When the night was near at an end, Dinarzade said to the sultaness,
Sister, if you be not asleep, I would pray you to continue the story
which you could not finish yesterday. --I will, says Scheherazade,
and without loss of time you shall understand that the second
calender went on thus:
Do not think, madam, that I drew near to the fair princess of the
isle of Ebene to be the executioner of the genie’s barbarity. I
did it only to demonstrate by my behaviour, as much as possible,
that as she had shown her resolution to sacrifice her life for my
sake, I would not refuse to sacrifice mine for her’s. The
princess, notwithstanding her pain and suffering, understood my
meaning; which she signified by an obliging look, and made me
understand her willingness to die for me; and that she was satisfied
to see how willing I was also to die for her. --Upon this, I stepped
back and threw the scimitar on the ground. I shall forever, said I
to the genie, be hateful to all mankind, should I be so base as to
murder, I do not only say a person whom I do not know, but a lady
like this, who is ready to give up the ghost: do with me what you
please, since I am in your power: I cannot obey your barbarous
commands.
I see, said the genie, that you both outbrave me, and insult my
jealousy; but both of you shall know, by the treatment I give you,
what I am capable to do. At these words the monster took up the
scimitar, and cut off one of her hands, which left her only so much
of life as to give me a token with the other that she bid me adieu
for ever: for the blood she had lost before, and that which gushed
out then, did not permit her to live above one or two moments after
this barbarous cruelty, the sight of which threw me into a fit. When
I was come to myself again, I expostulated with the genie, why he
made me languish in expectation of death; Strike, cried I, for I am
ready to receive the mortal blow, and expect it as the greatest
favour you can show me. But instead of agreeing to that, Look ye,
said he, how genies treat their wives whom they suspect of
unfaithfulness: she has received thee here; and were I certain that
she had put any further affront upon me, I would put thee to death
this minute: but I will content myself to transform thee into a dog,
ape, lion, or bird; take thy choice of any of these, I will leave it
to thyself.
These words gave me some hopes to mollify him: O genie, said I,
moderate your passion, and since you will not take away my life,
give it me generously: I shall always remember your clemency, if you
pardon me, as one of the best men in the world pardoned one of his
neighbours that bore him a mortal hatred. The genie asked me what
had passed between those two neighbours and said he would have
patience till he heard the story, which I told him thus; and I
believe, madam, you will not take it ill if I also relate it to you.
The Story of the envious Man, and of him that he envied.
In a considerable town, two persons dwelt next door to one another:
one of them conceived such a violent hatred against the other, that
he who was hated resolved to remove his dwelling farther off, being
persuaded that their being neighbours was the only cause of his
animosity; for though he had done him several pieces of service, he
found, nevertheless, that his hatred was nothing diminished;
therefore he sold his house, with what goods he had left, and
retired to the capital city of that kingdom, which was not far
distant. He bought a little spot of ground, which lay about half a
league from the city; he had a house convenient enough, with a fine
garden, and a pretty spacious court, wherein there was a deep well,
which was not in use.
The honest man having made this purchase, put on a dervise’s or
monk’s habit, to lead a retired life, and caused several cells to
be made in the house, where in a short time he established a
numerous society of dervises. He soon came to be publicly known by
his virtue, 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
extremely honoured and cherished by every one. People came from afar
to recommend themselves to his prayers; and all who came to live
with him published what blessings they received through his means.
The great reputation of this honest man having spread to the town
from whence he came, it touched the envious man so much to the
quick, that he left his house and affairs with a resolution to go
and ruin him. With this intent he went to the new convent of
dervises, of which his former neighbour was the head, who received
him with all imaginable tokens of friendship. The envious man told
him that he was come on purpose to communicate a business of
importance to him, which he could not do but in private; and that
nobody may hear us, let us, said he, take a walk in your court; and
seeing night begins to draw on, command your dervises to retire to
their cells. The head of the dervises did as he required.
When the envious man saw that he was alone with this good man, he
began to tell 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, without any body
being witness to so wicked an action. Having done thus, he marched
off immediately, got out at the gate of the convent without being
known to any one, and went home to his own house, well satisfied
with his journey, being fully persuaded that the object of his
hatred was no more in this world; but he found himself highly
mistaken.
Scheherazade could go no farther, because day began to appear. The
sultan conceived great indignation against the envious man, and said
to himself, I heartily wish that no hurt may have come to this
honest man: I hope to hear to-morrow that Heaven did not forsake him
on this occasion.