Part 4

“As soon as the merchants were come, and had opened their shops, I took what I was indebted to each of those from whom I had purchased the stuffs on credit, and I had now no difficulty in getting others from them, which the lady had desired to see. I carried back with me as many as came to a thousand pieces of gold, all of which she took away with her, not only without paying for them, but without saying a word on the subject, or even informing me who she was, or where she lived. What astonished me the most was, that she ran no risk, and hazarded nothing, while I remained without the least security, and without any chance of being indemnified in case I should not see her again. ‘She has paid me, it is true,’ I said to myself, ‘a very large sum of money; but she has left me with a debt which is much more considerable. Is it possible she can intend to cheat me, and has thus, by paying me for the first quantity, only enticed me on to my more certain ruin? The merchants themselves do not know her, and depend only upon me for payment.’

“My love was not so powerful as to prevent me from making these distressing reflections. My fears kept increasing from day to day for one entire month, which passed on without my having any intelligence whatever of the lady. The merchants, at last, began to grow very impatient, and in order to satisfy them, I was going to sell off every thing I had; when, one morning, I saw her coming exactly with the same attendants as before. ‘Take your weights,’ she said to me, ‘and weigh the gold I have brought you.’ These few words put an end to all my fears, and redoubled my love.

“Before she began to count out the gold, she addressed several questions to me: and, among other things, she asked me if I were married. I told her I was not, nor ever had been. Giving then the gold to the eunuch, she said to him, ‘Come, let us have your assistance to settle our affairs.’ The eunuch could not help smiling, and taking me aside, he made me weigh the gold. While I was thus employed, the eunuch whispered in my ear as follows: ‘I have only to look at you, to be perfectly convinced you are desperately in love with my mistress; and I am only surprised that you have not sufficient courage to discover your passion to her. She loves you, if possible, to a still greater excess. Don’t suppose that she is in want of any of your stuffs; she only comes here, because you have inspired her with the most violent passion, and this was the reason of her asking you whether you were married. You have only to make known your sentiments by speech, and if you wish it, she will not stop short even of marrying you.’--‘It is true,’ I replied to the eunuch, ‘that I felt the sensations of love arise in my breast the very first moment I beheld your lady, but I never thought of aspiring to the hope of having pleased her. I am wholly her own, and shall not fail to remember the good office you have done me.’

“As soon as I had finished weighing the gold, and while I was putting it back into the bag, the eunuch went to the lady and said, that I was very well satisfied. This was the particular expression they had agreed upon between themselves. The lady, who was seated, immediately got up, and went away, telling me first, that she would send back the eunuch, and that I must do exactly as he directed.

“I then went to all the merchants to whom I was indebted, and paid them. After this, I waited with the greatest impatience for the arrival of the eunuch, but it was some days before he made his appearance. At length, however, he arrived.

“I conducted myself in the most kind and friendly manner towards him; and made many inquiries after the health of his mistress: ‘You certainly are,’ he said, ‘the happiest lover in all the world: she is absolutely dying for love of you. It is impossible you can be more anxious to see her, than she is for your company: and if she were able to follow her own inclinations, and act as she likes, she would instantly come to you, and gladly pass every moment of her future life with you.’--‘From her noble air and manner,’ I replied, ‘I have concluded, she is a lady of great rank and consequence.’--‘Nor are you deceived in this opinion;’ said the eunuch, ‘she is the favourite of Zobeidè, the caliph’s wife, who is the more strongly attached to her, as she brought her up from her earliest infancy; and her confidence in her is so great, that she employs her in every commission she wishes to have executed. From the desire which she has of being married, she has told her mistress, Zobeidè, that she has cast her eyes upon you; and has asked her consent to the match. Zobeidè has agreed to it, but has requested, in the first instance, to see you, that she may judge whether her favorite has made a good choice; and in case she approves of you, she will herself be at the expense of the wedding. You may be sure, therefore, that your happiness is certain. As you have pleased the favorite, you will equally please her mistress, whose sole wish is to afford her pleasure; and who has not the least desire of putting any restraint upon her inclination. The only thing, therefore, to be done, is to go to the palace; and this was the reason of my coming here. You must now tell me on what you will resolve.’--‘My resolution is already taken,’ I replied, ‘and I am ready to follow you, when, and wherever you choose to conduct me.’--‘That is well,’ said the eunuch, ‘but you must recollect, that no man is permitted to enter the apartments in the palace belonging to the ladies; and that you can be introduced there only by such means as will keep it a profound secret. The favourite has taken her measures for the purpose; and you must, on your part, do every thing to facilitate it; but, above all things, you must be discreet, or it may cost you your life.’

“I assured him that I would do every thing exactly as he ordered me. ‘You must then,’ he added, ‘this evening, at the very close of day, go to the mosque, which the lady Zobeidè has ordered to be built on the banks of the Tigris; and you must wait there till we come to you.’ I agreed to every thing he wished, and waited with the greatest impatience till the day was passed. When the evening commenced, I set out, and went to prayers, which began an hour and a half before sun-set, at the appointed mosque; and remained there till the very last.

“Almost immediately after prayers, I saw a boat come to shore, in which all the rowers were eunuchs. They landed, and brought a great number of chests into the mosque. This being done, they all went away, except one, whom I soon recognised to be the same that had accompanied the lady; and who had spoken with me that very morning. Directly after I saw the lady herself come in. I went up to her, and was informing her, that I was ready to obey all her orders, when she said, ‘We have no time to lose in conversation.’ She then opened one of the chests and ordered me to get in. ‘It is,’ she added, ‘absolutely necessary, both for your safety and mine. Fear nothing, and leave me to manage every thing.’ I had gone too far to recede at this moment: I did, therefore, as she desired, and she immediately shut down the top of the chest and locked it. The eunuch, who was in her confidence, then called the other eunuchs, who had brought the chests, and ordered them to be carried on board the boat again. The lady and the eunuch then embarked, and they began to row towards the apartments of Zobeidè.

“While I was in this situation, I had leisure to make the most serious reflections; and considering the danger I was in, I repented most heartily of having exposed myself to it. I both swore and prayed, but one was now as equally useless, and out of season, as the other.

“The boat came to shore exactly before the gate of the caliph’s palace: they landed the chests, which were all carried to the apartment of the officer of the eunuchs, who keeps the key of that belonging to the ladies, and who never permits any thing to be carried in, without having first examined it. The officer was gone to bed; it was therefore necessary to wake him and make him get up. He was, however, excessively out of humor at having his rest thus disturbed and broken in upon; he quarrelled with the favorite, because she returned so late: ‘You shall not finish your business so soon as you think,’ said he to her, ‘for not one of these chests shall pass, till I have opened and examined them most narrowly.’ He at the same time commanded the eunuch to bring them to him one after the other, that he might open them. They began by taking that in which I was shut up, and set it down before him. At this I was more terrified than I can express, and thought the last moment of my life was approaching.

“The favorite, who had the key, declared she would not give it him, nor suffer that chest to be opened. ‘You very well know,’ she said, ‘that I do not bring any thing in here, but what is for our mistress, Zobeidè. This chest is filled with very valuable articles, that have been intrusted to me by some merchants, who are just arrived. There are also a great many bottles of water from the fountain of Zemsem, at Mecca; [4] and if any one of them should happen to be broken, all the other things will be spoiled, and you will have to be answerable for them. The wife of the Commander of the Faithful too will know how to punish your insolence.’ She spoke this in so peremptory a tone, that the officer had not courage to persist in his resolution of opening either the chest in which I was, or any of the others, ‘Get along then,’ he angrily cried out, ‘go.’ The door of the ladies’ apartment was immediately opened, and the chests were all carried in.

“They were scarcely deposited there, before I suddenly heard the cry of ‘Here’s the caliph; the caliph is come.’ These words increased my fears to a still greater degree, and I was almost ready to die on the spot. It was in fact the caliph himself. ‘What have you got in those chests?’ said he to the Favourite.--‘Commander of the Faithful,’ she replied, ‘they are some stuffs lately arrived, which your majesty’s lady wished to have shewn to her.’--‘Open them,’ said he, ‘and let me see them also.’--She endeavoured to excuse herself, by saying they were only fit for females, and that it would deprive Zobeidè of the pleasure of seeing them before any one else.--‘Open them, I tell you,’ he answered, ‘I command you.’--She still remonstrated, and said, ‘that the queen would be very angry, if she did as his majesty ordered.’--‘No, no,’ he replied, ‘I will promise you, that she shall not reproach you: only open them, and do not make me wait so long.’

“It was then absolutely necessary to obey: my fears were again excited, and I tremble, even now, every time I think of it. The caliph seated himself, and the Favourite ordering all the chests, one after the other, to be brought, opened them, and displayed the stuffs before him. In order to prolong the business as much as possible, she pointed out to him the peculiar beauties of each individual stuff, in hopes of tiring his patience quite out; but she did not succeed. As the Favourite was not less anxious than myself not to have that chest opened in which I was, she did not hurry in having them brought to her. There now remained only one to examine. ‘Come,’ said the caliph, ‘let us make haste and finish: we have now only to see what is in that chest.’ At this instant I knew not whether I was alive or dead; nor could I possibly hope to escape so great a danger.

“When the Favourite saw that the caliph was determined she should open the chest in which I was, she said, ‘Your majesty must absolutely excuse me, and must do me the favour not to see what is in that chest: there are some things which I cannot shew except in the presence of the queen, my mistress.’--‘Well, then,’ replied the caliph, ‘I am content: let them carry the chests in.’--The eunuchs immediately took them up and placed them in her chamber, where I again began, as it were, to breathe.

“As soon as the eunuchs, who brought the chests in, were retired, she quickly opened that in which I was a prisoner. ‘Come out,’ she cried, and showing me a staircase, which led to a chamber above, ‘Go up, and wait for me there.’ She had hardly shut the door after me, when the caliph came in, and sat down upon the very chest in which I had been locked up. The motive of this visit was a certain fit of curiosity, which did not in the least relate to me. This prince only wished to ask the Favourite some questions as to what she had seen and heard in the city. They conversed a long time together: he at last left her, and went back to his own apartment.

“She was no sooner at liberty, than she came into the apartment in which I was, and made a thousand excuses for the alarms she had caused me. ‘My anxiety and fear,’ she said, ‘was not less than your own: of this you ought not to doubt, since I suffered both for you, from my great regard for you, and for myself, on account of the great danger I ran from a discovery. Any other, in my place, would not, I think, have had the address and courage to extricate themselves from so delicate a situation. It required not less boldness than presence of mind; or rather, it was necessary to feel the love for you I do, to get out of such an embarrassment; but compose yourself now, there is nothing more to fear.’ After we had entertained ourselves some time with mutual proofs of our affection, ‘But,’ she said, ‘you want repose; you are to sleep here, and I will not fail to present you to my mistress, Zobeidè, some time to-morrow. This is a very easy matter, as the caliph is with her only at night.’ Encouraged by this account, I slept with the greatest tranquillity; or, if my rest was at all interrupted, it was by the pleasant ideas that arose in my mind from the thoughts of possessing a lady of so much understanding and beauty.

“The next morning, before the Favourite of Zobeidè introduced me to her mistress, she instructed me how I ought to conduct myself in her presence. She informed me almost word for word what Zobeidè would ask me, and dictated such answers as I should make to her. She then led me into a hall, where every thing was very magnificent, very rich, and very appropriate. I had not been long there, before twenty female slaves, of a certain age, all dressed in rich and uniform habits, came out from the cabinet of Zobeidè, and immediately ranged themselves before the throne in two equal rows, with the greatest modesty and propriety. They were followed by twenty other female slaves, very young, and dressed exactly like the first, with the difference only, that their dress were much gayer. Zobeidè appeared in the midst of the latter with the most majestic air. She was so loaded with precious stones and jewels, that she could scarcely walk. She went immediately and seated herself upon the throne. I must not forget to mention, that her favourite lady accompanied her, and remained standing close on her right hand, while the female slaves were crowded altogether at a greater distance on both sides the throne.

“As soon as the consort of the caliph was seated, the slaves, who came in first, made a sign for me to approach. I advanced in the midst of two ranks, which they formed for that purpose, and prostrated myself, till my head touched the carpet which was under the feet of the princess. She ordered me to rise, and honoured me so far as to ask my name, my family, and the state of my fortune; in my answers to all of which I gave her perfect satisfaction. I was confident of this, not only from her manner, but she herself gave evident proofs of it, by a thousand kind things she had the condescension to say to me, ‘I have great satisfaction,’ said she, ‘in finding that my daughter, (this was the title by which she distinguished her Favourite), for as such I shall ever regard her, after the care I have taken of her education, has made such a choice. I entirely approve of it, and agree to your marriage. I will myself give orders for the preparations necessary in this affair. But before the ceremony takes place, I have occasion for my daughter for the next ten days, and during this time, I will take an opportunity of speaking to the caliph, and obtain his consent; till this period has passed, you shall remain here, and shall be well taken care of.’

“I spent these ten days in the female apartments, and during the whole of this time, I was deprived of the pleasure of seeing the Favourite, even for one moment: but I was so well treated through her orders, that I had great reason to be satisfied in every other respect.

“Zobeidè in the mean time informed the caliph of the determination she had taken to marry her Favourite; and this prince not only left her at liberty to act as she pleased in this matter, but even gave a large sum of money to the Favourite, as his share towards the formation of her establishment. The intermediate time at length elapsed, and Zobeidè had got a proper contract of marriage prepared, with all the necessary forms. Preparations for the nuptials were made; musicians and dancers of both sexes were ordered to hold themselves in readiness, and even nine days were spent, in which the greatest joy and festivity reigned through the palace. The tenth was the day appointed for the concluding ceremony of the marriage; the Favourite was conducted to a bath on one side, and I to one on the other. In the evening I sat down to table, and they served me with all sorts of dishes and ragouts; and among other things, there was a ragout made with garlic, similar to that you have now forced me to eat of. I found it so excellent, that I hardly touched any other dish. But, unfortunately for me, when I rose from table, I satisfied myself with only wiping my hands, instead of well washing them; this was a negligence that I believe I had never been before guilty of.

“As it was now night, they supplied the place of day-light by a grand illumination in all the ladies’ apartments. Instruments of music resounded through the building; they danced, they played a thousand sports, and all the palace re-echoed with exclamations of joy and pleasure. They introduced my bride and myself into a large hall, where we were seated upon two thrones. The females, who attended on her, changed her dress several times, as was the general practice on these occasions; and they also painted her face in different ways, according to a custom, peculiar to the day of marriage. Every time they thus changed her dress, they presented her to me.

“When all these ceremonies were finished, they conducted us into the bridal chamber, where we were no sooner left by ourselves than I approached my bride to embrace her. But instead of returning my transports, she forcibly repulsed me, and called out in the most lamentable and violent manner; so much so, that the women all rushed into the apartment, desirous of learning the reason of her screams. As for myself, my astonishment was so great, that I stood quite motionless, without having even power to ask the cause of all this. ‘What can possibly have happened to you,’ they said to my bride, ‘in the short time since we left you? inform us pray, that we may help you.’--‘Take away,’ she cried, ‘instantly take from my sight that infamous man.’--‘Alas, madam,’ I exclaimed, ‘how can I possibly have deservedly incurred your anger?’--‘You are a villain,’ said she, in the greatest rage. ‘You have eaten of garlic, and have not washed your hands. Do you think I will suffer a man, who can be guilty of so dirty and so filthy a negligence, to approach and stifle me with his embraces. Lay him on the ground,’ she added, speaking to the women, ‘and bring me a whip.’--They immediately threw me down; and while some held me by the arms, and others by the feet, my wife, who had been very diligently attended to, beat me without the least mercy, as long as she had any strength remaining. She then said to the females, ‘Take him to an officer of the police, and order him to cut off that hand with which he fed himself with the garlic ragout.’

“At these words I exclaimed, ‘Merciful God! I have been beaten and whipped, and, to complete my misfortune, I am still farther punished by having my hand cut off; and all for what? Because, truly, I have eaten of a ragout made with garlic, and have forgotten to wash my hands! What a trifling cause for such anger and revenge. Plague on the garlic ragout; I wish that the cook that made it, and the slave that served it up, were all at the bottom of the sea.’

“Every one of the women, however, who were present, and had seen me already so severely punished, pitied me very much, when they heard the Favourite talk of having my hand cut off. ‘My dear sister, and my good lady,’ said they to her, ‘do not carry your resentment so far. It is true, that he is a man who does not understand how to conduct himself, and who seems ignorant of your rank, and the respect that is due to you. We entreat you, however, not to take any farther notice of the fault he has committed, but to pardon him.’--‘I am not yet satisfied,’ she cried, ‘I wish to teach him how to live; and that he should bear such powerful marks of his ill-breeding, that he will never forget, as long as he lives, the having eaten garlic without remembering to wash his hands after it.’ They were not discouraged by this refusal; they threw themselves at her feet, and kissing her hand, ‘My good lady,’ they cried, ‘in the name of God, moderate your anger, and grant us the favour we ask of you.’ She did not answer them a single word; but got up, and after abusing me again, went out of the apartment. All the women followed her, and left me quite alone, in the greatest affliction imaginable.

“I remained here ten days, without ever seeing a soul except an old slave, who brought me something by way of food. I asked her for some information about the Favourite. ‘She is very ill,’ she said, ‘on account of the poisonous odour you made her breathe. Why did you not take care to wash your hands after eating of that diabolical ragout?’--‘Is it possible then,’ I answered, ‘that the delicacy and sensibility of these ladies is so great; and that they can be so vindictive for so slight a fault.’ I nevertheless still loved my wife in spite of her cruelty: and could not help pitying her.

“One day the old slave said to me, ‘Your bride is cured, she is gone to the bath, and she told me, that she intended to come and visit you to-morrow. Have therefore a little patience; and endeavour to accommodate yourself to her humour. She is very wise, and, indeed, very reasonable: and is moreover very much beloved by all the females that are in the service of Zobeidè, our respectable mistress.’

“My wife, in fact, came to see me the next day: and she immediately said to me, ‘You must necessarily think me very good to come and see you again, after the offence you have given me; but I cannot bring myself to be reconciled to you, till I have punished you as you deserve, for not washing your hands after having eaten of the ragout with garlic.’ She had no sooner said this, than she called to the women, who instantly entered, and laid me down upon the ground, according to her orders; and after they had bound me, she took a razor, and had the barbarity to cut off my two thumbs, and two great toes, with her own hands. One of the women immediately applied a certain root to stop the blood; but this did not prevent me from fainting, in consequence of both the quantity I lost, before the remedy took effect, and the great pain I suffered.