muttering, some words which I did not understand, threw it upon
me. "Quit," said he, "the form of a man, and take that of an
ape." He instantly disappeared, and left me alone, transformed
into an ape, and overwhelmed with sorrow in a strange country,
not knowing whether I was near or far from my father's dominions.
I descended the mountain, and entered a plain level country, which
took me a month to travel over, and then I came to the sea-side. It
happened at the time to be perfectly calm, and I espied a vessel about
half a league from the shore: unwilling to lose so good an
opportunity, I broke off a large branch from a tree, carried it into
the sea, and placed myself astride upon it, with a stick in each hand
to serve me for oars.
I launched out in this posture, and rowed towards the ship. When
I had approached sufficiently near to be seen, I exhibited to the
seamen and passengers on the deck an extraordinary spectacle, and
all of them regarded me with astonishment. In the meantime I got
on board, and laying hold of a rope, jumped upon the deck, but
having lost my speech I found myself in great perplexity: and
indeed the risk I ran was not less than when I was at the mercy
of the genie.
The merchants, being both superstitious and scrupulous, thought
if they received me on board I should be the occasion of some
misfortune to them during their voyage. On this account one of
them said, "I will destroy him with a blow of this handspike;"
another, "I will shoot an arrow through his body;" and a third,
"Let us throw him into the sea." Some one of them would not have
failed to carry his threat into execution had I not gone to the
captain, thrown myself at his feet, and taken hold of his skirt
in a supplicating posture. This action, together with the tears
which he saw gush from my eyes, moved his compassion. He took me
under his protection, threatened to be revenged on any one that
would do me the least hurt, and loaded me with a thousand
caresses. On my part, though I had not power to speak, I showed
by my gestures every mark of gratitude in my power.
The wind that succeeded the calm was not strong, but favourable;
it continued to blow in the same direction for fifty days, and
brought us safe to the port of a city, well peopled, and of great
trade, the capital of a powerful state, where we came to anchor.
Our vessel was instantly surrounded with an infinite number of
boats full of people, who came to congratulate their friends on
their safe arrival, or to inquire for those they had left behind
them in the country from whence they had come, or out of
curiosity to see a ship that had performed so long a voyage.
Amongst the rest, some officers came on board, desiring in the
name of the sultan to speak with the merchants. The merchants
appearing, one of the officers told them, "The sultan our master
hath commanded us to acquaint you, that he rejoices in your safe
arrival, and beseeches each of you to take the trouble to write a
few lines upon this roll. That you may understand the design of
this request, you must know that we had a prime vizier, who
besides possessing great abilities for the management of public
affairs could write in the highest perfection. This minister a
few days since died. The event has greatly affected the sultan;
and since he can never behold his writing without admiration, he
has made a solemn vow, not to give the place to any one who
cannot write equally well. Many have presented specimens of their
skill; but to this day, no one in the empire has been judged
worthy to supply the vizier's place."
Those of the merchants who thought they could write well enough
to aspire to this high dignity, wrote one after another what they
thought fit. After they had done, I advanced, and took the roll
out of the gentleman's hand; but all the people, especially the
merchants, cried out, that I would tear it, or throw it into the
sea, till they saw how properly I held the roll, and made a sign
that I would write in my turn: their apprehensions then changed
into wonder. However, as they had never seen an ape that could
write, and could not be persuaded that I was more ingenious than
others of my kind, they wished to take the roll out of my hand;
but the captain took my part once more. "Let him alone," said he,
"allow him to write. If he only scribbles the paper, I promise
you that I will immediately punish him. If, on the contrary, he
writes well, as I hope he will, because I never saw an ape so
clever and ingenious, and so quick of apprehension, I declare
that I will adopt him as my son." Perceiving that no one opposed
my design, I took the pen, and wrote six sorts of hands used
among the Arabians, and each specimen contained an extemporary
distich or quatrain in praise of the sultan. My writing not only
excelled that of the merchants, but was such as they had not
before seen in that country. When I had done, the officers took
the roll, and carried it to the sultan.
The sultan took little notice of any of the writings, except
mine, which pleased him so much that he said to the officers,
"Take the finest horse in my stable, with the richest trappings,
and a robe of the most sumptuous brocade to put on the person who
wrote the six hands, and bring him thither." At this command the
officers could not forbear laughing. The sultan was incensed at
their rudeness, and would have punished them had they not
explained: "Sir," said they, "we humbly beg your majesty's
pardon: these hands were not written by a man, but by an ape."
"What do you say?" exclaimed the sultan. "Those admirable
characters, are they not written by the hands of a man?" "No,
Sir," replied the officers; "we assure your majesty that it was
an ape, who wrote them in our presence." The sultan was too much
surprised at this account not to desire a sight of me, and
therefore said, "Do what I command you, and bring me speedily
that wonderful ape."
The officers returned to the vessel and shewed the captain their
order, who answered, "The sultan's command must be obeyed."
Whereupon they clothed me with the rich brocade robe, and carried
me ashore, where they set me on horseback, whilst the sultan
waited for me at his palace with a great number of courtiers,
whom he gathered together to do me the more honour.
The procession commenced; the harbour, the streets, the public
places, windows, terraces, palaces, and houses, were filled with
an infinite number of people of all ranks, who flocked from every
part of the city to see me; for the rumour was spread in a
moment, that the sultan had chosen an ape to be his grand vizier,
and after having served for a spectacle to the people, who could
not forbear to express their surprise by redoubling their shouts
and cries, I arrived at the sultan's palace.
I found the prince on his throne in the midst of the grandees; I
made my obeisance three times very low, and at last kneeled and
kissed the ground before him, and afterwards took my seat in the
posture of an ape. The whole assembly viewed me with admiration,
and could not comprehend how it was possible that an ape should
so well understand how to pay the sultan his due respect; and he
himself was more astonished than any. In short, the usual
ceremony of the audience would have been complete, could I have
added speech to my behaviour; but apes never speak, and the
advantage I had of having been a man did not now yield me that
privilege.
The sultan dismissed his courtiers, and none remained by him but
the chief of the eunuchs, a little young slave, and myself. He
went from his chamber of audience into his own apartment, where
he ordered dinner to be brought. As he sat at table he made me a
sign to approach and eat with them: to shew my obedience I kissed
the ground, arose, and placed myself at the table, and ate with
discretion and moderation.
Before the table was cleared, I espied a standish, which I made a
sign to have brought me; having got it, I wrote upon a large
peach some verses expressive of my acknowledgment to the sultan;
who having read them after I had presented the peach to him, was
still more astonished. When the things were removed, they brought
him a particular liquor, of which he caused them to give me a
glass. I drank, and wrote upon the glass some new verses, which
explained the state I was reduced to, after many sufferings. The
sultan read these likewise, and said, "A man that was capable of
doing so much would be above the greatest of his species."
The sultan caused to be brought to him a chessboard, and asked me
by a sign if I understood that game, and would play with him? I
kissed the ground, and laying my hand upon my head, signified
that I was ready to receive that honour. He won the first game,
but I won the second and third; and perceiving he was somewhat
displeased at my success, I made a quatrain to satisfy him; in
which I told him that two potent armies had been fighting
furiously all day, but that they concluded a peace towards the
evening, and passed the remaining part of the night very amicably
together upon the field of battle.
So many circumstances appearing to the sultan beyond whatever had
either been seen or known of the cleverness or sense of apes, he
determined not to be the only witness of these prodigies himself,
but having a daughter, called the Lady of Beauty, on whom the
chief of the eunuchs, then present, waited; "Go," said the sultan
to him, "and bid your lady come hither: I am desirous she should
share my pleasure."
The eunuch went, and immediately brought the princess, who had
her face uncovered; but she had no sooner come into the room,
than she put on her veil, and said to the sultan, "Sir, your
majesty must needs have forgotten yourself; I am surprised that
your majesty has sent for me to appear among men." "How,
daughter!" said the sultan, "you do not know what you say: there
is no one here, but the little slave, the eunuch your governor,
and myself, who have the liberty to see your face; and yet you
lower your veil, and blame me for having sent for you." "Sir,"
said the princess, "your majesty shall soon understand that I am
not in the wrong. That seeming ape is a young prince, son of a
powerful sultan, and has been metamorphosed into an ape by
enchantment. A genie, son of the daughter of Eblis, has
maliciously done him this wrong, after having cruelly taken away
the life of the princess of the isle of Ebene."
The sultan, astonished at this declaration, turned towards me,
and speaking no more by signs, but in plain words, asked me, if
what his daughter said was true? Finding I could not speak, I put
my hand to my head' to signify that what the princess spoke was
correct. Upon this the sultan said again to his daughter, "How do
you know that this prince has been transformed by enchantments
into an ape?" "Sir," replied the Lady of Beauty, "your majesty
may remember that when I was past my infancy I had an old lady
who waited on me; she was a most expert magician, and taught me
seventy rules of magic, by virtue of which I can, in the
twinkling of an eye, transport your capital into the midst of the
sea, or beyond mount Caucasus. By this science I know all
enchanted persons at first sight: I know who they are, and by
whom they have been enchanted; therefore do not be surprised if I
should forthwith relieve this prince, in spite of the
enchantments, from that which prevents his appearing in your
sight in his natural form." "Daughter," said the sultan, "I did
not believe you to have understood so much." "Sir," replied the
princess, "these things are curious and worth knowing; but I
think I ought not to boast of them." "Since it is so," said the
sultan, "you can dispel the prince's enchantment." "Yes, sir,"
said the princess, "I can restore him to his original shape." "Do
it then," said the sultan, "you cannot do me a greater pleasure;
for I will have him to be my vizier, and he shall marry you."
"Sir," said the princess, "I am ready to obey you in all that you
should be pleased to command me."
The princess, the Lady of Beauty, went into her apartment, and
brought thence a knife, which had some Hebrew words engraven on
the blade: she made the sultan, the master of the eunuchs, the
little slave, and myself, descend into a private court of the
palace, and there left us under a gallery that went round it. She
placed herself in the middle of the court, where she made a great
circle, and within it she wrote several words in Arabian
characters, some of them ancient.
When she had finished and prepared the circle as she thought fit,
she placed herself in the centre of it, where she began
incantations, and repeated verses of the Koraun. The air grew
insensibly dark, as if it had been night, and the whole world
were about to be dissolved: we found ourselves struck with
consternation, and our fear increased when we saw the genie, the
son of the daughter of Eblis, appear suddenly in the shape of a
lion of a gigantic size.
As soon as the princess perceived this monster, "Dog," said she,
"instead of creeping before me, dare you present yourself in this
shape, thinking to frighten me?" "And thou," replied the lion,
"art thou not afraid to break the treaty which was solemnly made
and confirmed between us by oath, not to wrong or do one another
any injury?" "Wretch," replied the princess, "I justly may
reproach thee with having done so." The lion answered fiercely,
"Thou shalt quickly have thy reward for the trouble thou hast
given me:" with that he opened his monstrous jaws, and sprang
forward to devour her; but she, being on her guard, stepped back,
got time to pull out one of her hairs, and by pronouncing three
or four words, changed it into a sharp sword, with which she cut
the lion in two through the middle.
The two parts of the lion disappeared, while the head changed
into a large scorpion. Immediately the princess turned herself
into a serpent, and fought the scorpion, who, finding himself
worsted, took the shape of an eagle, and flew away: but the
serpent at the same time took also the shape of an eagle, that
was black and much stronger, and pursued him, so that we lost
sight of them both.
Some time after they had disappeared, the ground opened before
us, and out of it came forth a black and white cat, with her hair
standing on end, and mewing in a frightful manner; a black wolf
followed close after her, and gave her no time to rest. The cat,
being thus hard pressed, changed into a worm, and being near a
pomegranate accidentally fallen from a tree on the side of a
canal which was deep, but not broad, pierced the pomegranate in
an instant, and hid itself, but the pomegranate swelled
immediately, and became as big as a gourd, which, mounting up to
the roof of the gallery, rolled there for some time backward and
forward; it then fell down again into the court, and broke into
several pieces.
The wolf had in the meanwhile transformed itself into a cock, and
now fell to picking up the seeds of the pomegranate one after
another; but finding no more, he came towards us with his wings
spread, making a great noise, as if he would ask us whether there
were any more seed. There was one lying on the brink of the
canal, which the cock perceiving as he went back, ran speedily
thither; but just as he was going to pick it up, the seed rolled
into the river, and turned into a little fish.
The cock leaped into the river, turned into a pike, and pursued
the small fish; they continued both under water above two hours,
and we knew not what was become of them, but suddenly we heard
terrible cries, which made us tremble, and a little while after
we saw the genie and princess all in flames. They threw flashes
of fire out of their mouths at each other, till they came to
close combat; then the two fires increased, with a thick burning
smoke which mounted so high that we had reason to apprehend it
would set the palace on fire. But we very soon had a more
pressing occasion of fear, for the genie having got loose from
the princess, came to the gallery where we stood, and blew flames
of fire upon us. We must all have perished had not the princess,
running to our assistance, forced him to retire, and defend
himself against her; yet, notwithstanding all her exertions, she
could not hinder the sultan's beard from being burnt, and his
face scorched, the chief of the eunuchs from being stifled, and a
spark from entering my right eye, and making it blind. The sultan
and I expected but death, when we heard a cry of "Victory!
Victory!" and instantly the princess appeared in her natural
shape, but the genie was reduced to a heap of ashes.
The princess approached us, and hastily called for a cup-full of
water, which the young slave, who had received no hurt, brought
her. She took it, and after pronouncing some words over it, threw
it upon me, saying, "If thou art become an ape by enchantment,
change thy shape, and take that of a man which thou hadst
before." These words were hardly uttered, when I again became a
man, in every respect as I was before my transformation,
excepting the loss of my eye.
I was prepared to return the princess my thanks, but she
prevented me by addressing herself to her father: "Sir, I have
gained the victory over the genie, as your majesty may see; but
it is a victory that costs me dear; I have but a few minutes to
live, and you will not have the satisfaction to make the match
you intended; the fire has pierced me during the terrible combat,
and I find it is gradually consuming me. This would not have
happened, had I perceived the last of the pomegranate seeds, and
swallowed it, as I did the others when I was changed into a cock:
the genie had fled thither as to his last intrenchment, and upon
that the success of the combat depended, which would have been
successful, and without danger to me. This oversight obliged me
to have recourse to fire, and to fight with those mighty arms as
I did, between heaven and earth, in your presence; for, in spite
of all his redoubtable art and experience, I made the genie know
that I understood more than he; I have conquered and reduced him
to ashes, but I cannot escape death, which is approaching."
The sultan suffered the princess, the Lady of Beauty, to go on
with the recital of her combat, and when she had done, addressed
her in a tone that sufficiently testified his grief; "My
daughter," said he, "you see in what condition your father is;
alas! I wonder that I am yet alive! Your governor, the eunuch, is
dead, and the prince whom you have delivered from his enchantment
has lost one of his eyes." He could say no more, for his tears,
sighs, and sobs, deprived him of the power of utterance.
Suddenly the princess exclaimed, "I burn! I burn!" She found that
the fire had at last seized upon her vital parts, which made her
still cry "I burn!" until death had put an end to her intolerable
pains. The effect of that fire was so extraordinary, that in a
few moments she was wholly reduced to ashes, as the genie had
been.
I cannot tell you, madam, how much I was grieved at so dismal a
spectacle; I had rather all my life have continued an ape or a
dog, than to have seen my benefactress thus miserably perish. The
sultan being afflicted all that can be imagined, cried piteously,
and beat himself on his head and breast, until being quite
overcome with grief, he fainted away, which made me fear for his
life. In the mean time, the eunuchs and officers came running at
the sultan's lamentations, and with much difficulty brought him
to himself. It was not necessary that the prince or myself should
relate the circumstances of the adventure, to convince them of
the affliction it had occasioned us. The two heaps of ashes, to
which the princess and the genie had been reduced, were a
sufficient demonstration. The sultan was hardly able to stand,
but was under the necessity of being supported to his apartment.
When the knowledge of this tragical event had spread through the
palace and the city, all the people bewailed the misfortune of
the princess, the Lady of Beauty, and commiserated the sultan's
affliction. Public mourning was observed for seven days, and many
ceremonies were performed. The ashes of the genie were thrown
into the air, but those of the princess were collected into a
precious urn, to be preserved, and the urn was deposited in a
superb mausoleum, constructed for that purpose on the spot where
the princess had been consumed.
The grief of the sultan for the loss of his daughter confined him
to his chamber for a whole month. Before he had fully recovered
his strength he sent for me: "Prince," said he, "attend to the
commands I now give you; your life must answer if you do not
carry them into execution." I assured him of exalt obedience;
upon which he went on thus: "I have constantly lived in perfect
felicity, but by your arrival all the happiness I possessed has
vanished; my daughter is dead, her governor is no more, and it is
only through a miracle that I am myself yet alive You are the
cause of all these misfortunes, under which it is impossible that
I should be comforted; depart hence therefore in peace, without
farther delay, for I must myself perish if you remain any longer.
I am persuaded that your presence brings misfortune with it.
Depart, and take care never to appear again in my dominions. No
consideration whatever shall hinder me from making you repent
your temerity should you violate my injunction." I was going to
speak, but he prevented me by words full of anger; and I was
obliged to quit the palace, rejected, banished, an outcast from
the world. Before I left the city I went into a bagnio, here I
caused my beard and eyebrows to be shaved, and put on a
calender's habit. I began my journey, not so much deploring my
own miseries, as the death of the two fair princesses, of which I
have been the occasion. I passed through many countries without
making myself known; at last I resolved to come to Bagdad, in
hopes of getting myself introduced to the commander of the
faithful, to move his compassion by relating to him my
unfortunate adventures. I arrived this evening, and the first man
I met was this calender, our brother, who spoke before me. You
know the remaining part, madam, and the cause of my having the
honour to be here.
When the second calender had concluded his story, Zobeide, to
whom he had addressed his speech, said, "It is well, you are at
liberty." But instead of departing, he also petitioned the lady
to shew him the same favour vouchsafed to the first calender, and
went and sat down by him.
The History of the Third Calender.
My story, most honourable lady, very much differs from what you
have already heard. The two princes who have spoken before me
have each lost an eye by the pure effects of their destiny, but
mine I lost through my own fault, and by hastening to seek my own
misfortune, as you shall hear by the sequel of the story.
My name is Agib, and I am the son of a sultan who was called
Cassib. After his death I took possession of his dominions, and
continued in the city where he had resided. It is situated on the
sea-coast, has one of the finest and safest harbours in the
world, an arsenal capable of fitting out for sea one hundred and
fifty men of war, besides merchantmen and light vessels. My
kingdom is composed of several fine provinces upon the main land,
besides a number of valuable islands, which lie almost in sight
of my capital.
My first object was to visit the provinces: I afterwards caused
my whole fleet to be fitted out, and went to my islands to gain
the hearts of my subjects by my presence, and to confirm them in
their loyalty. These voyages gave me some taste for navigation,
in which I took so much pleasure, that I resolved to make some
discoveries beyond my own territories; to which end I caused ten
ships to be fitted out, embarked, and set sail.
Our voyage was very pleasant for forty days successively, but on
the forty-first night the wind became contrary, and withal so
boisterous that we were near being lost: about break of day the
storm abated, the clouds dispersed, and the weather became fair.
We reached an island, where we remained two days to take in fresh
provisions; and then put off again to sea. After ten days' sail
we were in hopes of seeing land, for the tempests we had
experienced had so much abated my curiosity, that I gave orders
to steer back to my own coast; but I perceived at the same time
that my pilot knew not where we were. Upon the tenth day, a
seaman being sent to look out for land from the mast head, gave
notice that on starboard and larboard he could see nothing but
sky and sea, but that right a-head he perceived a great
blackness.