Chapter 11

I arrived at my father's capital, the usual place of his residence, where, contrary to custom, I found a great 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 proclaimed the grand vizier king instead of your father, who is dead; and I take you prisoner in the name of the new king. 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.

The rebel vizier had entertained a mortal hatred against me for a long time upon this occasion: 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 happened 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 it, I not only sent to make my excuse to him, but did it in person; yet he always resented it, and, as opportunity offered, made me sensible of it. But now, madam, that he had me in his power, he expressed his resentment in a very barbarous manner; for he came to me like a madman as soon as ever he saw me, and, thrusting his finger into my right eye, pulled it out himself; and so, madam, I became blind of one eye.

But the usurper's cruelty did not stop here; he ordered me to be shut up in a box, and commanded the executioner to carry me into the country to cut off my head, and leave me to be devoured by the birds of prey. The hangman and another carried me, thus shut up on horseback, into the country, in order to execute the usurper's barbarous sentence; but by my prayers and tears I moved the executioner's compassion. Go, says he, get you speedily out of the kingdom, and take heed of ever returning to it, otherwise you will certainly meet with 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, I comforted myself for the loss of my eye, by considering that I had very narrowly escaped a much greater danger.

Being in such a condition, I could not travel far at a time. I retired to remote places while it was day, and travelled as far by night as my strength would allow me. At last I arrived in the dominions of the king 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 also reduced to this deplorable condition? He told me how uneasy he was; that he could hear nothing of his son, notwithstanding all the diligence and inquiry he could make. At these words, the unfortunate father burst out into tears, and was so much affected, that, pitying his grief, it was impossible for me to keep the secret any longer; so that, notwithstanding the oath I had made to the prince my cousin, I told the king his father all that I knew.

His majesty listened to me with some sort of comfort, and when I had done, Nephew, says he, what you tell me gives me some hope. I know that my son ordered that tomb to be built, and I can guess pretty near at 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 alone, without saying any thing.

But he had another reason for keeping the matter secret, which he did not then tell me, and an important reason it was, as you will perceive by the sequel of my discourse.

We both of us disguised ourselves, and went out by a door of the garden which opened into the field, and soon found what we sought for. I knew the tomb, and was so much the more rejoiced at it, because I had formerly sought it a long time in vain. We entered, and found the iron trap pulled down upon the entrance of the stair-case; we had much ado to raise it, because the prince had fastened it on the inside with the water and mortar formerly mentioned; but at last we got it up.

The king my uncle went down first, I following, and we went down about fifty steps. When we came to the foot of the stairs, we found a sort of antichamber full of a thick smoke, and an ill scent, which obscured the lamp that gave a very faint light. From this antichamber we came into another, very large, supported by great columns, and lighted by several branched candlesticks. There was a cistern in the middle, with provisions of several sorts standing on one side of it; but we were very much surprised to see nobody. Before us there appeared a high sofa, which we mounted by several steps, and over this there appeared a very large bed, with the curtains drawn close. The king went up, and, opening the curtains, perceived the prince his son and the lady in bed together, but burnt and changed into a coal, as if they had been thrown into a great fire, and taken out again before they were consumed.

But that which surprised me most of all was, that though this spectacle filled me with horror, the king my uncle, instead of testifying his sorrow to see the prince his son in such a frightful condition, spit in his face, and says to him, with an 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 his son a great blow on the cheek with it.

I cannot enough express, Madam, said the calender how much I was astonished, when I saw the king my uncle abuse the prince his son, thus, after he was dead. Sir, said I, whatever grief this dismal sight is capable to impress upon me, I am forced to suspend it, on purpose to ask your majesty what crime the prince my cousin may have committed, that his corpse should deserve this sort of treatment? Nephew, replied the king, I must tell you that my son (who is unworthy of that name) loved his sister from his infancy, and so she did him: I did not hinder their growing love, because I did not foresee the pernicious consequences of it. This tenderness increased as they grew in years, and came 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 foulness of the passion he was entertaining, and the eternal disgrace he would bring upon my family if he persisted in such criminal courses, but I also represented the same thing to my daughter; and besides I shut her up so close, that she could have no conversation with her brother. But that unfortunate creature had swallowed so much of the poision, that all the obstacles, which by my prudence I could lay in the way, served only the more to inflame her love.

My son, being persuaded of his sister's constancy, on pretence of building a tomb, caused this subterraneous habitation to be made, in hopes to find one day or other an opportunity to possess himself of that object which was the cause of his flame, and to bring her hither. He laid hold on the time of my absence to enter by force into the place of his sister's confinement; but that is a thing which my honour would not suffer me to make public; and, after so damnable an action, he came and enclosed himself and her in this place, which he has supplied, as you see, with all sorts of provisions, that he might enjoy his detestable pleasures for a long time, 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 one who will better supply his place. And, upon some other reflections he made on the doleful end of the prince and princess, we both fell into a new fit of weeping.

We went up the same stairs again, and departed at last from this dismal place. We let down again the trapdoor, 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 very long got back to the palace unperceived by anyone, before 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 throne, who, with a vast number of troops, was also come to possess himself of that of the king my uncle.

That prince, who then had only his usual guards about him, could not resist so many enemies; they invested the city, and the gates being opened to them without any resistance, they very soon became masters of the city, and broke into the palace where the king my uncle was, who defended himself till he was killed, and sold his life at a dear rate. For my part I fought as well as I could for a while, but, seeing we were forced to submit to a superior power, I thought on my retreat and safety, which I had the good fortune to effect by some back ways, and got to one of the king'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 eyebrows 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 get out of my uncle's kingdom by taking the byeroads.

I avoided passing through towns, until I was got into the empire of the mighty governor of the Mussulmen, the glorious and renowned Caliph Haroun Alraschid, 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 monarch's feet, whose generosity is every where applauded. I shall move him to compassion, said I to myself, by the relation of my surprising misfortunes, and without doubt he will take pity on such an unfortunate 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 the evening, and standing still a little while to revive my spirits, and to consider on which hand I was to turn, this other calender you see here next me came also along; 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 this third calender you see there 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.

Meanwhile it was late, and we knew not where to seek a lodging in the city, where we had no acquaintance, nor had ever been before. But good fortune having brought us before your gate, we made bold to knock, when you received us with so much kindness, that we are incapable to return you suitable thanks. This, madam, (said he,) is, in obedience to your commands, the account I was, to give you why I lost my right eye, wherefore my beard and eye-brows are shaved, and how I came to be with you at this present time.

It is enough, says Zobeide, you may retire to what place you think fit. The calender made his excuse, and begged the ladies' leave to stay till he had heard the relations of his two comrades, whom I cannot, says he, leave with honour; and till he might also hear those of the three other persons that were in company.

The story of the first calender seemed very strange to the whole company, but especially to the caliph, who, though the slaves stood by with their scimitars in their hands, could not forbear whispering to the vizier, Many stories have I heard, but never any thing that came near the story of the calender. Whilst he was saying this, the second calender began, addressing himself to Zobeide.

THE STORY OF THE SECOND CALENDER, A KING'S SON.

Madam, said he, to obey your command, and to show you by what strange accident I became blind of the right eye, I must of necessity give you the whole account of my life.

I was scarcely past my infancy, when the king my father (for you must know, madam, I am a prince by birth) perceived that I was endowed with a great deal of sense, and spared nothing to improve it. He employed all the men in his dominions, who excelled in sciences and arts, to be constantly about me.

No sooner had I learned to read and write, than I learned the alcoran from the beginning to the 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 authors 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 alone 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 the poets, and in versification. I applied myself to geography, to chronology, and to speak our Arabian language in its purity; not forgetting, in the mean time, all such exercises as were proper for a prince to understand. But one thing I was mightily in love with, and succeeded in to admiration, was, to form the characters of our Arabian language, wherein I surpassed all the writing-masters of our kingdom, that had acquired the greatest reputation.

Fame did me more honour than I deserved, for she had not only spread the renown of my parts through all the dominions of the king my father, but carried it as far as the Indian court, whose potent monarch, desirous to see me, sent an embassador, with rich presents, to demand me of my father, who was extremely glad of this embassy for several reasons; for he was persuaded that nothing could be more commendable in a prince of my age, than to travel and see foreign courts; and, besides, he was very glad to gain the friendship of the Indian sultan. I departed with the embassador, but with no great retinue, because of the length and difficulty of the journey.

When we had travelled about a month, we discovered at a distance a great cloud of dust, and under that we saw very soon fifty horsemen well armed, that were robbers, coming towards us at full gallop.

As we had ten horses laden with baggage and other presents, which I was to present to the Indian sultan from the king my father, and that 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 embassadors belonging to the sultan of the Indies, and hoped they would attempt nothing contrary to the honour that is due to them, thinking to save our equipage and our lives; but the robbers most insolently replied, For what reason would you have us show any respect to the sultan your master? We are none of his subjects, nor are we upon his territories. And, having spoken thus, they surrounded and fell upon us. I defended myself as well as I could; but finding myself wounded, and seeing the embassador, with his servants and mine, lying on the ground, I made use of what strength yet remained in my horse, who was also very much wounded, and separated myself from the crowd, and rode away as fast as he could carry me; but he, happening all of a sudden to fall under me by weariness and the loss of blood, fell down dead; I got rid of him in a trice; and finding that I was not pursued, it made me judge the robbers were not willing to quit the booty they had got.

Here you see me alone, wounded, destitute of all help, and in a strange country. I durst not betake myself to 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 marched on the rest of the day, and arrived at the foot of a 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 situtate very advantageously, being surrounded with several rivers, so that it enjoyed a perpetual spring.

The pleasant objects which then presented themselves to my view, afforded me some joy, and suspended for a time the deep sorrow with which I was overwhelmed, to find myself in such a condition. My face, hands, and feet, were all tawny and sun-burnt, and by my long journey my shoes and stockings were quite worn out, so that I was forced to walk bare-footed; arid, besides, my clothes were all in rags. I entered into 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 me to be, made me sit down by him, and asked me who I was, and from whence I came, and what had brought me thither? I did not conceal any thing of all that had befallen me. nor made I any scruple to discover my quality.

The tailor listened with attention to my words; but after I had done speaking, he, instead of giving me any consolation, augmented my sorrow. Take heed, says he, how you discover to any person what you have now declared to me; for the prince of this country is the greatest enemy that the king your father has, and he will certainly do you some mischief when he comes to 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 must beg your pardon, madam, to pass it over in silence.

I returned the tailor thanks for his good advice, and showed myself inclinable wholly to follow his counsel, and assured him that his favours should never be forgotten by me. And as he believed I could not but be hungry, he caused them to bring me somewhat to eat, and offered me at the same time a lodging--in his house, which I accepted. Some days after, finding me pretty well recovered of the fatigue I had endured by a long and tedious journey, and, besides, being sensible that most princes of our religion did apply themselves to some art or calling that might stand them in stead upon occasion, he asked me if I had learned any thing whereby I might get a livelihood, and not be burdensome to any man? I told him that I understood the laws both divine and human; that I was a grammarian and poet; and, above all, that I understood writing perfectly well. By all this, says 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, says he, 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 down fire-wood, which you may bring to the market to be sold; and I can assure you it will turn to so good an account, that you may live by it without dependence upon any man: 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.

The fear of being known, and the necessity I was under of getting a livelihood, made me agree to this proposal, notwithstanding all the meanness and hardships that attend it. The day following, the tailor brought me a rope, a hatchet, and a short coat, and recommended me to some poor people that gained their bread after the same manner, that they might take me into their company. They conducted me to the wood, and the first day I brought in as much upon my head as brought me half a piece of gold, which is the money of that country; for though the wood is not far distant from the town, yet it was very scarce there, by reason that few or none would be at the trouble to go and cut it. I gained a good sum of money in a short time, and repaid my tailor what he had advanced for me.

I continued this way of living for a whole year; and one day that by chance I had gone further into the wood than usual, I happened to light on a very pleasant place, where I began to cut down wood; and, in pulling up the root of a tree, I espied an iron ring, fastened to a trap-door of the same metal. I took away the earth that covered it, and, having lifted it up, saw stairs, which I descended, with my axe in my hand.

When I was come to the bottom of the stairs, I found myself in a large palace, which put me into a mighty consternation, because of the great light which appeared as clear in it as if it had been above ground in the open air. I went forward along a gallery supported by pillars of jasper, the bases and chapiters of massy gold; but seeing a lady of a noble and free air, and of extraordinary beauty, coming towards me, this turned my eyes from beholding any other object but her alone.

Being desirous to spare the lady the trouble to come to me, I made haste to meet her; and as I was saluting her with a low bow, she asked me, What are you? a man or a genie? A man, madam, said I; I have no correspondence with genies. By what adventure, said she, (fetching a deep sigh,) are you come hither? I have lived here these twenty-five years, and never saw any man but yourself during that time.

Her great beauty, which had already smitten me, and the sweetness and civility wherewith she received me, made me bold to say to her, Madam, before I have the honour to satisfy your curiosity, give me leave to tell you that I am infinitely satisfied with this unexpected rencounter, which offers me an occasion of consolation in the midst of my affliction; and perhaps it may give me an opportunity to make you also more happy than you are. I gave her a true account by what strange accident she saw me, the son of a king, in such a condition as I then appeared in her presence; and how fortune would have it that I should discover the entrance into that magnificent prison, where I had found her, but in an uneasy condition, according to appearance.

Alas! prince, said she, (sighing once more,) you have just cause to believe this rich and pompous prison cannot be otherwise than a most wearisome abode; the most charming place in the world being nowise delightful when we are detained in it contrary to our will. It is not possible but you have heard of the great Epitimarus, king of the isle of Ebone, so called from that precious wood it produces in abundance; I am the princess his daughter.

The king my father had chosen for me a husband, a prince that was my cousin; but, on my wedding-night, in the midst of the rejoicing there was in the court and the capital city of the kingdom of the isle of Ebone, before I was given to my spouse, a genie took me away. I fainted at the same moment, and lost all my senses; but, when I came to myself again, I found myself in this place. I was a longtime inconsolable; but time and necessity have accustomed me to see and receive the genie. It is twenty-five years, as I told you before, that I have continued in this place, where, I must confess, I have every thing that I can wish for necessary to life; and also every thing that can satisfy a princess that loves nothing but fine dress and fashions.