The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, vol 13 by Sir Richard Francis Burton (summer reading list txt) 📕

she took her leave she whispered my wife, “See that thou tell the matter to none; and, if thou have a mind to sell it at once send me word.” Now the Jew was sitting in his shop when his wife went to him and told him of the bit of glass. Quoth he, “Go straightway back and offer a price for it, saying that ‘tis for me. Begin with some small bidding, then raise the sum until thou get it.” The Jewess thereupon returned to my house and offered twenty Ashrafis, which my wife deemed a large sum to give for such a trifle; however, she would not close the bargain. At that moment I happened to leave my work and, coming home to our noon meal, saw the two women talking on the threshold; and my wife stopped me, saying, “This neighbour biddeth twenty Ashrafis to price for the piece of glass, but I have as yet given her no reply. What sayest thou?” Then I bethought me of what Sa’d had told me; to wit, that much wealth would come to me by virtue of his leaden coin. The Jewess seeing how I hesitated bethought her that I would not consent to the price; so quoth she, “O neighbour, an thou wilt not agree to part with the bit of glass for twenty pieces of gold, I will e’en give thee fifty.” Hereat I reflected that whereas the Jewess raised her offer so readily from twenty golden pieces to fifty, this glass must surely be of great value; so I kept silence and answered her not a word. Then noting that I still held my peace she cried, “Take then one hundred: this be its full value; nay I know not in very deed if my husband will consent to so high a price.” Said I in reply, “O my good woman, why talk so foolishly?

I will not sell it for aught less than an hundred thousand[FN#285] gold coins; and thou mayest take it at that price but only because thou art neighbour to us.” The Jewess raised her offer coin by coin to fifty thousand Ashrafis and said, “I pray thee wait till morning and sell it not till then, so that my man may come round and see it.” “Right willingly,”

quoth I; “by all manner of means let thy husband drop in and inspect it.”—And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till

 

The end of the Six Hundred and Twenty-first Night.

 

Then said she:—I have heard, O auspicious King, that Hasan al-Habbal thus continued his story.— Next day the Jew came to my house and I drew forth and showed to him the diamond which shone and glittered in my palm with light as bright as any lamp’s.

Presently, assured that all which his wife had told him of its water and lustre was strictly true, he took it in hand and, examining it and turning it about, marvelled with mighty marvel at its beauty saying, “My wife made offer of fifty thousand gold pieces: see now I will give thee yet another twenty thousand.”

Said I, “Thy wife hath surely named to thee what sum I fixed to wit, one hundred thousand Ashrafis and naught less: I shall not abate one jot or tittle of this price.” The Jew did all he could to buy it for a lesser sum; but I answered only, “It mattereth naught; an thou desire not to come to my terms I must needs sell it to some other jeweller.” At length he consented and weighed me out two thousand gold pieces by way of earnest-money, saying, “Tomorrow I will bring the amount of my offer and carry off my diamond.” To this I gave assent and so, on the day following, he came to me and weighed out the full sum of one hundred thousand Ashrafis, which he had raised amongst his friends and partners in business. Then I gave him the diamond which had brought me such exceeding wealth, and offered thanks to him and praises unto Almighty Allah for this great good Fortune gotten unawares, and much I hoped soon to see my two friends, Sa’d and Sa’di, and to thank them likewise. So first I set my house in order and gave spending-money to my wife for home necessaries and for clothing herself and children; moreover, I also bought me a fine mansion and furnished it with the best. Then said I to my wife, who thought of nothing save rich clothes and high diet and a life of ease and enjoyment, “It behoveth us not to give up this our craft: we must needs put by some coin and carry on the business.”

Accordingly, I went to all the ropemakers of the city and buying with much money several manufactories put them to work, and over each establishment I set an overseer, an intelligent man and a trustworthy, so that there is not now throughout Baghdad-city a single ward or quarter that hath not walks and workshops of mine for rope making. Nay, further, I have in each town and every district of Al-Irak warehouses, all under charge of honest supervisors; and thus it is that I have amassed such a muchel of wealth. Lastly, for my own especial place of business I bought another house, a ruined place with a sufficiency of land adjoining; and, pulling down the old shell, I edified in lieu thereof the new and spacious edifice which thy Highness hath deigned yesterday to look upon. Here all my workmen are lodged and here also are kept my office-books and accounts; and besides my warehouse it containeth apartments fitted with furniture in simple style all sufficient for myself and my family. After some time I quitted my old home, wherein Sa’d and Sa’di had seen me working, and went and lived in the new mansion and not long after this removal my two friends and benefactors bethought them that they would come and visit me They marvelled much when, entering my old workshop, they found me not, and they asked the neighbours, “Where dwelleth such and such a ropemaker? Is he alive or dead?” Quoth the folk “He now is a rich merchant; and men no longer call him simply ‘Hasan,’ but entitle him ‘Master Hasan the Ropemaker.’ He hath built him a splendid building and he dwelleth in such and such a quarter.” Whereupon the two familiars set forth in search of me; and they rejoiced at the good report; albeit Sa’di would by no means be convinced that all my wealth had sprung (as Sa’d contended) from its root, that small leaden coin. Presently, conning the matter over in his mind he said to his comrade, “It delighteth me much to hear of all this good fortune which hath betided Hasan, despite that he twice deceived me and took from me four hundred gold pieces, whereby he hath gotten to himself these riches; for it is absurd to think that it hath come from the leaden coin thou gavest him. Withal I do forgive him and owe him no grudge.” Replied the other, “Thou art mistaken. I know Hasan of old to be a good man and true: he would not delude thee and what he told us is simple sooth. I am persuaded in my mind that he hath won all his wealth and opulence by the leaden coin: however we shall hear anon what he may have to say.” Conversing thus they came into the street wherein I now dwell and, seeing a large and magnificent mansion and a new made, they guessed it was mine. So they knocked and, on the porter opening, Sa’di marvelled to see such grandeur and so many folk sitting within, and feared lest haply they had unwittingly entered the house of some Emir. Then plucking courage he enquired of the porter, “Is this the dwelling place of Khwajah Hasan al-Habbal?”—And as the morn began to dawn Shahrazed held her peace till

 

The end of the Six Hundred and Twenty-second Night.

 

Then said she:—I have heard, O auspicious King, that Hasan al-Habbal continued thus his story:—The porter made reply, “This is verily the house of Khwajah Hasan al-Habbal; he is within and he sitteth in his office. I pray thee enter and one of the slaves will make known thy coming to him.” Hereupon the two friends walked in, and as soon as I saw them I recognised them, and rising up to them I ran and kissed the hems of their garments.

They would fain have fallen on my neck and embraced me, but with meekness of mind I would not suffer them so to do; and presently I led them into a large and spacious saloon, and bade them sit upon the highmost seats of honour. They would have constrained me to take the best place, but I exclaimed “O my lords, I am on no wise better than the poor ropemaker Hasan, who not unmindful of your worth and goodness ever prayeth for your welfare, and who deserveth not to sit in higher stead than you.” Then they took seat and I opposite them, when quoth Sa’di, “My heart rejoiceth with exceeding joy to see thee in this condition, for that Allah hath given thee all even as thou wishedst. I doubt not thou has gotten all this abundance and opulence by means of the four hundred gold pieces which I gave to thee; but say me truly wherefore didst thou twice deceive me and bespeak me falsely?”

Sa’d listened to these words with silent indignation, and ere I could make reply he broke out saying, “O Sa’di, how often have I assured thee that all which Hasan said aforetime anent the losing of the Ashrafis is very sooth and no leasing?” Then they began to dispute each with other; when I, recovering from my surprise, exclaimed, “O my lords, of what avail is this contention? Be not at variance, I beseech you, on my account. All that had befallen me I made known to you; and, whether ye believe my words or ye believe them not, it mattereth but little. Now hearken to the whole truth of my tale.” Then I made known to them the story of the piece of lead which I had given to the fisherman and of the diamond found in the fish’s belly; brief, I told them every whit even as I have now related to thy Highness. On hearing all my adventure Sa’di said, “O Khwajah Hasan, it seemeth to me passing strange that so great a diamond should be found in the belly of a fish; and I deem it a thing impossible that a kite should fly off with thy turband, or that thy wife should give away the jar of bran in exchange for fuller’s earth. Thou sayest the tale is true, still can I not give credit to thy words, for I know full well that the four hundred gold pieces have gotten thee all this wealth.” But when they twain rose up to take their leave, I also arose and said, “O my lords, ye have shown favour to me in that ye have thus deigned visit me in my poor home. I beseech you now to taste of my food and to tarry here this night under your servant’s roof; as tomorrow I would fain take you by the way of the river to a country house which I have lately bought.” Hereto they consented with some objections; and I, after giving orders for the evening meal, showed them about the house and displayed the furniture and entertained them with pleasing words and pleasant converse, till a slave came and announced that supper was served. So I led them to the saloon wherein were ranged the trays loaded with many kinds of meats; on all