where may one get an egg?" "Princess," replied the pretended
Fatima, "it is a bird of prodigious size, which inhabits the
summit of mount Caucasus; the architect who built your palace can
get you one."
After the princess had thanked the false Fatima for what she
believed her good advice, she conversed with her upon other
matters; but could not forget the roe's egg, which she resolved
to request of Alla ad Deen when he returned from hunting. He had
been gone six days, which the magician knew, and therefore took
advantage of his absence; but he returned that evening after the
false Fatima had taken leave of the princess, and retired to his
apartment. As soon as he arrived, he went directly to the
princess's apartment, saluted and embraced her, but she seemed to
receive him coldly. "My princess," said he, "I think you are not
so cheerful as you used to be; has any thing happened during my
absence, which has displeased you, or given you any trouble or
dissatisfaction In the name of God, do not conceal it from me; I
will leave nothing undone that is in my power to please you." "It
is a trifling matter," replied the princess, "which gives me so
little concern that I could not have thought you could have
perceived it in my countenance; but since you have unexpectedly
discovered some alteration, I will no longer disguise a matter of
so little consequence from you."
"I always believed," continued the princess, "that our palace was
the most superb, magnificent, and complete in the world: but I
will tell you now what I find fault with, upon examining the hall
of four-and-twenty windows. Do not you think with me, that it
would be complete if a roe's egg were hung up in the midst of the
dome?" "Princess," replied Alla ad Deen, "it is enough that you
think there wants such an ornament; you shall see by the
diligence used to supply that deficiency, that there is nothing
which I would not do for your sake."
Alla ad Deen left the princess Buddir al Buddoor that moment, and
went up into the hall of four-and-twenty windows, where pulling
out of his bosom the lamp, which, after the danger he had been
exposed to, he always carried about him, he rubbed it; upon which
the genie immediately appeared. "Genie," said Alla ad Deen,
"there wants a roe's egg to be hung up in the midst of the dome;
I command thee, in the name of this lamp, to repair the
deficiency." Alla ad Deen had no sooner pronounced these words,
than the genie gave so loud and terrible a cry, that the hall
shook, and Alla ad Deen could scarcely stand upright. "What!
wretch," said the genie, in a voice that would have made the most
undaunted man tremble, "is it not enough that I and my companions
have done every thing for you, but you, by an unheard-of
ingratitude, must command me to bring my master, and hang him up
in the midst of this dome? This attempt deserves that you, your
wife, and your palace, should be immediately reduced to ashes:
but you are happy that this request does not come from yourself.
Know then, that the true author is the brother of the African
magician, your enemy, whom you have destroyed as he deserved. He
is now in your palace, disguised in the habit of the holy woman
Fatima, whom he has murdered; and it is he who has suggested to
your wife to make this pernicious demand. His design is to kill
you, therefore take care of yourself." After these words, the
genie disappeared.
Alla ad Deen lost not a word of what the genie had said. He had
heard talk of the holy woman Fatima, and how she pretended to
cure the headache. He returned to the princess's apartment, and
without mentioning a word of what had happened, sat down, and
complained of a great pain which had suddenly seized his head;
upon which the princess ordered the holy woman to be called, and
then told him how she had invited her to the palace, and that she
had appointed her an apartment.
When the pretended Fatima came, Alla ad Deen said, "Come hither,
good mother; I am glad to see you here at so fortunate a time; I
am tormented with a violent pain in my head, and request your
assistance, by the confidence I have in your good prayers, and
hope you will not refuse me that favour which you do to so many
persons afflicted with this complaint." So saying, he arose, but
held down his head. The counterfeit Fatima advanced towards him,
with his hand all the time on a dagger concealed in his girdle
under his gown; which Alla ad Deen observing, he seized his hand
before he had drawn it, pierced him to the heart with his own
dagger, and then pushed him down on the floor.
"My dear husband, what have you done?" cried the princess in
surprise. "You have killed the holy woman." "No, my princess,"
answered Alla ad Deen, with emotion, "I have not killed Fatima,
but a villain, who would have assassinated me, if I had not
prevented him. This wicked wretch," added he, uncovering his
face, "has strangled Fatima, whom you accuse me of killing, and
disguised himself in her clothes with intent to murder me: but
that you may know him better, he is brother to the African
magician." Alla ad Deen then informed her how he came to know
these particulars, and afterwards ordered the dead body to be
taken away.
Thus was Alla ad Deen delivered from the persecution of two
brothers, who were magicians. Within a few years afterwards, the
sultan died in a good old age, and as he left no male children,
the princess Buddir al Buddoor, as lawful heir of the throne,
succeeded him, and communicating the power to Alla ad Deen, they
reigned together many years, and left a numerous and illustrious
posterity.
ADVENTURE OF THE CALIPH HAROON AL
RUSHEED.
The caliph Haroon al Rusheed was one day suffering from
depression of spirits, when his faithful and favourite grand
vizier Jaaffier came to him. This minister finding him alone,
which was seldom the case, and perceiving as he approached that
he was in a very melancholy humour, and never lifted up his eyes,
stopped till he should vouchsafe to look at him.
At last the caliph turned his eyes towards him, but presently
withdrew them again, and remained in the same posture motionless
as before.
The grand vizier, observing nothing in the caliph's eyes which
regarded him personally, took the liberty to speak to him, and
said, "Commander of the faithful, will your majesty give me leave
to ask whence proceeds this melancholy, of which you always
seemed to me so little susceptible?"
"Indeed, vizier," answered the caliph, brightening up his
countenance, "I am very little subject to it, and had not
perceived it but for you, but I will remain no longer in this
hippish mood. If no new affair brought you hither, you will
gratify me by inventing something to dispel it."
"Commander of the faithful," replied the grand vizier, "my duty
obliged me to wait on you, and I take the liberty to remind your
majesty, that this is the day which you have appointed to inform
yourself of the good government of your capital and its environs;
and this occasion very opportunely presents itself to dispel
those clouds which obscure your natural gaiety."
"You do well to remind me," replied the caliph, "for I had
entirely forgotten it; go and change your dress, while I do the
same."
They each put on the habit of a foreign merchant, and under that
disguise went out by a private door of the palace-garden, which
led into the country. After they had gone round part of the city
to the banks of the Euphrates, at some distance from the walls,
without having observed anything disorderly, they crossed the
river in the first boat they met, and making a tour on the other
side, crossed the bridge, which formed the communication betwixt
the two parts of the town.
At the foot of this bridge they met an old blind man, who asked
alms of them; the caliph turned about, and put a piece of gold
into his hand. The blind man instantly caught hold of his hand,
and stopped him; "Charitable person," said he, "whoever you are,
whom God hath inspired to bestow alms on me, do not refuse the
favour I ask of you, to give me a box on the ear, for I deserve
that, and a greater punishment." Having thus spoken, he let the
caliph's hand go, that he might strike, but for fear he should
pass on without doing it, held him fast by his clothes.
The caliph, surprised both at the words and action of the blind
man, said, "I cannot comply with your request. I will not lessen
the merit of my charity, by treating you as you would have me."
After these words, he endeavoured to get away from the blind man.
The blind man, who expected this reluctance of his benefactor,
exerted himself to detain him. "Sir," said he, "forgive my
boldness and importunity; I desire you would either give me a box
on the ear, or take your alms back again, for I cannot receive it
but on that condition, without breaking a solemn oath, which I
have sworn to God; and if you knew the reason, you would agree
with me that the punishment is very slight."
The caliph, unwilling to be detained any longer, yielded to the
importunity of the blind man, and gave him a very slight blow:
whereupon he immediately let him go, thanked and blessed him.
When the caliph and vizier had got so me small distance from the
blind man, the caliph said to Jaaffier, "This blind man must
certainly have some very uncommon reasons, which make him behave
himself in this manner to all who give him alms. I should be glad
to know them; therefore return, tell him who I am, and bid him
not fail to come to my palace about prayer-time in the afternoon
of to-morrow, that I may have some conversation with him."
The grand vizier returned, bestowed his alms on the blind man,
and after he had given him a box on the ear, told him the
caliph's order, and then returned to the caliph.
When they came into the town, they found in a square a great
crowd of spectators, looking at a handsome well-shaped young man,
who was mounted on a mare, which he drove and urged full speed
round the place, spurring and whipping the poor creature so
barbarously, that she was all over sweat and blood.
The caliph, amazed at the inhumanity of the rider, stopped to ask
the people if they knew why he used the mare so ill; but could
learn nothing, except that for some time past he had every day,
at the same hour, treated her in the same manner.
At they went along, the caliph bade the grand vizier take
particular notice of the place, and not fail to order the young
man to attend the next day at the hour appointed to the blind
man. But before the caliph got to his palace, he observed in a
street, which he had not passed through a long time before, an
edifice newly built, which seemed to him to be the palace of some
one of the great lords of the court. He asked the grand vizier if
he knew to whom it belonged; who answered he did not, but would
inquire; and thereupon asked a neighbour, who told him that the
house was that of one Khaujeh Hassan, surnamed Al Hubbaul, on
account of his original trade of rope-making, which he had seen
him work at himself, when poor; that without knowing how fortune
had favoured him, he supposed he must have acquired great wealth,
as he defrayed honourably and splendidly the expenses he had been
at in building.
The grand vizier rejoined the caliph, and gave him a full account
of what he had heard. "I must see this fortunate rope-maker,"
said the caliph, "therefore go and tell him to come to my palace
at the same hour you have ordered the other two." Accordingly the
vizier obeyed.
The next day, after afternoon prayers, the caliph retired to his
own apartment, when the grand vizier introduced the three persons
we have been speaking of, and presented them to the caliph.
They all three prostrated themselves before the throne, and when
they rose up, the caliph asked the blind man his name, who
answered, it was Baba Abdoollah.
"Baba Abdoollah," replied the caliph, "your manner of asking alms
seemed so strange to me yesterday, that if it had not been for
some private considerations I should not have complied with your
request, but should have prevented you from giving any more
offence to the public. I ordered you to come hither, to know from
yourself what could have induced you to make the indiscreet oath
you told me of, that I may judge whether you have done well, and
if I ought to suffer you to continue a practice that appears to
me to set so ill an example. Tell me freely how so extravagant a
thought came into your head, and do not disguise any thing from
me, for I will absolutely know the truth."
Baba Abdoollah, intimidated by this reprimand, cast himself a
second time at the foot of the caliph's throne, with his face to
the ground, and when he rose up, said, "Commander of the
faithful, I most humbly ask your majesty's pardon for my
presumption, in daring to have required, and almost forced you to
do a thing which indeed appears so contrary to reason. I
acknowledge my offence, but as I did not then know your majesty,
I implore your clemency, and hope you will consider my ignorance.
"As to the extravagance of my action, I own it, and own also that
it must seem strange to mankind; but in the eye of God it is a
slight penance I have enjoined myself for an enormous crime of
which I have been guilty, and for which, if all the people in the
world were each to give me a box on the ear, it would not be a
sufficient atonement. Your majesty will judge of this yourself,
when, in telling my story, in obedience to your commands I shall
inform you what that heinous crime was."
The Story of Baba Abdoollah.
Commander of the faithful, I was born at Bagdad, had a moderate
fortune left me by my father and mother, who died within a few
days of each other. Though I was then but young, I did not
squander away my fortune as most young men do, in idle expenses
and debauchery; on the contrary, I neglected no opportunity to
increase it by my industry. At last I became rich enough to
purchase fourscore camels, which I let out to merchants for
caravans, who paid me well for every journey I went with them
throughout the extent of your majesty's dominions.
In the midst of this prosperity, and with an ardent desire of
growing much richer, as I was returning one day with my camels
unloaded from Bussorah, whither I had carried some bales that
were to be embarked for the Indies, I met with good pasturage, at
some distance from any habitation; made a halt, and let my beasts
graze for some time. While I was seated, a dervish, who was
walking to Bussorah, came and sat down by me to rest himself: I
asked him whence he came, and where he was going; he put the same
questions to me: and when we had satisfied each other's
curiosity, we produced our provisions and ate together.
During our repast, after we had talked on many indifferent
subjects, the dervish told me that he knew of a spot a small
distance from thence, where there were such immense riches, that
if all my fourscore camels were loaded with the gold and jewels
that might be taken from it, they would not be missed.
This intelligence surprised and charmed me; and I was so
overjoyed, that I could scarcely contain myself. I could not
believe that the dervish was capable of telling me a falsehood;
therefore I fell upon his neck, and said, "Good dervish, I know
you value not the riches of this world, therefore of what service
can the knowledge of this treasure be to you? You are alone, and
cannot carry much of it away; shew me where it is, I will load
all my camels, and as an acknowledgment of the favour done me,
will present you with one of them."
Indeed I offered very little, but after he had communicated the
secret to me, my desire of riches was become so violent, that I
thought it a great deal, and looked upon the seventy-nine camel
loads which I reserved for myself as nothing in comparison of
what I allowed him.
The dervish, though he saw my avarice, was not however angry at
the unreasonable return I proposed to make him, but replied
without the least concern, "You are sensible, brother, that what
you offer me is not proportionable to the valuable favour you ask
of me. I might have chosen whether I would communicate my secret
to you or not, and have kept the treasure to myself: but what I
have told you is sufficient to shew my good intentions; it is in
my power to oblige you, and make both our fortunes. I have,
however, another proposition more just and equitable to make to
you; it lies in your own breast whether or no you will agree to
it.
"You say," continued the dervish, "that you have fourscore
camels: I am ready to conduct you to the place where the treasure
lies, and we will load them with as much jewels and gold as they
can carry, on condition that when they are so loaded you will let
me have one half, and you be contented with the other; after
which we will separate, and take our camels where we may think
fit. You see there is nothing but what is strictly equitable in
this division; for if you give me forty camels, you will procure
by my means wherewithal to purchase thousands."
I could not but agree there was a great deal of justice in what
the dervish said: but without considering what riches I should
gain in accepting of the condition he proposed, I could not
without reluctance think of parting with my forty camels,
especially when I reflected that the dervish would then be as
rich as myself. Avarice made me unmindful that I was beforehand
making an ungrateful return for a favour, purely gratuitous. But
there was no time to hesitate; I must either accept of the
proposal, or resolve to repent all my lifetime of losing, by my
own fault, an opportunity of obtaining an immense fortune. That
instant I collected all my camels, and after we had travelled
some time, we came into a valley, the pass into which was so
narrow, that two camels could not go a-breast. The two mountains
which bounded this valley formed nearly a circle, but were so
high, craggy, and steep, that there was no fear of our being seen
by any body.
When we came between these two mountains, the dervish said to me,
"Stop your camels, make them kneel that we may load them the
easier, and I will proceed to discover the treasure."
I did as the dervish directed; and going to him soon after, found
him with a match in one hand, gathering sticks to light a fire;
which he had no sooner done, than he cast some incense into it,
and pronouncing certain words which I did not understand, there
presently arose a thick cloud. He divided this cloud, when the
rock, though of a prodigious perpendicular height, opened like
two folding doors, and exposed to view a magnificent palace in
the hollow of the mountain, which I supposed to be rather the
workmanship of genii than of men; for man could hardly have
attempted such a bold and surprising work.
But this, I must tell your majesty, was an afterthought which did
not occur to me at the moment; so eager was I for the treasures
which displayed themselves to my view, that I did not even stop
to admire the magnificent columns and arcades which I saw on all
sides; and, without attention to the regularity with which the
treasures were ranged, like an eagle seizing her prey, I fell
upon the first heap of golden coin that was near me. My sacks
were all large, and with my good will I would have filled them
all; but I was obliged to proportion my burden to the strength of
my camels. The dervish did the same; but I perceived he paid more
attention to the jewels, and when he told me the reason, I
followed his example, so that we took away much more jewels than
gold. When we had filled our sacks, and loaded our camels, we had
nothing left to do but to shut up the treasure and go our way.
But before we parted, the dervish went again into the treasury,
where there were a great many wrought vessels of gold of
different forms. I observed that he took out of one of these
vessels a little box of a certain wood, which I knew not, and put
it into his breast; but first shewed me that it contained only a
kind of glutinous ointment.
The dervish used the same incantations to shut the treasury as he
had done to open it; and after he pronounced certain words, the
doors closed, and the rock seemed as solid and entire as before.
We now divided our camels. I put myself at the head of the forty
which I had reserved for myself, and the dervish placed himself
at the head of the rest which I had given him. We came out of the
valley by the way we had entered, and travelled together till we
came to the great road, where we were to part; the dervish to go
to Bussorah, and I to Bagdad. To thank him for so great a
kindness, I made use of the most expressive terms, testifying my
gratitude for the preference he had given me before all other men
in letting me have a share of such riches. We embraced each other
with great joy, and taking our leave, pursued our different
routes.
I had not gone far, following my camels, which paced quietly on
in the track I had put them into, before the demon of ingratitude
and envy took possession of my heart, and I deplored the loss of
my other forty, but much more the riches wherewith they were
loaded. "The dervish," said I to myself, "has no occasion for all
this wealth, since he is master of the treasure, and may have as
much as he pleases;" so I gave myself up to the blackest
ingratitude, and determined immediately to take the camels with
their loading from him.
To execute this design, I first stopped my own camels, then ran
after the dervish, and called to him as loud as I could, giving
him to understand that I had something material to say to him,
and made a sign to him to stop, which he accordingly did.
When I came up to him, I said, "Brother, I had no sooner parted
from you, but a thought came into my head, which neither of us
had reflected on before. You are a recluse dervish, used to live
in tranquillity, disengaged from all the cares of the world, and
intent only upon serving God. You know not, perhaps, what trouble
you have taken upon yourself, to take care of so many camels. If
you would take my advice, you would keep but thirty; you will
find them sufficiently troublesome to manage. Take my word; I
have had experience."
"I believe you are right," replied the dervish, who found he was
not able to contend with me; "I own I never thought of this. I
begin already to be uneasy at what you have stated. Choose which
ten you please, and take them, and go on in God's keeping."
I set ten apart, and after I had driven them off, I put them in
the road to follow my others. I could not have imagined that the
dervish would be so easily persuaded to part with his camels,
which increased my covetousness, and made me flatter myself, that
it would be no hard matter to get ten more: wherefore, instead of
thanking him for his present, I said to him again; "Brother, the
interest I take in your repose is so great, that I cannot resolve
to part from you without desiring you to consider once more how
difficult a thing it is to govern thirty loaded camels,
especially for you who are not used to such work: you will find
it much better to return me as many more back as you have done
already. What I tell you is not for my own sake and interest, but
to do you the greater kindness. Ease yourself then of the camels,
and leave them to me, who can manage a hundred as well as one."
My discourse had the desired effect upon the dervish, who gave
me, without any hesitation, the other ten camels; so that he had
but twenty left and I was master of sixty, and might boast of
greater riches than any sovereign princes. Any one would have
thought I should now have been content; but as a person afflicted
with a dropsy, the more he drinks the more thirsty he is, so I
became more greedy and desirous of the other twenty camels.
I redoubled my solicitations and importunities, to make the
dervish condescend to grant me ten of the twenty, which he did
with a good grace: and as to the other ten he had left, I
embraced him, kissed his feet, and caressed him, conjuring him
not to refuse me, but to complete the obligation I should ever
have to him, so that at length he crowned my joy, by giving me
them also. "Make a good use of them, brother," said the dervish,
"and remember that God can take away riches as well as give them,
if we do not assist the poor, whom he suffers to be in want, on
purpose that the rich may merit by their charity a recompense in
the other world."