but that they possess a superior degree of cunning is

pronounced equally certain and notorious. Their general depravity is

pronounced to be much greater than that of men. "I stood," said the

Prophet, "at the gate of Paradise; and lo, most of its inmates were the

poor: and I stood at the gate of Hell; and lo, most of its inmates were

women."[103] In allusion to women, the Khaleefeh 'Omar said, "Consult

them, and do the contrary of what they advise." But this is not to be

done merely for the sake of opposing them; nor when other advice can be

had. "It is desirable for a man," says a learned Imám, "before he enters

upon any important undertaking, to consult ten intelligent persons among

his particular friends; or, if he have not more than five such friends,

let him consult each of them twice; or, if he have not more than one

friend, he should consult him ten times, at ten different visits: if he

have not one to consult, let him return to his wife, and consult her;

and whatever she advises him to do, let him do the contrary: so shall he

proceed rightly in his affair, and attain his object."[104] A truly

virtuous wife is, of course, excepted in this rule: such a person is as

much respected by Muslims as she is (at least, according to their own

account) rarely met with by them. When woman was created, the Devil, we

are told, was delighted, and said, "Thou art half of my host, and thou

art the depository of my secret, and thou art my arrow, with which I

shoot, and miss not."[105] What are termed by us affairs of gallantry

were very common among the Pagan Arabs, and are scarcely less so among

their Muslim posterity. They are, however, unfrequent among most tribes

of Bedawees, and among the descendants of those tribes not long settled

as cultivators. I remember being roused from the quiet that I generally

enjoyed in an ancient tomb in which I resided at Thebes, by the cries of

a young woman in the neighbourhood, whom an Arab was severely beating

for an impudent proposal that she had made to him.

NOTE 28.--_On the cruelty ascribed to_ Shahriyár. I wish that I could

accuse the author of inventing, in this case, an incident of an

incredible nature, and entirely unparalleled; but, alas, acts of equal

cruelty are recorded of Arab princes: traits of benevolence, and crimes

of the blackest hue, are related in their histories, sometimes in the

same page. I have not read of any case exactly resembling that to which

this note relates; but the following anecdote will shew, that if conduct

still more atrocious had been described in the latter, it might have

been founded on fact. "In the year of the Flight 423, the Khaleefeh of

Egypt, Eẓ-Ẓáhir, the son of El-Ḥákim, collected together all the female

slaves that were in the palace, and said to them, 'Assemble together,

and I will make a day of pleasure for you, such as hath not before been

seen in Egypt.' He ordered, also, that every person who had a female

slave should bring her, and that none of them should come but with her

ornaments of jewels and gold. They did so; and there was not a single

one that did not come. He then placed them in a chamber, and, calling

some masons, made them build up the door of the chamber upon them, and

so they all died. This happened on Friday (the Mohammadan Sabbath,) the

6th of Showwál. The number of them was two thousand six hundred and

sixty female slaves. After they had remained six months, he heaped

lighted combustibles upon them, and burned them, together with their

clothes and ornaments. May God [says the narrator] shew no mercy to

him!"[106]

NOTE 29. I here deviate a little from my original, in which Shahrazád is

made to say, "Either I shall live, or I shall be a ransom for the

daughters of the Muslims, and the cause of their deliverance from him."

Upon this, the sheykh Moḥammed 'Eiyád has remarked in a marginal note,

"It would seem that she had contrived some stratagem to prevent his

marrying again if he determined to kill her: otherwise, the mere killing

her would not be a means of rescuing the other maidens."

NOTE 30.--_On the Language of Birds, &c._ It is commonly believed by the

Muslims (learned and unlearned), that all kinds of birds, and many (if

not all) beasts, have a language by which they communicate their

thoughts to each other; and we are told in the Ḳur-án,[107] that

Suleymán (or Solomon) was taught the language of birds.[108] I thought

that I could boast of an accomplishment very rare in Christian

countries, in having learned, in Egypt, somewhat of this language; for

instance, that the common cry of the pigeon is "Alláh! Alláh!" ("God!

God!"); that of the ringdove, "Keerem! Towwáb!" ("Bountiful!

Propitious!"--an ejaculation addressed to God); that of the common dove,

"Waḥḥidoo rabbakumu-llezee khalaḳakum, yeghfir-lakum zembakum!" ("Assert

the unity of your Lord who created you, so will He forgive you your

sin!") but I afterwards found that several specimens of this language

were given by Ez-Zamakhsheree, and had been published in Europe: see

"Alcoranus Marraccii," p. 511. The cock cries, "Uzkuru-lláha, yá

gháfiloon!" ("Commemorate God, O ye negligent!"): the ḳaṭà (a kind of

grouse),[109] "Men seket selim!" ("He who is silent is safe!"). The

latter, however, would do better if it did itself attend to the maxim it

utters; for its cry, which, to the uninstructed in the language of

birds, sounds merely, "ḳaṭà! ḳaṭà!" as its own name, tells where it is

to be found by the sportsman, and thus causes its own destruction. Hence

the proverb--"More veracious than the ḳaṭà."

NOTE 31. In the houses of persons of the middle classes in Arabian

countries, there is generally an apartment on the ground-floor fitted up

as a stable for a horse, mule, or ass, or for two or more such animals;

and the cattle of the farmer, if not very numerous, are usually lodged

during the night in similar quarters, or in an open court enclosed

within, or immediately adjacent to, his house.

NOTE 32. It is a common custom in the East to sprinkle the ground,

during the summer, in order to cool the air.

NOTE 33. Cut straw is the usual fodder of asses and other beasts of

burden in Egypt and other countries of the East.

NOTE 34. The phrase with which the bull commences his address to the

ass, is one dictated by an indispensable rule of Muslim politeness,

which requires that these or some similar words should be uttered by a

person whenever he sees another with food before him, and does not

partake of it. If this were not done, it would be feared that the food

had been poisoned, or rendered of no avail, by an envious eye.

NOTE 35. The peasants in the East use a hand-mill for grinding their

corn. The larger mills used for this and other purposes are turned by

cattle.

NOTE 36. In the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred nights, the

ass is made to quote verses to the bull. Hast thou not, he asks him,

heard the poet say:--

I occupy myself every day and night in anxious service of him in

whose prosperity I have no enjoyment;

Like the bleacher who blackens his face in the sun, while he watches

the whitening of the clothes of others.

NOTE 37. I read "naṭ'an," as in the Calcutta edition of the first two

hundred nights, instead of "kiṭa'an" in the Cairo edition. The naṭạ is a

large round piece of leather, which, spread upon the ground, serves as a

table for dinner, &c. It is particularly convenient, and therefore much

used, in travelling. Around the edge is a running string, which, being

drawn, converts it into a bag to hold what is left of the food.

NOTE 38.--_On the office of_ Ḳáḍee. The Ḳáḍee is a judge, or minister of

justice, who passes sentence in all cases of law, religious, moral,

civil, and criminal. This he generally does, in the present day, in

accordance with the decision of a Muftee, or doctor of the law. In small

towns and villages, he is often employed to draw up written contracts of

various kinds.

NOTE 39. The famous Saạdee attained the age here mentioned; but

instances of equal longevity, among the Orientals, are rare.[110]

NOTE 40. To perform the ablution preparatory to prayer in the

expectation of almost immediate death, is a supererogatory act which, I

believe, is seldom observed.

NOTE 41. Both religion and climate make the Muslim an early riser. It is

his duty to perform the first of the five daily prayers at, or soon

after, daybreak; and he generally awakes before this period. While

Shahriyár, therefore, was waiting for the dawn of day to acquit himself

of this duty, in accordance with the common custom of Mohammadan kings,

Shahrazád amused him by the recitation of her tales. That he should be

described as thus strict with regard to religious exercises, when about

to give orders for the murder of his innocent wife, needs not excite our

surprise: such conduct is consistent with the character of many Muslims.

In the year 1834, when I was residing in Cairo, a General in the service

of Moḥammad 'Alee hired a large party of men to perform a recital of the

Ḳur-án, in his house in that city, and then went up into his ḥareem, and

strangled his wife, in consequence of a report which accused her of

incontinence. The religious ceremony was designed as preparatory to this

act, though the punishment of the woman was contrary to the law, since

her husband neither produced four witnesses of the imputed crime, nor

allowed her to clear herself of the charge by her own oath. Another case

of diligence in the performance of a religious duty, accompanied by the

contemplation of murder, but murder on a larger scale, occurred in the

same city shortly after. Suleymán Ághà, the Siláḥdár, being occupied in

directing the building of a public fountain, as a work of charity to

place to the account of a deceased brother, desired to extend the

original plan of the structure; and to do this, it was necessary that

he should purchase two houses adjoining the plot in which the

foundations had been laid: but the owners of these houses refused to

sell them, and he therefore employed a number of workmen to undermine

them by night, and cause them to fall upon their inhabitants. His

scheme, however, but partially succeeded, and no lives were sacrificed.

This man was notorious for cruelty, but he was a person of pleasing and

venerable countenance, and engaging manners: whenever I chanced to meet

him, I received from him a most gracious salutation. He died before I

quitted Egypt.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

[12] An Apostle is distinguished from a mere Prophet by his

having a _book_ revealed to him.

[13] In quoting the Ḳur-án, I distinguish the verses in

accordance with the numbers in Fluegel's excellent edition of

the original text: 4to Lipsiæ 1834. These numbers agree

(excepting in a few cases, where a disagreement was found

absolutely necessary) with those in Hinckelmann's edition,

which is that most commonly quoted by the learned. I am sorry

to see that Marracci's numbers have been adopted in a late

edition of Sale's translation, and that the distinction between

the words of the text and the explanatory interpolations has

there been neglected. Its utility to Arabic scholars, and its

general fidelity, have been thus greatly lessened; and it

appears to me very desirable that it should be superseded as

soon as possible by another edition.

[14] Moḥammad's answers to 'Abd-Allah Ibn-Selám, quoted by

Ibn-El-Wardee (MS. in my possession); and Mek-ḥool, quoted by

the same author, and Mishkát el-Maṣabeeḥ, vol. ii. pp. 652 and

653.

[15] Ibn-Esh-Sheḥneh (MS. in my possession).

[16] In another MS. of the same author in my possession,

"yellow."

[17] In his "Khiṭaṭ" (MS. in my possession).

[18] Ḳur-án, ch. xiii. v. 3, and several other places.

[19] Idem, ch. ii. v. 20, and ch. lxxviii. v. 6.

[20] Idem, ch. lxxi. v. 18.

[21] Mek-ḥool, quoted by Ibn-El-Wardee.

[22] Wahb Ibn-Munebbih, quoted by El-Maḳreezee, is his

"Khiṭaṭ."

[23] Ibn-El-Wardee, however, says that its name is derived from

its terrors and difficulties.

[24] These are monsters who will be described in a subsequent

note.

[25] History of El-Khiḍr in the "Mir-át ez-Zemán" (MS. in my

possession), a great history, whose author died in the year of

the Flight 656.

[26] El-Ḳazweenee (MS. in my possession).

[27] Moḥammad's answers to 'Abd-Allah Ibn-Selám, quoted by

Ibn-El-Wardee.

[28] Ibid.

[29] El-Ḳazweenee.

[30] Ḳur-án, ch. ii. v. 22, and ch. lxvi. v. 6.

[31] Mir-át ez-Zemán.

[32] Tradition from the Prophet, recorded by Ibn-'Abbás, and

quoted by Ibn-El-Wardee; and by El-Is-ḥáḳee, in describing an

earthquake that happened in his life-time.--On the subject of

earthquakes, see also the next foot-note.

[33] In Ibn-Esh-Sheḥneh, "Kuyoothán:" the orthography of this

word is doubtful, as the vowel-points are not written. As the

tradition is related in Ibn-El-Wardee, this bull takes a breath

twice in the course of every day (or twenty-four hours); when

he exhales, the sea flows; and when he inhales, it ebbs. But it

must not be imagined that none of the Arabs have any notion of

the true theory of the tides: the more learned among them

explain this phenomenon by the influence of the moon.--Many of

the Arabs attribute earthquakes to the shaking of this bull.

[34] In Ibn-El-Wardee, a quantity of sand is introduced between

the bull and the fish.

[35] Ed-Demeeree, on the authority of Walib Ibn-Munebbih,

quoted by El-Is-ḥáḳce, _loco laudato_.

[36] Ibn-El-Wardee.

[37] Ḳur-án, ch. xxxix. v. 67.

[38] Idem, ch. xiv. v. 49.

[39] Idem, ch. lxxxix. v. 24.

[40] Khaleel Eẓ-Ẓáhiree, in De Sacy's Chrestomathie Arabe, 2nde

ed. tome ii. pp. 10 and 11 of Ar. text.

[41] Ibid.

[42] El-Maḳreezee, quoted by De Sacy, _ubi supra_, pp. 58-62.

[43] Ibn-Khaldoon, in the same, pp. 168 and 169.

[44] Ch. xxxii. v. 13.

[45] Mishḳát el-Maṣábeeḥ, vol. ii. p. 329.

[46] Burckhardt's "Notes on the Bedouins and Wahábys," 8vo ed.

vol. i. pp. 178 and 179.

[47] This tree is called, in Arabic, "bán" and "khiláf" or

"khaláf."

[48] The Anacreon of Persia affected to prize the mole upon the

cheek of his beloved above the cities of Samarḳand and Bukhára.

[49] Lawsonia inermis.

[50] In another analysis of the same kind, it is said that four

should be _short_; the hands, the feet, the tongue, and the

teeth; but this is metaphorically speaking; the meaning is,

that these members should be kept within their proper bounds.

(Kitáb el-'Onwán fee Mekáid en-Niswán. MS. in my possession.)

[51] An unnamed author quoted by El-Is-ḥáḳee, in his account of

the 'Abbásee Khaleefeh El-Mutawekkil.

[52] Mir-át ez-Zemán. See also, Ḳur-án, ch. v. v. 65.

[53] The term "'Efreet" is sometimes improperly applied to a

_good_ Jinnee [and also, in Egypt, to the ghost of a dead

person. See "Modern Egyptians," vol. 1. ch. x. Ed.].

[54] Mir-át ez-Zemán.

[55] Ch. xv. v. 27; and Commentary of the Jeláleyn. Also,

Ḳur-án, ch. lv. v. 14.

[56] Ch. xxvii. v. 10 and ch. xxviii. v. 31; and Commentary of

the Jeláleyn.

[57] Ch. lv. vv. 39 and 74; and same Commentary.

[58] 'Ekrimeh, from Ibn-'Abbás, in the Mir-át ez-Zemán.

[59] Mujáhid, from the same, ibid.

[60] Hence the appellations of "Jinn" and "Jánn."

[61] Tradition from the Prophet, in the Mir-át ez-Zemán.

[62] Mir-át ez-Zemán.

[63] The worship here spoken of is prostration, as an act of

obeisance to a superior being.

[64] Ḳur-án, ch. xviii. v. 48.

[65] Eṭ-Ṭabaree, quoted in the Mir-át ez-Zemán.

[66] Mir-át ez-Zemán.

[67] Ch. vii. v. 11; and chap. xxxviii. v. 77.

[68] Mir-át ez-Zemán.

[69] El-Ḥasan El-Baṣree, in the Mir-át ez-Zemán.--My

interpolation of the word "other" is required by his opinion

before stated.

[70] Mujáhid, quoted by El-Ḳazweenee.

[71] The same, from Ibn-'Abbás, in the Mir-át ez-Zemán.

[72] El-Ḥasan El-Baṣree, ibid.

[73] 'Ekrimeh, from Ibn-'Abbás, ibid.

[74] Mishkát el-Maṣábeeḥ, vol. ii. p. 314.

[75] Ibid. vol. ii. pp. 311 and 312.

[76] Mir-át ez-Zemán.

[77] "Modern Egyptians," vol. i. ch. x.

[78] Ibid.

[79] Sale, in a note on chap. xv. of the Ḳur-án.

[80] So I translate the word "khaṭṭ;" but in a work by

Es-Suyootee, (a MS. in my possession, entitled "Nuzhet

el-Mutaämmil wa-Murshid el-Mutaähhil," section 7,) I find, in

its place, the word "weshm," or "tattooing;" and there are some

other slight variations and omissions in this tradition as

there quoted.

[81] El-Ḳazweenee.

[82] Ch. lxxii. v 6.

[83] "Modern Egyptians," vol. i. ch. x.

[84] Idem, vol. ii. ch. xi.

[85] Ḳur-án, ch. xxvii. v. 17; and ch. xxxviii. v. 35.

[86] "Modern Egyptians," vol. i. ch. x.

[87] Ibid.

[88] Ibid.

[89] El-Ḳazweenee.

[90] El-Jáḥeẓ ('Amr Ibn-Baḥr).

[91] Ṣeḥáḥ and Ḳámoos.

[92] Tradition for the Whab Ibn-Munebbih, quoted in the account

of the early Arabs in the Mir-át ez-Zemán.

[93] Ibid.

[94] El-Ḳazweenee.

[95] Ibn-El-Wardee.

[96] El-Ḳazweenee, and Mir-át ez-Zemán.

[97] El-Ḳazweenee.

[98] El-Ḳazweenee, in the khátimeh of his work.

[99] Mir-át ez-Zemán.

[100] Ibn-El-Wardee.

[101] Idem.

[102] In a great collection of Indian tales, the "Kathá Sarit

Ságara," is a story which may have been the original of that to

which this note refers. "Two young Brahmans travelling are

benighted in a forest, and take up their lodging in a tree near

a lake. Early in the night a number of people come from the

water, and having made preparation for an entertainment,

retire; a Yaksha, a genie, then comes out of the lake with his

two wives, and spends the night there: when he and one of his

wives are asleep, the other, seeing the youths, invites them to

approach her, and to encourage them, shews them a hundred rings

received from former gallants, notwithstanding her husband's

precautions, who keeps her locked up in a chest at the bottom

of the lake. The Hindu story-teller is more moral than the

Arab. The youths reject her advances; she wakes the genie, who

is going to put them to death, but the rings are produced in

evidence against the unfaithful wife, and she is turned away

with the loss of her nose. The story is repeated in the next

section with some variation; the lady has ninety and nine

rings, and is about to complete the hundredth, when her

husband, who is here a Naga, a snake-god, wakes, and consumes

the guilty pair with fire from his mouth."--British and Foreign

Review, No. xxi. page 266.

[103] Kitáb el-'Onwán fee Mekáid en-Niswán: a work on the

strategems of women (MS. in my possession).

[104] El-Imám El-Jara'ee, in his book entitled "Shir'at

el-Islám," ibid.

[105] Nuzhet el-Mutaämmil wa-Murshid el-Mutaähhil, section 2.

[106] Es-Suyooṭee, History of Egypt, account of the strange

events that have happened in Egypt during the time of El-Islám.

[107] Ch. xxvii. v. 16.

[108] Manṭiḳ eṭ-ṭeyr.

[109] Of the family _Pteroclidæ_. (Pr. Bon.) ED.

[110] Ibn-'Arab-Sháh, however, has given an account of a man

called the sheykh El-'Oryán, an inhabitant of Samarḳand, and a

devotee, who was said to have attained the age of 350 [lunar]

years [or nearly 340 solar years], and yet preserved an erect

stature, a comely appearance, and such strength that it seemed

as if he had not attained to mature years. The old men of the

place asserted that they remembered him to have had the same

appearance when they were children, and that their fathers and

grandfathers had said the same.--History of Teemoor, p. 470,

Calcutta edition.

CHAPTER I.

COMMENCING WITH THE FIRST NIGHT, AND ENDING WITH PART OF THE THIRD.

THE STORY OF THE MERCHANT AND THE JINNEE.

It has been related to me, O happy King, said Shahrazád, that there was

a certain merchant who had great wealth, and traded extensively with

surrounding countries; and one day he mounted his horse, and journeyed

to a neighbouring country to collect what was due to him, and, the heat

oppressing him, he sat under a tree, in a garden,[I_1] and put his

hand into his saddle-bag,[I_2] and ate a morsel of bread and a date

which were among his provisions. Having eaten the date, he threw aside

the stone,[I_3] and immediately there appeared before him an

'Efreet, of enormous height, who, holding a drawn sword in his hand,

approached him, and said, Rise, that I may kill thee, as thou hast

killed my son. The merchant asked him, How have I killed thy son? He

answered, When thou atest the date, and threwest aside the stone, it

struck my son upon the chest,[I_4] and, as fate had decreed against

him, he instantly died.[I_5]

[Illustration]

The merchant, on hearing these words,[I_6] exclaimed, Verily to God

we belong, and verily to Him we must return! There is no strength nor

power but in God, the High, the Great! If I killed him, I did it not

intentionally, but without knowing it; and I trust in thee that thou

wilt pardon me.--The Jinnee answered, Thy death is indispensable, as

thou hast killed my son:--and so saying, he dragged him, and threw him

on the ground, and raised his arm to strike him with the sword. The

merchant, upon this, wept bitterly, and said to the Jinnee, I commit my

affair unto God, for no one can avoid what He hath decreed:--and he

continued his lamentation, repeating the following verses:--

Time consists of two days; this, bright; and that, gloomy: and life,

of two moieties; this, safe; and that, fearful.

Say to him who hath taunted us on account of misfortunes, Doth fortune

oppose any but the eminent?

Dost thou not observe that corpses float upon the sea, while

the precious pearls remain in its furthest depths?

When the hands of time play with us, misfortune is imparted to us by

its protracted kiss.

In the heaven are stars that cannot be numbered; but none is eclipsed

save the sun and the moon.

How many green and dry trees are on the earth; but none is assailed

with stones save that which beareth fruit!

Thou thoughtest well of the days when they went well with thee,

and fearedst not the evil that destiny was bringing.

--When he had finished reciting these verses, the Jinnee said to him,

Spare thy words, for thy death is unavoidable.

Then said the merchant, Know, O 'Efreet, that I have debts to pay, and I

have much property, and children, and a wife, and I have pledges also in

my possession: let me, therefore, go back to my house, and give to every

one his due, and then I will return to thee: I bind myself by a vow and

covenant that I will return to thee, and thou shalt do what thou wilt;

and God is witness of what I say.--Upon this, the Jinnee accepted his

covenant, and liberated him; granting him a respite until the expiration

of the year.

The merchant, therefore, returned to his town, accomplished all that was

upon his mind to do, paid every one what he owed him, and informed his

wife and children of the event which had befallen him; upon hearing

which, they and all his family and women wept. He appointed a guardian

over his children, and remained with his family until the end of the

year; when he took his grave-clothes under his arm,[I_7] bade

farewell to his household and neighbours, and all his relations, and

went forth, in spite of himself; his family raising cries of

lamentation, and shrieking.[I_8]

He proceeded until he arrived at the garden before mentioned; and it was

the first day of the new year; and as he sat, weeping for the calamity

which he expected soon to befall him, a sheykh,[I_9] advanced in

years, approached him, leading a gazelle with a chain attached to its

neck. This sheykh saluted the merchant, wishing him a long life, and

said to him, What is the reason of thy sitting alone in this place,

seeing that it is a resort of the Jinn? The merchant therefore informed

him of what had befallen him with the 'Efreet, and of the cause of his

sitting there; at which the sheykh, the owner of the gazelle, was

astonished, and said, By Allah, O my brother, thy faithfulness is great,

and thy story is wonderful! if it were engraved upon the intellect, it

would be a lesson to him who would be admonished!--And he sat down by

his side, and said, By Allah, O my brother, I will not quit this place

until I see what will happen unto thee with this 'Efreet. So he sat

down, and conversed with him. And the merchant became almost senseless;

fear entered him, and terror, and violent grief, and excessive anxiety.

And as the owner of the gazelle sat by his side, lo, a second sheykh

approached them, with two black hounds, and inquired of them, after

saluting them, the reason of their sitting in that place, seeing that it

was a resort of the Jánn:[I_10] and they told him the story from

beginning to end. And he had hardly sat down when there approached them

a third sheykh, with a dapple mule; and he asked them the same question,

which was answered in the same manner.

[Illustration]

Immediately after, the dust was agitated, and became an enormous

revolving pillar, approaching them from the midst of the desert; and

this dust subsided, and behold, the Jinnee, with a drawn sword in his

hand; his eyes casting forth sparks of fire. He came to them, and

dragged from them the merchant, and said to him, Rise, that I may kill

thee, as thou killedst my son, the vital spirit of my heart. And the

merchant wailed and wept; and the three sheykhs also manifested their

sorrow by weeping and crying aloud and wailing: but the first sheykh,

who was the owner of the gazelle, recovering his self-possession, kissed

the hand of the 'Efreet, and said to him, O thou Jinnee, and crown of

the kings of the Jánn, if I relate to thee the story of myself and this

gazelle, and thou find it to be wonderful, and more so than the

adventure of this merchant, wilt thou give up to me a third of thy

claim to his blood? He answered, Yes, O sheykh; if thou relate to me the

story, and I find it to be as thou hast said, I will give up to thee a

third of my claim to his blood.

[Illustration]

THE STORY OF THE FIRST SHEYKH AND THE GAZELLE.

Then said the sheykh, Know, O 'Efreet, that this gazelle is the daughter

of my paternal uncle,[I_11] and she is of my flesh and my blood. I

took her as my wife when she was young,[I_12] and lived with her

about thirty years; but I was not blessed with a child by her; so I took

to me a concubine slave,[I_13] and by her I was blessed with a male

child, like the rising full moon, with beautiful eyes, and

delicately-shaped eyebrows, and perfectly-formed limbs; and he grew up

by little and little until he attained the age of fifteen years. At this

period, I unexpectedly had occasion to journey to a certain city, and

went thither with a great stock of merchandise.

Now my cousin,[I_14] this gazelle, had studied enchantment and

divination from her early years; and during my absence, she transformed

the youth above mentioned into a calf; and his mother, into a

cow;[I_15] and committed them to the care of the herdsman: and when

I returned, after a long time, from my journey, I asked after my son and

his mother, and she said, Thy slave is dead, and thy son hath fled, and

I know not whither he is gone. After hearing this, I remained for the

space of a year with mourning heart and weeping eye, until the Festival

of the Sacrifice;[I_16] when I sent to the herdsman, and ordered

him to choose for me a fat cow; and he brought me one, and it was my

concubine, whom this gazelle had enchanted. I tucked up my skirts and

sleeves, and took the knife[I_17] in my hand, and prepared myself

to slaughter her; upon which she moaned and cried so violently that I

left her, and ordered the herdsman to kill and skin her: and he did so,

but found in her neither fat nor flesh, nor anything but skin and bone;

and I repented of slaughtering her, when repentance was of no avail. I

therefore gave her to the herdsman, and said to him, Bring me a fat

calf: and he brought me my son, who was transformed into a calf. And

when the calf saw me, he broke his rope, and came to me, and fawned upon

me, and wailed and cried, so that I was moved with pity for him; and I

said to the herdsman, Bring me a cow, and let this--

[Illustration]

Here Shahrazád perceived the light of morning, and discontinued the

recitation with which she had been allowed thus far to proceed. Her

sister said to her, How excellent is thy story! and how pretty! and how

pleasant! and how sweet!--but she answered, What is this in comparison

with that which I will relate to thee in the next night, if I live, and

the King spare me! And the King said, By Allah, I will not kill her

until I hear the remainder of her story. Thus they pleasantly passed the

night until the morning, when the King went forth to his hall of

judgment, and the Wezeer went thither with the grave-clothes under his

arm: and the King gave judgment, and invested and displaced, until the

close of the day, without informing the Wezeer of that which had

happened; and the minister was greatly astonished. The court was then

dissolved; and the King returned to the privacy of his palace.

[On the second and each succeeding night, Shahrazád continued so to

interest King Shahriyár by her stories as to induce him to defer putting

her to death, in expectation that her fund of amusing tales would soon

be exhausted; and as this is expressed in the original work in nearly

the same words at the close of every night, such repetitions will in the

present translation be omitted.[I_18]]

When the sheykh, continued Shahrazád, observed the tears of the calf,

his heart sympathized with him, and he said to the herdsman, Let this

calf remain with the cattle.--Meanwhile, the Jinnee wondered at this

strange story; and the owner of the gazelle thus proceeded.

O lord of the kings of the Jánn, while this happened, my cousin, this

gazelle, looked on, and said, Slaughter this calf; for he is fat: but I

could not do it; so I ordered the herdsman to take him back; and he took

him and went away. And as I was sitting, on the following day, he came

to me, and said, O my master, I have to tell thee something that thou

wilt be rejoiced to hear; and a reward is due to me for bringing good

news.[I_19] I answered, Well:--and he said, O merchant, I have a

daughter who learned enchantment in her youth from an old woman in our

family; and yesterday, when thou gavest me the calf, I took him to her,

and she looked at him, and covered her face, and wept, and then laughed,

and said, O my father, hath my condition become so degraded in thy

opinion that thou bringest before me strange men?[I_20]--Where,

said I, are any strange men? and wherefore didst thou weep and laugh?

She answered, This calf that is with thee is the son of our master, the

merchant, and the wife of our master hath enchanted both him and his

mother; and this was the reason of my laughter; but as to the reason of

my weeping, it was on account of his mother, because his father had

slaughtered her.--And I was excessively astonished at this; and scarcely

was I certain that the light of morning had appeared when I hastened to

inform thee.

[Illustration]

When I heard, O Jinnee, the words of the herdsman, I went forth with

him, intoxicated without wine, from the excessive joy and happiness that

I received, and arrived at his house, where his daughter welcomed me,

and kissed my hand; and the calf came to me, and fawned upon me. And I

said to the herdsman's daughter, Is that true which thou hast said

respecting this calf? She answered, Yes, O my master; he is verily thy

son, and the vital spirit of thy heart.--O maiden, said I, if thou wilt

restore him, all the cattle and other property of mine that thy father

hath under his care shall be thine. Upon this, she smiled, and said, O

my master, I have no desire for the property unless on two conditions:

the first is, that thou shalt marry me to him; and the second, that I

shall enchant her who enchanted him, and so restrain her; otherwise, I

shall not be secure from her artifice. On hearing, O Jinnee, these her

words, I said, And thou shalt have all the property that is under the

care of thy father besides; and as to my cousin, even her blood shall be

lawful to thee. So, when she heard this, she took a cup, and filled it

with water, and repeated a spell over it, and sprinkled with it the

calf, saying to him, If God created thee a calf, remain in this form,

and be not changed; but if thou be enchanted, return to thy original

form, by permission of God, whose name be exalted!--upon which he shook,

and became a man; and I threw myself upon him, and said, I conjure thee

by Allah that thou relate to me all that my cousin did to thee and to

thy mother. So he related to me all that had happened to them both; and

I said to him, O my son, God hath given thee one to liberate thee, and

to avenge thee:--and I married to him, O Jinnee, the herdsman's

daughter; after which, she transformed my cousin into this gazelle. And

as I happened to pass this way, I saw this merchant, and asked him what

had happened to him; and when he had informed me, I sat down to see the

result.--This is my story. The Jinnee said, This is a wonderful tale;

and I give up to thee a third of my claim to his blood.

The second sheykh, the owner of the two hounds, then advanced, and said

to the Jinnee, If I relate to thee the story of myself and these hounds,

and thou find it to be in like manner wonderful, wilt thou remit to me,

also, a third of thy claim to the blood of this merchant? The Jinnee

answered, Yes.

THE STORY OF THE SECOND SHEYKH AND THE TWO BLACK HOUNDS.

Then said the sheykh, Know, O lord of the kings of the Jánn, that these

two hounds are my brothers. My father died, and left to us three

thousand pieces of gold;[I_21] and I opened a shop[I_22] to

sell and buy. But one of my brothers made a journey, with a stock of

merchandise, and was absent from us for the space of a year with the

caravans; after which, he returned destitute. I said to him, Did I not

advise thee to abstain from travelling? But he wept, and said, O my

brother, God, to whom be ascribed all might and glory, decreed this

event; and there is no longer any profit in these words: I have nothing

left. So I took him up into the shop, and then went with him to the

bath, and clad him in a costly suit of my own clothing; after which, we

sat down together to eat; and I said to him, O my brother, I will

calculate the gain of my shop during the year, and divide it, exclusive

of the principal, between me and thee. Accordingly, I made the

calculation, and found my gain to amount to two thousand pieces of gold;

and I praised God, to whom be ascribed all might and glory, and rejoiced

exceedingly, and divided the gain in two equal parts between myself and

him.--My other brother then set forth on a journey; and after a year,

returned in the like condition; and I did unto him as I had done to the

former.

After this, when we had lived together for some time, my brothers again

wished to travel, and were desirous that I should accompany them; but I

would not. What, said I, have ye gained in your travels, that I should

expect to gain? They importuned me; but I would not comply with their

request; and we remained selling and buying in our shops a whole year.

Still, however, they persevered in proposing that we should travel, and

I still refused, until after the lapse of six entire years, when at last

I consented, and said to them, O my brothers, let us calculate what

property we possess. We did so, and found it to be six thousand pieces

of gold: and I then said to them, We will bury half of it in the earth,

that it may be of service to us if any misfortune befall us, in which

case each of us shall take a thousand pieces, with which to

traffic.[I_23] Excellent is thy advice, said they. So I took the

money and divided it into two equal portions, and buried three thousand

pieces of gold; and of the other half, I gave to each of them a thousand

pieces. We then prepared merchandise, and hired a ship, and embarked our

goods, and proceeded on our voyage for the space of a whole month, at

the expiration of which we arrived at a city, where we sold our

merchandise; and for every piece of gold we gained ten.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

And when we were about to set sail again, we found, on the shore of the

sea, a maiden clad in tattered garments, who kissed my hand, and said to

me, O my master, art thou possessed of charity and kindness? If so, I

will requite thee for them. I answered, Yes, I have those qualities,

though thou requite me not. Then said she, O my master, accept me as thy

wife, and take me to thy country; for I give myself to thee:[I_24]

act kindly towards me; for I am one who requires to be treated with

kindness and charity, and who will requite thee for so doing; and let

not my present condition at all deceive thee. When I heard these words,

my heart was moved with tenderness towards her, in order to the

accomplishment of a purpose of God, to whom be ascribed all might and

glory; and I took her, and clothed her, and furnished for her a place in

the ship in a handsome manner, and regarded her with kind and respectful

attention.

We then set sail; and I became most cordially attached to my wife, so

that, on her account, I neglected the society of my brothers, who, in

consequence, became jealous of me, and likewise envied me my wealth, and

the abundance of my merchandise; casting the eyes of covetousness upon

the whole of the property. They therefore consulted together to kill me,

and take my wealth; saying, Let us kill our brother, and all the

property shall be ours:--and the devil made these actions to seem fair

in their eyes; so they came to me while I was sleeping by the side of my

wife, and took both of us up, and threw us into the sea. But as soon as

my wife awoke, she shook herself, and became transformed into a

Jinneeyeh.[I_25] She immediately bore me away, and placed me upon

an island, and, for a while, disappeared. In the morning, however, she

returned, and said to me, I am thy wife, who carried thee, and rescued

thee from death, by permission of God, whose name be exalted. Know that

I am a Jinneeyeh: I saw thee, and my heart loved thee for the sake of

God; for I am a believer in God and his Apostle, God bless and save

him![I_26] I came to thee in the condition in which thou sawest me,

and thou didst marry me; and see, I have rescued thee from drowning. But

I am incensed against thy brothers, and I must kill them.--When I heard

her tale, I was astonished, and thanked her for what she had done;--But,

said I, as to the destruction of my brothers, it is not what I desire. I

then related to her all that had happened between myself and them from

first to last; and when she had heard it, she said, I will, this next

night, fly to them, and sink their ship, and destroy them. But I said, I

conjure thee by Allah that thou do it not; for the author of the proverb

saith, O thou benefactor of him who hath done evil, the action that he

hath done is sufficient for him:[I_27]--besides, they are at all

events my brothers. She still, however, said, They must be killed;--and

I continued to propitiate her towards them: and at last she lifted me

up, and soared through the air, and placed me on the roof of my

house.[I_28]

[Illustration]

Having opened the doors, I dug up what I had hidden in the earth; and

after I had saluted my neighbours, and bought merchandise, I opened my

shop. And in the following night, when I entered my house, I found these

two dogs tied up in it; and as soon as they saw me, they came to me, and

wept, and clung to me; but I knew not what had happened until

immediately my wife appeared before me, and said, These are thy

brothers. And who, said I, hath done this unto them? She answered, I

sent to my sister and she did it; and they shall not be restored until

after the lapse of ten years. And I was now on my way to her, that she

might restore them, as they have been in this state ten years, when I

saw this man, and, being informed of what had befallen him, I determined

not to quit the place until I should have seen what would happen between

thee and him.--This is my story.--Verily, said the Jinnee, it is a

wonderful tale; and I give up to thee a third of the claim that I had to

his blood on account of his offence.

Upon this, the third sheykh, the owner of the mule, said to the

Jinnee,[I_29] As to me, break not my heart if I relate to thee

nothing more than this:--

[Illustration]

THE STORY OF THE THIRD SHEYKH AND THE MULE.

The mule that thou seest was my wife: she became enamoured of a black

slave; and when I discovered her with him, she took a mug of water, and,

having uttered a spell over it, sprinkled me, and transformed me into a

dog. In this state, I ran to the shop of a butcher, whose daughter saw

me, and, being skilled in enchantment, restored me to my original form,

and instructed me to enchant my wife in the manner thou beholdest.--And

now I hope that thou wilt remit to me also a third of the merchant's

offence. Divinely was he gifted who said,

Sow good, even on an unworthy soil; for it will not be lost wherever

it is sown.

When the sheykh had thus finished his story, the Jinnee shook with

delight, and remitted the remaining third of his claim to the merchant's

blood. The merchant then approached the sheykhs, and thanked them, and

they congratulated him on his safety; and each went his way.

But this, said Shahrazád, is not more wonderful than the story of the

fisherman. The King asked her, And what is the story of the fisherman?

And she related it as follows:--

[Illustration]

NOTES TO CHAPTER FIRST.

NOTE 1. The words "in a garden" are omitted in my original; but they are

required by the sequel. I may here remark, that, in future, when I find

trifling insertions of this kind to be requisite in my translation, I

shall not deem it necessary to mention them in a note.

NOTE 2. An Eastern traveller often makes a long journey with no other

encumbrance than a well-filled pair of saddle-bags: in one bag he puts

his provisions; and in the other, such articles of clothing as he may

require in addition to those in which he sets out, including a spare

shirt, and perhaps no other clean linen: for he is as indifferent with

regard to this comfort as he is careful respecting his _personal_

cleanliness.

NOTE 3. Perhaps no reader of this work will require to be told that the

date has not a _shell_. I only make this remark on account of an error

in the old translation.--As dates are very nutritious, and are preserved

by being merely dried in the sun, they are an excellent article of

provision for travellers.

NOTE 4. The merchant was culpably careless: before throwing aside the

date-stone with sufficient force to kill a Jinnee who happened to be

near him (though at the time invisible), he should have asked permission

by the exclamation "Destoor!" as explained in a note appended to the

Introduction.

NOTE 5.--_On Fate and Destiny._ The belief in fate and destiny ("el-ḳaḍà

wa-l-ḳadar") exercises a most powerful influence upon the actions and

character of the Muslims; and it is therefore highly important that the

reader of the present work should be acquainted with the notions which

these people entertain respecting such matters of faith. I use two words

(perhaps the best that our language affords) to express corresponding

Arabic terms, which some persons regard as synonymous, but others

distinguish by different shades of meaning. On what I consider the best

authority, the word which I render "fate" respects the decrees of God in

a general sense; while that which I translate "destiny" relates to the

particular applications of those decrees. In such senses these terms are

here to be understood when separately employed.

Many Muslims hold that fate is, in some respects, absolute and

unchangeable; in others, admitting of alteration; and almost all of them

_act_, in many of the affairs of life, as if this were their belief. In

the former case, it is called "el-ḳaḍà el-Moḥkam:" in the latter,

"el-ḳaḍà el-Mubram" (which term, without the explanation here given,

might be regarded as exactly synonymous with the former). Hence, the

Prophet, it is said, prayed to be preserved from the latter, as knowing

that it might be changed; and in allusion to this changeable fate, God,

we are told, says, "God will cancel what He pleaseth, and confirm;"[111]

while, on the contrary, the fate which is termed "Moḥkam" is appointed

"destiny" decreed by God.[112]

Many doctors have argued, that destiny respects only the _final state_

of a certain portion of men (believers and unbelievers); and that, in

general, man is endowed with free will, which he should exercise

according to the laws of God and his own conscience and judgment,

praying to God for a blessing on his endeavours, or imploring the

intercession of the Prophet, or of any of the saints, in his favour, and

propitiating them by offering alms or sacrifices in their names; relying

upon God for the result, which he may then, and then only, attribute to

fate or destiny. They hold, therefore, that it is criminal to attempt

resistance to the will when its dictates are conformable with the laws

of God and our natural consciences and prudence, and so passively to

await the fulfilment of God's decrees.--The doctrine of the Ḳur-án and

the Traditions respecting the decrees of God, or fate and destiny,

appears, however, to be, that they are altogether absolute and

unchangeable,--written, in the beginning of the creation, on the

"Preserved Tablet," in heaven; that God hath predestined every event and

action, evil as well as good; at the same time commanding and approving

good, and forbidding and hating evil; and that the "cancelling"

mentioned in the preceding paragraph relates (as the context seems to

shew) to the abrogation of former scriptures, or revelations; not of

fate. But still it must be held that He hath not predestined the _will_;

though He sometimes inclines it to good, and the Devil sometimes

inclines it to evil. It is asked, then, If we have the power to will,

but not the power to perform otherwise than as God hath predetermined,

how can we be regarded as responsible beings? The answer to this is,

that our actions are judged good or evil according to our intentions, if

we have faith: good actions or intentions, it should be added, only

increase, and do not cause, our happiness, if we are believers; and evil

actions or intentions only increase our misery if we are unbelievers or

irreligious: for the Muslim holds that he is to be admitted into heaven

only by the mercy of God, on account of his faith; and to be rewarded in

proportion to his good works.

The Prophet's assertions on the subject of God's decrees are considered

of the highest importance as explanatory of the Ḳur-án.--"Whatever is in

the universe," said he, "is by the order of God."--"God hath

pre-ordained five things on his servants; the duration of life, their

actions, their dwelling-places, their travels, and their

portions."--"There is not one among you whose sitting-place is not

written by God, whether in the fire or in paradise."[113]--Some of the

Companions of the Prophet, on hearing the last-quoted saying, asked him,

"O Prophet, since God hath appointed our places, may we confide in this,

and abandon our religious and moral duties?" He answered, "No: because

the happy will do good works, and those who are of the miserable will do

bad works."--The following of his sayings further illustrate this

subject.--"When God hath ordered a creature to die in any particular

place, He causeth his wants to direct him to that place."--A Companion

asked, "O Prophet of God, inform me respecting charms, and the medicines

which I swallow, and shields which I make use of for protection, whether

they prevent any of the orders of God." Moḥammad answered, "These also

are by the order of God."[114] "There is a medicine for every pain:

then, when the medicine reaches the pain, it is cured by the order of

God."[115]--When a Muslim, therefore, feels an inclination to make use

of medicine for the cure of a disease, he should do so, in the hope of

its being predestined that he shall be so cured.

On the predestination of diseases, I find the following curious

quotation and remark in a manuscript work, by Es-Suyooṭee, in my

possession.--"El-Ḥaleemee says, 'Communicable or contagious diseases are

six: small-pox, measles, itch or scab, foul breath or putridity,

melancholy, and pestilential maladies; and diseases engendered are also

six: leprosy, hectic, epilepsy, gout, elephantiasis, and phthisis.' But

this does not contradict the saying of the Prophet, 'There is no

transition of diseases by contagion or infection, nor any omen that

brings evil:' for the transition here meant is one occasioned by the

disease itself; whereas the effect is of God, who causes pestilence to

spread when there is intercourse with the diseased."[116]--A Bedawee

asked the Prophet, "What is the condition of camels which stay in the

deserts? verily, you might say, they are deer, in health and in

cleanness of skin; then they mix with mangy camels, and they become

mangy also." Moḥammad said, "What made the first camel mangy?"[117]

Notwithstanding, however, the arguments which have been here adduced,

and many others that might be added, declaring or implying the

unchangeable nature of all God's decrees, I have found it to be the

opinion of my own Muslim friends, that God may be induced, by

supplication, to change certain of his decrees; at least, those

regarding degrees of happiness or misery in this world and the next; and

that such is the general opinion, appears from a form of prayer which is

repeated in the mosques on the eve of the middle (or fifteenth day) of

the month of Shaạbán; when it is believed that such portions of God's

decrees as constitute the destinies of all living creatures for the

ensuing year, are confirmed and fixed. In this prayer it is said, "O

God, if Thou _hast recorded_ me in thine abode, upon 'the Original of

the Book' [the Preserved Tablet], miserable, or unfortunate, or scanted

in my sustenance, _cancel_, O God, of thy goodness, my misery, and

misfortune, and scanty allowance of sustenance, and confirm me, in thine

abode, upon the Original of the Book, as happy, and provided for, and

directed to good," &c.[118]

The Arabs in general constantly have recourse both to charms and

medicines, not only for the cure, but also for the prevention of

diseases. They have, indeed, a strange passion for medicine, which shows

that they do not consider fate as altogether unconditional. Nothing can

exceed the earnestness with which they often press a European traveller

for a dose; and the more violent the remedy, the better are they

pleased. The following case will serve as an example:--Three

donkey-drivers, conveying the luggage of two British travellers from

Booláḳ to Cairo, opened a bottle which they observed in a basket, and

finding it to contain, as they had suspected, brandy, emptied it down

their throats: but he who had the last, on turning up the bottle, got

the tail of a scorpion into his mouth; and, looking through the bottle,

to his great horror, saw that it contained a number of these reptiles,

with tarantulas, vipers, and beetles. Thinking that they had poisoned

themselves, but not liking to rely upon fate, they persuaded a man to

come to me for medicine. He introduced the subject by saying, "O

Efendee, do an act of kindness: there are three men poisoned; in your

mercy give them medicine, and save their lives:" and then he related the

whole affair, without concealing the theft. I replied, that they did not

deserve medicine; but he urged that, by giving it, I should obtain an

immense reward. "Yes," said I; "'he who saveth a soul alive shall be as

if he had saved the lives of all mankind.'"[119] I said this to try the

feeling of the applicant, who, expressing admiration of my knowledge,

urged me to be quick, lest the men should die; thus showing himself to

be no unconditional fatalist. I gave him three strong doses of tartar

emetic; and he soon came back to thank me, saying that the medicine was

most admirable, for the men had hardly swallowed it, when they almost

vomited their hearts and livers, and everything else in their bodies.

From a distrust in faith, some Muslims even shut themselves up during

the prevalence of plague; but this practice is generally condemned. A

Syrian friend of mine, who did so, nearly had his door broken open by

his neighbours. Another of my friends, one of the most distinguished of

the 'Ulamà, confessed to me his conviction of the lawfulness of

quarantine, and argued well in favour of it; but said that he dared not

openly avow such an opinion. "The Apostle of God," said he, "God bless

and save him! hath commanded that we should not enter a city where there

is pestilence, nor go out from it. Why did he say, 'Enter it

not?'--because, by so doing, we should expose ourselves to the disease.

Why did he say, 'Go not out from it?'--because, by so doing, we should

carry the disease to others. The Prophet was tenderly considerate of our

welfare: but the present Muslims in general are like bulls [brute

beasts]; and they hold the meaning of this command to be, Go not into a

city where there is pestilence, because this would be rashness; and go

not out from it, because this would be distrusting God's power to save

you from it."

Many of the vulgar and ignorant among modern Muslims, believe that the

unchangeable destinies of every man are written upon his head, in what

are termed the sutures of the skull.

NOTE 6. The paragraph thus commencing, and the verses comprised in it,

are translated from the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred

nights.

NOTE 7. It is a common custom for a Muslim, on a military expedition, or

during a long journey, especially in the desert, to carry his

grave-linen with him; for he is extremely careful that he may be buried

according to the law.[120] It seems to be implied in our tale, that the

merchant hoped that the Jinnee, or some passing traveller, would wash,

shroud, and bury him.

NOTE 8. It is thus that the Arab women generally do on the occasion of a

funeral.

NOTE 9.--_On the title of_ Sheykh. "Sheykh" is an appellation which

literally signifies "an elder," or "an aged person," and in this sense

it is here used; but it is also commonly employed as synonymous with our

appellation of "Mister;" and particularly applied to a learned man, or a

reputed saint. In every case, it is a title of respect, and never given

to any but a Muslim.

NOTE 10. "Jánn" is here used as synonymous with "Jinn."

NOTE 11. A cousin (the daughter of a paternal uncle) is often chosen as

a wife, on account of the tie of blood, which is likely to attach her

more strongly to her husband; or on account of an affection conceived in

early years. The various customs relating to marriage, I shall describe

on a future occasion.

NOTE 12. A bride is called young, by the Arabs, when she is about twelve

years of age. In the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred nights,

the wife in this tale is said to have been of this age when she was

first married.

NOTE 13.--_On Slaves._ A slave, among Muslims, is either a person taken

captive in war, or carried off by force, and being at the time of

capture an infidel; or the offspring of a female slave by another slave,

or by any man who is not her owner, or by her owner, if he does not

acknowledge himself to be the father: but the offspring of a male slave

by a free woman is free. A person who embraces the Mohammadan faith

after having been made a slave, does not by this act become free, unless

he flees from a foreign infidel master to a Muslim country, and there

becomes a Mohammadan. A person cannot have as a slave one whom he

acknowledges to be within the prohibited degrees of marriage.[121]--The

slaves of the Arabs are mostly from Abyssinia and the Negro countries: a

few, mostly in the houses of wealthy individuals, are from Georgia and

Circassia.

Slaves have no civil liberty; but are entirely under the authority of

their owners, whatever may be the religion, sex, or age, of the latter;

and can possess no property, unless by the owner's permission. The owner

is entire master, while he pleases, of the person and goods of his

slave; and of the offspring of his female slave, which, if begotten by

him or presumed to be so, he may recognise as his own legitimate child,

or not: the child, if recognised by him, enjoys the same privileges as

the offspring of a free wife; and if not recognised by him, is his

slave. The master may even kill his own slave with impunity for any

offence; and he incurs but a slight punishment (as imprisonment for a

period at the discretion of the judge) if he kills him wantonly. He may

give away or sell his slaves, excepting in some cases which will be

mentioned; and may marry them to whom he will, but not separate them

when married. A slave, however, according to most of the doctors, cannot

have more than two wives at the same time. Unemancipated slaves, at the

death of their master, become the property of his heirs; and when an

emancipated slave dies, leaving no male descendants or collateral

relations, the former master is the heir; or, if he be dead, his heirs

inherit the slave's property. As a slave enjoys less advantages than a

free person, the law, in some cases, ordains that his punishment for an

offence shall be half of that to which the free is liable to the same

offence, or even less than half: if it be a fine, or pecuniary

compensation, it must be paid by the owner, to the amount, if necessary,

of the value of the slave, or the slave must be given in compensation.

The owner, but not the part-owner, may cohabit with any of his female

slaves who is a Mohammadan, a Christian, or a Jewess, if he has not

married her to another man; but not with two or more who are sisters, or

who are related to each other in any of the degrees which would prevent

their both being his wives at the same time if they were free: after

having so lived with one, he must entirely relinquish such intercourse

with her before he can do the same with another who is so related to

her. He cannot have this intercourse with a pagan slave. A Christian or

Jew may have slaves, but not enjoy the privilege above mentioned with

one who is a Mohammadan. The master must wait a certain period

(generally from a month to three months) after the acquisition of a

female slave, before he can have such intercourse with her. If he find

any fault in her within three days, he is usually allowed to return her.

When a man, from being the husband, becomes the master, of a slave, the

marriage is dissolved, and he cannot continue to live with her but as

her master, enjoying, however, all a master's privileges; unless he

emancipates her; in which case he may again take her as his wife with

her consent. In like manner, when a woman, from being the wife, becomes

the possessor, of a slave, the marriage is dissolved, and cannot be

renewed unless she emancipates him, and he consents to the re-union.

Complete and immediate emancipation is sometimes granted to a slave

gratuitously, or for a future pecuniary compensation. It is conferred by

means of a written document, or by a verbal declaration (expressed in

the words, "Thou art free," or some similar phrase) in the presence of

two witnesses, or by returning the certificate of sale obtained from the

former owner. Future emancipation is sometimes covenanted to be granted

on the fulfilment of certain conditions; and more frequently, to be

conferred on the occasion of the owner's death. In the latter case, the

owner cannot sell the slave to whom he has made this promise: and, as he

cannot alienate by will more than one-third of the whole property that

he leaves, the law ordains that, if the value of the said slave exceeds

that portion, the slave must obtain and pay the additional sum. When a

female slave has borne a child to her master, and he acknowledges the

child to be his own, he cannot sell this slave, and she becomes free on

his death.

Abyssinian and white female slaves are kept by many men of the middle

and higher classes, and often instead of wives, as requiring less

expense, and being more subservient; but they are generally indulged

with the same luxuries as free ladies; their vanity is gratified by

costly dresses and ornaments, and they rank high above free servants; as

do also the male slaves. Those called Abyssinians appear to be a mixed

race between negroes and whites; and are from the territories of the

Gallas. They are mostly kidnapped and sold by their own countrymen. The

negro female slaves, as few of them have considerable personal

attractions (which is not the case with the Abyssinians, many of whom

are very beautiful), are usually employed only in cooking, and other

menial offices. The female slaves of the higher classes are often

instructed in plain needlework and embroidery, and sometimes in music

and dancing. Formerly, many of them possessed sufficient literary

accomplishments to quote largely from esteemed poems, or even to compose

extemporary verses, which they would often accompany with the lute. The

condition of many concubine slaves is happy; and that of many, quite the

contrary. These, and all other slaves of either sex, are generally

treated with kindness; but at first they are usually importuned, and not

unfrequently used with much harshness, to induce them to embrace the

Mohammadan faith; which almost all of them do. Their services are

commonly light: the usual office of the male white slave, who is called

"memlook," is that of a page, or a military guard. Eunuchs are employed

as guardians of the women; but only in the houses of men of high rank,

or of great wealth: on account of the important and confidential office

which they fill, they are generally treated in public with especial

consideration. I used to remark, in Cairo, that few persons saluted me

with a more dignified and consequential air than these pitiable but

self-conceited beings. Most of them are Abyssinians or Negroes. Indeed,

the slaves in general take too much advantage of the countenance of

their masters, especially when they belong to men in power. The master

is bound to afford his slaves proper food and clothing, or to let them

work for their own support, or to sell, give away, or liberate them. It

is, however, considered disgraceful for him to sell a slave who has been

long in his possession; and it seldom happens that a master emancipates

a female slave, without marrying her to some man able to support her, or

otherwise providing for her.

The Prophet strongly enjoined the duty of kindness to slaves. "Feed your

memlooks," said he, "with food of that which ye eat, and clothe them

with such clothing as ye wear; and command them not to do that which

they are unable."[122]--These precepts are generally attended to, either

entirely or in a great degree. Some other sayings of the Prophet on this

subject well deserve to be mentioned; as the following:--"He who beats

his slave without fault, or slaps him on the face, his atonement for

this is freeing him."--"A man who behaves ill to his slave will not

enter into paradise."--"Whoever is the cause of separation between

mother and child, by selling or giving, God will separate him from his

friends on the day of resurrection."--"When a slave wishes well to his

master, and worships God well, for him are double rewards."[123]--It is

related of 'Othmán, "that he twisted the ear of a memlook belonging to

him, on account of disobedience, and afterwards, repenting of it,

ordered him to twist _his_ ear in like manner: but he would not. 'Othmán

urged him, and the memlook advanced, and began to wring it by little and

little. He said to him, 'Wring it hard; for I cannot endure the

punishment of the day of judgment [on account of this act].' The memlook

answered, 'O my master, the day that thou fearest, I also fear.'"--"It

is related also of Zeyn-el-'Ábideen, that he had a memlook who seized a

sheep, and broke its leg; and he said to him, 'Why didst thou this?' He

answered, 'To provoke thee to anger.' 'And I,' said he, 'will provoke to

anger him who taught thee; and he is Iblees: go, and be free, for the

sake of God.'"[124]--Many similar anecdotes might be added; but the

general assertions of travellers in the East are more satisfactory

evidence in favour of the humane conduct of most Muslims to their

slaves.

It sometimes happens, though rarely, that free girls are sold as

slaves.[125] A remarkable instance is related in the "Mir-át

ez-Zemán."[126]--Fáṭimeh, surnamed Ghareeb, a slave of the Khaleefeh

El-Moạtaṣim, the son of Hároon, was a poetess, accomplished in singing

and calligraphy, and extremely beautiful. Her mother was an orphan; and

Jaạfar, the famous Wezeer of Hároon Er-Rasheed, took her as his wife;

but his father, Yaḥyà, reproached him for marrying a woman whose father

and mother were unknown, and he therefore removed her from his own

residence to a neighbouring house, where he frequently visited her; and

she bore him a daughter, the above-mentioned Ghareeb, and died. Jaạfar

committed her infant to the care of a Christian woman, to nurse; and, on

the overthrow of his family, this woman sold her young charge as a

slave. El-Emeen, the successor of Er-Rasheed, bought her of a man named

Sumbul, but never paid her price; and when he was killed, she returned

to her former master; but on the arrival of El-Ma-moon at Baghdád, she

was described to him, and he compelled Sumbul to sell her to him. This

Sumbul loved her so passionately, that he died of grief at her loss. On

the death of El-Ma-moon, his successor, El-Moạtaṣim, bought her for a

hundred thousand dirhems, and emancipated her. The historian adds, that

she composed several well-known airs and verses.

NOTE 14. An Arab who is married to his cousin generally calls her by

this appellation rather than that of wife, as the tie of blood is, to

him, in every respect, stronger than that of matrimony.

NOTE 15.--_On Magic._ The Arabs and other Mohammadans enjoy a remarkable

advantage over _us_ in the composition of works of fiction: in the

invention of incidents which _we_ should regard as absurd in the

extreme, _they_ cannot be accused by their countrymen of exceeding the

bounds of probability. A case similar to that here described was related

to me as a fact, in Cairo. A person in that city, I was told, was

suddenly surprised by the disappearance of his brother, and by finding,

in his place, an ass: but this animal increased his astonishment, and

that of every person who beheld him, by manifesting a sagacity

singularly opposed to the proverbial dulness of the generality of his

species. Yet, strange as it may seem, it was not imagined that this

brute was the lost man in a transformed state, till, one day, an old

woman, seeing him, quickly covered her face, and declared the fact. She

discovered this by her knowledge of magic; and, by her skill in this

art, she agreed to restore the enchanted person to his proper shape.

Having collected a number of herbs, she boiled them in a large vessel;

and when the decoction had cooled, she took the vessel, and, muttering a

certain spell, threw its contents over the animal, endeavouring to do so

in such a manner that every part of it should be wetted. Every part of

it _was_ wetted, excepting one hind-foot; and, accordingly, it was

restored to the original human form, with the exception of one foot,

which remained like that of an ass.

An implicit belief in magic is entertained by almost all Muslims; and

he, among them, who denies its truth, they regard as a freethinker, or

an infidel. Some are of opinion that it ceased on the mission of

Moḥammad; but these are comparatively few. Many of the most learned

Muslims, to the present age, have deeply studied it; and a much greater

number of persons of inferior education (particularly school-masters)

have, more or less, devoted their time and talents to the pursuit of

this knowledge. Recourse is had to it for the discovery of hidden

treasures, for alchymical purposes, for the acquisition of the knowledge

of futurity, to procure offspring, to obtain the affection of a beloved

object, to effect cures, to guard against the influence of the evil eye,

to afflict or kill an enemy or a rival, and to attain various other

objects of desire.

There are two descriptions of magic; one is spiritual, and regarded by

all but freethinkers as true; the other, natural, and denounced by the

more religious and enlightened as deceptive.

I. Spiritual magic, which is termed "er-Rooḥánee" (vulgo "Rowḥánee"),

chiefly depends upon the virtues of certain names of God, and passages

from the Ḳur-án, and the agency of Angels and Jinn, or Genii. It is of

two kinds: High and Low ("'Ilwee" and "Suflee"), or Divine and Satanic

("Raḥmánee," _i. e._ relating to "the Compassionate" [who is God], and

"Sheyṭánee").

1. Divine magic is regarded as a sublime science, and is studied only by

good men, and practised only for good purposes. Perfection in this

branch of magic consists in the knowledge of "the most great name" of

God ("el-Ism el Aạẓam"); but this knowledge is imparted to none but the

peculiar favourites of Heaven. By virtue of this name, which was

engraved on his seal-ring, Suleymán (or Solomon) subjected to his

dominion the Jinn and the birds and the winds, as mentioned in a former

note. By pronouncing it, his minister Áṣaf, also, transported, in an

instant, to the presence of his sovereign, in Jerusalem, the throne of

the Queen of Sheba.[127] But this was a small miracle to effect by such

means; for, by uttering this name, a man may even raise the dead. Other

names of the Deity, commonly known, are believed to have particular

efficacies when uttered or written; as also are the names of the

Prophet; and Angels and good Jinn are said to be rendered subservient to

the purposes of divine magic by means of certain invocations. Of such

names and invocations, together with words unintelligible to the

uninitiated in this science, passages from the Ḳur-án, mysterious

combinations of numbers, and peculiar diagrams and figures, are chiefly

composed written charms employed for good purposes. Enchantment, when

used for benevolent purposes, is regarded by the vulgar as a branch of

lawful or divine magic; but not so by the learned; and the same remark

applies to the science of divination.

2. Satanic magic, as its name implies, is a science depending on the

agency of the Devil and the inferior evil Jinn, whose services are

obtained by means similar to those which propitiate, or render

subservient, the good Jinn. It is condemned by the Prophet and all good

Muslims, and only practised for bad purposes.--Enchantment, which is

termed "es-Seḥr," is almost universally acknowledged to be a branch of

satanic magic; but some few persons assert (agreeably with several tales

in this work), that it _may_ be, and by some _has_ been, studied with

good intentions, and practised by the aid of good Jinn; consequently,

that there is such a science as _good_ enchantment, which is to be

regarded as a branch of _divine_ or _lawful_ magic. The metamorphoses

are said to be generally effected by means of spells, or invocations to

Jinn, accompanied by the sprinkling of water or dust, &c., on the object

to be transformed. Persons are said to be enchanted in various ways:

some, paralyzed, or even deprived of life; others, affected with

irresistible passion for certain objects; others, again, rendered

demoniacs; and some, transformed into brutes, birds, &c. The evil eye is

believed to enchant in a very powerful and distressing manner. This was

acknowledged even by the Prophet.[128] Diseases and death are often

attributed to its influence. Amulets, which are mostly written charms,

of the kind above described, are worn by many Muslims with the view of

counteracting, or preserving from, enchantment; and for the same

purpose, many ridiculous ceremonies are practised.--Divination, which is

termed "el-Kiháneh," is pronounced, on the highest authority, to be a

branch of satanic magic; though not believed to be so by all Muslims.

According to an assertion of the Prophet, what a fortune-teller says may

sometimes be true; because one of the Jinn steals away the truth, and

carries it to the magician's ear: for the Angels come down to the region

next the earth (the lowest heaven), and mention the works that have been

pre-ordained in heaven; and the Devils (or evil Jinn) listen to what the

Angels say, and hear the orders predestined in heaven, and carry them to

the fortune-tellers. It is on such occasions that shooting-stars are

hurled at the Devils.[129] It is said that "the diviner obtains the

services of the Sheyṭán by magic arts, and by names [invoked], and by

the burning of perfumes, and he informs him of secret things: for the

Devils, before the mission of the Apostle of God," it is added, "used to

ascend to heaven, and hear words by stealth."[130] That the evil Jinn

are believed still to ascend sufficiently near to the lowest heaven to

hear the conversation of the Angels, and so to assist magicians, appears

from the former quotation, and is asserted by all Muslims. The discovery

of hidden treasures, before alluded to, is one of the objects for which

divination is most studied.--The mode of divination called "Ḍarb

el-Mendel" is by some supposed to be effected by the aid of evil Jinn;

but the more enlightened of the Muslims regard it as a branch of natural

magic. Some curious performances of this kind, by means of a fluid

mirror of ink, have been described in my "Account of the Manners and

Customs of the Modern Egyptians," and in No. 117 of the "Quarterly

Review."[131]

There are certain modes of divination which cannot properly be classed

under the head of spiritual magic, but require a place between the

account of this science and that of natural magic.--The most important

of these branches of Kiháneh is Astrology, which is called "'Ilm

en-Nujoom." This is studied by many Muslims in the present day; and its

professors are often employed by the Arabs to determine a fortunate

period for laying the foundation of a building, commencing a journey,

&c.; but more frequently by the Persians and Turks. The Prophet

pronounced astrology to be a branch of magic.[132]--Another branch of

Kiháneh is Geomancy, called "Ḍarb er-Raml;" a mode of divination from

certain marks made on sand (whence its appellation), or on paper; and

said to be chiefly founded on astrology.--The science called "ez-Zijr,"

or "el-'Eyáfeh," is a third branch of Kiháneh; being divination or

auguration chiefly from the motions and positions, or postures, of

birds, or of gazelles and other beasts of the chase. Thus, what was

termed a "Sáneḥ," that is, such an animal standing or passing with its

right side towards the spectator, was esteemed among the Arabs as of

good omen; and a "Báreḥ," or an animal of this kind with its left side

towards the spectator, was held as inauspicious.[133]--"El-Ḳiyáfeh,"

under which term are included Chiromancy and its kindred sciences, is a

fourth branch of Kiháneh.--"Et-Tefá-ul," or the taking an omen,

particularly a good one, from a name or words accidentally heard or

seen, or chosen from a book, belongs to the same science. The taking a

"fál," or omen, from the Ḳur-án is generally held to be lawful.--Various

trifling events are considered as ominous. For instance, a Sulṭán

quitting his palace with his troops, a standard happened to strike a

"thureiyà" (a cluster of lamps, so called from resembling the Pleiades),

and broke them: he drew from this an evil omen, and would have

relinquished the expedition; but one of his chief officers said

to him, "O our lord, thy standards have reached the Pleiades;"--and,

being relieved by this remark, he proceeded, and returned

victorious.[134]--The interpretation of dreams, "Taạbeer el-Menámát,"

must also be classed among the branches of this science. According to

the Prophet, it is the only branch of divination worthy of dependance.

"Good dreams," said he, "are one of the parts of prophecy," and "nothing

else of prophecy remains." "Good dreams are from God; and false dreams,

from the Devil." "When any one of you has a bad dream, spit three times

over your left shoulder, and seek protection with God from the Devil

thrice; and turn from the side on which the dream was, to the

other."[135] This rule is observed by many Muslims. Dreams are generally

so fully relied upon by them as to be sometimes the means of deciding

contested points in history and science. The sight, in a dream, of

anything green or white, or of water, is considered auspicious; anything

black or red, or fire, inauspicious.--The distinction of fortunate and

unfortunate days should also here be mentioned. Thursday and Friday,

especially the latter, are considered fortunate; Monday and Wednesday,

doubtful; Sunday, Tuesday, and Saturday, especially the last,

unfortunate. It is said that there are seven evil days in every [lunar]

month; namely, the third, on which Ḳábeel (or Cain) killed Hábeel

(Abel); the fifth, on which God cast down Adam from paradise, and

afflicted the people of Yoonus (Jonas), and on which Yoosuf (or Joseph)

was cast into the well; the thirteenth, on which God took away the

wealth of Eiyoob (or Job), and afflicted him, and took away the kingdom

from Suleymán (or Solomon), and on which the Jews killed the prophets;

the sixteenth, on which God exterminated and buried the people of Looṭ

(or Lot), and transformed three hundred Christians into swine, and Jews

into apes, and on which the Jews sawed asunder Zekereeyà (or Zachariah);

the twenty-first, on which Pharaoh was born, and on which he was

drowned, and on which his nation was afflicted with the plagues; the

twenty-fourth, on which Numrood[136] (or Nimrod) killed seventy women,

and cast El-Khaleel (or Abraham) into the fire, and on which was

slaughtered the camel of Ṣáleḥ; and the twenty-fifth, on which the

suffocating wind was sent upon the people of Hood.[137]

II. Natural magic, which is called "es-Seemiyà," is regarded by most

persons of the more enlightened classes of Muslims as altogether a

deceptive art, no more worthy of respect than legerdemain; but it seems

to be nearly allied to enchantment; for it is said to effect, in

appearance, the most wonderful transformations, and to cause the most

extraordinary visions; affecting the senses and imagination in a manner

similar to opium. This and other drugs are supposed, by some persons, to

be the chief means by which such illusions are caused; and perfumes,

which are generally burnt in these performances, may operate in a

similar manner. As such things are employed in performances of the kind

called "Ḍarb el-Mendel," before mentioned, these feats are regarded by

many as effected by natural magic, notwithstanding what has been said

above respecting the services of evil Jinn being procured by means of

perfumes.--Alchymy ("el-Keemiyà") is a branch of natural magic. It is

studied by many Muslims of the present day, and by some of considerable

talents and attainments.

The most celebrated of the magicians who have gained notoriety in Egypt

during the course of the last hundred years, was the sheykh Aḥmad

Ṣádoomeh, who flourished somewhat more than sixty years ago--I write in

1837. Several persons of Cairo, men of intelligence and of good

education, have related to me various most marvellous stories of his

performances, on the authority of eye-witnesses whom they considered

veracious; but a more credible account of this magician I have found in

the work of an excellent historian of Modern Egypt. This author mentions

the sheykh Ṣádoomeh as an aged man, of venerable appearance, who derived

his origin from the town of Semennood, in the Delta, and who acquired a

very great and extensive celebrity for his attainments in spiritual and

natural magic, and for holding converse, face to face, with Jinn, and

causing them to appear to other persons, even to the blind, as men

acquainted with him informed the historian. His contemporaries, says

this writer, entertained various opinions respecting him; but, among

them, a famous grammarian and general scholar, the sheykh Ḥasan

El-Kafráwee, regarded him as a first-rate saint, who performed evident

miracles; this learned man pronouncing as such the effects of "his

legerdemain and natural magic." His fame he describes as having

increased until he was induced to try an unlucky experiment. A Memlook

chief, Yoosuf Bey, saw some magic characters written on the body of one

of his female slaves, and, exasperated by jealousy, commanded her, with

a threat of instant death, to tell him who had done this. She confessed

that a woman had taken her to the sheykh Ṣádoomeh, and that he had

written this charm to attract to her the Bey's love. Upon hearing this,

he instantly sent some attendants to seize the magician, and to put him

to death, and throw him into the Nile; which was done.[138] But the

manner in which the seizure was made, as related to me by one of my

friends, deserves to be mentioned. Several persons, one after another,

endeavoured to lay hold upon him; but every arm that was stretched forth

for this purpose was instantly paralyzed, through a spell muttered by

the magician; until a man behind him thrust a gag into his mouth, and so

stopped his enchantments.

Of the stories related to me of Ṣádoomeh's miracles, the following will

serve as a specimen:--In order to give one of his friends a treat, he

took him to the distance of about half an hour's walk into the desert on

the north of Cairo; here they both sat down, upon the pebbly and sandy

plain, and, the magician having uttered a spell, they suddenly found

themselves in the midst of a garden, like one of the gardens of

paradise, abounding with flowers and fruit-trees of every kind,

springing up from a soil clothed with verdure brilliant as the emerald,

and irrigated by numerous streamlets of the clearest water. A repast of

the most delicious viands and fruits and wines was spread before them by

invisible hands; and they both ate to satiety, taking copious draughts

of the various wines. At length, the magician's guest sank into a deep

sleep; and when he awoke, he found himself again in the pebbly and sandy

plain, with Ṣádoomeh still by his side.--The reader will probably

attribute this vision to a dose of opium or some similar drug; and such

I suppose to have been the means employed; for I cannot doubt the

integrity of the narrator, though he would not admit such an

explanation; regarding the whole as an affair of magic, effected by the

operation of Jinn, like similar relations in the present work.

It may be remarked that most of the enchantments described in this work

are said to be performed by _women_; and reputed _witches_ appear to

have been much more numerous in all countries than _wizards_. This fact

the Muslims readily explain by a saying of their Prophet:--That women

are deficient in sense and religion:--whence they argue that they are

more inclined than men to practise what is unlawful.

NOTE 16.--_On the Two Grand Festivals._ The Muslims observe two grand

'Eeds, or Festivals, in every year. The first of these immediately

follows Ramaḍán, the month of abstinence, and lasts three days: it is

called the Minor Festival. The other, which is called the Great

Festival, commences on the tenth of Zu-l-Ḥejjeh, the day when the

pilgrims, halting on their return from Mount 'Arafát to Mekkeh, in the

Valley of Minè (vulgarly called Munà), perform their sacrifice: the

observance of this festival also continues three days, or four.

Early in the first morning, on each of these festivals, the Muslim is

required to perform a lustration of his whole person, as on the mornings

of Friday; and on the first morning of the Minor Festival, he should

break his fast with a few dates or some other light food; but on the

Great Festival, he abstains from food until he has acquitted himself of

the religious duties now to be mentioned. Soon after sunrise, on the

first day of each festival, the men, dressed in new or in their best

clothes, repair to the mosque, or to a particular place appointed for

the performance of the prayers of the 'Eed. On going thither, they

should repeat, frequently, "God is most great!"--this, on the Minor

Festival, they should do inaudibly: on the other, aloud. The

congregation, having assembled, repeat the prayers of two rek'ahs; after

which, the Khaṭeeb recites a khuṭbeh; _i. e._ an exhortation and a

prayer. On each of these festivals, in the mosque, or place of prayer,

and in the street, and at each other's houses, friends congratulate and

embrace one another; generally paying visits for this purpose; and the

great receive visits from their dependants. The young, on these

occasions, kiss the right hand of the aged; and servants or dependants

do the same to their masters or superiors, unless the latter be of high

rank, in which case they kiss the end of the hanging sleeve, or the

skirt of the outer garment. Most of the shops are closed, excepting

those at which eatables and sweet drinks are sold; but the streets are

filled with people in their holiday clothes.

On the Minor Festival, which, as it terminates an arduous fast, is

celebrated with more rejoicing than the other,[139] servants and other

dependants receive presents of new articles of clothing from their

masters or patrons; and the servant receives presents of small sums of

money from his master's friends, whom, if they do not visit his master,

he goes to congratulate; as well as from any former master, to whom he

often takes a plateful of kaḥks. These are sweet cakes, or biscuits, of

an annular form, composed of flour and butter, with a little 'ajameeyeh

(which is a thick paste consisting of butter, honey, a little flour, and

some spices) inside. They are also often sent as presents on this

occasion by other people. Another custom required of the faithful on

this festival is the giving of alms.

On the Great Festival, after the prayers of the congregation, every one

who can afford it performs, with his own hand, or by that of a deputy, a

sacrifice of a ram, he-goat, cow or buffalo, or she-camel; part of the

meat of which he eats, and part he gives to the poor, or to his friends

or dependants. The ram or goat should be at least one year old; the cow

or buffalo, two years; and the camel, five years; and the victim should

not have any considerable mutilation or infirmity. A cow or buffalo, or

a camel, is a sufficient sacrifice for seven persons. The clothes which

were put on new at the former festival are generally worn on this

occasion; and the presents which are given to servants and others are

usually somewhat less.

On each of the two festivals it is also customary, especially with the

women, to visit the tombs of relations. The party generally take with

them a palm-branch, and place it, broken in several pieces, or merely

its leaves, upon the tomb or monument; or some, instead of this, place

sweet basil or other flowers. They also usually provide themselves with

sweet cakes, bread, dates, or some other kind of food, to distribute to

the poor. But their first duty, on arriving at the tomb, is to recite

the Fáteḥah (the opening Chapter of the Ḳur-án), or to employ a person

to recite previously a longer chapter; generally the thirty-sixth (or

Soorat Yá-Seen); or even the whole of the book: or sometimes the

visiters recite the Fáteḥah, and, after having hired a person to perform

a longer recitation, go away before he commences. The women often stay

all the days of the festival in the cemeteries, either in tents, or in

houses of their own, erected there for their reception on these and

other occasions. The tent of each party surrounds the tomb which is the

object of their visit. In the outskirts of the cemeteries, swings and

whirligigs are erected; and story-tellers, dancers, and jugglers, amuse

the populace.

NOTE 17.--_On the Mode of Slaughtering of Animals for Food._ In the old

translation, the sheykh is described as preparing to slaughter the cow

with a _mallet_. This is a mistake of a serious nature; as the flesh of

the victim, if so killed, would be legally unclean. The Muslims are

required to slaughter animals for food in a particular manner. Sheep,

goats, cows or bulls, and buffaloes, must be killed by cutting the

throat, at the part next the head, or any other part; dividing the

windpipe, gullet, and carotid arteries. The camel is to be slaughtered

by _stabbing_ the throat at the part next the breast. Poultry, also,

must be killed by cutting the throat; and so must every tame animal of

which the flesh is lawful food. The slaughterer, in every case, must be

a Muslim, a Christian, or a Jew; of either sex. On commencing the

operation, he must say, "In the name of God! God is most great!"--or at

least, "In the name of God!"--but not add, "the Compassionate, the

Merciful"--for an obvious reason. Birds or beasts of the chase may be

killed by an arrow, a dog, a hawk, &c.; but the name of God must be

uttered at the time of discharging the arrow, or slipping the dog, &c.

When the beast or bird is not killed at once by the arrow, &c., it must

be slaughtered as soon as possible, in the same manner as sheep and

poultry: the law, as well as humanity, requires this.

NOTE 18.--_On the Influence of Eloquence and Tales upon the Arabs._ The

main incident upon which this work is founded, the triumph of the

fascination of the tongue over a cruel and unjust determination which

nothing else could annul, might be regarded, by persons unacquainted

with the character and literature of the Arabs, as a contrivance too

improbable in its nature; but such is not the case. Perhaps there are no

other people in the world who are such enthusiastic admirers of

literature, and so excited by romantic tales, as those above named.

Eloquence, with them, is lawful magic: it exercises over their minds an

irresistible influence. "I swear by God," said their Prophet, "verily

abuse of infidels in verse is worse to them than arrows."[140] This, of

course, alludes to _Arab_ unbelievers.

In the purest, or Heroic Age of Arabic literature, which was anterior to

the triumph of the Mohammadan religion, the conquest which the love of

eloquence could achieve over the sanguinary and vindictive feelings of

the Arabs was most remarkably exemplified in the annual twenty days'

fair of 'Okáẓ, or 'Okáḍh. Respecting this fair, I shall here insert a

few particulars borrowed from an author who is at present devoting

talents of the very highest order to the study and illustration of the

history and literature of the early Arabs, and to whose conversation and

writings I must acknowledge myself indebted for most valuable

information, which will often be of great utility to me in this

undertaking, as well as in every branch of my Arabic studies.

The fair of 'Okáẓ "was not only a great mart opened annually to all the

tribes of Arabia; but it was also a literary congress, or rather a

general concourse of virtues, of glory and of poetry, whither the

hero-poets resorted to celebrate their exploits in rhyming verse, and

peacefully to contend for every kind of honour. This fair was held in

the district of Mekkeh, between Eṭ-Ṭáïf and Nakhleh, and was opened at

the new moon of Zu-l-Ḳaạdeh; that is to say, at the commencement of a

period of three sacred months, during which all war was suspended, and

homicide interdicted.... How is it possible to conceive that men whose

wounds were always bleeding, who had always acts of vengeance to

execute, vengeances to dread, could at a certain epoch impose silence

upon their animosities, so as tranquilly to sit by a mortal enemy? How

could the brave who required the blood of a father, a brother, or a son,

according to the phraseology of the desert and of the Bible,[141] who

long, perhaps, had pursued in vain the murderer,--meet him, accost him

peacefully at 'Okáẓ, and only assault with cadences and rhymes him whose

presence alone seemed to accuse him of impotence or cowardice,--him whom

he was bound to slay, under pain of infamy, after the expiration of the

truce? In fine, how could he hear a panegyric celebrating a glory

acquired at his own expense, and sustain the fire of a thousand looks,

and yet appear unmoved? Had the Arabs no longer any blood in their veins

during the continuance of the fair?--These questions, so

embarrassing, ... were determined [to a great degree], during the age of

Arab paganism, in a manner the most simple and most refined.--At the

fair of 'Okáẓ, the heroes were masked [or veiled].--In the recitations

and improvisations, the voice of the orator was aided by that of a

rhapsodist or crier, who was stationed near him, and repeated his words.

There is a similar office in the public prayers: it is that of the

muballigh (transmitter), who is employed to repeat in a loud voice what

is said in a lower tone by the Imám. These two facts have been revealed

to me by the same manuscript which I am translating, and upon which I am

commenting. The use of the mask [or veil] might, however, be either

adopted or dispensed with, _ad libitum_; as is proved by the narratives

of a great number of quarrels begun and ended at 'Okáẓ.... It was in

this congress of the Arab poets (and almost every warriour was a poet at

the age which I am considering) that the dialects of Arabia became fused

into a magic language, the language of the Ḥejáz, which Moḥammad made

use of to subvert the world; for the triumph of Moḥammad is nothing else

than the triumph of speech."[142]--The Ḳur-án is regarded by the Arabs

as an everlasting miracle, surpassing all others, appealing to the

understanding of every generation by its inimitable eloquence. A

stronger proof of the power of language over their minds could hardly be

adduced; unless it be their being capable of receiving as a credible

fact the tradition that both genii and men were attracted by the

eloquent reading of David, when he recited the Psalms; that the wild

beasts and the birds were alike fascinated; and that sometimes there

were borne out from his assembly as many as four hundred corpses of men

who died from the excessive delight with which he thus inspired

them.[143] It may be added that the recitation, or chanting, of the

Ḳur-án is a favourite means of amusing the guests at modern private

festivities.

In what may be termed the Middle Age of Arabic literature, commencing

from the triumph of the Mohammadan religion, and extending to the

foundation of the Empire of Baghdád, the power of eloquence over the

educated classes of the Arabs probably increased in proportion as it

became less familiar to them: for, early in this age, they began to

simplify their spoken language in consequence of their intercourse with

strangers, who could not generally acquire the difficult, old dialect of

their conquerors: this, therefore, then began to be confined to literary

compositions. That such a change took place at this period appears from

several anecdotes interspersed in Arabic works. The Khaleefeh El-Weleed

(who reigned near the close of the first century of the Flight), the son

of 'Abd-El-Melik, spoke so corrupt a dialect that he often could not

make himself understood by the Arabs of the desert. A ridiculous

instance of the mistakes occasioned by his use of the simplified

language which is now current is related by Abu-l-Fidà. The same author

adds, that the father and predecessor of this prince was a man of

eloquence, and that he was grieved by the corrupt speech of his son,

which he considered as a defect that incapacitated him to be a future

ruler of the Arabs, as they were still great admirers of purity of

speech, though so large a proportion of them spoke a corrupt dialect;

wherefore, he sent him to a house to be instructed by a grammarian; but

after the youth had remained there a long time, he returned to his

father more ignorant than before. Vulgarisms, however, would sometimes

escape from the mouth of 'Abd-El-Melik himself; yet, so sensible was he

to eloquence, that, when a learned man, with whom he was conversing,

elegantly informed him of an error of this kind, he ordered his mouth to

be filled with jewels. "These," said his courteous admonisher, "are

things to be treasured up; not to be expended:"--and for this delicate

hint, he was further rewarded with thirty thousand pieces of silver, and

several costly articles of apparel.[144]--It may be aptly added, that

this Khaleefeh was, in the beginning of his reign, an unjust monarch;

and as he thus bore some slight resemblance to our Shahriyár, so was he

reclaimed to a sense of his duty by means somewhat similar. Being, one

night, unable to sleep, he called for a person to tell him a story for

his amusement. "O Prince of the Faithful," said the man thus bidden,

"there was an owl in El-Móṣil, and an owl in El-Baṣrah; and the owl of

El-Móṣil demanded in marriage, for her son, the daughter of the owl of

El-Baṣrah: but the owl of El-Baṣrah said, 'I will not, unless thou give

me, as her dowry, a hundred desolate farms.' 'That I cannot do,' said

the owl of El-Móṣil, 'at present; but if our sovereign (may God, whose

name be exalted, preserve him!) live one year, I will give thee what

thou desirest.'"--This simple fable sufficed to rouse the prince from

his apathy, and he thenceforward applied himself to fulfil the duties of

his station.[145]

In the most flourishing age of Arabic poetry and general literature and

science, commencing from the foundation of the Empire of Baghdád, and

extending to the conquest of Egypt by the 'Osmánlee Turks, the influence

of eloquent and entertaining language upon the character of the Arab

sovereigns was particularly exemplified. A few illustrative anecdotes

may here be inserted.

It is related by El-Aṣma'ee, that Hároon Er-Rasheed, at a grand fête

which he was giving, ordered the poet Abu-l-'Atáhiyeh to depict, in

verse, the voluptuous enjoyments of his sovereign. The poet began

thus:--

"Live long in safe enjoyment of thy desires, under the shadow

of lofty palaces!"

"Well said!" exclaimed Er-Rasheed: "and what next?"

"May thy wishes be abundantly fulfilled, whether at eventide

or in the morning!"

"Well!" again said the Khaleefeh: "then what next?"

"But when the rattling breath struggles in the dark cavity

of the chest.

Then shalt thou know surely, that thou hast been only in

the midst of illusions."

--Er-Rasheed wept; and Faḍl, the son of Yaḥyà, said, "The Prince of the

Faithful sent for thee to divert him, and thou hast plunged him into

grief." "Suffer him," said the prince; "for he hath beheld us in

blindness, and it displeased him to increase it."[146]

The family of the Barmekees (one of the most brilliant ornaments of

which was the Wezeer Jaạfar, who has been rendered agreeably familiar to

us by the many scenes in which he is introduced in the present work)

earned a noble and enduring reputation by their attachment to

literature, and the magnificent rewards they conferred on learned men.

It was peculiarly hard, therefore, that literature contributed to their

melancholy overthrow. Poets were employed by their enemies to compose

songs artfully pointed against them, to be sung before the prince to

whom they owed their power. Of one of these songs, the following lines

formed a part:--

"Would that Hind had fulfilled the promises she made us, and healed

the disease under which we suffer!

That she had once, at least, acted for herself! for imbecile, indeed,

is he who doth not so."

"Yea! By Allah! Imbecile!" exclaimed the Khaleefeh, on hearing these

verses: his jealousy was roused; and his vengeance soon after fell

heavily upon his former favourites.[147]

One of the Khaleefehs having invited the poets of his day to his palace,

a Bedawee, carrying a water-jar to fill at the river, followed them, and

entered with them. The Khaleefeh, seeing this poor man with the jar on

his shoulder, asked him what brought him thither. He returned for answer

these words:--

"Seeing that this company had girded on the saddles

To repair to thy overflowing river, I came with my jar."

The Khaleefeh, delighted with his answer, gave orders to fill his jar

with gold.[148]

In the present declining age of Arabian learning (which may be said to

have commenced about the period of the conquest of Egypt by the

'Osmánlees), literary recreations still exert a magic influence upon the

Arabs. Compositions of a similar nature to the tales of a Thousand and

One Nights (though regarded by the learned as idle stories unworthy of

being classed with their literature) enable numbers of professional

story-tellers to attract crowds of delighted listeners to the

coffee-shops of the East; and now that the original of the present work

is printed, and to be purchased at a moderate price, it will probably

soon, in a great measure, supersede the romances of Aboo-Zeyd, Eẓ-Ẓáhir,

and 'Antar. As a proof of the powerful fascinations with which the tales

of a Thousand and One Nights affect the mind of a highly-enlightened

Muslim, it may be mentioned that the latest native historian of Modern

Egypt, the sheykh 'Abd-Er-Raḥmán El-Jabartee, so delighted in their

perusal that he took the trouble of refining the language of a copy of

them which he possessed, expunging or altering whatever was grossly

offensive to morality without the somewhat redeeming quality of wit, and

adding many facetiæ of his own, and of other literati. What has become

of this copy, I have been unable, though acquainted with several of his

friends, to discover.

NOTE 19. It is a common custom among the Muslims to give a present to a

person who brings good tidings. The word (bishárah) which I render "a

reward for bringing good news," literally signifies merely "good news;"

but it is often used, as in this case, in the former sense.

NOTE 20. A Mohammadan woman is not allowed to show her face to any men

excepting certain near relations and others whom the law prohibits her

from marrying. Who these are will be mentioned in a future note,

descriptive of the general laws and ceremonies of marriage. Respectable

females consider it a great disgrace to be seen unveiled by any men but

those above alluded to.

NOTE 21.--_On the_ Deenár _and_ Dirhem. The standards of gold and

silver coin, among the Arabs, were the deenár and the dirhem: therefore,

in this work, I call the former "a piece of gold," and the latter "a

piece of silver." Their values have varied considerably at different

periods; but in the present work, we shall sufficiently approximate to

the truth, if we understand the average value of the former to be about

ten shillings or half a guinea; and that of the latter, about sixpence.

NOTE 22.--_Description of Shops._ In Eastern cities, most of the great

thoroughfare-streets, and many others, have a row of shops along each

side, not communicating with the superstructures; which latter are

divided into separate lodgings, inhabited by different families, and

seldom by the persons who rent the shops beneath. These streets are

called, in Arabic, "Sooḳs;" and are generally termed by us, "Bázárs." A

whole street of this description, or a portion of such a street,

commonly contains only or chiefly shops appropriated to a particular

trade; and is called the Sooḳ of that trade. In general, the shop is a

small recess or cell, about six or seven feet high, and between three

and four feet wide, the floor of which is even with the top of a raised

seat of stone or brick, called "maṣṭabah," between two and three feet

high, and about the same in breadth; upon which the shopkeeper usually

sits.[149] The front of the shop is furnished with shutters; which, when

closed, at night, are secured by a wooden lock. Several of the

engravings in this work will convey a better notion of shops of

different kinds than a more detailed description.

NOTE 23. Distrust in his governors and relations and acquaintance often

induces an Arab to hide his money under the paved floor of a room, or in

some other place, in his house.

NOTE 24. These words, "I give myself to thee," uttered by a woman to a

man, even without the presence of witnesses, if they cannot be easily

procured, render her his lawful wife, if he replies that he accepts her,

and gives her a dowry.

NOTE 25. I have substituted "Jinneeyeh" (agreeably with the Calcutta

edition of the first two hundred nights, and because the context

requires it) for "'Efreeteh," which signifies a powerful and evil female

genie.--The tale to which this note refers may be illustrated by the

following anecdote, which was related to me by a Persian with whom I was

acquainted in Cairo, named Abu-l-Ḳásim, a native of Geelán, then

superintendent of the Báshà's Printing-office at Booláḳ.

One of this person's countrymen, whom he asserted to be a man of

indubitable veracity, was sitting on the roof of a house which he had

hired, overlooking the Ganges, and was passing the closing hour of the

day, according to his usual custom, smoking his Persian pipe, and

feasting his eyes by gazing at the beautiful forms of Indian maidens

bathing in the river, when he beheld among them one so lovely that his

heart was overpowered with desire to have her for his wife. At nightfall

she came to him, and told him that she had observed his emotion, and

would consent to become his wife; but on the condition that he should

never admit another female to take or share her place, and that she

should only be with him in the night-time. They took the marriage-vow to

each other, with none for their witness but God; and great was his

happiness, till, one evening, he saw again, among a group of girls in

the river, another who excited in him still more powerful emotions. To

his surprise, this very form stood before him at the approach of night.

He withstood the temptation, mindful of his marriage-vow: she used every

allurement; but he was resolute. His fair visiter then told him that she

was his wife; that she was a Jinneeyeh; and that she would always

thenceforward visit him in the form of any female whom he might chance

to prefer.

NOTE 26. This form of benediction is almost always added when the

Prophet is mentioned in a book by any of his followers, and often also

in conversation.

NOTE 27. Perhaps it is needless to explain this proverb by the words of

the Bible--"Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." (Romans,

xii. 19.) For the honour of the Muslims I must say that this maxim is

often observed by them, excepting in cases to which the law of

retaliation applies.

NOTE 28. The houses in Arabian countries generally have flat roofs, upon

which, in the summer, some of the inhabitants often sleep: the interior,

therefore, is as accessible from the roof as from the common entrance.

NOTE 29. I here steer a middle course between my usual standard

copy--which gives the story of the third sheykh more fully than I have

done--and the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred nights, which

omits it altogether, as does also the copy from which the old

translation was made, perhaps on account of its uninteresting nature.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

[111] Ḳur-án, ch. xiii. v. 39.

[112] "El-Insán el-Kámil," by 'Abd-El-Kereem El-Jeelee, quoted

by El-Is-ḥáḳee, in his account of Ibráheem Báshà el-Maḳtool.

[113] Mishkát el-Maṣábeeḥ, vol. i. pp. 26-34.

[114] Ibid.

[115] Idem, vol. ii. p. 373.

[116] Nuzhet el-Mutaämmil wa-Murshid el-Mutaähhil, section 7.

[117] Mishkát el-Maṣábeeḥ, vol. ii. p. 381.

[118] For a translation of the whole of this prayer, see

"Modern Egyptians," vol. ii. ch, xii.

[119] Ḳur-án, ch. v. v. 35.

[120] See "Modern Egyptians," vol. ii. ch. xv.

[121] These degrees of relationship will be explained when I

describe the customs relating to marriage.

[122] Nuzhet el-Mutaämmil wa-Murshid el-Mutaähhil, section 9.

[123] Mishkát el-Maṣábeeḥ, vol. ii. pp. 140 and 141.

[124] Nuzhet El-Mutaämmil, &c., _loco laudato_.

[125] See "Modern Egyptians," vol. i. ch. vii.

[126] Events of the year 227.

[127] Ḳur-án, ch. xxvii. v. 40; and Commentary of the Jeláleyn.

[128] See "Mishḳát el-Maṣábeeḥ," vol. ii. p. 374.

[129] Idem, vol ii. pp. 384, et seqq.

[130] Account of the early Arabs, in the "Mir-át ez-Zemán."

[131] During his last residence in Egypt, Mr. Lane thought he

had discovered a clue to the means employed in these

performances, but he afterwards found that there were cases

which remained to him inexplicable.--ED.

[132] Mishkát el-Maṣábeeḥ, _loco laudato_.

[133] Mir-át ez-Zemán, _loco laudato_.

[134] El-Is-ḥáḳee, in his account of the reign of El-Moạtaṣim,

the son of Hároon.

[135] Mishkát el-Maṣábeeḥ, vol. ii. p. 388.

[136] Vulgarly pronounced Nemrood.

[137] El-Is-ḥáḳee, close of his account of the reign of

El-Emeen.

[138] El-Jabartee's Modern Egyptian History (MS. in my

possession); account of the death of Yoosuf Bey, in the year of

the Flight 1191; and account of the death of the sheykh Ḥasan

El-Kafráwee, in the year 1202.

[139] Hence it has been called by many travellers, and even by

some learned Orientalists, the Great Feast; but it is never so

called by the Arabs.

[140] Mishkát el-Maṣábeeḥ, vol. ii. p. 424.

[141] Genesis ix. 5.

[142] Lettres sur l'Histoire des Arabes avant l'Islamisme, par

Fulgence Fresnel. Paris, 1836, pp. 31, et seqq.

[143] El-Is-háḳee.

[144] El-Is-ḥáḳee.

[145] Idem.

[146] Fakhr-ed-Deen, in De Sacy's Chrestomathie Arabe, vol. i.

p. 3 of the Arabic Text: 2nd edition.

[147] Ibn-Khaldoon, _ubi supra_, vol. i. p. 124 of the Arabic

text.

[148] Ḥalbet el-Kumeyt (MS. in my possession), chap. vii.

[149] The maṣṭabah, with the picturesque Arab architecture of

which it forms a part, is fast disappearing from Egypt. In

Cairo and Alexandria, Moḥammad 'Alee ordered that the maṣṭabahs

in the thoroughfare-streets should be removed, or reduced to

about a foot in width; and interdicted the erection of new

meshrebeeyehs (projecting windows of lattice-work), although he

allowed the old ones to remain.--ED.