Part 94

One day as they were talking upon this subject, as I have since been informed by them both, Saadi affirmed that poverty proceeded from men’s being born poor, or spending their fortunes in luxury and debauchery, or by some of those unforeseen fatalities which are not extraordinary. My opinion, said he, is, that most people’s poverty is owing to their wanting at first a sufficient sum of money to raise them above want, by employing their industry to improve it: for, said he, if they once had such a sum, and made a right use of it, they would not only live well, but would infallibly grow rich in time.

Saad could not come into his sentiments. The way, said he, which you propose to make a poor man rich, is not so certain as you imagine. Your plan is very hazardous, and I can bring many good arguments against your opinions, but that they will carry us too far. I believe, with as much probability, that a poor man may become rich by other means, as well as by money: and there are people who have raised as great and surprising fortunes by mere chance, as others have done by money, with all their good economy and management to increase it by the best conducted trade.

Saad, replied Saadi, I see we shall not come to any determination by my persisting in opposing my opinion against yours. I will make an experiment to convince you, by giving, for example, a sum of money to some artisan, whose ancestors from father to son have always been poor, and lived only from day to day, and died as arrant beggars as they were born. If I have not the success I expect, you shall try if you will have better by the means you shall use.

Some days after this dispute, these two friends happened to walk out together, and passing through the street where I was at work in my stall, at my trade of rope-making, which I learnt of my father, who learnt of his, and he of his ancestors; and by my dress and equipage it was no hard matter for them to guess at my poverty.

Saad, remembering Saadi’s engagement, said, If you have not forgot what you said to me, there is a man, pointing to me, whom I can remember a long time working at his trade of rope-making, and in the same poverty: he is a worthy subject for your liberality, and a proper person for you to make your experiment upon. I remember it so well, replied Saadi, that I have ever since carried a sufficient sum about me to do it, but only waited for an opportunity of being together, that you might be witness of the fact. Let us go to him, and know if he is really necessitous.

The two friends came to me, and I, seeing that they had a mind to speak to me, left off work. They both accosted me with the common salutation, and Saadi wishing me peace, asked me my name.

I returned their salutation, and answered their question, saying to him, Sir, my name is Hassan; but by reason of my trade, I am commonly known by the name of Hassan Alhabbal.

Hassan, replied Saadi, as there is no trade but what a man may live by, I doubt not but yours produces enough for you to live well; and I am amazed, that the long time you have worked at your trade, you have not saved enough to lay in a good stock of hemp to extend your manufacture and employ more hands, by the profit of whose work you would soon increase your income.

Sir, replied I, you will be no longer amazed I have not saved money, and taken the way you mention to become rich, when you come to know that let me work as hard as I can from morning till night, I can hardly get enough to keep my family in bread and pulse. I have a wife and five children, not one of whom is old enough to be of the least assistance to me. I must keep them and clothe them, and in our poor way of living, they still want a thousand necessaries, which they cannot do without. And though hemp is not very dear, I must have money to buy it. This is the first thing I do with any money I receive for my work; otherwise, if I should neglect to do so, I and my family must starve.

Now judge, Sir, added I, if it is possible, that I should save any thing for myself and family: it is enough that we are content with the little that God sends us, and that we have not the knowledge nor desire of what we want, but can live as we have always been bred up, and are not reduced to beg.

When I had given Saadi this account, he said to me, Hassan, I am not so much surprised, as I was, and I comprehend what obliges you to be content in your station. But if I should make a present of a purse of two hundred pieces of gold, would not you make a good use of it? and do not you believe, that with such a sum you could become soon as rich as the principal of your profession?

Sir, replied I, you seem to be so good a gentleman, that I am persuaded you would not banter me, but that the offer you make me, is serious; and I dare say, without presuming too much upon myself, that a much less sum would be sufficient, not only to make me as rich as the principal of our profession, but that in time I should be richer than all of them in this city together, though Bagdad is so large and populous.

The generous Saadi showed me immediately that in what he said he was serious. He pulled a purse out of his bosom, and putting it into my hands, said, Here, take this purse; you will find it contains two hundred pieces of gold: I pray God bless you with them, and give you grace to make the good use of them I desire; and believe me, my friend Saad, whom you see here, and I, shall both take great pleasure in finding we may contribute in making you more happy than you now are.

Commander of the faithful, when I had got the purse, the first thing I did was to put it into my bosom; but the transport of my joy was so great, and I was so much penetrated with gratitude, that my speech failed me, and I could give my benefactor no other tokens of my gratitude, than to lay hold of the hem of his garment and kiss it; but he drew it from me; and he and his friend pursued their walk.

As soon as they were gone, I returned to my work again, and my first thought was, what I should do with my purse to keep it safe. I had in my poor house neither box nor cupboard to lock it up in, nor any other place where I could be sure it would not be discovered if I had it.

In this perplexity, as I had been used, like many poor people of my sort, to put the little money I had in the folds of my turban, I left my work, and went into the house, under pretence of wrapping my turban up anew. And I took such precautions that neither my wife nor children saw what I was doing. But first I laid aside ten pieces of gold for present necessaries, and wrapt the rest up in the folds of the linen which went about my cap.

The principal expense I was at that day, was to lay in a good stock of hemp, and afterwards, as my family had eaten no flesh meat a long time, I went to the shambles, and bought something for supper.

As I was carrying the meat I had bought home in my hand, a famished kite flew upon me, and would have taken away my meat, if I had not held it very fast; but, alas! I had better parted with it than lost my money; the fester I held my meat, the more the bird struggled to get it, drawing me sometimes on one side, and sometimes on another; but would not quit the prize, till unfortunately by my efforts the turban fell on the ground.

The kite immediately let go his hold, and seizing on my turban before I could pick it up, flew away with it. I cried out so loud, that I frightened all the men, women, and children in the neighbourhood, who joined their shouts and cries to make the kite quit his hold; for by that means these sort of voracious birds are often forced to quit their prey. But our cries did not frighten this kite; he carried off my turban, and we soon lost sight of him before he dropt it, and it would have been in vain for me to fatigue myself with running after him.

I went home very melancholy at the loss of my turban and money. I was obliged to buy a new turban, which diminished the small remainder of the ten pieces; for I had laid out a deal in hemp. The little that was left was not sufficient to give me reason to gratify the great hopes I had conceived.

But what troubled me most was the little satisfaction I should be able to give my benefactor for his ill-placed generosity, when he should come to hear what a misfortune I had met with, which he would perhaps look upon as incredible, and consequently an idle excuse.

While the remainder of the ten pieces lasted, my little family and I lived the better for it; but I soon relapsed into the same poverty, and the same inability to extricate myself from wretchedness. However, I never murmured nor repined. God, said I, was pleased to give me riches when I least expected them; he has thought fit to take them from me again almost at the same time, because it so pleased him, and they were at his disposal; yet I will praise his name for all the benefits I have received, as it was his good pleasure, and submit myself, as I have ever done hitherto, to his will.

These were my sentiments, while my wife, from whom I could not keep secret the loss I had sustained, was inconsolable. In my trouble I had told my neighbours, that when I lost my turban, I lost a hundred and ninety pieces of gold; but as they knew my poverty, and could not comprehend how I should have got so great a sum by my work, they only laughed at me.

About six months after this my misfortune, which I have related to your majesty, the two friends walking through that part of the town where I lived, the neighbourhood put Saad in mind of me. We are now, said he to Saadi, not far from the street where Hassan Alhabbal lives; let us call and see what use he made of the two hundred pieces of gold you gave him, and whether they have enabled him to take any steps towards bettering his fortune.

With all my heart, replied Saadi; I have been thinking of him some days, and it will be a great pleasure and satisfaction to me to have you with me, as a witness of the proof of my proposal. You will see a great alteration. I expect we shall hardly know him again.

Just as Saadi said this, these two friends turned the corner of the street, and Saad, who perceived me first at a distance, said to his friend, I believe you reckon without your host; I see Hassan Alhabbal, but can discern no change in his person, for he is as ill-dressed as when we saw him before; the only difference that I can perceive is, his turban looks something better. Observe him yourself, and see whether I am in the wrong.

As they drew nearer to me, Saadi saw me too, and found Saad was in the right, but could not tell to what he should attribute the little alteration he saw in my person; and was so much amazed, that he could not speak when he came up to me. Well, Hassan, said Saad, we do not ask you how affairs go since we saw you last; without doubt they are in a better train.

Gentlemen, replied I, addressing myself to them both, I have the great mortification to tell you, that your desires, wishes, and hopes, as well as mine, have not had the success you had reason to expect, and I promised myself; you will scarce believe the extraordinary adventure that has befallen me. I assure you, nevertheless, on the word of an honest man, and you ought to believe me, for nothing is more true than what I am going to tell you. Then I related to them my adventures, with the same circumstances I had the honour to tell your majesty.

Saadi rejected my discourse, and said, Hassan, you joke with me, and would deceive me; for what you say is a thing incredible. What have kites to do with turbans? they only search for something to satisfy their hunger. You have done as all such sort of people as you generally do: if they have made any extraordinary gain, or any good fortune happens to them, which they never expected, they throw aside their work, take their pleasure, and make merry, while the money lasts; and when they have eaten and drank it all out, are reduced to the same necessity and want as before. You would not be so miserable, but because you deserve it, and render yourself unworthy of any good action done to you.

Sir, replied I, I bear all these reproaches, and am ready to bear as many more, if they were more severe, and all with the more patience, because I do not think I deserve them. The thing is so publicly known in this part of the town, that there is nobody but can satisfy you of the truth of it. If you inquire, you will find that I do not impose upon you. I own, I never heard talk of kites flying away with turbans; but this has actually happened to me, as a great many other things, which do not fall out every day, and yet have actually happened.

Saad took my part, and told Saadi a great many as surprising stories of kites, some of which he affirmed he knew to be true, insomuch that at last he pulled his purse out of his bosom, and counted out two hundred pieces of gold into my hand, which I put into my bosom for want of a purse.

When Saadi had told me out that sum, he said to me, Hassan, I make you a present of these two hundred pieces; but take care to put them in a safer place, that you may not lose them so unfortunately as you have done the others, and employ them in such a manner that they may procure you the advantages that the others would have done. I told him that the obligation of this his second kindness was much greater than I deserved, after what had happened, and that I should be sure to make good use of his advice. I would have said a great deal more, but he did not give me time, but went away, and continued his walk with his friend.

As soon as they were gone, I left off work and went home, and finding neither my wife nor children within, I pulled out my money, put ten pieces by, and wrapt up the rest in a clean linen cloth, tying it fast with a knot; but then I was to consider where I should hide this linen cloth, that it might be safe. After I had considered some time, I bethought of laying it at the bottom of a great earthen vessel full of bran, which stood in a corner, where I imagined neither my wife nor children would look into. My wife came home soon after, and as I had but very little hemp in the house, I told her I should go out to buy some, without saying any thing to her about the two friends.

While I was out, a sand-man, who sells scouring sand, which women use in baths, passed through our street, and called, Sand, ho! My wife, who wanted some, called him: but as she had no money, she asked him, if he would make an exchange of some sand for some bran. The sand-man asked to see the bran. My wife showed him the pot; the bargain was made; she had the scouring sand, with which she filled a lean-to which I had made to the house, and the sand-man took the pot and bran along with him.

Not long after, I came home, loaded with as much hemp as I could carry, and followed by five porters loaded also with the same. After I had satisfied them for their trouble, I sat down to rest myself; and, looking about me, could not see the pot of bran.

It is impossible for me to express to your majesty my surprise, and the effect it had on me at the moment. I asked my wife hastily what was become of it: and she told me the bargain she had made with the sand-man, which she thought to be a very good one.

Ah! unfortunate woman! cried I, you know not the injury you have done me, yourself, and our children, by making that bargain, which has ruined us quite. You thought only of selling the bran, but with the bran you have enriched the sand-man with a hundred and ninety pieces of gold, which Saadi with his friend came and made me a second present of.

My wife was like one stark mad, when she knew what a fault she had committed through ignorance. She cried, beat her breast, and tore her hair and clothes. Unhappy wretch that I am, cried she, am I fit to live after so horrid a mistake? Where shall I find this sand-man? I know him not; I never saw him in our street before. Oh! husband, added she, you was very much in the wrong to be so reserved in a matter of such importance! This had never happened, if you had communicated the secret to me. In short, I should never make an end of my story, if I were to tell your majesty what her grief made her say. You are not ignorant how eloquent women often are in their afflictions.

Wife, said I, moderate your grief; by your weeping and howling you will alarm all the neighbourhood, and there is no reason they should be informed of our misfortunes. They will only laugh at us, instead of pitying us. We had best bear our loss patiently, and submit ourselves to the will of God, and bless him, for that out of two hundred pieces of gold which he had given us, he has taken back but one hundred and ninety, and left us ten, which, by the use I shall make of them, will be a great relief to us.

My wife at first did not relish all these my arguments; but as time softens the greatest misfortunes, and makes them more supportable, she at last grew easy, and had almost forgotten them. It is true, said I to her, we live but poorly; but what have the rich, which we have not? Do not we breathe the same air, enjoy the same light, and the same warmth of the sun? Therefore what conveniences have they more than we, that we should envy their happiness? They die as well as we. In short, while we live in the fear of God, as we should always do, the advantage they have over us is so very inconsiderable, that we ought not to regard it.

I will not tire your majesty any longer with my moral reflections. My wife and I comforted ourselves, and I pursued my trade with as much alacrity as before these two mortifying losses, which followed one another so quickly. The only thing that troubled me sometimes was, how I should look Saadi in the face when he should come and ask me how much I had improved his two hundred pieces of gold, and advanced my fortune by his liberality. I saw no remedy but to resolve to submit to the confusion I should feel, though it was by no fault of mine, this time, any more than before, that this misfortune had happened.

The two friends stayed away longer this time than the former, though Saad had often spoken to Saadi, who always put it off; for, said he, the longer we stay away, the richer Hassan will be, and I shall have the greater satisfaction.

Saad, who had not the same opinion of the effect of his friend’s generosity, made answer, You fancy then that your present will have been turned to a better account this time than before. I would advise you not to flatter yourself too much, for fear you should be more sensibly mortified if it should prove otherwise. Why, replied Saadi, kites do not fly away with turbans every day; and Hassan will be more cautious this time.

I do not doubt of it, replied Saad; but, added he, there are other accidents that neither you nor I can think of; therefore, I say again, moderate your joy, and do not depend too much on Hassan’s good success; for to tell you what I think, and what I always thought, (whether you like to hear it or not), I have a secret foresight, that you will not have succeeded, and that I shall succeed better than you in proving that a poor man may sooner become rich by any other means than by money.

In short, one day, when Saad and Saadi were together, and were disputing upon this subject, Saad observed that enough had been said: I am resolved, said he, to inform myself this very day, what has passed; it is time for walking; let us not lose it, but go see which of us has lost the wager. I saw them at a distance, was terribly concerned, and was just going to leave my work, and to run and hide myself. However, I appeared very earnest at work, made as if I had not seen them, and never lifted up my eyes till they were close to me, and had saluted me, and then I could not help it I hung down my head, and told them my last misfortune, with all the circumstances, and that I was as poor as when they first saw me.

After that, I added, you may say that I ought to have hid my money in another place than in a pot of bran, which was carried out of my house that same day: but that pot had stood there many years, and had never been removed, whenever my wife parted with the bran. Could I guess that a sand-man should come by that very day, and my wife would have no money, and would make such an exchange? You may indeed allege, that I ought to have told my wife of it; but I will never believe that such prudent persons, as I am persuaded you are, would have given me that advice; and if I had put my money any where else, what certainty could I have had that it would be more safe?

I see, sir, said I, addressing myself to Saadi, that it has pleased God, whose ways are secret and impenetrable, that I should not be enriched by your liberality, but that I must be poor; however, the obligation is the same as if it had wrought the desired effect.

After these words, I was silent; and Saadi replied, Though I would persuade myself, Hassan, that all you tell us is true, and not owing to your debauchery or ill management, yet I must not be extravagant, and ruin myself for the sake of an experiment. I do not regret in the least the four hundred pieces of gold I gave you to raise you in the world. I did it out of respect to God, without expecting any recompense but the pleasure of doing good. If any thing makes me repent, it is that I did not address myself to another, who might have made a better use of my charity. Then turning about to his friend, Saad, continued he, you may know by what I have said, that I do not entirely give up the cause. You may now make your experiment, and let me see, that there are ways, besides giving money, to make a poor man’s fortune in the way we both mean. Let Hassan be the man. I dare say, whatever you give him he will not be richer than he was with four hundred pieces of gold. Saad had a piece of lead in his hand, which he showed Saadi. You saw me, said he, take up this piece of lead, which I found on the ground; I will give it to Hassan; and you shall see what it is worth.

Saadi burst out a laughing at Saad. What is that bit of lead worth? said he; a farthing? What can Hassan do with that? Saad presented it to me, and said, Take it, Hassan: let Saadi laugh: you will tell us some news of the good luck it has brought one time or another. I thought Saad was in jest, and had a mind to divert himself; however, I put the lead in my pocket, and thanked him. The two friends pursued their walk, and I fell to work again.

At night, when I pulled off my clothes to go to bed, the piece of lead, which I had never thought of from the time he gave it me, tumbled out of my pocket. I took it up, and laid it on the first place that was nearest to me. The same night it happened that a fisherman, a neighbour, mending his nets, found a piece of lead wanting; and it being too late to buy any, since the shops were shut up, and he must either fish that night or his family go without bread the next day, he called to his wife, and bid her inquire among the neighbours for a piece. She went from door to door on both sides of the street, but could not get any, and came back again to tell her husband so. He asked her if she had been to several of their neighbours, naming them, and among the rest Hassan Alhabbal’s house. No, indeed, said the wife, I have not been there; that was too far off, and if I had gone, do you think I should have found any? I know by experience they never have any thing when one wants it. No matter, said the fisherman; you are an idle hussy; you must go there; for though you have been there a hundred times before, without getting any thing, you may chance to get what we want now. You must go.