The Arabian Nights Entertainments - Anonymous (best novels to read in english .TXT) 📗

the year of the Hegira 623, and Anno Dom. 1226; and was the thirty-sixth caliph of the race of the Abassides.], continued he, a prince famous for his vast liberality towards the poor, ten highwaymen infested the roads about Bagdad, who had for a long time committed unheard-of robberies and cruelties. The caliph having notice of this, sent for the judge of the police some days before the feast of Bairam, and ordered him, on pain of death, to bring all the ten to him.

The judge of the police, continued the barber, used so much diligence, and sent so many people in pursuit of the ten robbers, that they were taken on the day of Bairam. I was then walking on the banks of the Tigris, and saw ten men, richly apparelled, go into a boat. I might have known they were robbers, had I observed the guards that were with them; but I looked only to them; and, thinking they were people who had a mind to spend the festival-day in jollity, I entered the boat with them, without saying one word, in hopes they would allow me to be one of the company. We went down the Tigris, and landed before the caliph's palace; and I then had time to consider with myself, and to find out my mistake. When we came out of the boat, we were surrounded by a new troop of the judge of the police's guard, who tied us all, and carried us before the caliph. I suffered myself to be tied as well as the rest, without speaking one word: for to what purpose should I have spoken, or made any resistance? That would have been the way to have been ill treated by the guards, who would not have listened to me, for they are brutish fellows, who will hear no reason: I was with the robbers, which was sufficient to make them believe me to be one.

When we came before the caliph, he ordered the ten highwaymen's heads to be cut off immediately. The executioner drew us up in a file within the reach of his arm, and by good fortune I was the last. He cut off the heads of the ten highwaymen, beginning with the first; and when he came to me he stopped. The caliph, perceiving that he did not meddle with me, grew angry: Did not I command thee, said he, to cut off the heads of ten highwaymen? Why, then, hast thou cut off but nine? Commander of the faithful, said he, Heaven preserve me from disobeying your majesty's orders! Here are ten corpses upon the ground, and as many heads which I cut off; your majesty may count them.

When the caliph saw himself that what the executioner said was true, he looked upon me with astonishment; and, perceiving that I had not the face of a highwayman, said to me, Good old man, how came you to be among those wretches, who have deserved a thousand deaths? I answered, Commander of the faithful, I shall make a true confession. This morning I saw those ten persons, whose unhappy fate is a proof of your majesty's justice, take boat; and I embarked with them, thinking they were men going to an entertainment to celebrate this day, which is the most remarkable in our religion.

The caliph, who could not forbear laughing at my adventure, instead of treating me as a prattling fellow, as the lame young man did, admired my discretion and constant silence. Commander of the faithful, said I, your majesty need not wonder at my keeping silence on such an occasion, which would have made another apt to speak. I make a particular profession of holding my peace; and on that account I have acquired the title of Silent. Thus I am called, to distinguish me from my six brothers. This is the effect of my philosophy; and, in a word, in this virtue consists my glory and happiness. I am very glad, said the caliph, smiling, that they gave you a title which you so well deserve, and know how to make such good use of. But tell me what sort of men your brothers are: were they like you? By no means, said I; they were all of them given to prating, one more than another; and as to their persons, there was still a greater difference betwixt them and me. The first was hump-backed; the second had rotten teeth; the third had but one eye; the fourth was blind; the fifth had his ears cut; and the sixth had hare-lips. They had such adventures as would inform you of their characters, had I the honour of telling them to your majesty. Accordingly, the caliph expressing a desire to hear a relation of their stories, I began thus:

THE STORY OF THE BARBER'S ELDEST BROTHER.

Sir, said I, my eldest brother, whose name was Bacbouc the Hump-back, was a tailor by trade: when his apprenticeship expired, he hired a shop just opposite a mill; and, having but very little business, could scarcely maintain himself. The miller, on the contrary, was wealthy, and had a very handsome wife. One day, as my brother was at work in his shop, he lifted up his head, and saw the miller's wife looking out of the window, and was charmed with her beauty. The woman took no notice of him, but shut the window, and came no more to it all that day; while the poor tailor did nothing but lift up his eyes towards the mill all day long. He pricked his fingers more than once; and his work that day was not very regular. At night, when he was to shut up his shop, he could scarcely tell how to do it, because he still hoped the miller's wife would come to the window once more; but at last he was forced to shut it up, and go home to his little house, where he passed the night in great uneasiness. He rose very early the next morning, and ran to his shop, in hopes of seeing his mistress again; but he was no happier than the day before, for the miller's wife did not appear at the window above one moment all the day; but that moment made the tailor the most amorous that ever lived. The third day he had some more ground of satisfaction; for the miller's wife cast her eyes upon him by chance, and surprised him as he was gazing at her, of which she presently knew the reason.

No sooner did the miller's wife perceive my brother's mind, continued the barber, but, instead of being vexed at it, she resolved to make it her diversion. She looked upon him with a smiling countenance, and my brother looked upon her in the same manner; but his looks were so very whimsical and singular, that the miller's wife was obliged to shut her window, lest her loud laughter should have made him sensible that she only ridiculed him. Poor Bacbouc interpreted her behaviour on this occasion to his own advantage, and flattered himself that she had looked upon him with pleasure.

The miller's wife resolved to make sport with my brother. She had a piece of very fine stuff, with which she had for a long time designed to make herself a suit; she therefore wrapped it up in a fine embroidered silk handkerchief, and sent it to him by a young slave; who, having been first taught her lesson, came to the tailor's shop, and said, My mistress gives you her service; and prays you to make her a suit with this stuff according to the pattern: she changes her clothes often, so that her custom will be profitable to you. My brother doubted not but the miller's wife loved him, and therefore concluded that she sent him work so soon after what had passed betwixt them only to signify that she knew his mind, and to convince him that he had obtained her favour. Confirmed in this opinion, my brother charged the slave to tell her mistress that he would lay aside all other work for her's, and that the suit should be ready by next morning. In effect, he laboured at it with so much diligence, that he finished it the same day.

Next morning, the young slave coming to see if the suit was ready, Bacbouc gave it to her neatly folded up; and said, I am too anxious to please your mistress to neglect her suit: I would engage her by my diligence to employ no other but myself for the future. The young slave went some steps, as if she had intended to go away; and then coming back, whispered to my brother, I had forgot part of my commission; my mistress charged me to compliment you in her name, and to ask you how you passed the night: for her part, poor woman, she loves you so mightily, that she could not sleep. Tell her, answered my silly brother, that I have so violent a passion for her, that I have not closed my eyes in sleep these four nights. After such a compliment from the miller's wife, my brother thought she would not let him languish in expectation of her favour.

About a quarter of an hour after, the slave returned to my brother with a piece of satin. My mistress, said she, is very well pleased with her suit; nothing in the world can fit her better: and as it is very fine, she would not wear it without a new petticoat; and she prays you to make her one, as soon as you can, of this piece of satin. It is enough, said Bacbouc; I will do it before I leave my shop; you shall have it in the evening. The miller's wife showed herself often at her window; was very prodigal of her charms; and, to encourage my brother, she feigned to take pleasure in seeing him work. The petticoat was soon made; and the slave came for it, but brought the tailor no money, neither for the trimming he had bought for the suit, nor for his labour. In the mean time, this unfortunate lover, whom they only amused, though he could not perceive it, had eat nothing all that day, and was under the necessity of borrowing money to purchase himself a supper. Next morning, as soon as it was day, the young slave came to tell him that the miller wanted to speak with him. My mistress, said she, has told him so much good of you, when she showed him your work, that he has a mind you should work also for him; she does it on purpose, that the friendship she designs to form betwixt you and him may make you succeed in what you both equally desire. My brother was easily persuaded, and went to the mill with the slave. The miller received him very kindly, and showed him a piece of cloth, told him he wanted shirts, bid him make twenty of that cloth, and return to him what he should not make use of.

My brother, said the barber, had work enough for five or six days to make twenty shirts for the miller; who afterwards gave him another piece of cloth to make him as many pair of drawers. When, they were finished, Bacbouc carried them to the miller, who asked him what he must have for his pains. My brother answered, that he would be content with twenty drams of silver. The miller immediately called the young slave, and bid her bring him his weights, that he might see if his money was right. The slave who had her lesson, looked upon my brother with an angry countenance, to signify to him that their project would be frustrated if he took any money. He knew her meaning, and refused to take any, though he wanted it so much that he was forced to borrow money to buy the thread with which he sewed the shirts and drawers. When he left the miller, he came to me to borrow money to live on, and told me they did not pay him. I gave him some copper-money that I had in my pocket, on which he subsisted for some days. It is true, indeed, he lived upon nothing but broth; nor had he a sufficiency of that.

One day he went to the miller, who was busy at his work; and, thinking that my brother came for money, he offered him some; but the young slave being present, made him another sign not to take it, with which he complied, and told the miller he did not come for his money, but only to know how he did. The miller thanked him, and gave him an upper