Supplemental Nights to The Book of the Thousand and One Nights by Sir Richard Francis Burton (life changing books TXT) 📕

When it was the next month, behold , a little eunuch presented himself to me and said, “I am a messenger to thee from Such-an-one, who giveth thee to know that the Commander of the Faithful hath ordered her to be drowned, her those who are with her, six-and-twenty slavegirls, on such a day at Dayr al-Tin,[FN#477] for that they have confessed of lewdness, one against other and she sayeth to thee, �Look how thou mayest do with me and how thou mayest contrive to deliver me, even an thou gather together all my money and spend it upon me, for that this be the time of manhood.’”[FN#478] Quoth I, “I know not this woman; belike it is other than I to whom this message is sent; so beware, O Eunuch, lest thou cast me into a cleft.” Quoth he, “Behold, I have told thee that I had to say,” and went away, leaving me in sore concern on her account. Now when the appointed day came, I arose and changing my clothes and favour, donned sailor’s apparel; then I took with me a purse full of gold and buying a right good breakfast, accosted a boatman at Dayr al-Tin and sat down and ate with him; after which I asked him, “Wilt thou hire me thy boat?” Answered he, “The Commander of the Faithful hath commanded me to be here;” and he told me the tale of the concubines and how the Caliph purposed to drown them that day.

When I heard this from him, I brought out to him ten gold pieces and discovered to him my case, whereupon he said to me, “O my brother, get thee empty gourds, and when thy mistress cometh, give me to know of her and I will contrive the trick.” So I kissed his hand and thanked him and, as I was walking about, waiting, up came the guards and eunuchs escorting the women, who were weeping and shrieking and farewelling one another. The Castratos cried out to us, whereupon we came with the boat, and they said to the sailor, “Who be this?” Said he, “This is my mate whom I have brought to help me, so one of us may keep the boat whilst another doth your service.” Then they brought out to us the women, one by one, saying “Throw them in by the Island;” and we replied, “‘Tis well.” Now each of them was shackled and they had made fast about her neck a jar of sand. We did as the neutrals bade us and ceased not to take the women, one after other, and cast them in, till they gave us my mistress and I winked to my mate. So we took her and carried her out and cast her into mid-stream, where I threw to her the empty gourds[FN#479] and said to her, “Wait for me at the mouth of the Canal.”[FN#480] now there remained one woman after her: so we took her and drowned her and the eunuchs went away, whilst we dropped down the river till we came to where I saw my mistress awaiting me. we haled her into the canoe and returned to our pavilion. Then I rewarded the sailor and he took his boat and went away; whereupon quoth she to me, “Thou art indeed the friend ever faithful found for the shifts of Fortune.”[FN#481] and I sojourned with her some days; but the shock wrought upon her so that she sickened and fell to wasting away and redoubled in weakness till she died. I mourned for her and buried her; after which I removed all that was in the pavilion and abandoned the building. Now she had brought to that pavilion a little coffer of copper and laid it in a place whereof I knew not; so, when the Inspector of Inheritances[FN#482] came, he rummaged the house and found the coffer. Presently he opened it and seeing it full of jewels and seal-rings, took it, and me with it, and ceased not to put me to the question with beating and torment till I confessed the whole affair. Thereupon they carried me to the Caliph and I told him all that had passed between me and her; and he said to me, “O man, depart this city, for I release thee on account of thy courage and because of thy constancy in keeping thy secret and thy daring in exposing thyself to death.” So I arose forthwith and fared from his city; and this is what befel me.

Variants and Analogues of

Some of the Tales in

Volumes XI. and XII.

By. W. A. Clouston.

Author of “Popular Tales and Fictions: Their Mirgations and Transformations,” Etc.

Appendix Variants and Analogues of Some of the Tales in Volumes XI and XII By W. A. Clouston.

THE SLEEPER AND THE WAKER—Vol. XI. p. 1.

Few if the stories in the “Arabian Nights” which charmed our marvelling boyhood were greater favourites than this one, under the title of “Abou Hassan; or, the Sleeper Awakened.” What recked we in those days whence it was derived?—the story—the story was the thing! As Sir R. F. Burton observes in his first note, this is “the only one of the eleven added by Galland, whose original has been discovered in Arabic;”[FN#483] and it is probable that Galland heard it recited in a coffee-house during his residence in Constantinople. The plot of the Induction to Shakspeare’s comedy of “The Taming of the Shrew” is similar to the adventure of Ab� al-Hasan the Wag, and is generally believed to have been adapted from a story entitled “The Waking Man’s Fortune” in Edward’s collection of comic tales, 1570, which were retold somewhat differently in “Goulart’s Admirable and Memorable Histories,” 1607; both versions are reprinted in Mr. Hazlitt’s “Shakspeare Library,” vol. iv., part I, pp. 403-414. In Percy’s “Reliques of Ancient English Poetry” we find the adventure told in a ballad entitled “The Frolicksome Duke; or, the Tinker’s Good Fortune,” from the Pepys collection: “whether it may be thought to have suggested the hint to Shakspeare or is not rather of latter date,” says Percy, “the reader must determine:”

Now as fame does report, a young duke keeps a court, One that pleases his fancy with frolicksome sport: But amongst all the rest, here is one, I protest, Which will make you to smile when you hear the true jest: A poor tinker he found lying drunk on the ground, As secure in a sleep as if laid in a swownd.

The duke said to his men, William, Richard, and Ben, Take him home to my palace, we’ll sport with him then.

O’er a horse he was laid, and with care soon convey’d To the palace, altho’ he was poorly arrai’d; Then they stript off his cloaths, both his shirt, shoes, and hose,

And they put him in bed for to take his repose.

Having pull’d off his shirt, which was all over durt, They did give him clean holland, this was no great hurt: On a bed of soft down, like a lord of renown, They did lay him to sleep the drink out of his crown.

In the morning when day, then admiring[FN#484] he lay, For to see the rich chamber both gaudy and gay.

Now he lay something late, in his rich bed of state, Till at last knights and squires they on him did wait; And the chamberling bare, then did likewise declare, He desired to know what apparel he’d ware: The poor tinker amaz’d, on the gentleman gaz’d, And admired how he to this honour was rais’d.

Tho’ he seem’d something mute, yet he chose a rich suit, Which he straitways put on without longer dispute; With a star on his side, which the tinker offt ey’d, And it seem’d for to swell him no little with pride; For he said to himself, Where is Joan my sweet wife?

Sure she never did see me so fine in her life.

From a convenient place, the right duke his good grace Did observe his behavior in every case.

To a garden of state, on the tinker they wait, Trumpets sounding before him: thought he this is great: Where an hour or two, pleasant walks he did view, With commanders and squires in scarlet in blew.

A find dinner was drest, both for him and his guests, He was placed at the table above all the rest, In a rich chair, or bed, lin’d with fine crimson red, With a rich golden canopy over his head: As he sat at his meat, the musick play’d sweet, With the choicest of singing his joys to compleat.

While the tinker did dine, he had plenty of wine.

Rich canary with sherry and tent superfine, Like a right honest soul, faith, he took off his bowl, Till at last he began for to tumble and roul From his chair to the floor, where he sleeping did snore, Being seven times drunker than ever before.

Then the duke did ordain, they should strip him amain, And restore him his old leather garments again: ‘Twas a point next the worst, yet perform it they must, And they carry’d him strait, where they found him at first; Then he slept all the night, as indeed well he might, But when he did waken, his joys took their flight.

For his glory to him so pleasant did seem, That he thought it to be but a meer golden dream; Till at length he was brought to the duke, where he sought For a pardon as fearing he had set him at nought; But his highness he said, Thou’rt a jolly bold blade, Such a frolick before I think never was plaid.

Then his highness bespoke him a new suit and cloak, Which he gave for the sake of this frolicksome joak; Nay, and five hundred pound, with ten acres of ground Thou shalt never, said he, range the counteries round, Crying old brass to mend, for I’ll be thy good friend, Nay, and Joan thy sweet wife shall my duchess attend.

Then the tinker reply’d, What! must Joan my sweet bride Be a lady in chariots of pleasure to ride?

Must we have gold and land ev’ry day at command?

Then I shall be a squire I well understand: Well I thank your good grace, and your love I embrace, I was never before in so happy a case.

The same story is also cited in the “Anatomy of Melancholy,” part 2, memb. 4, from Ludovicus Vives in Epist.[FN#485] and Pont.

Heuter in Rerum Burgund., as follows: “It is reported of Philippus Bonus, that good Duke of Burgundy, that the said duke, at the marriage of Eleonora, sister to the King of Portugal, at Bruges in Flanders, which was solemnized in the deep of winter, when as by reason of the unseasonable (!) weather he could neither hawk nor hunt, and was now tyred with cards, dice, &c., and such other domestical sports, or to see ladies dance, with some of his courtiers, he would in the evening walk disguised all about the town. It so fortuned as he was walking late one night, he found a country fellow dead drunk, snorting on a bulk; he caused his followers to bring him to his palace, and there stripping him of his old clothes, and attiring him after the court fashion, when he waked, he and they were all ready to attend upon his excellency, persuading him that he was some great duke. The poor fellow, admiring how he came there, was served in state all the day long; after supper he saw them dance, heard musick, and the rest of those court-like pleasures; but late at night, when he was well-tipled, and again fast asleep they put on his old robes, and