Dinarzade, who had as ardent a desire as Schahriar to hear what
wonderful things were locked up by the key belonging to the golden
door, called the sultaness very early. If you be not asleep, sister,
pray make an end of that amazing story of the third calender. He
went on thus, said Scheherazade; I was come to the fortieth day
after the departure of those charming princesses, and had I but
retained so much power over myself as I ought to have had, I should
have been this day the happiest of all mankind, whereas now I am the
most unfortunate. They were to return next day, and the pleasure of
seeing them again ought to have restrained my curiosity: but through
my weakness, which I shall ever repent, I yielded to the temptation
of the evil spirit, who gave me no rest till I had involved myself
in those misfortunes that I have since suffered.
I opened that fatal door, which I promised not to meddle with, and
had not moved my foot to go in, when a smell that was pleasant
enough, but contrary to my constitution, made me faint away.
Nevertheless, I came to myself again, and instead of taking notice
of this warning to shut the door, and forbear satisfying my
curiosity, I went in, after I had stood some time in the air, to
carry off the scent, which did not incommode me any more. I found a
large place, very well vaulted; the pavement was strewed over with
saffron; several candlesticks of massy gold, with lighted tapers
that smelled of aloes and ambergris, lighted the place; and this
light was augmented by lamps of gold and silver, that burnt with oil
made of several sorts of sweet-scented materials.
Among a great many objects that engaged my attention, I perceived a
black horse, of the handsomest and best shape that ever was seen. I
went nearer, the better to observe him, and found he had a saddle
and bridle of massy gold, curiously wrought. One side of his trough
was filled with clean barley and sesame, and the other with
rose-water: I took him by the bridle, and led him forth to view him
by the light; I got on his back, and would have had him move; but he
not stirring, I whipped him with a switch I had taken up in his
magnificent stable; and he had no sooner felt the stroke, than he
began to neigh with a horrible noise, and extending his wings which
I had not seen before, he flew up with me into the air, quite out of
sight. I thought on nothing then but to sit fast; and considering
the fear that had seized upon me, I sat very well. He afterwards
flew down again towards the earth, and lighting upon the terrace of
a castle, without giving me any time to dismount, he shook me out of
the saddle with such force, that he threw me behind him, and with
the end of his tail struck out mine eye.
Thus I became blind of one eye; and then I began to remember the
predictions of the ten young gentlemen. The horse flew again out of
sight. I got up very much troubled at the misfortune I had brought
upon myself; I walked upon the terrace, covering my eye with one of
my hands, for it pained me exceedingly, and then came down, and
entered into a hall, which I knew presently by the ten sofas in a
circle, and the eleventh in the middle, lower than the rest, to be
the same castle from whence I was taken away by the roc.
The ten half-blind gentlemen were not in the hall when I came in,
but came soon after, with the old man. They were not at all
surprised to see me again, nor at the loss of my eye; but said, We
are sorry that we cannot congratulate you upon your return, as we
could have desired; but we are not the cause of your misfortune. --I
should be in the wrong to accuse you, said I; for I have drawn it
upon myself, and I can charge the fault upon no other person. --If
it be a consolation to the unfortunate, said they, to have
companions, this example may afford us a subject of rejoicing. All
that has happened to you, we have also undergone; we tasted all
sorts of pleasure, during a year successively; and we had continued
to enjoy the same happiness still, had we not opened the golden
door, when the princesses were absent. You have been no wiser than
us, and have had likewise the same punishment. We would gladly
receive you among us, to perform such penance as we do, though we
know not how long it may continue; but we have already declared the
reasons that hinder us; therefore depart from hence, and go to the
court of Bagdad, where you shall meet with him that can decide your
destiny. They told me the way I was to travel, and I left them.
On the road I caused my beard and eyebrows to be shaven, and assumed
a calender’s habit. I have had a long journey, but at last I
arrived this evening in this city, where I met these my brother
calenders at the gate, being strangers as well as myself. We
wondered much at one another to see we were all three blind of the
same eye; but we had not leisure to discourse long of our common
calamities. We had only so much time as to come hither, to implore
those favours which you have been generously pleased to grant us.
The third calender having finished this relation of his adventures,
Zobeide addressed her speech to him and his fellow calenders thus:
Go wherever you think fit; you are all three at liberty. But one of
them answered, Madam, we beg you to pardon our curiosity, and permit
us to hear those gentlemen’s stories, who have not yet spoke. Then
the lady turned to that side where the caliph, the vizier Giafar,
and Mesrour stood, whom she knew not; but said to them, It is now
your turn to tell me your adventures, therefore speak.
The grand vizier Giafar, who had always been the spokesman, answered
Zobeide thus: Madam, in order to obey you, we need only to repeat
what we have said already, before we entered your house. We are
merchants of Moussoul, that came to Bagdad to sell our merchandize
that lies in the khan where we lodge. We dined to-day with several
other persons of our profession, at a merchant’s house of this
city; who, after he had treated us with choice dainties and
excellent wines, sent for men and women dancers, and musicians. The
great noise we made brought in the watch, who arrested some of the
company, and we had the good fortune to escape; but it being already
late, and the door of our khan shut up, we knew not whither to
retire. It was our hap, as we passed along this street, to hear
mirth at your house, which made us determine to knock at your gate.
This is all the account that we can give you, in obedience to your
commands.
Zobeide having heard this discourse, seemed to hesitate upon what
she should say; which the calenders perceiving, prayed her to grant
the same favour to the three Moussoul merchants as she had done to
them. Well, then, said she, I give my consent, for you shall all be
equally obliged to me: I pardon you all, provided you depart
immediately out of this house, and go whither you please.
Zobeide having given this command in a tone that signified she would
be obeyed, the caliph, the vizier, Mesrour, the three calenders, and
the porter, departed, without saying one word; for the presence of
the seven slaves with their weapons kept them in awe. When they were
out of the house, and the door shut, the caliph said to the
calenders, without making himself known, You gentlemen strangers,
that are newly come to town, which way do you design to go, since it
is not yet day? It is that which perplexes us, sir, said they.
Follow us, replied the caliph, and we will bring you out of danger.
After saying these words, he whispered to the vizier, Take them
along with you, and to-morrow morning bring them to me; I will cause
their history to be put in writing, for it deserves a place in the
annals or my reign.
The vizier Giafar took the three calenders along with him, the
porter went to his quarters, and the caliph and Mesrour returned to
the palace. The caliph went to bed, but could not get a wink of
sleep, his spirits were so perplexed by the extraordinary things he
had seen and heard: but, above all, he was most concerned to know
who Zobeide was, what reason she could have to be so severe to the
two black bitches, and why Amine had her bosom so mortified. Day
began to appear whilst he was thinking upon these things; he arose
and went to his council-chamber, where he used to give audience, and
sat upon his throne.
The grand vizier came in a little after, and paid his respects as
usual. Vizier, said the caliph, the affairs that we have to consider
at present are not very pressing; that of the three ladies and the
two black bitches is much more so: my mind cannot be at ease till I
am thoroughly satisfied in all those matters that have surprised me
so much. --Go, bring these ladies and the calenders at the same
time; make haste, and remember that I impatiently expect your return.
The vizier, who knew his master’s quick and fiery temper, made
haste to obey, and went to the ladies, to whom he communicated, in a
civil way, the orders he had to bring them before the caliph,
without taking any notice of what had passed the night before at
their house.
The ladies put on their veils, and went with the vizier. As he
passed by his own house, he took the three calenders along with him;
and they in the mean time, had got notice that they had both seen
and spoke with the caliph without knowing him. The vizier brought
them to the palace with so much diligence, that the caliph was much
pleased. This prince, that he might keep decorum before all the
officers of his court who were then present, gave orders that those
ladies should be placed behind the hanging of the door of the room
next his bedchamber, and kept by him the three calenders, who, by
their respectful behaviour, gave sufficient proof, that they were
not ignorant before whom they had the honour to appear.
When the ladies were placed, the caliph turned towards them, and
said, Ladies, when I shall acquaint you that I came last night
disguised in a merchant’s habit into your house, it will certainly
alarm you, and make you fear that you have offended me; and perhaps
you believe that I have sent for you for no other purpose but to
show some marks of my resentment; but be not afraid; you may rest
assured that I have forgotten all that has past, and am very well
satisfied with your conduct. I wish that all the ladies of Bagdad
had as much discretion as you have given proof of before me. I shall
always remember the moderation you made use of, after the incivility
that we had committed. I was then a merchant of Moussoul, but am at
present Haroun Alraschid, the seventh caliph of the glorious house
of Abbas, that holds the place of our great prophet. I have only
sent for you to know who you are, and to ask you for what reason one
of you, after severely whipping the two black bitches, did weep with
them? And I am no less curious to know why another of you has her
bosom so full of scars.
Though the caliph pronounced these words very distinctly, and the
three ladies heard him well enough, yet the vizier Giafar did, out
of ceremony, repeat them over again.
But, sir, said Scheherazade, it is day; and if your majesty thinks
fit that I shall go on with the rest of this story, you will be
pleased to prolong my life until to-morrow. The sultan agreed to it,
knowing that Scheherazade would relate the history of Zobeide, which
he had a great desire to hear.