In a certain town there were two men, neighbors, who lived next door
to each other. One of them was so excessively envious of the other
that the latter resolved to change his abode and go and reside at some
distance from him. He therefore sold his house, and went to another
city at no great distance, and bought a convenient house. It had a
good garden and a moderate court, in which there was a deep well that
was not now used.
The good man, having made this purchase, put on the habit of a
dervish, and in a short time he established a numerous society of
dervishes.[16] He soon came to be known by his virtues, through which
he acquired the esteem of many people, as well of the commonalty as of
the chief of the city. In short, he was much honored and courted by
all ranks. People came from afar to recommend themselves to his
prayers; and all who visited him, published what blessings they
received through his means.
[Footnote 16: Sir Paul Ricaut gives this account of the dress of the
dervish. "Their shirts are of coarse linen, with a white plaid or
mantle about their shoulders. Their caps are like the crown of a hat
of the largest size. Their legs are always bare, and their breasts
open, which some of them burn or scar in token of greater devotion.
They wear a leathern girdle, with some shining stone upon the buckle
before. They always carry a string of beads, which they call Tesbe,
and oftener run them over than our friars do their rosary, at every
bead repeating the name of God."--_History of Ottoman Empire_, p. 263.
"Their order has few rules, except of performing their fantastic rites
every Tuesday and Friday. They meet in a large hall, where they all
stand with their eyes fixed on the ground, and their arms crossed,
while the imaun or preacher reads part of the Koran from a pulpit, and
after a short exposition on what he has read, they stand around their
superior, and tying their robe, which is very wide, round their waist,
begin to turn round with an amazing swiftness, moving fast or slow as
the music is played. This lasts above an hour, without any of them
showing the least appearance of giddiness, which is not to be wondered
at when it is considered they are used to it from their infancy. There
were among them some little dervishes, of six or seven years old, who
seemed no more disordered by that exercise than the others. At the end
of the ceremony they shout out, 'There is no other god but God, and
Mohammed is his prophet'; after which they kiss the superior's hand
and retire. The whole is performed with the most solemn gravity." Lady
M. W. Montague's _Letters_, vol. ii, p. 43.]
The great reputation of this honest man having spread to the town from
whence he had come, it touched the envious man so much to the quick
that he left his own house and affairs with a resolution to ruin him.
With this intent he went to the new convent of dervishes, of which his
former neighbor was the head, who received him with all imaginable
tokens of friendship. The envious man told him that he was come to
communicate a business of importance, which he could not do but in
private; "and that nobody may hear us," he said, "let us take a walk
in your court; and seeing night begins to draw on, command your
dervishes to retire to their cells." The chief of the dervishes did as
he was requested.
When the envious man saw that he was alone with this good man, he
began to tell him his errand, walking side by side in the court, till
he saw his opportunity; and getting the good man near the brink of the
well, he gave him a thrust, and pushed him into it.
This old well was inhabited by peris[17] and genies, which happened
luckily for the relief of the head of the convent; for they received
and supported him, and carried him to the bottom, so that he got no
hurt. He perceived that there was something extraordinary in his fall,
which must otherwise have cost him his life; but he neither saw nor
felt anything.
[Footnote 17: The word peri, in the Persian language, signifies that
beautiful race of creatures which constitutes the link between angels
and men.]
He soon heard a voice, however, which said, "Do you know what honest
man this is, to whom we have done this service?"
Another voice answered, "No." To which the first replied, "Then I
will tell you. This man, out of charity, left the town he lived in,
and has established himself in this place, in hopes to cure one of his
neighbors of the envy he had conceived against him; he had acquired
such a general esteem that the envious man, not able to endure it,
came hither on purpose to ruin him; and he would have accomplished his
design had it not been for the assistance we have given this honest
man, whose reputation is so great that the sultan, who keeps his
residence in the neighboring city, was to pay him a visit to-morrow,
to recommend the princess his daughter to his prayers."
Another voice asked, "What need had the princess of the dervish's
prayers?" To which the first answered, "You do not know, it seems,
that she is possessed by a genie. But I well know how this good
dervish may cure her. He has a black cat in his convent, with a white
spot at the end of her tail, about the bigness of a small piece of
Arabian money; let him only pull seven hairs out of the white spot,
burn them, and smoke the princess's head with the fumes. She will not
only be immediately cured, but be so safely delivered from the genie
that he will never dare approach her again."
The head of the dervishes remembered every word of the conversation
between the fairies and the genies, who remained silent the remainder
of the night. The next morning, as soon as daylight appeared, and he
could discern the nature of his situation, the well being broken down
in several places, he saw a hole, by which he crept out with ease.
The other dervishes, who had been seeking for him, were rejoiced to
see him. He gave them a brief account of the wickedness of the man to
whom he had given so kind a reception the day before, and retired into
his cell. Shortly after, the black cat, which the fairies and genies
had mentioned the night before, came to fawn upon her master, as she
was accustomed to do; he took her up, and pulled seven hairs from the
white spot that was upon her tail, and laid them aside for his use
when occasion should serve.
Soon after sunrise the sultan, who would leave no means untried that
he thought likely to restore the princess to perfect health, arrived
at the gate of the convent. He commanded his guards to halt, while he
with his principal officers went in. The dervishes received him with
profound respect.
The sultan called their chief aside, and said, "Good Sheik,[18] you
may probably be already acquainted with the cause of my visit."
[Footnote 18: Sheiks are the chiefs of the societies of dervishes;
cadis, the magistrate of a town or city.--Notes on Vathek, p. 322.]
"Yes, sir," replied he gravely, "if I do not mistake, it is the
disease of the princess which procures me this unmerited honor."
"That is the real case," replied the sultan. "You will give me new
life if your prayers, as I hope they may, restore my daughter's
health."
"Sir," said the good man, "if your majesty will be pleased to let her
come hither, I am in hopes, through God's assistance, that she will be
effectually cured."
The prince, transported with joy, sent immediately for his daughter,
who soon appeared with a numerous train of ladies and attendants,
veiled, so that her face was not seen. The chief of the dervishes
caused a carpet to be held over her head, and he had no sooner thrown
the seven hairs upon the burning coals than the genie uttered a great
cry and, without being seen, left the princess at liberty; upon which
she took the veil from her face, and rose up to see where she was,
saying, "Where am I, and who brought me hither?"
At these words, the sultan, overcome with excess of joy, embraced his
daughter and kissed her eyes; he also kissed the sheik's hands, and
said to his officers, "What reward does he deserve that has thus cured
my daughter?"