It was not less light than in the brightest of the dog-days, and the

weather was hot in proportion; but how degrading was the spectacle, to

behold the caliph bespattered, like an ordinary mortal! As the exercise

of his faculties seemed to be suspended, one of his Ethiopian wives (for

he delighted in variety) clasped him in her arms, threw him upon her

shoulder like a sack of dates, and, finding that the fire was hemming

them in, set off with no small expedition, considering the weight of her

burden. The other ladies, who had just learned the use of their feet,

followed her; their guards galloped after; and the camel-drivers brought

up the rear, as fast as their charge would permit.

They soon reached the spot where the wild beasts had commenced the

carnage, but which they had too much good sense not to leave at the

approaching of the tumult, having made besides a most luxurious supper.

Bababalouk, nevertheless, seized on a few of the plumpest, which were

unable to budge from the place, and began to flay them with admirable

adroitness. The cavalcade having proceeded so far from the conflagration

that the heat felt rather grateful than violent, it was immediately

resolved on to halt. The tattered chintzes were picked up; the scraps,

left by the wolves and tigers, interred; and vengeance was taken on some

dozens of vultures, that were too much glutted to rise on the wing. The

camels, which had been left unmolested to make sal ammoniac, being

numbered, and the ladies once more enclosed in their cages, the imperial

tent was pitched on the levellest ground they could find.

Vathek, reposing upon a mattress of down, and tolerably recovered from

the jolting of the Ethiopian, who, to his feelings, seemed the roughest

trotting jade he had hitherto mounted, called out for something to eat.

But, alas! those delicate cakes which had been baked in silver ovens for

his royal mouth, those rich manchets, amber comfits, flagons of Schiraz

wine, porcelain vases of snow, and grapes from the banks of the Tigris,

were all irremediably lost! And nothing had Bababalouk to present in

their stead but a roasted wolf, vultures _à la daube_, aromatic herbs of

the most acrid poignancy, rotten truffles, boiled thistles, and such

other wild plants as much ulcerate the throat and parch up the tongue.

Nor was he better provided in the article of drink; for he could procure

nothing to accompany these irritating viands but a few phials of

abominable brandy which had been secreted by the scullions in their

slippers. Vathek made wry faces at so savage a repast, and Bababalouk

answered them with shrugs and contortions. The caliph, however, ate with

tolerable appetite, and fell into a nap that lasted six hours.

The splendour of the sun, reflected from the white cliffs of the

mountains, in spite of the curtains that enclosed Vathek, at length

disturbed his repose. He awoke terrified, and stung to the quick by

wormwood-colour flies, which emitted from their wings a suffocating

stench. The miserable monarch was perplexed how to act, though his wits

were not idle in seeking expedients; whilst Bababalouk lay snoring

amidst a swarm of those insects that busily thronged to pay court to his

nose. The little pages, famished with hunger, had dropped their fans on

the ground, and exerted their dying voices in bitter reproaches on the

caliph, who now, for the first time, heard the language of truth.

Thus stimulated, he renewed his imprecations against the Giaour, and

bestowed upon Mahomet some soothing expressions. "Where am I?" cried he:

"what are these dreadful rocks--these valleys of darkness? Are we

arrived at the horrible Kaf? Is the Simurgh coming to pluck out my eyes,

as a punishment for undertaking this impious enterprise?" Having said

this he turned himself towards an outlet in the side of his pavilion;

but, alas! what objects occurred to his view? on one side a plain of

black sand that appeared to be unbounded; and, on the other,

perpendicular crags, bristled over with those abominable thistles which

had so severely lacerated his tongue. He fancied, however, that he

perceived amongst the brambles and briars some gigantic flowers, but was

mistaken; for these were only the dangling palampores and variegated

tatters of his gay retinue. As there were several clefts in the rock

from whence water seemed to have flowed, Vathek applied his ear with the

hope of catching the sound of some latent torrent; but could only

distinguish the low murmurs of his people, who were repining at their

journey, and complaining for the want of water. "To what purpose," asked

they, "have we been brought hither? hath our caliph another tower to

build? or have the relentless afrits, whom Carathis so much loves, fixed

their abode in this place?"

At the name of Carathis, Vathek recollected the tablets he had received

from his mother, who assured him they were fraught with preternatural

qualities, and advised him to consult them as emergencies might require.

Whilst he was engaged in turning them over, he heard a shout of joy and

a loud clapping of hands. The curtains of his pavilion were soon drawn

back, and he beheld Bababalouk, followed by a troop of his favourites,

conducting two dwarfs, each a cubit high; who had brought between them a

large basket of melons, oranges, and pomegranates. They were singing in

the sweetest tones the words that follow: "We dwell on the top of these

rocks, in a cabin of rushes and canes; the eagles envy us our nest: a

small spring supplies us with water for the Abdest, and we daily repeat

prayers, which the Prophet approves. We love you, O commander of the

faithful! our master, the good Emir Fakreddin, loves you also: he

reveres, in your person, the vicegerent of Mahomet. Little as we are, in

us he confides: he knows our hearts to be as good as our bodies are

contemptible; and hath placed us here to aid those who are bewildered on

these dreary mountains. Last night, whilst we were occupied within our

cell in reading the holy Koran, a sudden hurricane blew out our lights,

and rocked our habitation. For two whole hours, palpable darkness

prevailed; but we heard sounds at a distance, which we conjectured to

proceed from the bells of a cafila, passing over the rocks. Our ears

were soon filled with deplorable shrieks, frightful roarings, and the

sound of timbals. Chilled with terror, we concluded that the Deggial,

with his exterminating angels, had sent forth his plagues on the earth.

In the midst of these melancholy reflections, we perceived flames of the

deepest red glow in the horizon; and found ourselves, in a few moments,

covered with flakes of fire. Amazed at so strange an appearance, we took

up the volume dictated by the blessed Intelligence, and, kneeling, by

the light of the fire that surrounded us, we recited the verse which

says, 'Put no trust in any thing but the mercy of Heaven: there is no

help, save in the holy Prophet: the mountain of Kaf itself may tremble;

it is the power of Allah only that cannot be moved.' After having

pronounced these words, we felt consolation, and our minds were hushed

into a sacred repose. Silence ensued, and our ears clearly distinguished

a voice in the air, saying: 'Servants of my faithful servant! go down to

the happy valley of Fakreddin: tell him that an illustrious opportunity

now offers to satiate the thirst of his hospitable heart. The commander

of true believers is, this day, bewildered amongst these mountains, and

stands in need of thy aid.'--We obeyed with joy the angelic mission; and

our master, filled with pious zeal, hath culled with his own hands these

melons, oranges, and pomegranates. He is following us, with a hundred

dromedaries, laden with the purest waters of his fountains; and is

coming to kiss the fringe of your consecrated robe, and implore you to

enter his humble habitation, which, placed amidst these barren wilds,

resembles an emerald set in lead." The dwarfs, having ended their

address, remained still standing, and, with hands crossed upon their

bosoms, preserved a respectful silence.

Vathek, in the midst of this curious harangue, seized the basket; and,

long before it was finished, the fruits had dissolved in his mouth. As

he continued to eat, his piety increased; and, in the same breath, he

recited his prayers and called for the Koran and sugar.

Such was the state of his mind when the tablets, which were thrown by at

the approach of the dwarfs, again attracted his eye. He took them up;

but was ready to drop on the ground when he beheld, in large red

characters, inscribed by Carathis, these words--which were, indeed,

enough to make him tremble: "Beware of old doctors and their puny

messengers of but one cubit high: distrust their pious frauds; and,

instead of eating their melons, impale on a spit the bearers of them.

Shouldest thou be such a fool as to visit them, the portal of the

subterranean palace will shut in thy face, with such force as shall

shake thee asunder: thy body shall be spit upon, and bats will nestle in

thy belly."

"To what tends this ominous rhapsody?" cries the caliph; "and must I,

then, perish in these deserts with thirst, whilst I may refresh myself

in the delicious valley of melons and cucumbers? Accursed be the Giaour

with his portal of ebony! he hath made me dance attendance too long

already. Besides, who shall prescribe laws to me? I, forsooth, must not

enter any one's habitation! Be it so; but what one can I enter that is

not my own?" Bababalouk, who lost not a syllable of this soliloquy,

applauded it with all his heart; and the ladies, for the first time,

agreed with him in opinion.

The dwarfs were entertained, caressed, and seated, with great ceremony,

on little cushions of satin. The symmetry of their persons was a subject

of admiration; not an inch of them was suffered to pass unexamined.

Knick-knacks and dainties were offered in profusion; but all were

declined with respectful gravity. They climbed up the sides of the

caliph's seat, and, placing themselves each on one of his shoulders,

began to whisper prayers in his ears. Their tongues quivered like aspen

leaves; and the patience of Vathek was almost exhausted, when the

acclamations of the troops announced the approach of Fakreddin, who was

come with a hundred old grey-beards, and as many Korans and dromedaries.

They instantly set about their ablutions, and began to repeat the

Bismillah. Vathek, to get rid of these officious monitors, followed

their example, for his hands were burning.

The good emir, who was punctiliously religious, and likewise a great

dealer in compliments, made an harangue five times more prolix and

insipid than his little harbingers had already delivered. The caliph,

unable any longer to refrain, exclaimed, "For the love of Mahomet, my

dear Fakreddin, have done! let us proceed to your valley, and enjoy the

fruits that Heaven hath vouchsafed you." The hint of proceeding put all

into motion. The venerable attendants of the emir set forward somewhat

slowly, but Vathek having ordered his little pages, in private, to goad

on the dromedaries, loud fits of laughter broke forth from the cages;

for the unwieldy curvetting of these poor beasts, and the ridiculous

distress of their superannuated riders, afforded the ladies no small

entertainment.

They descended, however, unhurt into the valley, by the easy slopes

which the emir had ordered to be cut in the rock; and already the

murmuring of streams and the rustling of leaves began to catch their

attention. The cavalcade soon entered a path, which was skirted by

flowering shrubs, and extended to a vast wood of palm trees, whose

branches overspread a vast building of freestone. This edifice was

crowned with nine domes, and adorned with as many portals of bronze, on

which was engraven the following inscription: "This is the asylum of

pilgrims, the refuge of travellers, and the depository of secrets from

all parts of the world."

Nine pages, beautiful as the day, and decently clothed in robes of

Egyptian linen, were standing at each door. They received the whole

retinue with an easy and inviting air. Four of the most amiable placed

the caliph on a magnificent tecthtrevan; four others, somewhat less

graceful, took charge of Bababalouk, who capered for joy at the snug

little cabin that fell to his share: the pages that remained waited on

the rest of the train.

Every man being gone out of sight, the gate of a large enclosure on the

right turned on its harmonious hinges; and a young female, of a slender

form, came forth. Her light brown hair floated in the hazy breeze of the

twilight. A troop of young maidens, like the Pleiades, attended her on

tiptoe. They hastened to the pavilions that contained the sultanas; and

the young lady, gracefully bending, said to them, "Charming princesses!

everything is ready; we have prepared beds for your repose, and strewed

your apartments with jasmine. No insects will keep off slumber from

visiting your eyelids; we will dispel them with a thousand plumes. Come,

then, amiable ladies! refresh your delicate feet and your ivory limbs in

baths of rose water; and, by the light of perfumed lamps, your servants

will amuse you with tales." The sultanas accepted with pleasure these

obliging offers, and followed the young lady to the emir's harem; where

we must, for a moment, leave them and return to the caliph.

Vathek found himself beneath a vast dome, illuminated by a thousand

lamps of rock crystal: as many vases of the same material, filled with

excellent sherbet, sparkled on a large table, where a profusion of

viands were spread. Amongst others, were rice boiled in milk of almonds,

saffron soups, and lamb _à la crême_; of all which the caliph was

amazingly fond. He took of each as much as he was able; testified his

sense of the emir's friendship by the gaiety of his heart; and made the

dwarfs dance against their will, for these little devotees durst not

refuse the commander of the faithful. At last, he spread himself on the

sofa, and slept sounder than he ever had before.

Beneath this dome a general silence prevailed; for there was nothing to

disturb it but the jaws of Bababalouk, who had untrussed himself to eat

with greater advantage, being anxious to make amends for his fast in the

mountains. As his spirits were too high to admit of his sleeping, and

hating to be idle, he proposed with himself to visit the harem, and

repair to his charge of the ladies: to examine if they had been properly

lubricated with the balm of Mecca; if their eyebrows and tresses were in

order; and, in a word, to perform all the little offices they might

need. He sought for a long time together, but without being able to find

out the door. He durst not speak aloud, for fear of disturbing the

caliph; and not a soul was stirring in the precincts of the palace. He

almost despaired of effecting his purpose, when a low whispering just

reached his ear. It came from the dwarfs, who were returned to their old

occupation, and, for the nine hundred and ninety-ninth time in their

lives, were reading over the Koran. They very politely invited

Bababalouk to be of their party; but his head was full of other

concerns. The dwarfs, though not a little scandalized at his dissolute

morals, directed him to the apartments he wanted to find. His way

thither lay through a hundred dark corridors, along which he groped as

he went, and at last began to catch, from the extremity of a passage,

the charming gossiping of the women, which not a little delighted his

heart. "Ah, ha! what, not yet asleep?" cried he; and, taking long

strides as he spoke, "did you not suspect me of abjuring my charge?" Two

of the black eunuchs, on hearing a voice so loud, left their party in

haste, sabre in hand, to discover the cause; but presently was repeated

on all sides, "'Tis only Bababalouk! no one but Bababalouk!" This

circumspect guardian, having gone up to a thin veil of carnation-colour

silk that hung before the doorway, distinguished, by means of the

softened splendour that shone through it, an oval bath of dark porphyry,

surrounded by curtains, festooned in large folds. Through the apertures

between them, as they were not drawn close, groups of young slaves were

visible; amongst whom Bababalouk perceived his pupils, indulgingly

expanding their arms, as if to embrace the perfumed water and refresh

themselves after their fatigues. The looks of tender languor; their

confidential whispers, and the enchanting smiles with which they were

imparted; the exquisite fragrance of the roses: all combined to inspire

a voluptuousness, which even Bababalouk himself was scarce able to

withstand.

He summoned up, however, his usual solemnity; and, in the peremptory

tone of authority, commanded the ladies instantly to leave the bath.

Whilst he was issuing these mandates, the young Nouronihar, daughter of

the emir, who was as sprightly as an antelope, and full of wanton

gaiety, beckoned one of her slaves to let down the great swing which was

suspended to the ceiling by cords of silk; and whilst this was doing,

winked to her companions in the bath, who, chagrined to be forced from

so soothing a state of indolence, began to twist and entangle their hair

to plague and detain Bababalouk, and teased him, besides, with a

thousand vagaries.

Nouronihar, perceiving that he was nearly out of patience, accosted him,

with an arch air of respectful concern, and said, "My lord! it is not by

any means decent that the chief eunuch of the caliph, our sovereign,

should thus continue standing; deign but to recline your graceful person

upon this sofa, which will burst with vexation if it have not the honour

to receive you." Caught by these flattering accents, Bababalouk

gallantly replied, "Delight of the apple of my eye! I accept the

invitation of your honeyed lips; and, to say truth, my senses are

dazzled with the radiance that beams from your charms."--"Repose, then,

at your ease," replied the beauty, as she placed him on the pretended

sofa, which, quicker than lightning, flew up all at once. The rest of

the women, having aptly conceived her design, sprang naked from the

bath, and plied the swing with such unmerciful jerks that it swept

through the whole compass of a very lofty dome, and took from the poor

victim all power of respiration. Sometimes his feet razed the surface of

the water; and, at others, the skylight almost flattened his nose. In

vain did he fill the air with the cries of a voice that resembled the

ringing of a cracked jar; the peals of laughter were still predominant.

Nouronihar, in the inebriety of youthful spirits, being used only to

eunuchs of ordinary harems, and having never seen anything so eminently

disgusting, was far more diverted than all the rest. She began to parody

some Persian verses, and sang, with an accent most demurely piquant,

"Oh, gentle white dove! as thou soar'st through the air, vouchsafe one

kind glance on the mate of thy love: melodious Philomel, I am thy rose;

warble some couplet to ravish my heart!"

The sultanas and their slaves, stimulated by these pleasantries,

persevered at the swing with such unremitted assiduity, that at length

the cord which had secured it snapped suddenly asunder; and Bababalouk

fell, floundering like a turtle, to the bottom of the bath. This

accident occasioned an universal shout. Twelve little doors, till now

unobserved, flew open at once; and the ladies, in an instant, made their

escape; but not before having heaped all the towels on his head, and put

out the lights that remained.

The deplorable animal, in water to the chin, overwhelmed with darkness,

and unable to extricate himself from the wrappers that embarrassed him,

was still doomed to hear, for his further consolation, the fresh bursts

of merriment his disaster occasioned. He bustled, but in vain, to get

from the bath; for the margin was become so slippery with the oil spilt

in breaking the lamps, that, at every effort, he slid back with a plunge

which resounded aloud through the hollow of the dome. These cursed peals

of laughter were redoubled at every relapse, and he, who thought the

place infested rather by devils than women, resolved to cease groping,

and abide in the bath; where he amused himself with soliloquies,

interspersed with imprecations, of which his malicious neighbours,

reclining on down, suffered not an accent to escape. In this delectable

plight the morning surprised him. The caliph, wondering at his absence,

had caused him to be sought for everywhere. At last he was drawn forth

almost smothered from under the wisp of linen, and wet even to the

marrow. Limping, and his teeth chattering with cold, he approached his

master, who inquired what was the matter, and how he came soused in so

strange a pickle.--"And why did you enter this cursed lodge?" answered

Bababalouk gruffly. "Ought a monarch like you to visit with his harem

the abode of a grey-bearded emir, who knows nothing of life?--And with

what gracious damsels doth the place too abound! Fancy to yourself how

they have soaked me like a burnt crust; and made me dance like a

jack-pudding, the livelong night through, on their damnable swing. What

an excellent lesson for your sultanas, into whom I had instilled such

reserve and decorum!" Vathek, comprehending not a syllable of all this

invective, obliged him to relate minutely the transaction: but, instead

of sympathizing with the miserable sufferer, he laughed immoderately at

the device of the swing and the figure of Bababalouk mounted upon it.

The stung eunuch could scarcely preserve the semblance of respect. "Ay,

laugh, my lord! laugh," said he; "but I wish this Nouronihar would play

some trick on you; she is too wicked to spare even majesty itself."

These words made, for the present, but a slight impression on the

caliph; but they not long after recurred to his mind.

This conversation was cut short by Fakreddin, who came to request that

Vathek would join in the prayers and ablutions, to be solemnized on a

spacious meadow watered by innumerable streams. The caliph found the

waters refreshing, but the prayers abominably irksome. He diverted

himself, however, with the multitude of calenders, santons, and

dervishes, who were continually coming and going; but especially with

the Brahmins, fakirs, and other enthusiasts, who had travelled from the

heart of India, and halted on their way with the emir. These latter had

each of them some mummery peculiar to himself. One dragged a huge chain

wherever he went; another an orang-outang; whilst a third was furnished

with scourges; and all performed to a charm. Some would climb up trees,

holding one foot in the air; others poise themselves over a fire, and

without mercy fillip their noses. There were some amongst them that

cherished vermin, which were not ungrateful in requiting their caresses.

These rambling fanatics revolted the hearts of the dervishes, the

calenders, and santons; however, the vehemence of their aversion soon

subsided, under the hope that the presence of the caliph would cure

their folly, and convert them to the Mussulman faith. But, alas! how

great was their disappointment! for Vathek, instead of preaching to

them, treated them as buffoons, bade them present his compliments to

Visnow and Ixhora, and discovered a predilection for a squat old man

from the Isle of Serendib, who was more ridiculous than any of the rest.

"Come!" said he, "for the love of your gods, bestow a few slaps on your

chops to amuse me." The old fellow, offended at such an address, began

loudly to weep; but, as he betrayed a villainous drivelling in shedding

tears, the caliph turned his back and listened to Bababalouk, who

whispered, whilst he held the umbrella over him, "Your majesty should be

cautious of this odd assembly, which hath been collected I know not for

what. Is it necessary to exhibit such spectacles to a mighty potentate,

with interludes of talapoins more mangy than dogs? Were I you, I would

command a fire to be kindled, and at once rid the estates of the emir,

of his harem, and all his menagerie."--"Tush, dolt," answered Vathek,

"and know that all this infinitely charms me. Nor shall I leave the

meadow till I have visited every hive of these pious mendicants."

Wherever the caliph directed his course, objects of pity were sure to

swarm round him; the blind, the purblind, smarts without noses, damsels

without ears, each to extol the munificence of Fakreddin, who, as well

as his attendant grey-beards, dealt about, gratis, plasters and

cataplasms to all that applied. At noon, a superb corps of cripples made

its appearance; and soon after advanced, by platoons, on the plain, the

completest association of invalids that had ever been embodied till

then. The blind went groping with the blind, the lame limped on

together, and the maimed made gestures to each other with the only arm

that remained. The sides of a considerable waterfall were crowded by the

deaf; amongst whom were some from Pegû, with ears uncommonly handsome

and large, but who were still less able to hear than the rest. Nor were

there wanting others in abundance with hump-backs, wenny necks, and even

horns of an exquisite polish.

The emir, to aggrandize the solemnity of the festival, in honour of his

illustrious visitant, ordered the turf to be spread on all sides with

skins and table-cloths; upon which were served up for the good

Mussulmans pilaus of every hue, with other orthodox dishes; and, by the

express order of Vathek, who was shamefully tolerant, small plates of

abominations were prepared, to the great scandal of the faithful. The

holy assembly began to fall to. The caliph, in spite of every

remonstrance from the chief of his eunuchs, resolved to have a dinner

dressed on the spot. The complaisant emir immediately gave orders for a

table to be placed in the shade of the willows. The first service

consisted of fish, which they drew from a river flowing over sands of

gold at the foot of a lofty hill. These were broiled as fast as taken,

and served up with a sauce of vinegar and small herbs that grew on Mount

Sinai; for everything with the emir was excellent and pious.

The dessert was not quite set on, when the sound of lutes from the hill

was repeated by the echoes of the neighbouring mountains. The caliph,

with an emotion of pleasure and surprise, had no sooner raised up his

head, than a handful of jasmine dropped on his face. An abundance of

tittering succeeded the frolic, and instantly appeared, through the

bushes, the elegant forms of several young females, skipping and

bounding like roes. The fragrance diffused from their hair struck the

sense of Vathek, who, in an ecstasy, suspending his repast, said to

Bababalouk, "Are the peris come down from their spheres? Note her, in

particular, whose form is so perfect; venturously running on the brink

of the precipice, and turning back her head, as regardless of nothing

but the graceful flow of her robe. With what captivating impatience doth

she contend with the bushes for her veil? could it be she who threw the

jasmine at me?"--"Ay! she it was; and you too would she throw, from the

top of the rock," answered Bababalouk, "for that is my good friend

Nouronihar, who so kindly lent me her swing. My dear lord and master,"

added he, wresting a twig from a willow, "let me correct her for her

want of respect: the emir will have no reason to complain; since (bating

what I owe to his piety) he is much to be blamed for keeping a troop of

girls on the mountains, where the sharpness of the air gives their blood

too brisk a circulation."

"Peace! blasphemer," said the caliph; "speak not thus of her, who, over

these mountains, leads my heart a willing captive. Contrive, rather,

that my eyes may be fixed upon hers; that I may respire her sweet breath

as she bounds panting along these delightful wilds!" On saying these

words, Vathek extended his arms towards the hill; and directing his eyes

with an anxiety unknown to him before, endeavoured to keep within view

the object that enthralled his soul; but her course was as difficult to

follow as the flight of one of those beautiful blue butterflies of

Cashmere which are at once, so volatile and rare.

The caliph, not satisfied with seeing, wished also to hear Nouronihar,

and eagerly turned to catch the sound of her voice. At last, he

distinguished her whispering to one of her companions behind the thicket

from whence she had thrown the jasmine: "A caliph, it must be owned, is

a fine thing to see: but my little Gulchenrouz is much more amiable: one

lock of his hair is of more value to me than the richest embroidery of

the Indies. I had rather that his teeth should mischievously press my

finger, than the richest ring of the imperial treasure. Where have you

left him, Sutlememe? and why is he not here?"

The agitated caliph still wished to hear more; but she immediately

retired with all her attendants. The fond monarch pursued her with his

eyes till she was gone out of sight; and then continued like a

bewildered and benighted traveller, from whom the clouds had obscured

the constellation that guided his way. The curtain of night seemed

dropped before him: everything appeared discoloured. The falling waters

filled his soul with dejection, and his tears trickled down the jasmines

he had caught from Nouronihar, and placed in his inflamed bosom. He

snatched up a few shining pebbles, to remind him of the scene where he

felt the first tumults of love. Two hours were elapsed, and evening drew

on, before he could resolve to depart from the place. He often, but in

vain, attempted to go: a soft languor enervated the powers of his mind.

Extending himself on the brink of the stream, he turned his eyes towards

the blue summits of the mountain, and exclaimed, "What concealest thou

behind thee, pitiless rock? what is passing in thy solitudes? Whither is

she gone? O heaven! perhaps she is now wandering in thy grottoes with

her happy Gulchenrouz!"

In the meantime, the damps began to descend; and the emir, solicitous

for the health of the caliph, ordered the imperial litter to be brought.

Vathek, absorbed in his reveries, was imperceptibly removed and conveyed

back to the saloon that received him the evening before. But let us

leave the caliph immersed in his new passion, and attend Nouronihar

beyond the rocks, where she had again joined her beloved Gulchenrouz.

This Gulchenrouz was the son of Ali Hassan, brother to the emir; and the

most delicate and lovely creature in the world. Ali Hassan, who had been

absent ten years on a voyage to the unknown seas, committed, at his

departure, this child, the only survivor of many, to the care and

protection of his brother. Gulchenrouz could write in various

characters with precision, and paint upon vellum the most elegant

arabesques that fancy could devise. His sweet voice accompanied the lute

in the most enchanting manner; and when he sang the loves of Megnoun and

Leilah, or some unfortunate lovers of ancient days, tears insensibly

overflowed the cheeks of his auditors. The verses he composed (for, like

Megnoun, he, too, was a poet) inspired that unresisting languor, so

frequently fatal to the female heart. The women all doted upon him; and,

though he had passed his thirteenth year, they still detained him in the

harem. His dancing was light as the gossamer waved by the zephyrs of

spring; but his arms, which twined so gracefully with those of the young

girls in the dance, could neither dart the lance in the chase, nor curb

the steeds that pastured in his uncle's domains. The bow, however, he

drew with a certain aim, and would have excelled his competitors in the

race, could he have broken the ties that bound him to Nouronihar.

The two brothers had mutually engaged their children to each other; and

Nouronihar loved her cousin more than her own beautiful eyes. Both had

the same tastes and amusements; the same long, languishing looks; the

same tresses; the same fair complexions; and, when Gulchenrouz appeared

in the dress of his cousin, he seemed to be more feminine than even

herself. If, at any time, he left the harem to visit Fakreddin, it was

with all the bashfulness of a fawn, that consciously ventures from the

lair of its dam: he was, however, wanton enough to mock the solemn old

grey-beards, though sure to be rated without mercy in return. Whenever

this happened, he would hastily plunge into the recesses of the harem;

and, sobbing, take refuge in the fond arms of Nouronihar, who loved even

his faults beyond the virtues of others.

It fell out this evening, that, after leaving the caliph in the meadow,

she ran with Gulchenrouz over the green sward of the mountain that

sheltered the vale where Fakreddin had chosen to reside. The sun was

dilated on the edge of the horizon; and the young people, whose fancies

were lively and inventive, imagined they beheld, in the gorgeous clouds

of the west, the domes of Shaddukian and Ambreabad, where the Peries

have fixed their abode. Nouronihar, sitting on the slope of the hill,

supported on her knees the perfumed head of Gulchenrouz. The unexpected

arrival of the caliph, and the splendour that marked his appearance, had

already filled with emotion the ardent soul of Nouronihar. Her vanity

irresistibly prompted her to pique the prince's attention; and this she

before took good care to effect, whilst he picked up the jasmine she had

thrown upon him. But when Gulchenrouz asked after the flowers he had

culled for her bosom, Nouronihar was all in confusion. She hastily

kissed his forehead, arose in a flutter, and walked with unequal steps

on the border of the precipice. Night advanced, and the pure gold of the

setting sun had yielded to a sanguine red, the glow of which, like the

reflection of a burning furnace, flushed Nouronihar's animated

countenance. Gulchenrouz, alarmed at the agitation of his cousin, said

to her, with a supplicating accent, "Let us be gone; the sky looks

portentous, the tamarisks tremble more than common, and the raw wind

chills my very heart. Come! let us be gone; 'tis a melancholy night!"

Then taking hold of her hand, he drew it towards the path he besought

her to go. Nouronihar unconsciously followed the attraction; for a

thousand strange imaginations occupied her spirits. She passed the large

round of honeysuckles, her favourite resort, without ever vouchsafing it

a glance; yet Gulchenrouz could not help snatching off a few shoots in

his way, though he ran as if a wild beast were behind.

The young females seeing them approach in such haste, and, according to

custom, expecting a dance, instantly assembled in a circle and took each

other by the hand; but Gulchenrouz, coming up out of breath, fell down

at once on the grass. This accident struck with consternation the whole

of this frolicsome party; whilst Nouronihar, half distracted and

overcome, both by the violence of her exercise and the tumult of her

thoughts, sunk feebly down at his side, cherished his cold hands in her

bosom, and chafed his temples with a fragrant perfume. At length he came

to himself, and wrapping up his head in the robe of his cousin,

entreated that she would not return to the harem. He was afraid of being

snapped at by Shaban his tutor, a wrinkled old eunuch of a surly

disposition; for, having interrupted the wonted walk of Nouronihar, he

dreaded lest the churl should take it amiss. The whole of this sprightly

group, sitting round upon a mossy knoll, began to entertain themselves

with various pastimes, whilst their superintendents, the eunuchs, were

gravely conversing at a distance. The nurse of the emir's daughter,

observing her pupil sit ruminating with her eyes on the ground,

endeavoured to amuse her with diverting tales; to which Gulchenrouz, who

had already forgotten his inquietudes, listened with a breathless

attention. He laughed, he clapped his hands, and passed a hundred

little tricks on the whole of the company, without omitting the eunuchs,

whom he provoked to run after him, in spite of their age and

decrepitude.

During these occurrences, the moon arose, the wind subsided, and the

evening became so serene and inviting, that a resolution was taken to

sup on the spot. One of the eunuchs ran to fetch melons, whilst others

were employed in showering down almonds from the branches that overhung

this amiable party. Sutlememe, who excelled in dressing a salad, having

filled large bowls of porcelain with eggs of small birds, curds turned

with citron juice, slices of cucumber, and the inmost leaves of delicate

herbs, handed it round from one to another, and gave each their shares

with a large spoon of cocknos. Gulchenrouz, nestling, as usual, in the

bosom of Nouronihar, pouted out his vermilion little lips against the

offer of Sutlememe; and would take it only from the hand of his cousin,

on whose mouth he hung, like a bee inebriated with the nectar of

flowers.

In the midst of this festive scene, there appeared a light on the top of

the highest mountain, which attracted the notice of every eye. This

light was not less bright than the moon when at full, and might have

been taken for her, had not the moon already risen. The phenomenon

occasioned a general surprise, and no one could conjecture the cause. It

could not be a fire, for the light was clear and bluish; nor had meteors

ever been seen of that magnitude or splendour. This strange light faded

for a moment, and immediately renewed its brightness. It first appeared

motionless, at the foot of the rock; whence it darted in an instant, to

sparkle in a thicket of palm-trees: from thence it glided along the

torrent; and at last fixed in a glen that was narrow and dark. The

moment it had taken its direction, Gulchenrouz, whose heart always

trembled at anything sudden or rare, drew Nouronihar by the robe, and

anxiously requested her to return to the harem. The women were

importunate in seconding the entreaty; but the curiosity of the emir's

daughter prevailed. She not only refused to go back, but resolved, at

all hazards, to pursue the appearance.

Whilst they were debating what was best to be done, the light shot forth

so dazzling a blaze that they all fled away shrieking. Nouronihar

followed them a few steps; but, coming to the turn of a little by-path,

stopped, and went back alone. As she ran with an alertness peculiar to

herself, it was not long before she came to the place where they had

just been supping. The globe of fire now appeared stationary in the

glen, and burned in majestic stillness. Nouronihar, pressing her hands

upon her bosom, hesitated, for some moments, to advance. The solitude of

her situation was new, the silence of the night awful, and every object

inspired sensations which, till then, she never had felt. The affright

of Gulchenrouz recurred to her mind, and she a thousand times turned to

go back; but this luminous appearance was always before her. Urged on by

an irresistible impulse, she continued to approach it, in defiance of

every obstacle that opposed her progress.

At length she arrived at the opening of the glen; but, instead of coming

up to the light, she found herself surrounded by darkness; excepting

that, at a considerable distance, a faint spark glimmered by fits. She

stopped a second time: the sound of waterfalls mingling their murmurs,

the hollow rustlings among the palm-branches, and the funereal screams

of the birds from their rifted trunks, all conspired to fill her soul

with terror. She imagined, every moment, that she trod on some venomous

reptile. All the stories of malignant dives and dismal ghouls thronged

into her memory; but her curiosity was, notwithstanding, more

predominant than her fears. She therefore firmly entered a winding track

that led towards the spark; but, being a stranger to the path, she had

not gone far, till she began to repent of her rashness. "Alas!" said

she, "that I were but in those secure and illuminated apartments, where

my evenings glided on with Gulchenrouz! Dear child! how would thy heart

flutter with terror, wert thou wandering in these wild solitudes, like

me!" Thus speaking, she advanced, and coming up to steps hewn in the

rock, ascended them undismayed. The light, which was now gradually

enlarging, appeared above her on the summit of the mountain, and as if

proceeding from a cavern. At length, she distinguished a plaintive and

melodious union of voices, that resembled the dirges which are sung over

tombs. A sound like that which arises from the filling of baths struck

her ear at the same time. She continued ascending, and discovered large

wax torches in full blaze, planted here and there in the fissures of the

rock. This appearance filled her with fear, whilst the subtle and potent

odour which the torches exhaled caused her to sink, almost lifeless, at

the entrance of the grot.

Casting her eyes within in this kind of trance, she beheld a large

cistern of gold, filled with a water, the vapour of which distilled on

her face a dew of the essence of roses. A soft symphony resounded

through the grot. On the sides of the cistern she noticed appendages of

royalty, diadems and feathers of the heron, all sparkling with

carbuncles. Whilst her attention was fixed on this display of

magnificence, the music ceased, and a voice instantly demanded, "For

what monarch are these torches kindled, this bath prepared, and these

habiliments which belong not only to the sovereigns of the earth, but

even to the talismanic powers?" To which a second voice answered, "They

are for the charming daughter of the Emir Fakreddin."--"What," replied

the first, "for that trifler, who consumes her time with a giddy child,

immersed in softness, and who, at best, can make but a pitiful

husband?"--"And can she," rejoined the other voice, "be amused with such

empty toys, whilst the caliph, the sovereign of the world, he who is

destined to enjoy the treasures of the pre-Adamite sultans, a prince six

feet high, and whose eyes pervade the inmost soul of a female, is

inflamed with love for her? No! she will be wise enough to answer that

passion alone that can aggrandize her glory. No doubt she will, and

despise the puppet of her fancy. Then all the riches this place

contains, as well as the carbuncle of Giamschid, shall be hers."--"You

judge right," returned the first voice; "and I haste to Istakar to

prepare the palace of subterranean fire for the reception of the bridal

pair."

The voices ceased; the torches were extinguished; the most entire

darkness succeeded; and Nouronihar, recovering with a start, found

herself reclined on a sofa in the harem of her father. She clapped her

hands, and immediately came together Gulchenrouz and her women, who, in

despair at having lost her, had dispatched eunuchs to seek her in every

direction. Shaban appeared with the rest, and began to reprimand her,

with an air of consequence: "Little impertinent," said he, "have you

false keys, or are you beloved of some genius that hath given you a

picklock? I will try the extent of your power: come to the dark chamber,

and expect not the company of Gulchenrouz: be expeditious! I will shut

you up, and turn the key twice upon you!" At these menaces, Nouronihar

indignantly raised her head, opened on Shaban her black eyes, which,

since the important dialogue of the enchanted grot, were considerably

enlarged, and said, "Go, speak thus to slaves; but learn to reverence

her who is born to give laws, and subject all to her power."

Proceeding in the same style, she was interrupted by a sudden

exclamation of "The caliph! the caliph!" All the curtains were thrown

open, the slaves prostrated themselves in double rows, and poor little

Gulchenrouz went to hide beneath the couch of a sofa. At first appeared

a file of black eunuchs trailing after them long trains of muslin

embroidered with gold, and holding in their hands censers, which

dispensed, as they passed, the grateful perfume of the wood of aloes.

Next marched Bababalouk with a solemn strut, and tossing his head, as

not overpleased at the visit. Vathek came close after, superbly robed:

his gait was unembarrassed and noble; and his presence would have

engaged admiration, though he had not been the sovereign of the world.

He approached Nouronihar with a throbbing heart, and seemed enraptured

at the full effulgence of her radiant eyes, of which he had before

caught but a few glimpses; but she instantly depressed them, and her

confusion augmented her beauty.

Bababalouk, who was a thorough adept in coincidences of this nature, and

knew that the worst game should be played with the best face,

immediately made a signal for all to retire; and no sooner did he

perceive beneath the sofa the little one's feet, than he drew him forth

without ceremony, set him upon his shoulders, and lavished him, as he

went off, a thousand unwelcome caresses. Gulchenrouz cried out, and

resisted till his cheeks became the colour of the blossom of

pomegranates, and his tearful eyes sparkled with indignation. He cast a

significant glance at Nouronihar, which the caliph noticing, asked, "Is

that, then, your Gulchenrouz?"--"Sovereign of the world!" answered she,

"spare my cousin, whose innocence and gentleness deserve not your

anger!"--"Take comfort," said Vathek, with a smile: "he is in good

hands. Bababalouk is fond of children, and never goes without sweetmeats

and comfits." The daughter of Fakreddin was abashed, and suffered

Gulchenrouz to be borne away without adding a word. The tumult of her

bosom betrayed her confusion, and Vathek, becoming still more

impassioned, gave a loose to his frenzy; which had only not subdued the

last faint strugglings of reluctance, when the emir, suddenly bursting

in, threw his face upon the ground at the feet of the caliph, and said,

"Commander of the faithful! abase not yourself to the meanness of your

slave."--"No, emir," replied Vathek, "I raise her to an equality with

myself: I declare her my wife; and the glory of your race shall extend

from one generation to another."--"Alas! my lord," said Fakreddin, as he

plucked off a few grey hairs of his beard, "cut short the days of your

faithful servant, rather than force him to depart from his word.

Nouronihar is solemnly promised to Gulchenrouz, the son of my brother

Ali Hassan: they are united, also, in heart; their faith is mutually

plighted; and affiances, so sacred, cannot be broken."--"What then!"

replied the caliph bluntly; "would you surrender this divine beauty to a

husband more womanish than herself? and can you imagine that I will

suffer her charms to decay in hands so inefficient and nerveless? No!

she is destined to live out her life within my embraces: such is my

will; retire, and disturb not the night I devote to the worship of her

charms."

The irritated emir drew forth his sabre, presented it to Vathek, and

stretching out his neck, said, in a firm tone of voice, "Strike your

unhappy host, my lord: he has lived long enough, since he hath seen the

Prophet's vicegerent violate the rights of hospitality." At his uttering

these words, Nouronihar, unable to support any longer the conflict of

her passions, sunk down into a swoon. Vathek, both terrified for her

life and furious at an opposition to his will, bade Fakreddin assist his

daughter, and withdrew; darting his terrible look at the unfortunate

emir, who suddenly fell backward, bathed in a sweat as cold as the damp

of death.

Gulchenrouz, who had escaped from the hands of Bababalouk, and was at

that instant returned, called out for help as loudly as he could, not

having strength to afford it himself. Pale and panting, the poor child

attempted to revive Nouronihar by caresses; and it happened, that the

thrilling warmth of his lips restored her to life. Fakreddin, beginning

also to recover from the look of the caliph, with difficulty tottered to

a seat; and, after warily casting round his eye, to see if this

dangerous prince were gone, sent for Shaban and Sutlememe; and said to

them apart, "My friends! violent evils require violent remedies; the

caliph has brought desolation and horror into my family; and how shall

we resist his power? Another of his looks will send me to the grave.

Fetch, then, that narcotic powder which a dervish brought me from

Aracan. A dose of it, the effect of which will continue three days, must

be administered to each of these children. The caliph will believe them

to be dead; for they will have all the appearance of death. We shall go

as if to inter them in the cave of Meimouné, at the entrance of the

great desert of sand, and near the bower of my dwarfs. When all the

spectators shall be withdrawn, you, Shaban, and four select eunuchs,

shall convey them to the lake; where provision shall be ready to support

them a month: for one day allotted to the surprise this event will

occasion, five to the tears, a fortnight to reflection, and the rest to

prepare for renewing his progress, will, according to my calculation,

fill up the whole time that Vathek will tarry; and I shall then be freed

from his intrusion."

"Your plan is good," said Sutlememe, "if it can but be effected. I have

remarked, that Nouronihar is well able to support the glances of the

caliph, and that he is far from being sparing of them to her; be

assured, therefore, that, notwithstanding her fondness for Gulchenrouz,

she will never remain quiet, while she knows him to be here. Let us

persuade her that both herself and Gulchenrouz are really dead, and that

they were conveyed to those rocks, for a limited season, to expiate the

little faults of which their love was the cause. We will add, that we

killed ourselves in despair; and that your dwarfs, whom they never yet

saw, will preach to them delectable sermons. I will engage that

everything shall succeed to the bent of your wishes."--"Be it so!" said

Fakreddin: "I approve your proposal: let us lose not a moment to give it

effect."

They hastened to seek for the powder, which, being mixed in a sherbet

was immediately administered to Gulchenrouz and Nouronihar. Within the

space of an hour, both were seized with violent palpitations, and a

general numbness gradually ensued. They arose from the floor where they

had remained ever since the caliph's departure, and, ascending to the

sofa, reclined themselves upon it, clasped in each other's embraces.

"Cherish me, my dear Nouronihar!" said Gulchenrouz: "put thy hand upon

my heart; it feels as if it were frozen. Alas! thou art as cold as

myself! hath the caliph murdered us both, with his terrible look?"--"I

am dying!" cried she, in a faltering voice: "press me closer; I am ready

to expire!"--"Let us die, then, together," answered the little

Gulchenrouz, whilst his breast laboured with a convulsive sigh; "let me,

at least, breathe forth my soul on thy lips!" They spoke no more, and

became as dead.

Immediately the most piercing cries were heard through the harem; whilst

Shaban and Sutlememe personated, with great adroitness, the parts of

persons in despair. The emir, who was sufficiently mortified to be

forced into such untoward expedients, and had now, for the first time,

made a trial of his powder, was under no necessity of counterfeiting

grief. The slaves, who had flocked together from all quarters, stood

motionless at the spectacle before them. All lights were extinguished,

save two lamps, which shed a wan glimmering over the faces of these

lovely flowers, that seemed to be faded in the spring-time of life.

Funeral vestments were prepared; their bodies were washed with

rose-water; their beautiful tresses were braided and incensed; and they

were wrapped in cymars whiter than alabaster.

At the moment that their attendants were placing two wreaths of their

favourite jasmines on their brows, the caliph, who had just heard the

tragical catastrophe, arrived. He looked not less pale and haggard than

the ghouls that wander at night among the graves. Forgetful of himself

and every one else, he broke through the midst of the slaves; fell

prostrate at the foot of the sofa; beat his bosom; called himself

"atrocious murderer!" and invoked upon his head a thousand imprecations.

With a trembling hand he raised the veil that covered the countenance of

Nouronihar, and uttering a loud shriek, fell lifeless on the floor. The

chief of the eunuchs dragged him off, with horrible grimaces, and

repeated as he went, "Ay, I foresaw she would play you some ungracious

turn!"

No sooner was the caliph gone, than the emir commanded biers to be

brought, and forbade that any one should enter the harem. Every window

was fastened; all instruments of music were broken; and the imans began

to recite their prayers. Towards the close of this melancholy day,

Vathek sobbed in silence; for they had been forced to compose with

anodynes his convulsions of rage and desperation.

At the dawn of the succeeding morning, the wide folding doors of the

palace were set open, and the funeral procession moved forward for the

mountain. The wailful cries of "La Ilah illa Alla!" reached the caliph,

who was eager to cicatrize himself and attend the ceremonial; nor could

he have been dissuaded, had not his excessive weakness disabled him from

walking. At the few first steps he fell on the ground, and his people

were obliged to lay him on a bed, where he remained many days in such a

state of insensibility as excited compassion in the emir himself.

When the procession was arrived at the grot of Meimouné, Shaban and

Sutlememe dismissed the whole of the train, excepting the four

confidential eunuchs who were appointed to remain. After resting some

moments near the biers, which had been left in the open air, they caused

them to be carried to the brink of a small lake, whose banks were

overgrown with a hoary moss. This was the great resort of herons and

storks, which preyed continually on little blue fishes. The dwarfs,

instructed by the emir, soon repaired thither, and, with the help of the

eunuchs, began to construct cabins of rushes and reeds, a work in which

they had admirable skill. A magazine also was contrived for provisions,

with a small oratory for themselves, and a pyramid of wood, neatly

piled, to furnish the necessary fuel, for the air was bleak in the

hollows of the mountains.

At evening two fires were kindled on the brink of the lake, and the two

lovely bodies, taken from their biers, were carefully deposited upon a

bed of dried leaves within the same cabin. The dwarfs began to recite

the Koran, with their clear shrill voices; and Shaban and Sutlememe

stood at some distance, anxiously waiting the effects of the powder. At

length Nouronihar and Gulchenrouz faintly stretched out their arms; and,

gradually opening their eyes, began to survey, with looks of increasing

amazement, every object around them. They even attempted to rise; but,

for want of strength, fell back again. Sutlememe, on this, administered

a cordial, which the emir had taken care to provide.

Gulchenrouz, thoroughly aroused, sneezed out aloud; and, raising himself

with an effort that expressed his surprise, left the cabin and inhaled

the fresh air with the greatest avidity. "Yes," said he, "I breathe

again! again do I exist! I hear sounds! I behold a firmament, spangled

over with stars!" Nouronihar, catching these beloved accents, extricated

herself from the leaves and ran to clasp Gulchenrouz to her bosom. The

first objects she remarked were their long cymars, their garlands of

flowers, and their naked feet: she hid her face in her hands to reflect.

The vision of the enchanted bath, the despair of her father, and, more

vividly than both, the majestic figure of Vathek, recurred to her

memory. She recollected, also, that herself and Gulchenrouz had been

sick and dying; but all these images bewildered her mind. Not knowing

where she was, she turned her eyes on all sides, as if to recognize the

surrounding scene. This singular lake, those flames reflected from its

glassy surface, the pale hues of its banks, the romantic cabins, the

bulrushes that sadly waved their drooping heads, the storks whose

melancholy cries blended with the shrill voices of the dwarfs--everything

conspired to persuade her that the angel of death had opened the portal

of some other world.

Gulchenrouz on his part, lost in wonder, clung to the neck of his

cousin. He believed himself in the region of phantoms, and was terrified

at the silence she preserved. At length addressing her: "Speak," said

he; "where are we? Do you not see those spectres that are stirring the

burning coals? Are they Monker and Nekir who are come to throw us into

them? Does the fatal bridge cross this lake, whose solemn stillness

perhaps conceals from us an abyss, in which for whole ages we shall be

doomed incessantly to sink?"

"No, my children," said Sutlememe, going towards them; "take comfort!

the exterminating angel, who conducted our souls hither after yours,

hath assured us, that the chastisement of your indolent and voluptuous

life shall be restricted to a certain series of years, which you must

pass in this dreary abode; where the sun is scarcely visible, and where

the soil yields neither fruits nor flowers. These," continued she,

pointing to the dwarfs, "will provide for our wants; for souls so

mundane as ours retain too strong a tincture of their earthly

extraction. Instead of meats, your food will be nothing but rice; and

your bread shall be moistened in the fogs that brood over the surface of

the lake."

At this desolating prospect, the poor children burst into tears, and

prostrated themselves before the dwarfs; who perfectly supported their

characters, and delivered an excellent discourse, of a customary length,

upon the sacred camel which, after a thousand years, was to convey them

to the paradise of the faithful.

The sermon being ended, and ablutions performed, they praised Alla and

the Prophet, supped very indifferently, and retired to their withered

leaves. Nouronihar and her little cousin consoled themselves on finding

that the dead might lie in one cabin. Having slept well before, the

remainder of the night was spent in conversation on what had befallen

them; and both, from a dread of apparitions, betook themselves for

protection to one another's arms.

In the morning, which was lowering and rainy, the dwarfs mounted high

poles, like minarets, and called them to prayers. The whole

congregation, which consisted of Sutlememe, Shaban, the four eunuchs,

and a few storks that were tired of fishing, was already assembled. The

two children came forth from their cabin with a slow and dejected pace.

As their minds were in a tender and melancholy mood, their devotions

were performed with fervour. No sooner were they finished than

Gulchenrouz demanded of Sutlememe and the rest, "how they happened to

die so opportunely for his cousin and himself?"--"We killed ourselves,"

returned Sutlememe, "in despair at your death." On this, Nouronihar,

who, notwithstanding what had passed, had not yet forgotten her vision,

said, "And the caliph! is he also dead of his grief? and will he

likewise come hither?" The dwarfs, who were prepared with an answer,

most demurely replied, "Vathek is damned beyond all redemption!"--"I

readily believe so," said Gulchenrouz; "and am glad, from my heart, to

hear it; for I am convinced it was his horrible look that sent us

hither, to listen to sermons, and mess upon rice." One week passed away

on the side of the lake unmarked by any variety; Nouronihar ruminating

on the grandeur of which death had deprived her, and Gulchenrouz

applying to prayers and basket-making with the dwarfs, who infinitely

pleased him.

Whilst this scene of innocence was exhibiting in the mountains, the

caliph presented himself to the emir in a new light. The instant he

recovered the use of his senses, with a voice that made Bababalouk

quake, he thundered out, "Perfidious Giaour! I renounce thee for ever!

it is thou who hast slain my beloved Nouronihar! and I supplicate the

pardon of Mahomet, who would have preserved her to me had I been more

wise. Let water be brought to perform my ablutions, and let the pious

Fakreddin be called to offer up his prayers with mine, and reconcile me

to him. Afterwards, we will go together and visit the sepulchre of the

unfortunate Nouronihar. I am resolved to become a hermit, and consume

the residue of my days on this mountain, in hope of expiating my

crimes."--"And what do you intend to live upon there?" inquired

Bababalouk.--"I hardly know," replied Vathek; "but I will tell you when

I feel hungry--which, I believe, will not soon be the case."

The arrival of Fakreddin put a stop to this conversation. As soon as

Vathek saw him, he threw his arms around his neck, bedewed his face with

a torrent of tears, and uttered things so affecting, so pious, that the

emir, crying for joy, congratulated himself in his heart upon having

performed so admirable and unexpected a conversion. As for the

pilgrimage to the mountain, Fakreddin had his reasons not to oppose it;

therefore, each ascending his own litter, they started.

Notwithstanding the vigilance with which his attendants watched the

caliph, they could not prevent his harrowing his cheeks with a few

scratches, when on the place where he was told Nouronihar had been

buried; they were even obliged to drag him away, by force of hands, from

the melancholy spot. However, he swore, with a solemn oath, that he

would return thither every day. This resolution did not exactly please

the emir--yet he flattered himself that the caliph might not proceed

farther, and would merely perform his devotions in the cavern of

Meimouné. Besides, the lake was so completely concealed within the

solitary bosom of those tremendous rocks, that he thought it utterly

impossible any one could ever find it. This security of Fakreddin was

also considerably strengthened by the conduct of Vathek, who performed

his vow most scrupulously, and returned daily from the hill so devout,

and so contrite, that all the grey-beards were in a state of ecstasy on

account of it.

Nouronihar was not altogether so content; for though she felt a fondness

for Gulchenrouz, who, to augment the attachment, had been left at full

liberty with her, yet she still regarded him as but a bauble that bore

no competition with the carbuncle of Giamschid. At times, she indulged

doubts on the mode of her being; and scarcely could believe that the

dead had all the wants and the whims of the living. To gain

satisfaction, however, on so perplexing a topic, one morning, whilst all

were asleep, she arose with a breathless caution from the side of

Gulchenrouz; and, after having given him a soft kiss, began to follow

the windings of the lake, till it terminated with a rock, the top of

which was accessible, though lofty. This she climbed with considerable

toil; and having reached the summit, set forward in a run, like a doe

before the hunter. Though she skipped with the alertness of an antelope,

yet, at intervals, she was forced to desist, and rest beneath the

tamarisks to recover her breath. Whilst she, thus reclined, was occupied

with her little reflections on the apprehension that she had some

knowledge of the place, Vathek, who, finding himself that morning but

ill at ease, had gone forth before the dawn, presented himself on a

sudden to her view. Motionless with surprise, he durst not approach the

figure before him trembling and pale, but yet lovely to behold. At

length Nouronihar, with a mixture of pleasure and affliction, raising

her fine eyes to him, said, "My lord! are you then come hither to eat

rice and hear sermons with me?"--"Beloved phantom!" cried Vathek, "thou

dost speak; thou hast the same graceful form; the same radiant features;

art thou palpable likewise?" and, eagerly embracing her, added, "Here

are limbs and a bosom animated with a gentle warmth!--What can such a

prodigy mean?"

Nouronihar, with indifference, answered,--"You know, my lord, that I

died on the very night you honoured me with your visit. My cousin

maintains it was from one of your glances; but I cannot believe him; for

to me they seem not so dreadful. Gulchenrouz died with me, and we were

both brought into a region of desolation, where we are fed with a

wretched diet. If you be dead also, and are come hither to join us, I

pity your lot; for you will be stunned with the clang of the dwarfs and

the storks. Besides, it is mortifying in the extreme, that you, as well

as myself, should have lost the treasures of the subterranean palace."

At the mention of the subterranean palace, the caliph suspended his

caresses (which, indeed, had proceeded pretty far), to seek from

Nouronihar an explanation of her meaning. She then recapitulated her

vision, what immediately followed, and the history of her pretended

death; adding, also, a description of the place of expiation from whence

she had fled; and all in a manner that would have extorted his laughter,

had not the thoughts of Vathek been too deeply engaged. No sooner,

however, had she ended, than he again clasped her to his bosom and said,

"Light of my eyes, the mystery is unravelled; we both are alive! Your

father is a cheat, who, for the sake of dividing us, hath deluded us

both; and the Giaour, whose design, as far as I can discover, is that we

shall proceed together, seems scarce a whit better. It shall be some

time at least before he finds us in his palace of fire. Your lovely

little person in my estimation is far more precious than all the

treasures of the pre-Adamite sultans; and I wish to possess it at

pleasure, and in open day, for many a moon, before I go to burrow

underground, like a mole. Forget this little trifler, Gulchenrouz;

and----"--"Ah, my lord!" interposed Nouronihar, "let me entreat that you

do him no evil."--"No, no!" replied Vathek; "I have already bid you

forbear to alarm yourself for him. He has been brought up too much on

milk and sugar to stimulate my jealousy. We will leave him with the

dwarfs; who, by the by, are my old acquaintances: their company will

suit him far better than yours. As to other matters, I will return no

more to your father's. I want not to have my ears dinned by him and his

dotards with the violation of the rights of hospitality, as if it were

less an honour for you to espouse the sovereign of the world than a girl

dressed up like a boy."

Nouronihar could find nothing to oppose in a discourse so eloquent. She

only wished the amorous monarch had discovered more ardour for the

carbuncle of Giamschid; but flattered herself it would gradually

increase, and therefore yielded to his will with the most bewitching

submission.

When the caliph judged it proper, he called for Bababalouk, who was

asleep in the cave of Meimouné, and dreaming that the phantom of

Nouronihar, having mounted him once more on her swing, had just given

him such a jerk, that he one moment soared above the mountains, and the

next sunk into the abyss. Starting from his sleep at the sound of his

master, he ran, gasping for breath, and had nearly fallen backward at

the sight, as he believed, of the spectre by whom he had so lately been

haunted in his dream. "Ah, my lord!" cried he, recoiling ten steps, and

covering his eyes with both hands, "do you then perform the office of a

ghoul? have you dug up the dead? Yet hope not to make her your prey;

for, after all she hath caused me to suffer, she is wicked enough to

prey even upon you."

"Cease to play the fool," said Vathek, "and thou shalt soon be convinced

that it is Nouronihar herself, alive and well, whom I clasp to my

breast. Go and pitch my tents in the neighbouring valley. There will I

fix my abode, with this beautiful tulip, whose colours I soon shall

restore. There exert thy best endeavours to procure whatever can augment

the enjoyments of life, till I shall disclose to thee more of my will."

The news of so unlucky an event soon reached the ears of the emir, who

abandoned himself to grief and despair, and began, as did his old

grey-beards, to begrime his visage with ashes. A total supineness

ensued; travellers were no longer entertained; no more plasters were

spread; and, instead of the charitable activity that had distinguished

this asylum, the whole of its inhabitants exhibited only faces of half a

cubit long, and uttered groans that accorded with their forlorn

situation.

Though Fakreddin bewailed his daughter as lost to him for ever, yet

Gulchenrouz was not forgotten. He dispatched immediate instructions to

Sutlememe, Shaban, and the dwarfs, enjoining them not to undeceive the

child in respect to his state, but, under some pretence, to convey him

far from the lofty rock at the extremity of the lake, to a place which

he should appoint, as safer from danger, for he suspected that Vathek

intended him evil.

Gulchenrouz, in the meanwhile, was filled with amazement at not finding

his cousin; nor were the dwarfs less surprised: but Sutlememe, who had

more penetration, immediately guessed what had happened. Gulchenrouz was

amused with the delusive hope of once more embracing Nouronihar in the

interior recesses of the mountains, where the ground, strewed over with

orange blossoms and jasmines, offered beds much more inviting than the

withered leaves in their cabin; where they might accompany with their

voices the sounds of their lutes, and chase butterflies. Sutlememe was

far gone in this sort of description, when one of the four eunuchs

beckoned her aside, to apprise her of the arrival of a messenger from

their fraternity, who had explained the secret of the flight of

Nouronihar, and brought the commands of the emir. A council with Shaban

and the dwarfs was immediately held. Their baggage being stowed in

consequence of it, they embarked in a shallop, and quietly sailed with

the little one, who acquiesced in all their proposals. Their voyage

proceeded in the same manner, till they came to the place where the lake

sinks beneath the hollow of a rock: but as soon as the bark had entered

it, and Gulchenrouz found himself surrounded with darkness, he was

seized with a dreadful consternation, and incessantly uttered the most

piercing outcries; for he now was persuaded he should actually be damned

for having taken too many little freedoms in his lifetime with his

cousin.

But let us return to the caliph, and her who ruled over his heart.

Bababalouk had pitched the tents, and closed up the extremities of the

valley with magnificent screens of India cloth, which were guarded by

Ethiopian slaves with their drawn sabres. To preserve the verdure of

this beautiful enclosure in its natural freshness, white eunuchs went

continually round it with gilt water vessels. The waving of fans was

heard near the imperial pavilion; where, by the voluptuous light that

glowed through the muslins, the caliph enjoyed, at full view, all the

attractions of Nouronihar. Inebriated with delight, he was all ear to

her charming voice, which accompanied the lute; while she was not less

captivated with his descriptions of Samarah, and the tower full of

wonders, but especially with his relation of the adventure of the ball,

and the chasm of the Giaour, with its ebony portal.

In this manner they conversed the whole day, and at night they bathed

together in a basin of black marble, which admirably set off the

fairness of Nouronihar. Bababalouk, whose good graces this beauty had

regained, spared no attention, that their repasts might be served up

with the minutest exactness: some exquisite rarity was ever placed

before them; and he sent even to Schiraz, for that fragrant and

delicious wine which had been hoarded up in bottles, prior to the birth

of Mahomet. He had excavated little ovens in the rock, to bake the nice

manchets which were prepared by the hands of Nouronihar, from whence

they had derived a flavour so grateful to Vathek, that he regarded the

ragouts of his other wives as entirely mawkish: whilst they would have

died of chagrin at the emir's, at finding themselves so neglected, if

Fakreddin, notwithstanding his resentment, had not taken pity upon them.

The Sultana Dilara, who, till then, had been the favourite, took this

dereliction of the caliph to heart, with a vehemence natural to her

character; for, during her continuance in favour, she had imbibed from

Vathek many of his extravagant fancies, and was fired with impatience to

behold the superb tombs of Istakar, and the palace of forty columns;

besides, having been brought up amongst the magi, she had fondly

cherished the idea of the caliph's devoting himself to the worship of

fire: thus his voluptuous and desultory life with her rival was to her a

double source of affliction. The transient piety of Vathek had

occasioned her some serious alarms; but the present was an evil of far

greater magnitude. She resolved, therefore, without hesitation, to write

to Carathis, and acquaint her that all things went ill; that they had

eaten, slept, and revelled at an old emir's, whose sanctity was very

formidable; and that, after all, the prospect of possessing the

treasures of the pre-Adamite sultans was no less remote than before.

This letter was entrusted to the care of two woodmen, who were at work

in one of the great forests of the mountains, and who, being acquainted

with the shortest cuts, arrived in ten days at Samarah.

The Princess Carathis was engaged at chess with Morakanabad, when the

arrival of these woodfellers was announced. She, after some weeks of

Vathek's absence, had forsaken the upper regions of her tower, because

everything appeared in confusion among the stars, which she consulted

relative to the fate of her son. In vain did she renew her fumigations,

and extend herself on the roof, to obtain mystic visions; nothing more

could she see in her dreams, than pieces of brocade, nosegays of

flowers, and other unmeaning gewgaws. These disappointments had thrown

her into a state of dejection, which no drug in her power was sufficient

to remove. Her only resource was in Morakanabad, who was a good man, and

endowed with a decent share of confidence; yet whilst in her company he

never thought himself on roses.

No person knew aught of Vathek, and, of course, a thousand ridiculous

stories were propagated at his expense. The eagerness of Carathis may be

easily guessed at receiving the letter, as well as her rage at reading

the dissolute conduct of her son. "Is it so?" said she; "either I will

perish, or Vathek shall enter the palace of fire. Let me expire in

flames, provided he may reign on the throne of Soliman!" Having said

this, and whirled herself round in a magical manner, which struck

Morakanabad with such terror as caused him to recoil, she ordered her

great camel Alboufaki to be brought, and the hideous Nerkes, with the

unrelenting Cafour, to attend. "I require no other retinue," said she to

Morakanabad; "I am going on affairs of emergency; a truce, therefore, to

parade! Take you care of the people: fleece them well in my absence; for

we shall expend large sums, and one knows not what may betide."

The night was uncommonly dark, and a pestilential blast blew from the

plain of Catoul, that would have deterred any other traveller, however

urgent the call: but Carathis enjoyed most whatever filled others with

dread. Nerkes concurred in opinion with her; and Cafour had a particular

predilection for a pestilence. In the morning this accomplished caravan,

with the woodfellers, who directed their route, halted on the edge of an

extensive marsh, from whence so noxious a vapour arose as would have

destroyed any animal but Alboufaki, who naturally inhaled these

malignant fogs with delight. The peasants entreated their convoy not to

sleep in this place. "To sleep," cried Carathis, "what an excellent

thought! I never sleep, but for visions; and, as to my attendants, their

occupations are too many to close the only eye they have." The poor

peasants, who were not overpleased with their party, remained

open-mouthed with surprise.

Carathis alighted, as well as her negresses; and, severally stripping

off their outer garments, they all ran to cull from those spots where

the sun shone fiercest the venomous plants that grew on the marsh. This

provision was made for the family of the emir, and whoever might retard

the expedition to Istakar. The woodmen were overcome with fear, when

they beheld these three horrible phantoms run; and, not much relishing

the company of Alboufaki, stood aghast at the command of Carathis to set

forward, notwithstanding it was noon, and the heat fierce enough to

calcine even rocks. In spite, however, of every remonstrance, they were

forced implicitly to submit.

Alboufaki, who delighted in solitude, constantly snorted whenever he

perceived himself near a habitation; and Carathis, who was apt to spoil

him with indulgence, as constantly turned him aside: so that the

peasants were precluded from procuring subsistence; for the milch goats

and ewes, which Providence had sent towards the district they traversed

to refresh travellers with their milk, all fled at the sight of the

hideous animal and his strange riders. As to Carathis, she needed no

common aliment; for her invention had previously furnished her with an

opiate to stay her stomach, some of which she imparted to her mutes.

At dusk Alboufaki, making a sudden stop, stamped with his foot; which,

to Carathis, who knew his ways, was a certain indication that she was

near the confines of some cemetery. The moon shed a bright light on the

spot, which served to discover a long wall with a large door in it,

standing ajar, and so high that Alboufaki might easily enter. The

miserable guides, who perceived their end approaching, humbly implored

Carathis, as she had now so good an opportunity, to inter them, and

immediately gave up the ghost. Nerkes and Cafour, whose wit was of a

style peculiar to themselves, were by no means parsimonious of it on the

folly of these poor people; nor could anything have been found more

suited to their taste than the site of the burying-ground, and the

sepulchres which its precincts contained. There were at least two

thousand of them on the declivity of a hill. Carathis was too eager to

execute her plan to stop at the view, charming as it appeared in her

eyes. Pondering the advantages that might accrue from her present

situation, she said to herself, "So beautiful a cemetery must be haunted

by ghouls! they never want for intelligence: having heedlessly suffered

my stupid guides to expire, I will apply for directions to them; and, as

an inducement, will invite them to regale on these fresh corpses." After

this wise soliloquy, she beckoned to Nerkes and Cafour, and made signs

with her fingers, as much as to say, "Go; knock against the sides of the

tombs, and strike up your delightful warblings."

The negresses, full of joy at the behests of their mistress, and

promising themselves much pleasure from the society of the ghouls, went

with an air of conquest, and began their knockings at the tombs. As

their strokes were repeated, a hollow noise was made in the earth; the

surface hove up into heaps; and the ghouls, on all sides, protruded

their noses to inhale the effluvia which the carcasses of the woodmen

began to emit. They assembled before a sarcophagus of white marble,

where Carathis was seated between the bodies of her miserable guides.

The princess received her visitants with distinguished politeness; and,

supper being ended, they talked of business. Carathis soon learned from

them everything she wanted to discover; and, without loss of time,

prepared to set forward on her journey. Her negresses, who were forming

tender connections with the ghouls, importuned her, with all their

fingers, to wait at least till the dawn. But Carathis, being chastity in

the abstract, and an implacable enemy to love intrigues and sloth, at

once rejected their prayer, mounted Alboufaki, and commanded them to

take their seats instantly. Four days and four nights she continued her

route without interruption. On the fifth, she traversed craggy mountains

and half-burnt forests; and arrived on the sixth before the beautiful

screens which concealed from all eyes the voluptuous wanderings of her

son.

It was daybreak, and the guards were snoring on their posts in careless

security, when the rough trot of Alboufaki awoke them in consternation.

Imagining that a group of spectres, ascended from the abyss, was

approaching, they all, without ceremony, took to their heels. Vathek was

at that instant with Nouronihar in the bath, hearing tales, and laughing

at Bababalouk who related them; but, no sooner did the outcry of his

guards reach him, than he flounced from the water like a carp, and as

soon threw himself back at the sight of Carathis; who, advancing with

her negresses upon Alboufaki, broke through the muslin awnings and veils

of the pavilion. At this sudden apparition, Nouronihar (for she was not

at all times free from remorse) fancied that the moment of celestial

vengeance was come, and clung about the caliph in amorous despondence.

Carathis, still seated on her camel, foamed with indignation at the

spectacle which obtruded itself on her chaste view. She thundered forth

without check or mercy, "Thou double-headed and four-legged monster!

what means all this winding and writhing? Art thou not ashamed to be

seen grasping this limber sapling, in preference to the sceptre of the

pre-Adamite sultans? Is it then for this paltry doxy that thou hast

violated the conditions in the parchment of our Giaour? Is it on her

thou hast lavished thy precious moments? Is this the fruit of the

knowledge I have taught thee? Is this the end of thy journey? Tear

thyself from the arms of this little simpleton; drown her in the water

before me, and instantly follow my guidance."

In the first ebullition of his fury, Vathek had resolved to rip open the

body of Alboufaki, and to stuff it with those of the negresses and of

Carathis herself; but the remembrance of the Giaour, the palace of

Istakar, the sabres, and the talismans, flashing before his imagination

with the simultaneousness of lightning, he became more moderate, and

said to his mother in a civil, but decisive tone, "Dread lady, you shall

be obeyed; but I will not drown Nouronihar. She is sweeter to me than a

Myrabolan comfit; and is enamoured of carbuncles, especially that of

Giamschid, which hath also been promised to be conferred upon her: she,

therefore, shall go along with us; for I intend to repose with her upon

the sofas of Soliman: I can sleep no more without her."--"Be it so,"

replied Carathis, alighting, and at the same time committing Alboufaki

to the charge of her black women.

Nouronihar, who had not yet quitted her hold, began to take courage; and

said, with an accent of fondness to the caliph, "Dear sovereign of my

soul! I will follow thee, if it be thy will, beyond the Kaf, in the land

of the afrits. I will not hesitate to climb, for thee, the nest of the

Simurgh; who, this lady excepted, is the most awful of created

beings."--"We have here, then," subjoined Carathis, "a girl both of

courage and science!" Nouronihar had certainly both; but,

notwithstanding all her firmness, she could not help casting back a

thought of regret upon the graces of her little Gulchenrouz, and the

days of tender endearments she had participated with him. She even

dropped a few tears, which the caliph observed; and inadvertently

breathed out with a sigh, "Alas! my gentle cousin, what will become of

thee?" Vathek, at this apostrophe, knitted up his brows, and Carathis

inquired what it could mean. "She is preposterously sighing after a

stripling with languishing eyes and soft hair, who loves her," said the

caliph.--"Where is he?" asked Carathis. "I must be acquainted with this

pretty child; for," added she, lowering her voice, "I design, before I

depart, to regain the favour of the Giaour. There is nothing so

delicious, in his estimation, as the heart of a delicate boy palpitating

with the first tumults of love."

Vathek, as he came from the bath, commanded Bababalouk to collect the

women and other movables of his harem, embody his troops, and hold

himself in readiness to march within three days; whilst Carathis retired

alone to a tent, where the Giaour solaced her with encouraging visions:

but at length waking, she found at her feet Nerkes and Cafour, who

informed her, by their signs, that having led Alboufaki to the borders

of a lake, to browse on some grey moss that looked tolerably venomous,

they had discovered certain blue fishes, of the same kind with those in

the reservoir on the top of the tower. "Ah! ha!" said she, "I will go

thither to them. These fish are, past doubt, of a species that, by a

small operation, I can render oracular. They may tell me where this

little Gulchenrouz is, whom I am bent upon sacrificing." Having thus

spoken, she immediately set out with her swarthy retinue.

It being but seldom that time is lost in the accomplishment of a wicked

enterprise, Carathis and her negresses soon arrived at the lake; where,

after burning the magical drugs with which they were always provided,

they stripped themselves naked, and waded to their chins; Nerkes and

Cafour waving torches around them, and Carathis pronouncing her

barbarous incantations. The fishes, with one accord, thrust forth their

heads from the water, which was violently rippled by the flutter of

their fins; and at length finding themselves constrained by the potency

of the charm, they opened their piteous mouths, and said, "From gills to

tail, we are yours; what seek ye to know?"--"Fishes," answered she, "I

conjure you, by your glittering scales, tell me where now is

Gulchenrouz?"--"Beyond the rock," replied the shoal, in full chorus;

"will this content you? for we do not delight in expanding our

mouths."--"It will," returned the princess; "I am not to learn that you

are not used to long conversations; I will leave you therefore to

repose, though I had other questions to propound." The instant she had

spoken, the water became smooth, and the fishes at once disappeared.

Carathis, inflated with the venom of her projects, strode hastily over

the rock, and found the amiable Gulchenrouz asleep in an arbour, whilst

the two dwarfs were watching at his side, and ruminating their

accustomed prayers. These diminutive personages possessed the gift of

divining whenever an enemy to good Mussulmans approached; thus they

anticipated the arrival of Carathis, who, stopping short, said to

herself, "How placidly doth he recline his lovely little head! how pale

and languishing are his looks! it is just the very child of my wishes!"

The dwarfs interrupted this delectable soliloquy by leaping instantly

upon her, and scratching her face with their utmost zeal. But Nerkes and

Cafour, betaking themselves to the succour of their mistress, pinched

the dwarfs so severely in return, that they both gave up the ghost,

imploring Mahomet to inflict his sorest vengeance upon this wicked woman

and all her household.

At the noise which this strange conflict occasioned in the valley,

Gulchenrouz awoke, and, bewildered with terror, sprung impetuously and

climbed an old fig-tree that rose against the acclivity of the rocks;

from thence he gained their summits, and ran for two hours without once

looking back. At last, exhausted with fatigue, he fell senseless into

the arms of a good old genius, whose fondness for the company of

children had made it his sole occupation to protect them. Whilst

performing his wonted rounds through the air, he had pounced on the

cruel Giaour, at the instant of his growling in the horrible chasm, and

had rescued the fifty little victims which the impiety of Vathek had

devoted to his voracity. These the genius brought up in nests still

higher than the clouds, and himself fixed his abode in a nest more

capacious than the rest, from which he had expelled the rocs that had

built it.

These inviolable asylums were defended against the dives and the afrits

by waving streamers; on which were inscribed in characters of gold, that

flashed like lightning, the names of Alla and the Prophet. It was there

that Gulchenrouz, who as yet remained undeceived with respect to his

pretended death, thought himself in the mansions of eternal peace. He

admitted without fear the congratulations of his little friends, who

were all assembled in the nest of the venerable genius, and vied with

each other in kissing his serene forehead and beautiful eyelids. Remote

from the inquietudes of the world, the impertinence of harems, the

brutality of eunuchs, and the inconstancy of women, there he found a

place truly congenial to the delights of his soul. In this peaceable

society his days, months, and years glided on; nor was he less happy

than the rest of his companions: for the genius, instead of burdening

his pupils with perishable riches and vain sciences, conferred upon them

the boon of perpetual childhood.

Carathis, unaccustomed to the loss of her prey, vented a thousand

execrations on her negresses, for not seizing the child, instead of

amusing themselves with pinching to death two insignificant dwarfs from

which they could gain no advantage. She returned into the valley

murmuring; and, finding that her son was not risen from the arms of

Nouronihar, discharged her ill-humour upon both. The idea, however, of

departing next day for Istakar, and of cultivating, through the good

offices of the Giaour, an intimacy with Eblis himself, at length

consoled her chagrin. But fate had ordained it otherwise.

In the evening, as Carathis was conversing with Dilara, who through her

contrivance had become of the party, and whose taste resembled her own,

Bababalouk came to acquaint her that the sky towards Samarah looked of a

fiery red, and seemed to portend some alarming disaster. Immediately

recurring to her astrolabes and instruments of magic, she took the

altitude of the planets, and discovered, by her calculations, to her

great mortification, that a formidable revolt had taken place at

Samarah, that Motavakel, availing himself of the disgust which was

inveterate against his brother, had incited commotions amongst the

populace, made himself master of the palace, and actually invested the

great tower, to which Morakanabad had retired, with a handful of the few

that still remained faithful to Vathek.

"What!" exclaimed she; "must I lose, then, my tower! my mutes! my

negresses! my mummies! and, worse than all, the laboratory, the

favourite resort of my nightly lucubrations, without knowing, at least,

if my hare-brained son will complete his adventure? No! I will not be

the dupe! immediately will I speed to support Morakanabad. By my

formidable art, the clouds shall pour grape-shot in the faces of the

assailants, and shafts of red-hot iron on their heads. I will let loose

my stores of hungry serpents and torpedoes from beneath them; and we

shall soon see the stand they will make against such an explosion!"

Having thus spoken, Carathis hasted to her son, who was tranquilly

banqueting with Nouronihar in his superb carnation-coloured tent.

"Glutton that thou art!" cried she; "were it not for me, thou wouldst

soon find thyself the mere commander of savoury pies. Thy faithful

subjects have abjured the faith they swore to thee. Motavakel, thy

brother, now reigns on the hill of Pied Horses, and, had I not some

slight resources in the tower, would not be easily persuaded to

abdicate. But, that time may not be lost, I shall only add a few words:

Strike tent to-night; set forward; and beware how thou loiterest again

by the way. Though thou hast forfeited the conditions of the parchment,

I am not yet without hope; for it cannot be denied that thou hast

violated, to admiration, the laws of hospitality by seducing the

daughter of the emir, after having partaken of his bread and his salt.

Such a conduct cannot but be delightful to the Giaour; and if, on thy

march, thou canst signalize thyself by an additional crime, all will

still go well, and thou shalt enter the palace of Soliman in triumph.

Adieu! Alboufaki and my negresses are waiting at the door."

The caliph had nothing to offer in reply: he wished his mother a

prosperous journey, and ate on till he had finished his supper. At

midnight the camp broke up, amidst the flourishing of trumpets and other

martial instruments; but loud indeed must have been the sound of the

timbals, to overpower the blubbering of the emir and his grey-beards;

who, by an excessive profusion of tears, had so far exhausted the

radical moisture, that their eyes shrivelled up in their sockets, and

their hairs dropped off by the roots. Nouronihar, to whom such a

symphony was painful, did not grieve to get out of hearing. She

accompanied the caliph in the imperial litter, where they amused

themselves with imagining the splendour which was soon to surround them.

The other women, overcome with dejection, were dolefully rocked in their

cages; whilst Dilara consoled herself with anticipating the joy of

celebrating the rites of fire on the stately terraces of Istakar.

In four days they reached the spacious valley of Rocnabad. The season of

spring was in all its vigour; and the grotesque branches of the almond

trees in full blossom, fantastically chequered with hyacinths and

jonquils, breathed forth a delightful fragrance. Myriads of bees, and

scarce fewer of santons, had there taken up their abode. On the banks of

the stream, hives and oratories were alternately ranged; and their

neatness and whiteness were set off by the deep green of the cypresses

that spired up amongst them. These pious personages amused themselves

with cultivating little gardens, that abounded with flowers and fruits;

especially musk-melons of the best flavour that Persia could boast.

Sometimes dispersed over the meadow, they entertained themselves with

feeding peacocks whiter than snow, and turtles more blue than the

sapphire. In this manner were they occupied when the harbingers of the

imperial procession began to proclaim, "Inhabitants of Rocnabad!

prostrate yourselves on the brink of your pure waters; and tender your

thanksgivings to Heaven, that vouchsafeth to show you a ray of its

glory: for, lo! the commander of the faithful draws near."

The poor santons, filled with holy energy, having bustled to light up

wax torches in their oratories, and expand the Koran on their ebony

desks, went forth to meet the caliph with baskets of honeycomb, dates,

and melons. But, whilst they were advancing in solemn procession and

with measured steps, the horses, camels, and guards wantoned over their

tulips and other flowers, and made a terrible havoc amongst them. The

santons could not help casting from one eye a look of pity on the

ravages committing around them; whilst the other was fixed upon the

caliph and heaven. Nouronihar, enraptured with the scenery of a place

which brought back to her remembrance the pleasing solitudes where her

infancy had passed, entreated Vathek to stop: but he, suspecting that

these oratories might be deemed by the Giaour an habitation, commanded

his pioneers to level them all. The santons stood motionless with horror

at the barbarous mandate, and at last broke out into lamentations; but

these were uttered with so ill a grace, that Vathek bade his eunuchs to

kick them from his presence. He then descended from the litter with

Nouronihar. They sauntered together in the meadow; and amused themselves

with culling flowers, and passing a thousand pleasantries on each other.

But the bees, who were staunch Mussulmans, thinking it their duty to

revenge the insult offered to their dear masters the santons, assembled

so zealously to do it with good effect, that the caliph and Nouronihar

were glad to find their tents prepared to receive them.

Bababalouk, who, in capacity of purveyor, had acquitted himself with

applause as to peacocks and turtles, lost no time in consigning some

dozens to the spit, and as many more to be fricasseed. Whilst they were

feasting, laughing, carousing, and blaspheming at pleasure on the

banquet so liberally furnished, the moullahs, the sheiks, the cadis, and

imans of Schiraz (who seemed not to have met the santons) arrived;

leading by bridles of riband, inscribed from the Koran, a train of asses

which were loaded with the choicest fruits the country could boast.

Having presented their offerings to the caliph, they petitioned him to

honour their city and mosques with his presence. "Fancy not," said

Vathek, "that you can detain me. Your presence I condescend to accept,

but beg you will let me be quiet, for I am not over-fond of resisting

temptation. Retire, then; yet, as it is not decent for personages so

reverend to return on foot, and as you have not the appearance of expert

riders, my eunuchs shall tie you on your asses, with the precaution that

your backs be not turned towards me; for they understand etiquette."--In

this deputation were some high-stomached sheiks, who, taking Vathek for

a fool, scrupled not to speak their opinion. These Bababalouk girded

with double cords; and having well disciplined their asses with nettles

behind, they all started, with a preternatural alertness, plunging,

kicking, and running foul of one another, in the most ludicrous manner

imaginable.

Nouronihar and the caliph mutually contended who should most enjoy so

degrading a sight. They burst out in peals of laughter to see the old

men and their asses fall into the stream. The leg of one was fractured;

the shoulder of another dislocated; the teeth of a third dashed out; and

the rest suffered still worse.

Two days more, undisturbed by fresh embassies, having been devoted to

the pleasures of Rocnabad, the expedition proceeded; leaving Schiraz on

the right, and verging towards a large plain; from whence were

discernible, on the edge of the horizon, the dark summits of the

mountains of Istakar.

At this prospect the caliph and Nouronihar were unable to repress their

transports. They bounded from their litter to the ground, and broke

forth into such wild exclamations, as amazed all within hearing.

Interrogating each other, they shouted, "Are we not approaching the

radiant palace of light? or gardens, more delightful than those of

Sheddad?"--Infatuated mortals! they thus indulged delusive conjecture,

unable to fathom the decrees of the Most High!

The good genii, who had not totally relinquished the superintendence of

Vathek, repairing to Mahomet in the seventh heaven, said, "Merciful

Prophet! stretch forth thy propitious arms towards thy vicegerent; who

is ready to fall, irretrievably, into the snare which his enemies, the

dives, have prepared to destroy him. The Giaour is awaiting his arrival,

in the abominable palace of fire; where, if he once set his foot, his

perdition will be inevitable." Mahomet answered, with an air of

indignation, "He hath too well deserved to be resigned to himself; but I

permit you to try if one effort more will be effectual to divert him

from pursuing his ruin."

One of these beneficent genii, assuming, without delay, the exterior of

a shepherd, more renowned for his piety than all the dervishes and

santons of the region, took his station near a flock of white sheep, on

the slope of a hill; and began to pour forth from his flute such airs of

pathetic melody, as subdued the very soul, and, wakening remorse, drove

far from it every frivolous fancy. At these energetic sounds, the sun

hid himself beneath a gloomy cloud; and the waters of two little lakes,

that were naturally clearer than crystal, became of a colour like blood.

The whole of this superb assembly was involuntarily drawn towards the

declivity of the hill. With downcast eyes, they all stood abashed; each

upbraiding himself with the evil he had done. The heart of Dilara

palpitated; and the chief of the eunuchs, with a sigh of contrition,

implored pardon of the women, whom, for his own satisfaction, he had so

often tormented.

Vathek and Nouronihar turned pale in their litter; and, regarding each

other with haggard looks, reproached themselves--the one with a thousand

of the blackest crimes, a thousand projects of impious ambition; the

other with the desolation of her family, and the perdition of the

amiable Gulchenrouz. Nouronihar persuaded herself that she heard, in the

fatal music, the groans of her dying father; and Vathek, the sobs of the

fifty children he had sacrificed to the Giaour. Amidst these complicated

pangs of anguish, they perceived themselves impelled towards the

shepherd, whose countenance was so commanding that Vathek, for the first

time, felt overawed; whilst Nouronihar concealed her face with her

hands. The music paused; and the genius, addressing the caliph, said,

"Deluded prince! to whom Providence hath confided the care of

innumerable subjects, is it thus that thou fulfillest thy mission? Thy

crimes are already completed; and art thou now listening towards thy

punishment? Thou knowest that, beyond these mountains, Eblis and his

accursed dives hold their infernal empire; and, seduced by a malignant

phantom, thou art proceeding to surrender thyself to them! This moment

is the last of grace allowed thee: abandon thy atrocious purpose:

return: give back Nouronihar to her father, who still retains a few

sparks of life: destroy thy tower with all its abominations: drive

Carathis from thy councils: be just to thy subjects: respect the

ministers of the Prophet: compensate for thy impieties by an exemplary

life; and, instead of squandering thy days in voluptuous indulgence,

lament thy crimes on the sepulchres of thy ancestors. Thou beholdest the

clouds that obscure the sun: at the instant he recovers his splendour,

if thy heart be not changed, the time of mercy assigned thee will be

past for ever."

Vathek, depressed with fear, was on the point of prostrating himself at

the feet of the shepherd, whom he perceived to be of a nature superior

to man: but, his pride prevailing, he audaciously lifted his head, and,

glancing at him one of his terrible looks, said, "Whoever thou art,

withhold thy useless admonitions: thou wouldst either delude me, or art

thyself deceived. If what I have done be so criminal as thou pretendest,

there remains not for me a moment of grace. I have traversed a sea of

blood to acquire a power which will make thy equals tremble; deem not

that I shall retire when in view of the port, or that I will relinquish

her who is dearer to me than either my life or thy mercy. Let the sun

appear! let him illume my career! it matters not where it may end." On

uttering these words, which made even the genius shudder, Vathek threw

himself into the arms of Nouronihar, and commanded that his horses

should be forced back to the road.

There was no difficulty in obeying these orders, for the attraction had

ceased: the sun shone forth in all his glory, and the shepherd vanished

with a lamentable scream.

The fatal impression of the music of the genius remained,

notwithstanding, in the heart of Vathek's attendants. They viewed each

other with looks of consternation. At the approach of night almost all

of them escaped; and of this numerous assemblage there only remained the

chief of the eunuchs, some idolatrous slaves, Dilara, and a few other

women who, like herself, were votaries of the religion of the Magi.

The caliph, fired with the ambition of prescribing laws to the powers of

darkness, was but little embarrassed at this dereliction. The

impetuosity of his blood prevented him from sleeping; nor did he encamp

any more as before. Nouronihar, whose impatience, if possible, exceeded

his own, importuned him to hasten his march, and lavished on him a

thousand caresses, to beguile all reflection. She fancied herself

already more potent than Balkis, and pictured to her imagination the

genii falling prostrate at the foot of her throne. In this manner they

advanced by moonlight till they came within view of the two towering

rocks that form a kind of portal to the valley, at the extremity of

which rose the vast ruins of Istakar. Aloft on the mountain glimmered

the fronts of various royal mausoleums, the horror of which was deepened

by the shadows of night. They passed through two villages almost

deserted, the only inhabitants remaining being a few feeble old men,

who, at the sight of horses and litters, fell upon their knees, and

cried out, "O Heaven! is it then by these phantoms that we have been for

six months tormented? Alas! it was from the terror of these spectres,

and the noise beneath the mountains, that our people have fled, and left

us at the mercy of the maleficent spirits!" The caliph, to whom these

complaints were but unpromising auguries, drove over the bodies of these

wretched old men, and at length arrived at the foot of the terrace of

black marble. There he descended from his litter, handing down

Nouronihar. Both with beating hearts stared wildly around them, and

expected, with an apprehensive shudder, the approach of the Giaour; but

nothing as yet announced his appearance.

A deathlike stillness reigned over the mountain and through the air; the

moon dilated on a vast platform the shades of the lofty columns, which

reached from the terrace almost to the clouds; the gloomy watch-towers,

whose number could not be counted, were covered by no roof; and their

capitals, of an architecture unknown in the records of the earth, served

as an asylum for the birds of night, which, alarmed at the approach of

such visitants, fled away croaking.

The chief of the eunuchs, trembling with fear, besought Vathek that a

fire might be kindled. "No," replied he, "there is no time left to think

of such trifles. Abide where thou art, and expect my commands." Having

thus spoken, he presented his hand to Nouronihar; and ascending the

steps of a vast staircase, reached the terrace, which was flagged with

squares of marble, and resembled a smooth expanse of water, upon whose

surface not a blade of grass ever dared to vegetate. On the right rose

the watch-towers, ranged before the ruins of an immense palace, whose

walls were embossed with various figures. In front stood forth the

colossal forms of four creatures, composed of the leopard and the

griffin, and though but of stone, inspired emotions of terror. Near

these were distinguished, by the splendour of the moon, which streamed

full on the place, characters like those on the sabres of the Giaour,

and which possessed the same virtue of changing every moment. These,

after vacillating for some time, fixed at last in Arabic letters, and

prescribed to the caliph the following words: "Vathek, thou hast

violated the conditions of my parchment, and deservest to be sent back;

but in favour to thy companion, and as the meed for what thou hast done

to obtain it, Eblis permitteth that the portal of his palace shall be

opened, and the subterranean fire will receive thee into the number of

its adorers."

He scarcely had read these words before the mountain, against which the

terrace was reared, trembled, and the watch-towers were ready to topple

headlong upon them; the rock yawned, and disclosed within it a staircase

of polished marble, that seemed to approach the abyss. Upon each stair

were planted two large torches, like those Nouronihar had seen in her

vision, the camphorated vapour of which ascended and gathered itself

into a cloud under the hollow of the vault.

This appearance, instead of terrifying, gave new courage to the daughter

of Fakreddin. Scarcely deigning to bid adieu to the moon and the

firmament, she abandoned without hesitation the pure atmosphere, to

plunge into these infernal exhalations. The gait of those impious

personages was haughty and determined. As they descended, by the

effulgence of the torches, they gazed on each other with mutual

admiration, and both appeared so resplendent that they already esteemed

themselves spiritual intelligences. The only circumstance that perplexed

them was their not arriving at the bottom of the stairs: on hastening

their descent with an ardent impetuosity, they felt their steps

accelerated to such a degree, that they seemed not walking but falling

from a precipice. Their progress, however, was at length impeded by a

vast portal of ebony, which the caliph without difficulty recognized.

Here the Giaour awaited them with the key in his hand. "Ye are welcome!"

said he to them, with a ghastly smile, "in spite of Mahomet and all his

dependents. I will now usher you into that palace where you have so

highly merited a place." Whilst he was uttering these words he touched

the enamelled lock with his key, and the doors at once flew open with a

noise still louder than the thunder of the dog-days, and as suddenly

recoiled the moment they had entered.

The caliph and Nouronihar beheld each other with amazement at finding

themselves in a place which, though roofed with a vaulted ceiling, was

so spacious and lofty, that at first they took it for an immeasurable

plain. But their eyes at length growing familiar to the grandeur of the

surrounding objects, they extended their view to those at a distance,

and discovered rows of columns and arcades, which gradually diminished,

till they terminated in a point radiant as the sun when he darts his

last beams athwart the ocean. The pavement, strewed over with gold dust

and saffron, exhaled so subtle an odour as almost overpowered them.

They, however, went on, and observed an infinity of censers, in which

ambergris and the wood of aloes were continually burning. Between the

several columns were placed tables, each spread with a profusion of

viands, and wines of every species sparkling in vases of crystal. A

throng of genii and other fantastic spirits of either sex danced

lasciviously at the sound of music which issued from beneath.

In the midst of this immense hall, a vast multitude was incessantly

passing, who severally kept their right hands on their hearts, without

once regarding anything around them: they had all the livid paleness of

death. Their eyes, deep sunk in their sockets, resembled those

phosphoric meteors that glimmer by night in places of interment. Some

stalked slowly on, absorbed in profound reverie; some, shrieking with

agony, ran furiously about like tigers wounded with poisoned arrows;

whilst others, grinding their teeth in rage, foamed along more frantic

than the wildest maniac. They all avoided each other; and, though

surrounded by a multitude that no one could number, each wandered at

random unheedful of the rest, as if alone on a desert where no foot had

trodden.

Vathek and Nouronihar, frozen with terror at a sight so baleful,

demanded of the Giaour what these appearances might mean, and why these

ambulating spectres never withdrew their hands from their hearts?

"Perplex not yourselves with so much at once," replied he bluntly; "you

will soon be acquainted with all: let us haste and present you to

Eblis." They continued their way through the multitude: but,

notwithstanding their confidence at first, they were not sufficiently

composed to examine with attention the various perspectives of halls and

of galleries that opened on the right hand and left; which were all

illuminated by torches and braziers, whose flames rose in pyramids to

the centre of the vault. At length they came to a place where long

curtains, brocaded with crimson and gold, fell from all parts in solemn

confusion. Here the choirs and dances were heard no longer. The light

which glimmered came from afar.

After some time, Vathek and Nouronihar perceived a gleam brightening

through the drapery, and entered a vast tabernacle hung round with the

skins of leopards. An infinity of elders with streaming beards, and

afrits in complete armour, had prostrated themselves before the ascent

of a lofty eminence; on the top of which, upon a globe of fire, sat the

formidable Eblis. His person was that of a young man, whose noble and

regular features seemed to have been tarnished by malignant vapours. In

his large eyes appeared both pride and despair: his flowing hair

retained some resemblance to that of an angel of light. In his hand,

which thunder had blasted, he swayed the iron sceptre that causes the

monster Ouranbad, the afrits, and all the powers of the abyss to

tremble. At his presence, the heart of the caliph sunk within him; and

he fell prostrate on his face. Nouronihar, however, though greatly

dismayed, could not help admiring the person of Eblis; for she expected

to have seen some stupendous giant. Eblis, with a voice more mild than

might be imagined, but such as penetrated the soul and filled it with

the deepest melancholy, said, "Creatures of clay, I receive you into

mine empire: ye are numbered amongst my adorers: enjoy whatever this

palace affords: the treasures of the pre-Adamite sultans, their

fulminating sabres, and those talismans that compel the dives to open

the subterranean expanses of the mountain of Kaf, which communicate with

these. There, insatiable as your curiosity may be, shall you find

sufficient objects to gratify it. You shall possess the exclusive

privilege of entering the fortresses of Aherman, and the halls of

Argenk, where are portrayed all creatures endowed with intelligence; and

the various animals that inhabited the earth prior to the creation of

that contemptible being whom ye denominate the father of mankind."

Vathek and Nouronihar, feeling themselves revived and encouraged by this

harangue, eagerly said to the Giaour, "Bring us instantly to the place

which contains these precious talismans."--"Come," answered this wicked

dive, with his malignant grin--"come and possess all that my sovereign

hath promised, and more." He then conducted them into a long aisle

adjoining the tabernacle; preceding them with hasty steps, and followed

by his disciples with the utmost alacrity. They reached, at length, a

hall of great extent, and covered with a lofty dome; around which

appeared fifty portals of bronze, secured with as many fastenings of

iron. A funereal gloom prevailed over the whole scene. Here, upon two

beds of incorruptible cedar, lay recumbent the fleshless forms of the

pre-Adamite kings, who had been monarchs of the whole earth. They still

possessed enough of life to be conscious of their deplorable condition.

Their eyes retained a melancholy motion; they regarded one another with

looks of the deepest dejection, each holding his right hand, motionless,

on his heart. At their feet were inscribed the events of their several

reigns, their power, their pride, and their crimes; Soliman Raad,

Soliman Daki, and Soliman, called Gian Ben Gian, who, after having

chained up the dives in the dark caverns of Kaf, became so presumptuous

as to doubt of the Supreme Power. All these maintained great state,

though not to be compared with the eminence of Soliman Ben Daoud.

This king, so renowned for his wisdom, was on the loftiest elevation,

and placed immediately under the dome. He appeared to possess more

animation than the rest. Though, from time to time, he laboured with

profound sighs; and, like his companions, kept his right hand on his

heart, yet his countenance was more composed, and he seemed to be

listening to the sullen roar of a cataract visible in part through one

of the grated portals. This was the only sound that intruded on the

silence of these doleful mansions. A range of brazen cases surrounded

the elevation. "Remove the covers from these cabalistic depositories,"

said the Giaour to Vathek, "and avail thyself of the talismans which

will break asunder all these gates of bronze, and not only render thee

master of the treasures contained within them, but also of the spirits

by which they are guarded."

The caliph, whom this ominous preliminary had entirely disconcerted,

approached the vase with faltering footsteps; and was ready to sink with

terror when he heard the groans of Soliman. As he proceeded, a voice

from the livid lips of the prophet articulated these words: "In my

lifetime I filled a magnificent throne; having, on my right hand, twelve

thousand seats of gold, where the patriarchs and the prophets heard my

doctrines: on my left, the sages and doctors, upon as many thrones of

silver, were present at all my decisions. Whilst I thus administered

justice to innumerable multitudes, the birds of the air, hovering over

me, served as a canopy against the rays of the sun. My people

flourished; and my palace rose to the clouds. I erected a temple to the

Most High, which was the wonder of the universe; but I basely suffered

myself to be seduced by the love of women, and a curiosity that could

not be restrained by sublunary things. I listened to the counsels of

Aherman and the daughter of Pharaoh; and adored fire and the hosts of

heaven. I forsook the holy city, and commanded the genii to rear the

stupendous palace of Istakar, and the terrace of the watch-towers; each

of which was consecrated to a star. There, for a while, I enjoyed myself

in the zenith of glory and pleasure. Not only men but supernatural

beings were subject also to my will. I began to think, as these unhappy

monarchs around had already thought, that the vengeance of Heaven was

asleep; when, at once, the thunder burst my structures asunder, and

precipitated me hither: where, however, I do not remain, like the other

inhabitants, totally destitute of hope; for an angel of light hath

revealed that in consideration of the piety of my early youth my woes

shall come to an end, when this cataract shall for ever cease to flow.

Till then I am in torments, ineffable torments! an unrelenting fire

preys on my heart."

Having uttered this exclamation, Soliman raised his hands towards

heaven, in token of supplication; and the caliph discerned through his

bosom, which was transparent as crystal, his heart enveloped in flames.

At a sight so full of horror, Nouronihar fell back, like one petrified,

into the arms of Vathek, who cried out with a convulsive sob, "O Giaour!

whither hast thou brought us! Allow us to depart, and I will relinquish

all thou hast promised. O Mahomet! remains there no more mercy?"--"None!

none!" replied the malicious dive. "Know, miserable prince! thou art now

in the abode of vengeance and despair. Thy heart, also, will be kindled

like those of the other votaries of Eblis. A few days are allotted thee

previous to this fatal period: employ them as thou wilt; recline on

these heaps of gold; command the infernal potentates; range, at thy

pleasure, through these immense subterranean domains: no barrier shall

be shut against thee. As for me, I have fulfilled my mission: I now

leave thee to thyself." At these words he vanished.