danger by telling his history, spoke first, and said, "Madam, you
know my history already, and the occasion of my coming hither; so
that what I have to say will be very short. My lady, your sister,
called me this morning at the place where I plyed as porter to
see if any body would employ me, that I might get my bread; I
followed her to a vintner's, then to a herb-shop, then to one
where oranges, lemons, and citrons were sold, then to a grocer's,
next to a confectioner's, and a druggist's, with my basket upon
my head as full as I was able to carry it; then I came hither,
where you had the goodness to suffer me to continue till now, a
favour that I shall never forget. This, madam, is my history."
When the porter had done, Zobeide said to him, "Depart, let us
see you here no more." "Madam," replied the porter, "I beg you to
let me stay; it would not be just, after the rest have had the
pleasure to hear my history, that I should not also have the
satisfaction of hearing theirs." And having spoken thus, he sat
down at the end of the sofa, glad at heart to have escaped the
danger that had frightened him so much. After him, one of the
three calenders directing his speech to Zobeide, as the principal
of the three ladies, began thus:
The History of the First Calender.
Madam, in order to inform you how I lost my right eye, and why I
was obliged to put myself into a calender's habit, I must tell
you, that I am a sultan's son born: my father had a brother who
reigned over a neighbouring kingdom; and the prince his son and I
were nearly of the same age.
After I had learned my exercises, the sultan my father granted me
such liberty as suited my dignity. I went regularly every year to
see my uncle, at whose court I amused myself for a month or two,
and then returned again to my father's. These journeys cemented a
firm and intimate friendship between the prince my cousin and
myself. The last time I saw him, he received me with greater
demonstrations of tenderness than he had done at any time before;
and resolving one day to give me a treat, he made great
preparations for that purpose. We continued a long time at table,
and after we had both supped; "Cousin," said he, "you will hardly
be able to guess how I have been employed since your last
departure from hence, about a year past. I have had a great many
men at work to perfect a design I have formed; I have caused an
edifice to be built, which is now finished so as to be habitable:
you will not be displeased if I shew it you. But first you are to
promise me upon oath, that you will keep my secret, according to
the confidence I repose in you."
The affection and familiarity that subsisted between us would not
allow me to refuse him any thing. I very readily took the oath
required of me: upon which he said to me, "Stay here till I
return, I will be with you in a moment;" and accordingly he came
with a lady in his hand, of singular beauty, and magnificently
apparelled: he did not intimate who she was, neither did I think
it would be polite to enquire. We sat down again with this lady
at table, where we continued some time, conversing upon
indifferent subjects; and now and then filling a glass to each
other's health. After which the prince said, "Cousin, we must
lose no time; therefore pray oblige me by taking this lady along
with you, and conducting her to such a place, where you will see
a tomb newly built in form of a dome: you will easily know it;
the gate is open; enter it together, and tarry till I come, which
will be very speedily."
Being true to my oath, I made no farther enquiry, but took the
lady by the hand, and by the directions which the prince my
cousin had given me, I brought her to the place. We were scarcely
got thither, when we saw the prince following us, carrying a
pitcher of water, a hatchet, and a little bag of mortar.
The hatchet served him to break down the empty sepulchre in the
middle of the tomb; he took away the stones one after another,
and laid them in a corner; he then dug up the ground, where I saw
a trap-door under the sepulchre, which he lifted up, and
underneath perceived the head of a staircase leading into a
vault. Then my cousin, speaking to the lady, said, "Madam, it is
by this way that we are to go to the place I told you of:" upon
which the lady advanced, and went down, and the prince began to
follow; but first turning to me, said, "My dear cousin, I am
infinitely obliged to you for the trouble you have taken; I thank
you. Adieu." "Dear cousin," I cried, "what is the meaning of
this?" "Be content," replied he; "you may return the way you
came."
I could get nothing farther from him, but was obliged to take my
leave. As I returned to my uncle's palace, the vapours of the
wine got up into my head; however, I reached my apartment, and
went to bed. Next morning, when I awoke, I began to reflect upon
what had happened, and after recollecting all the circumstances
of such a singular adventure, I fancied it was nothing but a
dream. Full of these thoughts, I sent to enquire if the prince my
cousin was ready to receive a visit from me; but when they
brought word back that he did not lie in his own lodgings that
night, that they knew not what was become of him, and were in
much trouble in consequence, I conceived that the strange event
of the tomb was too true. I was sensibly afflicted, and went to
the public burying-place, where there were several tombs like
that which I had seen: I spent the day in viewing them one after
another, but could not find that I sought for, and thus I spent
four days successively in vain.
You must know, that all this while the sultan my uncle was
absent, and had been hunting for several days; I grew weary of
waiting for him, and having prayed his ministers to make my
apology at his return, left his palace, and set out towards my
father's court. I left the ministers of the sultan my uncle in
great trouble, surmising what was become of the prince: but
because of my oath to keep his secret, I durst not tell them what
I had seen.
I arrived at my father's capital, where, contrary to custom, I
found a numerous guard at the gate of the palace, who surrounded
me as I entered. I asked the reason, and the commanding officer
replied, "Prince, the army has proclaimed the grand vizier,
instead of your father, who is dead, and I take you prisoner in
the name of the new sultan." At these words the guards laid hold
of me, and carried me before the tyrant: I leave you to judge,
madam, how much I was surprised and grieved.
This rebel vizier, had long entertained a mortal hatred against
me; for this reason. When I was a stripling, I loved to shoot
with a cross-bow; and being one day upon the terrace of the
palace with my bow, a bird happening to come by, I shot but
missed him, and the ball by misfortune hit the vizier, who was
taking the air upon the terrace of his own house, and put out one
of his eyes. As soon as I understood this, I not only sent to
make my excuse to him, but did it in person: yet he never forgave
me, and, as opportunity offered, made me sensible of his
resentment. But now that he had me in his power, he expressed his
feelings; for he came to me like a madman, as soon as he saw me,
and thrusting his finger into my right eye, pulled it out, and
thus I became blind of one eye.
But the usurper's cruelty did not stop here; he ordered me to be
shut up in a machine, and commanded the executioner to carry me
into the country, to cut off my head, and leave me to be devoured
by birds of prey. The executioner conveyed me thus shut up into
the country, in order to execute the barbarous sentence; but by
my prayers and tears, I moved the man's compassion: "Go," said he
to me, "get you speedily out of the kingdom, and take heed of
returning, or you will certainly meet your own ruin, and be the
cause of mine." I thanked him for the favour he did me; and as
soon as I was left alone, comforted myself for the loss of my
eye, by considering that I had very narrowly escaped a much
greater evil.
Being in such a condition, I could not travel far at a time; I
retired to remote places during the day, and travelled as far by
night as my strength would allow me. At last I arrived in the
dominions of the sultan my uncle, and came to his capital.
I gave him a long detail of the tragical cause of my return, and
of the sad condition he saw me in. "Alas!" cried he, "was it not
enough for me to have lost my son, but must I have also news of
the death of a brother I loved so dearly, and see you reduced to
this deplorable condition?" He told me how uneasy he was that he
could hear nothing of his son, notwithstanding all the enquiry he
could make. At these words, the unfortunate father burst into
tears, and was so much afflicted, that pitying his grief, it was
impossible for me to keep the secret any longer; so that,
notwithstanding my oath to the prince my cousin, I told the
sultan all that I knew.
His majesty listened to me with some sort of comfort, and when I
had done, "Nephew," said he, "what you tell me gives me some
hope. I knew that my son ordered that tomb to be built, and I can
guess pretty nearly the place; and with the idea you still have
of it, I fancy we shall find it: but since he ordered it to be
built privately, and you took your oath to keep his secret, I am
of opinion, that we ought to go in quest of it without other
attendants." But he had another reason for keeping the matter
secret, which he did not then tell me, and an important one it
was, as you will perceive by the sequel of my story.
We disguised ourselves and went out by a door of the garden which
opened into the fields, and soon found what we sought for. I knew
the tomb, and was the more rejoiced, because I had formerly
sought it a long time in vain. We entered, and found the iron
trap pulled down at the head of the staircase; we had great
difficulty in raising it, because the prince had fastened it
inside with the water and mortar formerly mentioned, but at last
we succeeded.
The sultan my uncle descended first, I followed, and we went down
about fifty steps. When we came to the foot of the stairs, we
found a sort of antechamber, full of thick smoke of an ill scent,
which obscured the lamp, that gave a very faint light.
From this antechamber we came into another, very large, supported
by columns, and lighted by several branched candlesticks. There
was a cistern in the middle, and provisions of several sorts
stood on one side of it; but we were much surprised not to see
any person. Before us there appeared a high estrade, which we
mounted by several steps, and upon this there was a large bed,
with curtains drawn. The sultan went up, and opening the
curtains, perceived the prince his son and the lady in bed
together, but burnt and changed to cinder, as if they had been
thrown into a fire, and taken out before they were consumed.
But what surprised me most was, that though this spectacle filled
me with horror, the sultan my uncle, instead of testifying his
sorrow to see the prince his son in such a condition, spat on his
face, and exclaimed, with a disdainful air, "This is the
punishment of this world, but that of the other will last to
eternity;" and not content with this, he pulled off his sandal,
and gave the corpse of his son a blow on the cheek.
I cannot adequately express how much I was astonished when I saw
the sultan my uncle abuse his son thus after he was dead. "Sir,"
said I, "whatever grief this dismal sight has impressed upon me,
I am forced to suspend it, to enquire of your majesty what crime
the prince my cousin may have committed, that his corpse should
deserve such indignant treatment?" "Nephew," replied the sultan,
"I must tell you, that my son (who is unworthy of that name)
loved his sister from his infancy, as she did him: I did not
check their growing fondness, because I did not foresee its
pernicious consequence. This tenderness increased as they grew in
years, and to such a height, that I dreaded the end of it. At
last, I applied such remedies as were in my power: I not only
gave my son a severe reprimand in private, laying before him the
horrible nature of the passion he entertained, and the eternal
disgrace he would bring upon my family, if he persisted; but I
also represented the same to my daughter, and shut her up so
close that she could have no conversation with her brother. But
that unfortunate creature had swallowed so much of the poison,
that all the obstacles which by my prudence I could lay in the
way served only to inflame her love.
"My son being persuaded of his sister's constancy, on presence of
building a tomb, caused this subterraneous habitation to be made,
in hopes of finding one day or other an opportunity to possess
himself of that objets which was the cause of his flame, and to
bring her hither. He took advantage of my absence, to enter by
force into the place of his sister's confinement; but this was a
circumstance which my honour would not suffer me to make public.
And after so damnable an action, he came and shut himself up with
her in this place, which he has supplied, as you see, with all
sorts of provisions, that he might enjoy detestable pleasures,
which ought to be a subject of horror to all the world; but God,
who would not suffer such an abomination, has justly punished
them both." At these words, he melted into tears, and I joined
mine with his.
After a while, casting his eyes upon me, "Dear nephew," cried he,
embracing me, "if I have lost that unworthy son, I shall happily
find in you what will better supply his place." The reflections
he made on the doleful end of the prince and princess his
daughter made us both weep afresh.
We ascended the stairs again, and departed at last from that
dismal place. We let down the trap door, and covered it with
earth, and such other materials as the tomb was built of, on
purpose to hide, as much as lay in our power, so terrible an
effect of the wrath of God.
We had not been long returned to the palace, unperceived by any
one, but we heard a confused noise of trumpets, drums, and other
instruments of war. We soon understood by the thick cloud of
dust, which almost darkened the air, that it was the arrival of a
formidable army: and it proved to be the same vizier that had
dethroned my father, and usurped his place, who with a vast
number of troops was come to possess himself of that also of the
sultan my uncle.
My uncle, who then had only his usual guards about him, could not
resist so numerous an enemy; they invested the city, and the
gates being opened to them without any resistance, soon became
masters of it, and broke into the palace where my uncle defended
himself, and sold his life at a dear rate. I fought as valiantly
for a while; but seeing we were forced to submit to a superior
power, I thought on my retreat, which I had the good fortune to
effect by some back ways, and got to one of the sultan's servants
on whose fidelity I could depend.
Being thus surrounded with sorrows and persecuted by fortune, I
had recourse to a stratagem, which was the only means left me to
save my life: I caused my beard and eye-brows to be shaved, and
putting on a calender's habit, I passed, unknown by any, out of
the city; after that, by degrees, I found it easy to quit my
uncle's kingdom, by taking the bye-roads.
I avoided passing through towns, until I had reached the empire
of the mighty governor of the Moosulmauns, the glorious and
renowned caliph Haroon al Rusheed, when I thought myself out of
danger; and considering what I was to do, I resolved to come to
Bagdad, intending to throw myself at the feet of that monarch,
whose generosity is renowned throughout the world. "I shall move
him to compassion," said I to myself, "by the relation of my
uncommon misfortunes, and without doubt he will take pity on a
persecuted prince, and not suffer me to implore his assistance in
vain."
In short, after a journey of several months, I arrived yesterday
at the gate of this city, into which I entered about the dusk of
evening; and stopping a little while to consider which way I was
to turn, another calender came up; he saluted me, and I him: "You
appear," said I, "to be a stranger, as I am." "You are not
mistaken," replied he. He had no sooner returned this answer,
than a third calender overtook us. He saluted us, and told us he
was a stranger newly come to Bagdad; so that as brethren we
joined together, resolving not to separate from one another.
It was now late, and we knew not where to seek a lodging in the
city, where we had never been before. But good fortune having
brought us to your gate, we made bold to knock, when you received
us with so much kindness, that we are incapable of rendering
suitable thanks. "This, madam," said he, "is, in obedience to
your commands, the account I was to give how I lost my right eye,
wherefore my beard and eye-brows are shaved, and how I came to be
with you at this time."
"It is enough," said Zobeide; "you may retire to what place you
think fit." The calender begged the ladies' permission to stay
till he had heard the relations of his two comrades, "Whom I
cannot," said he, "leave with honour;" and that he might also
hear those of the three other persons in company.
The story of the first calender seemed wonderful to the whole
company, but especially to the caliph, who, notwithstanding the
slaves stood by with their cimeters drawn, could not forbear
whispering to the vizier "Many stories have I heard, but never
any that equalled in surprising incident that of the calender."
Whilst he was saying this, the second calender began, addressing
himself to Zobeide.
The Story of the Second Calender.
Madam, to obey your commands, and to shew you by what strange
accident I became blind of the right eye, I must of necessity
give you the account of my life.
I was scarcely past my infancy, when the sultan my father (for
you must know I am a prince by birth) perceived that I was
endowed with good natural ability, and spared nothing proper for
improving it.
No sooner was I able to read and write, but I learned the Koraun
from beginning to end by heart, that admirable book, which
contains the foundation, the precepts, and the rules of our
religion; and that I might be thoroughly instructed in it, I read
the works of the most approved divines, by whose commentaries it
had been explained. I added to this study, that of all the
traditions collected from the mouth of our prophet, by the great
men that were contemporary with him. I was not satisfied with the
knowledge of all that had any relation to our religion, but made
also a particular search into our histories. I made myself
perfect in polite learning, in the works of poets, and
versification. I applied myself to geography, chronology, and to
speak the Arabian language in its purity; not forgetting in the
meantime all such exercises as were proper for a prince to
understand. But one thing which I was fond of, and succeeded in,
was penmanship; wherein I surpassed all the celebrated scribes of
our kingdom.
Fame did me more honour than I deserved, for she not only spread
the renown of my talents through all the dominions of the sultan
my father, but carried it as far as the empire of Hindoostan,
whose potent monarch, desirous to see me, sent an ambassador with
rich presents: my father, who rejoiced at this embassy for
several reasons, was persuaded, that nothing could be more
improving to a prince of my age than to travel and visit foreign
courts; and he wished to gain the friendship of the Indian
monarch. I departed with the ambassador, but with no great
retinue.
When we had travelled about a month, we discovered at a distance
a cloud of dust, and under that we saw very soon fifty horsemen
well armed, who were robbers, advancing towards us at full speed.
As we had ten horses laden with baggage, and presents to the
sultan of Hindoostan, from my father, and my retinue was but
small, you may easily judge that these robbers came boldly up to
us; and not being in a posture to make any opposition, we told
them, that we were ambassadors, and hoped they would attempt
nothing contrary to the respect due to such sacred characters,
thinking by this means to save our equipage and our lives: but
the robbers most insolently replied, "For what reason would you
have us shew any respect to the sultan your master? We are none
of his subjects, nor are we upon his territories:" having spoken
thus, they surrounded and fell upon us: I defended myself as long
as I could; but finding myself wounded, and seeing the ambassador
with his attendants and mine lying on the ground, I made use of
what strength was yet remaining in my horse, who was also very
much wounded, and rode away as fast as he could carry me; but he
shortly after, from weariness and the loss of blood, fell down
dead. I cleared myself from him unhurt, and finding that I was
not pursued, judged the robbers were not willing to quit the
booty they had obtained.
Here you see me, alone, wounded, destitute of help, and in a strange
country. I durst not take the high road, fearing I might fall again
into the hands of these robbers. When I had bound up my wound, which
was not dangerous, I walked on the rest of the day, and arrived at the
foot of the mountain, where I perceived a passage into a cave; I went
in, and staid there that night with little satisfaction, after I had
eaten some fruits that I had gathered by the way.
I continued my journey for several days following, without
finding any place of abode: but after a month's time, I came to a
large town well inhabited, and situated so much the more
advantageously, as it was surrounded by several streams, so that
it enjoyed perpetual spring.
The pleasant objects which then presented themselves to my view
afforded me some joy, and suspended for a time the sorrow with
which I was overwhelmed. My face, hands, and feet were black and
sun-burnt; and, by my long journey, my boots were quite worn out,
so that I was forced to walk bare-footed; and besides, my clothes
were all in rags I entered the town to inform myself where I was,
and addressed myself to a tailor that was at work in his shop;
who, perceiving by my air that I was a person of more note than
my outward appearance bespoke, made me sit down by him, and asked
me who I was, from whence I came, and what had brought me
thither? I did not conceal anything that had befallen me, nor
made I any scruple to discover my quality.
The tailor listened to me with attention; but after had done
speaking, instead of giving me any consolation, he augmented my
sorrow: "Take heed," said he, "how you discover to any person
what you have related to me; for the prince of this country is
the greatest enemy your father has, and he will certainly do you
some mischief, should he hear of your being in this city." I made
no doubt of the tailor's sincerity, when he named the prince: but
since that enmity which is between my father and him has no
relation to my adventures, I pass it over in silence.
I returned the tailor thanks for his advice, expressed himself
disposed to follow his counsel, and assured him that his favours
should never be forgotten. He ordered something to be brought for
me to eat, and offered me at the same time a lodging in his
house, which I accepted. Some days after, finding me tolerably
well recovered of the fatigue I had endured by a long and tedious
journey, and reflecting that most princes of our religion applied
themselves to some art or calling that might be serviceable to
them upon occasion, he asked me, if I had learned any whereby I
might get a livelihood, and not be burdensome to others? I told
him that I understood the laws, both divine and human; that I was
a grammarian and poet; and above all, that I could write with
great perfection. "By all this," said he, "you will not be able,
in this country, to purchase yourself one morsel of bread;
nothing is of less use here than those sciences; but if you will
be advised by me, dress yourself in a labourer's habit; and since
you appear to be strong, and of a good constitution, you shall go
into the next forest and cut fire-wood, which you may bring to
the market to be sold; and I can assure you this employment will
turn to so good an account that you may live by it, without
dependence upon any man; and by this means you will be in a
condition to wait for the favourable minute, when heaven shall
think fit to dispel those clouds of misfortune that thwart your
happiness, and oblige you to conceal your birth; I will take care
to supply you with a rope and a hatchet."