There was a king who had a son that loved hunting. He allowed him
to pursue that diversion often; but gave orders to his grand
vizier always to attend him.
One hunting day, the huntsman having roused a deer, the prince,
who thought the vizier followed him, pursued the game so far, and
with so much earnestness, that he separated himself from the
company. Perceiving he had lost his way he stopped, and
endeavoured to return to the vizier; but not knowing the country
he wandered farther.
Whilst he was thus riding about, he met on his way a handsome
lady, who wept bitterly. He stopped his horse, and enquired who
she was, how she came to be alone in that place, and what she
wanted. "I am," replied she, "the daughter of an Indian king. As
I was taking the air on horseback, in the country, I grew sleepy,
and fell from my horse, who is run away, and I know not what is
become of him." The young prince taking compassion on her,
requested her to get up behind him, which she willingly did.
As they were passing by the ruins of a house, the lady expressed
a desire to alight. The prince stopped, and having put her down,
dismounted himself, and went near the building, leading his horse
after him. But you may judge how much he was surprised, when he
heard the pretended lady utter these words: "Be glad, my
children, I bring you a young man for your repast;" and other
voices, which answered immediately, "Where is he, for we are very
hungry?"
The prince heard enough to convince him of his danger. He
perceived that the lady, who called herself the daughter of an
Indian king, was one of those savage demons, called Gholes, who
live in desolated places, and employ a thousand wiles to surprise
passengers, whom they afterwards devour. The prince instantly
remounted his horse, and luckily escaped.
The pretended princess appeared that very moment, and perceiving
she had missed her prey, exclaimed, "Fear nothing, prince: Who
are you? Whom do you seek?" "I have lost my way," replied he,
"and am endeavouring to find it." "If you have lost your way,"
said she, "recommend yourself to God, he will deliver you out of
your perplexity."
After the counterfeit Indian princess had bidden the young prince
recommend himself to God, he could not believe she spoke
sincerely, but thought herself sure of him; and therefore lifting
up his hands to heaven, said, "Almighty Lord, cast shine eyes
upon me, and deliver me from this enemy." After this prayer, the
ghole entered the ruins again, and the prince rode off with all
possible haste. He happily found his way, and arrived safe at the
court of his father, to whom he gave a particular account of the
danger he had been in through the vizier's neglect: upon which
the king, being incensed against that minister, ordered him to be
immediately strangled.
"Sir," continued the Grecian king's vizier, "to return to the
physician Douban, if you do not take care, the confidence you put
in him will be fatal to you; I am very well assured that he is a
spy sent by your enemies to attempt your majesty's life. He has
cured you, you will say: but alas! who can assure you of that? He
has perhaps cured you only in appearance, and not radically; who
knows but the medicine he has given you, may in time have
pernicious effects?"
The Grecian king was not able to discover the wicked design of
his vizier, nor had he firmness enough to persist in his first
opinion. This discourse staggered him: "Vizier," said he, "thou
art in the right; he may be come on purpose to take away my life,
which he may easily do by the smell of his drugs."
When the vizier found the king in such a temper as he wished,
"Sir," said he, "the surest and speediest method you can take to
secure your life, is to send immediately for the physician
Douban, and order his head to be struck off." "In truth," said
the king, "I believe that is the way we must take to frustrate
his design." When he had spoken thus, he called for one of his
officers, and ordered him to go for the physician; who, knowing
nothing of the king's purpose, came to the palace in haste.
"Knowest thou," said the king, when he saw him, "why I sent for
thee?" "No, Sir," answered he; "I wait till your majesty be
pleased to inform me." "I sent for thee," replied the king, "to
rid myself of thee, by taking away thy life."
No man can express the surprise of the physician, when he heard
the sentence of death pronounced against him. "Sir," said he,
"why would your majesty take my life? What crime have I
committed?" "I am informed," replied the king, "that you came to
my court only to attempt my life; but to prevent you, I will be
sure of yours. Give the blow," said he to the executioner, who
was present, "and deliver me from a perfidious wretch, who came
hither on purpose to assassinate me."
When the physician heard this cruel order, he readily judged that
the honours and presents he had received from the king had
procured him enemies, and that the weak prince was imposed on. He
repented that he had cured him of his leprosy; but it was now too
late. "Is it thus," asked the physician, "that you reward me for
curing you?" The king would not hearken to him, but a second time
ordered the executioner to strike the fatal blow. The physician
then had recourse to his prayers; "Alas, Sir," cried he, "prolong
my days, and God will prolong yours; do not put me to death, lest
God treat you in the same manner."
The fisherman broke off his discourse here, to apply it to the
genie. "Well, genie," said he, "you see that what passed betwixt
the Grecian king and his physician Douban is acted just now by
us."
The Grecian king, continued he, instead of having regard to the
prayers of the physician, who begged him to spare his life,
cruelly replied, "No, no; I must of necessity cut you off,
otherwise you may assassinate with as much art as you cured me."
The physician, without bewailing himself for being so ill
rewarded by the king, prepared for death. The executioner tied
his hands, and was going to draw his cimeter.
The courtiers who were present, being moved with compassion,
begged the king to pardon him, assuring his majesty that he was
not guilty of the crime laid to his charge, and that they would
answer for his innocence: but the king was inflexible.
The physician being on his knees, his eyes tied up, and ready to
receive the fatal blow, addressed himself once more to the king:
"Sir," said he, "since your majesty will not revoke the sentence
of death, I beg, at least, that you would give me leave to return
to my house, to give orders about my burial, to bid farewell to
my family, to give alms, and to bequeath my books to those who
are capable of making good use of them. I have one particularly I
would present to your majesty; it is a very precious book, and
worthy of being laid up carefully in your treasury." "What is
it," demanded the king, "that makes it so valuable?" "Sir,"
replied the physician, "it possesses many singular and curious
properties; of which the chief is, that if your majesty will give
yourself the trouble to open it at the sixth leaf, and read the
third line of the left page, my head, after being cut off, will
answer all the questions you ask it." The king being curious,
deferred his death till next day, and sent him home under a
strong guard.
The physician, during that time, put his affairs in order; and
the report being spread, that an unheard of prodigy was to happen
after his death, the viziers, emirs, officers of the guard, and,
in a word, the whole court, repaired next day to the hall of
audience, that they might be witnesses of it.
The physician Douban was brought in, and advancing to the foot of
the throne, with a book in his hand, he called for a basin, and
laid upon it the cover in which the book was wrapped; then
presenting the book to the king, "Take this," said he, "and after
my head is cut off, order that it be put into the basin upon that
cover; as soon as it is placed there, the blood will stop; then
open the book, and my head will answer your questions. But permit
me once more to implore your majesty's clemency; for God's sake
grant my request, I protest to you that I am innocent." "Your
prayers," answered the king, "are in vain; and were it for
nothing but to hear your head speak after your death, it is my
will you should die." As he said this, he took the book out of
the physician's hand, and ordered the executioner to do his duty.
The head was so dexterously cut off that it fell into the basin,
and was no sooner laid upon the cover of the book than the blood
stopped; then to the great surprise of the king, and all the
spectators, its eyes, and said, "Sir, will your majesty be
pleased to open the book?" The king proceeded to do so; but
finding that the leaves adhered to each other, that he might turn
them with more ease, he put his finger to his mouth, and wetted
it with spittle. He did thus till he came to the sixth leaf, and
finding no writing on the place where he was desired to look for
it, "Physician," said he, "there is nothing written." "Turn over
some more leaves," replied the head. The king went on, putting
always his finger to his mouth, until the poison with which each
leaf was imbued, coming to have its effect, the prince found
himself suddenly taken with an extraordinary fit, his eye-sight
failed, and he fell down at the foot of the throne in violent
convulsions.
When the physician Douban, or rather his head, saw that the
poison had taken effect, and that the king had but a few moments
to live; "Tyrant," it cried, "now you see how princes are
treated, who, abusing their authority, cut off innocent men: God
punishes soon or late their injustice and cruelty." Scarcely had
the head spoken these words, when the king fell down dead, and
the head itself lost what life it had.
As soon as the fisherman had concluded the history of the Greek
king and his physician Douban, he made the application to the
genie, whom he still kept shut up in the vessel. "If the Grecian
king," said he, "had suffered the physician to live, God would
have continued his life also; but he rejected his most humble
prayers, and the case is the same with thee, O genie! Could I
have prevailed with thee to grant me the favour I supplicated, I
should now take pity on thee; but since, notwithstanding the
extreme obligation thou west under to me, for having set thee at
liberty, thou didst persist in thy design to kill me, I am
obliged, in my turn, to be equally hard-hearted to thee."
"My good friend fisherman," replied the genie, "I conjure thee
once more, not to be guilty of such cruelty; consider, that it is
not good to avenge one's self, and that on the other hand, it is
commendable to do good for evil; do not treat me as Imama
formerly treated Ateca." "And what did Imama to Ateca?" enquired
the fisherman. "Ho!" says the genie, "if you have a mind to be
informed, open the vessel: do you think that I can be in an
humour to relate stories in so strait a prison? I will tell you
as many as you please, when you have let me out." "No," said the
fisherman, "I will not let thee out; it is in vain to talk of it;
I am just going to throw thee into the bottom of the sea." "Hear
me one word more," cried the genie; "I promise to do thee no
hurt; nay, far from that, I will shew thee a way to become
exceedingly rich."
The hope of delivering himself from poverty, prevailed with the
fisherman. "I could listen to thee," said he, "were there any
credit to be given to thy word; swear to me by the great name of
God, that you will faithfully perform what you promise, and I
will open the vessel; I do not believe you will dare to break
such an oath."
The genie swore to him, upon which the fisherman immediately took
off the covering of the vessel. At that instant the smoke
ascended, and the genie having resumed his form, the first thing
he did was to kick the vessel into the sea. This action alarmed
the fisherman. "Genie," said he, "will not you keep the oath you
just now made? And must I say to you, as the physician Douban
said to the Grecian king, suffer me to live, and God will prolong
your days."
The genie laughed at the fisherman's fear, and answered, "No,
fisherman, be not afraid, I only did it to divert myself, and to
see if thou wouldst be alarmed at it: but to convince thee that I
am in earnest, take thy nets and follow me." As he spoke these
words, he walked before the fisherman, who having taken up his
nets, followed him, but with some distrust. They passed by the
town, and came to the top of a mountain, from whence they
descended into a vast plain, which brought them to a lake, that
lay betwixt four hills.
When they reached the side of the lake, the genie said to the
fisherman, "Cast in thy nets, and catch fish; "the fisherman did
not doubt of taking some, because he saw a great number in the
water; but he was extremely surprised, when he found they were of
four colours, that is to say, white, red, blue, and yellow. He
threw in his nets, and brought out one of each colour. Having
never seen the like before, he could not but admire them, and
judging that he might get a considerable sum for them, he was
very joyful. "Carry those fish," said the genie to him, "and
present them to thy sultan; he will give thee more money for
them. Thou mayest come every day to fish in this lake; but I give
thee warning not to throw in thy nets above once a day, otherwise
thou wilt repent." Having spoken thus, he struck his foot upon
the ground, which opened, and after it had swallowed him up
closed again.
The fisherman being resolved to follow the genie's advice,
forbore casting in his nets a second time; and returned to the
town very well satisfied; and making a thousand reflections upon
his adventure. He went immediately to the sultan's palace, to
offer his fish.
The sultan was much surprised, when he saw the four fish which
the fisherman presented. He took them up one after another, and
viewed them with attention; and after having admired them a long
time, "Take those fish," said he to his vizier, "and carry them
to the cook, whom the emperor of the Greeks has sent me. I cannot
imagine but that they must be as good as they are beautiful."
The vizier, carried them as he was directed, and delivering them
to the cook, said, "Here are four fish just brought to the
sultan; he orders you to dress them:" he then returned to the
sultan his master, who ordered him to give the fisherman four
hundred pieces of gold of the coin of that country, which he did
accordingly.
The fisherman, who had never seen so much money, could scarcely
believe his good fortune, but thought the whole must be a dream,
until he found it otherwise, by being able to provide necessaries
for his family with the produce of his fish.
As soon as the sultan's cook had gutted the fish, she put them
upon the fire in a frying-pan, with oil, and when she thought
them fried enough on one side, she turned them upon the other;
but, O monstrous prodigy! scarcely were they turned, when the
wall of the kitchen divided, and a young lady of wonderful beauty
entered from the opening. She was clad in flowered satin, after
the Egyptian manner, with pendants in her ears, a necklace of
large pearls, and bracelets of gold set with rubies, with a rod
in her hand. She moved towards the frying-pan, to the great
amazement of the cook, who continued fixed by the sight, and
striking one of the fish with the end of the rod, said, "Fish,
fish, are you in duty?" The fish having answered nothing, she
repeated these words, and then the four fish lifted up their
heads, and replied, "Yes, yes: if you reckon, we reckon; if you
pay your debts, we pay ours; if you fly, we overcome, and are
content." As soon as they had finished these words, the lady
overturned the frying-pan, and returned into the open part of the
wall, which closed immediately, and became as it was before.
The cook was greatly frightened at what had happened, and coming
a little to herself, went to take up the fish that had fallen on
the hearth, but found them blacker than coal, and not fit to be
carried to the sultan. This grievously troubled her, and she fell
to weeping most bitterly. "Alas!" said she, "what will become of
me? If I tell the sultan what I have seen, I am sure he will not
believe me, but will be enraged against me."
While she was thus bewailing herself, the grand vizier entered,
and asked her if the fish were ready? She told him all that had
occurred, which we may easily imagine astonished him; but without
speaking a word of it to the sultan, he invented an excuse that
satisfied him, and sending immediately for the fisherman, bid him
bring four more such fish, for a misfortune had befallen the
others, so that they were not fit to be carried to the sultan.
The fisherman, without saying any thing of what the genie had
told him, in order to excuse himself from bringing them that day,
told the vizier, he had a great way to go for them, but would
certainly bring them on the morrow.
Accordingly the fisherman went away by night, and coming to the
lake, threw in his nets betimes next morning, took four fish like
the former, and brought them to the vizier, at the hour
appointed. The minister took them himself, carried them to the
kitchen, and shutting himself up with the cook, she gutted them,
and put them on the fire, as she had done the four others the day
before. When they were fried on one side, and she had turned them
upon the other, the kitchen wall again opened, and the same lady
came in with the rod in her hand, struck one of the fish, spoke
to it as before, and all four gave her the same answer.
After the four fish had answered the young lady, she overturned
the frying-pan with her rod, and retired into the wall. The grand
vizier, being witness to what had passed: "This is too wonderful
and extraordinary," said he, "to be concealed from the sultan; I
will inform him of this prodigy."
The sultan, being much surprised, sent immediately for the
fisherman, and said to him, "Friend, cannot you bring me four
more such fish?" The fisherman replied, "If your majesty will be
pleased to allow me three days, I will do it." Having obtained
his time, he went to the lake immediately, and at the first
throwing in of his net, he caught four fish, and brought them
directly to the sultan; who was so much the more rejoiced, as he
did not expect them so soon, and ordered him four hundred pieces
of gold. As soon as the sultan had the fish, he ordered them to
be carried into his closet, with all that was necessary for
frying them; and having shut himself up with the vizier, the
minister gutted them, put them into the pan, and when they were
fried on one side, turned them upon the other; then the wall of
the closet opened, but instead of the young lady, there came out
a black, in the habit of a slave, and of a gigantic stature, with
a great green staff in his hand. He advanced towards the pan, and
touching one of the fish with his staff, said with a terrible
voice, "Fish, are you in your duty?" At these words, the fish
raised up their heads, and answered, "Yes, yes; we are: if you
reckon, we reckon; if you pay your debts, we pay ours; if you
fly, we overcome, and are content."
The fish had no sooner finished these words, than the black threw
the pan into the middle of the closet, and reduced the fish to a
coal. Having done this, he retired fiercely, and entering again
into the aperture, it closed, and the wall appeared just as it
did before.
"After what I have seen," said the sultan to the vizier, "it will
not be possible for me to be easy: these fish, without doubt,
signify something extraordinary." He sent for the fisherman, and
when he came, said to him, "Fisherman, the fish you have brought
us, make me very uneasy; where did you catch them?" "Sir,"
answered he, "I fished for them in a lake situated betwixt four
hills, beyond the mountain that we see from hence." "Knowst thou
not that lake?" said the sultan to the vizier. "No," replied the
vizier. "I never so much as heard of it, although I have for
sixty years hunted beyond that mountain." The sultan asked the
fisherman, how far the lake might be from the palace? The
fisherman answered, it was not above three hours journey; upon
this assurance, the sultan commanded all his court to take horse,
and the fisherman served them for a guide. They all ascended the
mountain, and at the foot of it they saw, to their great
surprise, a vast plain, that nobody had observed till then, and
at last they came to the lake, which they found to be situated
betwixt four hills as the fisherman had described. The water was
so transparent, that they observed all the fish to be like those
which the fisherman had brought to the palace.
The sultan stood upon the bank of the lake, and after beholding
the fish with admiration, demanded of his courtiers, if it were
possible they had never seen this lake, which was within so short
a distance of the town. They all answered, that they had never so
much as heard of it.
"Since you all agree that you never heard of it, and as I am no
less astonished than you are, at this novelty, I am resolved not
to return to my palace till I learn how this lake came here, and
why all the fish in it are of four colours." Having spoken thus,
he ordered his court to encamp; and immediately his pavilion and
the tents of his household were planted upon the banks of the
lake.
When night came, the sultan retired under his pavilion, and spoke
to the grand vizier. thus: "Vizier, my mind is uneasy: this lake
transported hither; the black that appeared to us in my closet,
and the fish that we heard speak; all these things so much excite
my curiosity, that I cannot resist my impatient desire to have it
satisfied. To this end, I am resolved to withdraw alone from the
camp, and I order you to keep my absence secret: stay in my
pavilion, and to-morrow morning, when the emirs and courtiers
come to attend my levee, send them away, and tell them, that I am
somewhat indisposed, and wish to be alone; and the following days
tell them the same thing, till I return."
The grand vizier. endeavoured to divert the sultan from this
design; he represented to him the danger to which he might be
exposed, and that all his labour might perhaps be in vain: but it
was to no purpose; the sultan was resolved. He put on a suit fit
for walking, and took his cimeter; and as soon as he found that
all was quiet in the camp, went out alone, and passed over one of
the hills without much difficulty; he found the descent still
more easy, and when he came to the plain, walked on till the sun
arose, and then he saw before him, at a considerable distance, a
vast building. He rejoiced at the sight, in hopes of receiving
there the information he sought. When he drew near, he found it
was a magnificent palace, or rather a strong castle, of black
polished marble, and covered with fine steel, as smooth as glass.
Being highly pleased that he had so speedily met with something
worthy his curiosity, he stopped before the front of the castle,
and considered it with attention.
He then advanced towards the gate, which had two leaves, one of
them open; though he might immediately have entered, yet he
thought it best to knock. This he did at first softly, and waited
for some time; but seeing no one, and supposing he had not been
heard, he knocked harder the second time, and after that he
knocked again and again, but no one yet appearing, he was
exceedingly surprised; for he could not think that a castle in
such repair was without inhabitants. "If there be no one in it,"
said he to himself, "I have nothing to fear; and if it be
inhabited, I have wherewith to defend myself."
At last he entered, and when he came within the porch, he cried,
"Is there no one here to receive a stranger, who comes in for
some refreshment as he passes by?" He repeated the same words two
or three times; but though he spoke very loud, he was not
answered. The silence increased his astonishment: he came into a
spacious court, and looked on every side for inhabitants, but
discovered none.
The sultan entered the grand halls, which were hung with silk
tapestry, the alcoves and sofas were covered with stuffs of
Mecca, and the porches with the richest stuffs of India, mixed
with gold and silver. He came afterwards into a superb saloon, in
the middle of which was a fountain, with a lion of massy gold at
each angle: water issued from the mouths of the four lions; and
as it fell, formed diamonds and pearls, resembling a jet d'eau,
which springing from the middle of the fountain, rose nearly to
the top of a cupola painted in Arabesque.
The castle, on three sides, was encompassed by a garden, with
parterres of flowers, shrubbery, and whatever could concur to
embellish it; and to complete the beauty of the place, an
infinite number of birds filled the air with their harmonious
notes, and always remained there, nets being spread over the
garden, and fastened to the palace to confine them. The sultan
walked from apartment to apartment, where he found every thing
rich and magnificent. Being tired with walking, he sat down in a
verandah or arcade closet, which had a view over the garden,
reflecting what he had already seen, and then beheld: when
suddenly he heard the voice of one complaining, in lamentable
tones. He listened with attention, and heard distinctly these
words: "O fortune! thou who wouldst not suffer me longer to enjoy
a happy lot, forbear to persecute me, and by a speedy death put
an end to my sorrows. Alas! is it possible that I am still alive,
after so many torments as I have suffered!"
The sultan rose up, advanced toward the place whence he heard the
voice; and coming to the door of a great hall, opened it, and saw
a handsome young man, richly habited, seated upon a throne raised
a little above the ground. Melancholy was painted on his
countenance. The sultan drew near, and saluted him; the young man
returned his salutation by an inclination of his head, not being
able to rise, at the same time saying, "My lord, I should rise to
receive you; but am hindered by sad necessity, and therefore hope
you will not be offended." "My lord," replied the sultan, "I am
much obliged to you for having so good an opinion of me: as to
the reason of your not rising, whatever your apology be, I
heartily accept it. Being drawn hither by your complaints, and
afflicted by your grief, I come to offer you my help; would to
God that it lay in my power to ease you of your trouble! I would
do my utmost to effect it. I flatter myself that you will relate
to me the history of your misfortunes; but inform me first of the
meaning of the lake near the palace, where the fish are of four
colours? whose this castle is? how you came to be here? and why
you are alone?"
Instead of answering these questions, the young man began to weep
bitterly. "How inconstant is
fortune!" cried he; "she takes pleasure to pull down those she
had raised. Where are they who enjoy quietly the happiness which
they hold of her, and whose day is always clear and serene?"
The sultan, moved with compassion to see him in such a condition,
prayed him to relate the cause of his excessive grief. "Alas! my
lord," replied the young man, "how is it possible but I should
grieve, and my eyes be inexhaustible fountains of tears?" At
these words, lifting up his robe, he shewed the sultan that he
was a man only from the head to the girdle, and that the other
half of his body was black marble.
The sultan was much surprised, when he saw the deplorable
condition of the young man. "That which you shew me," said he,
"while it fills me with horror, excites my curiosity, so that I
am impatient to hear your history, which, no doubt, must be
extraordinary, and I am persuaded that the lake and the fish make
some part of it; therefore I conjure you to relate it. You will
find some comfort in so doing, since it is certain, that the
unfortunate find relief in making known their distress." "I will
not refuse your request," replied the young man, "though I cannot
comply without renewing my grief. But I give you notice before
hand, to prepare your ears, your mind, and even your eyes, for
things which surpass all that the imagination can conceive."