Arabian Nights Entertainments (1706)/Volume 1/The Story of the Three Calenders
The Twenty Eighth Night.
DInarzade according to Cuſtom, did not forget to call the Sultaneſs when it was time, Madam, ſays ſhe,I know not what’s the matter with me, but I know very well, that one of the Stories which you tell fo agreeably, would be a great Relief againſt that Melancholy which eats me up. Scheherazade, without anſwering her, began immeditely, and told the Sultan the following Story.
The Story of the three Callenders, Sons of Kings, and of the five Ladies of Bagdad.
SIR, ſaid ſhe, in the Reign of Caliph Haroun Alraſhid, there was at Bagdad, the Place of his Refidence. a Porter, who, notwithſtanding his mean and laborious Buſineſs, was a Fellow of Wit and good Humour. One Morning, as he was at the Place where he uſually ply’d, with a great Basket waiting for Employment, a young handſome Lady, covered with a great Muſlin Veil, came to him, and ſaid with a pleaſant Air, Hark ye, Porter, take your Basket and follow me. The Porter, charm’d with thoſe few Words pronounc’d in agreeable a manner, took his Basket immediately, ſet it on his Head, and follow’d the Lady, ſaying, O happy Day, a Day of good Luck.
The Lady ſtopp’d preſently before a Gate that was ſhut, and knock’d: A Chriſtian with a venerable long white Beard, open’d the Gate, and ſhe put Money into his Hand without ſpeaking one Word; but the Chriſtian, who knew what ſhe wanted, went in and in a little time after, brought a large Jugg of excellent Wine. Take this Jugg, ſays the Lady to the Porter, and put it in your Basket. This being done, ſhe commanded him to follow her, and as ſhe went on, the Porter ſays ſtill, O happy Day, this is a Day of agreeable Surprize and Joy.
The Lady ſtopp’d at a Fruit-Shop, where ſhe bought ſeveral forts of Apples, Apricocks, Peaches, Quinces, Limons, Citrons, Oranges, Myrtles, ſweet Baſil, Lillies, Jeſſamin, and ſome other ſorts of Flowers and Plants that ſmell well; ſhe bid the Porter put all into his Basket and follow her: As ſhe went by a Butcher’s Stall, ſhe made him weigh her Twenty five Pound of his beſt Meat; which ſhe order’d the Porter to put alſo into his Basket.
At another Shop, ſhe took Capers, Cucumbers, and other Herbs preferv’d in Vinegar: At another Shop, ſhe bought Piſtachoes, Walnuts, Small Nuts, Almonds, Kernels of Pine-Apples, and ſuch other Fruits; and of another, ſhe bought all ſorts of Confections. When the Porter had put all thoſe things into his Basket, and perceiv’d that it grew full, my good Lady, ſays he, you ought to have given me Notice that you had ſo much Proviſion to carry, and then I wou’d have got a Horſe, or rather a Camel to have carried them, for if you buy ever ſo little more, I ſhall not be able to carry it. The Lady laugh’d at the Fellow’s pleaſant Humour, and order’d him ſtill to follow her.
Then ſhe went to a Druggiſt, where ſhe furniſh’d her ſelf with all manner of ſweet-ſcented Waters, Cloves, Musk, Pepper, Ginger, and a great Piece of Ambergreeſe, and ſeveral other Indian Spices; this quite fill’d the Porter’s Basket, and ſhe order’d him to follow her. They walk’d till they came to a magnificent Houſe, whoſe Front was adorn’d with fine Columns, and which had a Gate of Ivory. There they ſtopp’d, and the Lady knock’d ſoftly.Here Scheherazade perceiving Day, broke off.
I muſt own, Siſter, ſays Dinarzade, the Beginning of this Story has a great deal of Curioſity, I ſancy the Sultan will not deprive himſelf of the Pleaſure of hearing the reſt of it; and indeed Schahriar was ſo ſar from ordering the Sultaneſs to be put to Death, that he long’d impaticntly next Night, to know what paſſed in the fine Houle.
The Twenty Ninth Night.
DInarzade being awak’d before Day, addreſſed the Sultaneſs thus: Siſter, if you be awake, I would pray you to continue the Hiſtory you began yeſterday, and Scheherazade went on with it thus:
While the young Lady and the Porter ſtaid for the opening of the Gate, the Porter had a thouſand Thoughts; he wonder’d that ſuch a fine Lady ſhould come abroad to buy Proviſions; he concluded ſhe could not be a Slave, her Air was too noble for that, and therefore he thought ſhe muſt needs be a Woman of Quality. Juſt as he was about to ask her ſome Queſtions upon that Head; another Lady came to open the Gate, and appear’d ſo beautiful to him that he was perfertly ſurpriz’d, or rather ſo much ſtruck with her Charms, that he was like to have let his Basket tall, for he had never ſeen any Beauty that came near her.
The Lady who brought the Porter with her, perceiving his Diſorder, and the Occaſion of it, diverted her ſelf with it, and took ſo much Pleaſure to examine his Looks, that ſhe forgot the Gate was open’d. Upon this the beautiful Lady ſays to her, Pray, Siſter, come in, what do you ſtay for? don’t you ſee this poor Man ſo heavy loaded, that he is ſcarce able to ſtand under it.
When ſhe enter’d with the Porter, the Lady who open’d the Gate ſhut it, and all Three after having gone thro’ a very fine Porch, came in to a ſpacious Court, encompaſs’d with an open Gallery, which had a Communication with ſeveral Apartments of a Floor, and extraordinary magnificent. There was at the further end of that Court a Sofa richly adorn’d with a Throne of Amber in the Middle of it, ſupported by four Columns of Ebony, enrich’d with Diamonds and Pearls of an extraordinary Size, and cover’d with a red Sattin, embroider’d with Indian Gold of admirable Workmanſhip, In the Middle of the Court there was a great Fountain, ſac’d with white Marble, and full of clear Water, which fell into it abundantly, out of the Mouth of a Lion of Braſs.
The Porter tho’ heavy loaden, could not but admire the Magnificence of this Houſe, and the excellent Order that every thing was plac’d in, but that which particularly captivated his Attention, was a third Lady, who ſeem’d to be a greater Beauty than the Second, and was ſat upon the Throne juft now mentioned; ſhe came down from it, as ſoon as ſhe ſaw the two former Ladies, and advane’d towards them: He judg’d by the Reſpect which the others ſhew’d her, that ſhe was the Chief, in which he was not miſtaken. This Lady was called Zobeide, ſhe who open’d the Gate was call’d Safie, and Amine was the Name of her who went out to buy the Proviſions.
Zobeide ſays to the two Ladies, when the came them, Siſters, don’t you ſee that this honeſt Man is like to ſink under his Burden, why don’t you eaſe him of it? Then Amine and Safie took the Basket, the one before and the other behind, and Zobeide alſo lent her Hand and all Three together ſet it on the Ground. They empty’d it, and when they had done; the beautiful Amine, took out Money and paid the Porter liberally. Day-light appearing, Scheherazade was oblig’d to keep ſilence; but Schahriar having a great Deſire to hear the reſt of the Story, he order’d the Sultaneſs to go on with it next Night.
The Thirtieth Night.
NExt Morning Dinarzade being awak’d by her Impatience to hear the reſt of the Story, ſays to the Sultaneſs, for the ſake of Heaven, Siſter, if you be not aſleep give us an Account what the Ladies did with the Proviſions bought by Amine; you ſhall quickly hear it, ſays Schehazade, if you liſten to my Story, which ſhe reſum’d as follows.
The Porter very well ſatisfy’d with the Money he had receiv’d, was to have taken up his Basket and be gone; but he could not tell how to think on’t. Do what he could, he found himſelf ſtopp’d by the Pleaſure of ſeeing Three ſuch Beauties, who appear’d to him equally charming; for Amine having now laid aſide her Veil, was as handſome as either of ’em. That which ſurpriz’d him moſt, was, that he ſaw never a Man about the Houſe, yet moſt of the Proviſions he brought in, as the dry Fruits and ſeveral ſorts of Cakes and Confections, were fit chiefly for thoſe who could drink and make merry.
Zobeide thought at firſt, that the Porter ſtaid only to take his Breath, but perceiving that he ſaid too long. What d’ye wait for, ſays ſhe, are you not well enough paid? and turning to Amine, ſays, Siſter, give him ſomething more, that he may depart ſatisfied. Madam, replies the Porter, it is not that which ſtays me, I am over and above paid: I am ſenſible that I am unmannerly to ſtay longer than I ought, but I hope you will be fo good as to pardon me if I tell you, that I am aſtoniſh’d to ſee that there’s no Man with three Ladies of ſuch extraordinary Beauty, and you know, that a Company of Women without Men, is as melancholy a thing, as a Company of Men without Women: To this he added ſeveral very pleaſant things to prove what he ſaid, and did not forget the Bagdad Proverb, That one is never well at Table, except there be four in Company; and ſo concluded, that ſince there were but Three they had need of a Fourth.
The Ladies fella laughing at the Porter’s Diſcourſe; after which Zobeide ſays to him very gravely, Friend, you are a little too bold, and tho’ you don’t deſerve that I ſhould enter into Particulars with you, yet I am willing to tell you that we are three Siſters, who do our Buſineſs ſo ſecretly, that no body knows any thing of it. We have too great Reaſon to be cautious of acquainting indiſcreet Perſons with them and a good Author that we have read, ſays, Keep your Secret, and don’t reveal it to any body. He that reveals it, is no longer Maſter of it. If your own Breaſt can’t keep your Secret, how do you think that another Perſon will keep it.
My Ladies, replies the Porter, by your very Air, I judg’d at firſt that you were Perſons of extraordinary Merit, and I conceive that I am not miſtaken; tho’ Fortune has not given me Wealth enough to raiſe me above my mean Profeſſion, yet I have not ſail’d to cultivate my Mind as much as I could, by reading Books of Science and Hiſtory; and allow me, it you pleaſe, to tell you, that I have alſo read in another Author, a Maxim which I have always happily practis’d: We dow’t conceal our Secret, ſays he, but from ſuch Perſons as are known to all the World to want Diſcretion, and would abuſe the Confidence we put in them; but we make no ſruple to diſcover them to prudent Perſons, becauſe we know they can keep them. A Secret with me is as ſureas if it were in a Cloſet, whoſe Key is loſt and the Door ſeal’d up.
Zobeide perceiv’d that the Porter did not want Senſe, but conceiving that he had a mind to have a ſhare in their Treat, ſhe replies to him, ſmiling, you know that we are about to have a Treat, and you know alſo that we have been at conſiderable Expence, and it is not juſt that you ſhould have a ſhare of it, without contributing towards it. The beautitul Safie ſeconded. her Silter, and ſays to the Porter, Friend, have you never heard that which is commonly ſaid, If you bring any thing with you, you ſhall be welcome; but if you bring nothing, you muſt get you gone with nothing.
The Porter notwithſtanding his Rhetorick, muſt in all probability have retir’d in Confuſion, if Amine had not taken his part, and ſaid to Zobeide and Safie, my dear Siſters, I conjure you to let him ſtay with us; I need not tell you that he will divert us, you ſee well enough he is capable of that: I muſt needs tell you, that without he had been very wiling, as well as nimble, and hardy enough to follow me, I could not have done ſo much Buſineſs in ſo little time, beſides, ſhould I repeat to you all the obliging Expreſſions, he had to me by the way, you would not be ſurpriz’d at my, protecting him.
Art thoſe Words of Amine, the Porter was ſo much tranfported with Joy, that he fell on his Knees, kiſs’d the Ground at the Feet of that charming Perſon, and raiſing himſelf up, ſays, moſt beautiful Lady, you began my good Fortune to-day, and now you compleat ir by this generous Action, I cannot enough teſtify my Acknowledgment for it. As to what remains, my Ladies, adds be, addreſling himſelf to all the three Siſters, ſince you do me ſo great Honour, don’t think that I will abuſe it, or look upon my ſelf as a Perſon that deſerves it. No, I ſhall always look upon myſelf as one of your moſt humble Slaves. When he had ſpoke theſe Words, he would have return’d the Money he had receiv’d, but the grave Zeboide ordered him to keep it. That which we have once given, ſays ſhe, to reward thoſe who have ſerved us, we never take again.Here Day began to dawn, which put Scheherazade to ſilence.
Dinarzade, who liſten’d with a great deal of Attention, was much troubled at it, but had this Comfort however, that the Sultan who was as curious as ſhe to know what paſs’d betwixt the three beautiful Ladies and the Porter, order’d the Sultaneſs to go on with the reſt of the Story next Night, and roſe up to go about his Buſineſs,
The End of the Firſt Yolume