Dinarzade being awake sooner than ordinary, called her sister
Scheherazade. My good sultaness, said she, I pray you make an end of
your story of the first calender, for I am ready to die with
impatience till I know the issue of it. Well then, said
Scheherazade, you remember how the first calender continued his
story to Zobeide: I cannot enough express, madam, said he, how much
I was astonished when I saw the king my uncle abuse the prince his
son thus after he was dead. Sir, said I, whatever grief this dismal
sight is capable to impress upon me, I am forced to suspend it, on
purpose to ask your majesty what crime the prince my cousin may have
committed, that his corpse should deserve this sort of treatment?
--Nephew, replied the king, I must tell you, that my son (who is
unworthy of that name) loved his sister from his infancy, as she did
him; I did not hinder their growing love, because I did not foresee
the pernicious consequence of it. This tenderness increased as they
grew in years to such a height, that I dreaded the end of it. At
last I applied such remedies as were in my power. I not only gave my
son a severe reprimand in private, laying before him the horrible
nature of the passion he entertained, and the eternal disgrace he
would bring upon my family, if he persisted in such criminal
courses, but I also represented the same to my daughter; and I shut
her up so close that she could have no conversation with her
brother. But that unfortunate creature had swallowed so much of the
poison, that all the obstacles which by my prudence I could lay in
the way served only to inflame her love.
My son, being persuaded of his sister’s constancy, on pretence of
building a tomb, caused this subterraneous habitation to be made, in
hopes to find one day or other an opportunity to possess himself of
that object which was the cause of his flame, and to bring her
hither. He took advantage of my absence to enter by force into the
place of his sister’s confinement; but this was a circumstance
which my honour would not suffer me to make public: and after so
damnable an action, he came and shut himself up with her in this
place, which he has supplied, as you see, with all sorts of
provisions, that he might enjoy his detestable pleasures for a long
time, which ought to be a subject of horror to all the world; but
God, who would not suffer such an abomination, has justly punished
them both. At these words, he melted into tears, and I joined mine
with his.
After a while, casting his eyes upon me, Dear nephew, cried he,
embracing me, if I have lost that unworthy son, I shall haply find
in you what will better supply his place. The reflections he made on
the doleful end of the prince and princess his daughter, made us
both fall into a new fit of weeping.
We went up the same stairs again, and departed at last from that
dismal place. We let down again the trap-door, and covered it with
earth, and such other materials as the tomb was built of, on purpose
to hide, as much as lay in our power, so terrible an effect of the
wrath of God.
We had not been very long got back to the palace, unperceived by any
one, but we heard a confused noise of trumpets, drums, and other
instruments of war. We soon understood by the thick cloud of dust,
which almost darkened the air, that it was the arrival of a
formidable army: and it proved to be the same vizier that had
dethroned my father, and usurped his throne, who, with a vast number
of troops, was also come to possess himself of that of the king my
uncle.
That prince, who then had only his usual guards about him, could not
resist so many enemies; they invested the city, and the gates being
opened to them without any resistance, they very soon became masters
of the city, and broke into the palace where the king my uncle was,
who defended himself till he was killed, and sold his life at a dear
rate: for my part, I fought as well as I could for a while; but
seeing we were forced to submit to a superior power, I thought on my
retreat and safety, which I had the good fortune to effect by some
back ways, and got to one of the king’s servants, on whose
fidelity I could depend.
Being thus surrounded with sorrows, and persecuted by fortune, I had
recourse to a stratagem, which was the only means left me to save my
life; I caused my beard and eyebrows to be shaved, and putting on a
calender’s habit, I passed, unknown by any, out of the city; after
that, by degrees, I found it easy to get out of my uncle’s
kingdom, by taking the by-roads.
I avoided passing through towns, until I was got into the empire of
the mighty governor of the mussulmen, the glorious and renowned
Caliph Haroun Alraschid, when I thought myself out of danger; and
considering what I was to do, I resolved to come to Bagdad,
intending to throw myself at the feet of that monarch, whose
generosity is every where applauded. I shall move him to compassion,
said I to myself, by the relation of my extraordinary misfortunes,
and without doubt he will take pity on such an unfortunate prince,
and not suffer me to implore his assistance in vain.
In short, after a journey of several months, I arrived yesterday at
the gate of this city, into which I entered about the dusk of the
evening; and stopping a little while to revive my spirits, and to
consider which way I was to turn, this other calender you see here
next to me came up: he saluted me, and I him. --You appear, said I,
to be a stranger, as I am. --You are not mistaken, replied he. He
had no sooner returned this answer, but that third calender you see
there overtook us. He saluted us, and told us he was a stranger
newly come to Bagdad; so as brethren we joined together, resolving
not to separate from one another.
Meanwhile it was late, and we knew not where to seek a lodging in
the city, where we had no acquaintance, and had never been before.
But good fortune having brought us before your gate, we made bold to
knock, when you received us with so much kindness, that we are
incapable to return you suitable thanks. This, madam, said he, is in
obedience to your commands, the account I was to give you why I lost
my right eye, wherefore my beard and eyebrows are shaved, and how I
came to be with you at this present time.
It is enough, said Zobeide; you may retire to what place you think
fit. The calender made his excuse, and begged the ladies’ leave to
stay till he had heard the relations of his two comrades, whom I
cannot, said he, leave with honour; and till he might also hear
those of the three other persons that were in company.
Here Scheherazade said to the sultan, Sir, the daylight which you
see prevents me from going on with the story of the second calender;
but if your majesty will hear it to-morrow, you will find as much
satisfaction in that as in the story of the first. To which the
sultan gave consent, and so got up, in order to go to council.