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

alone when you went to bed last night; and how any man could come to you without our knowledge, I cannot imagine; for we all lay about the door of your chamber, which was locked, and I had the key in my pocket.

At this the princess lost all patience; and, catching the nurse by the hair, and giving her two or three sound cuffs, cried, Tell me where this young man is, you old sorceress, or I will beat out your brains. The nurse struggled all she could to get from her, and at last succeeded; when she went immediately, with tears in her eyes, and her face all bloody, to complain to the queen her mother, who was not a little surprised to see the old woman in such a condition.

Madam, began the nurse, you see what a condition the princess has put me in! She would certainly have murdered me, if I had not escaped out of her hands. But for what, good nurse? replied the queen: what occasion did you give my daughter for using you so ill? I gave none, madam, answered the nurse; and so began to tell the cause of all that passion and rage in the princess. The queen was mightily surprised to hear it, and could not guess how she came to be so infatuated as to take for a reality what could be no other than a dream. Your majesty must conclude from all this, madam, continued the nurse, that my mistress the princess is out of her senses. I would beseech your majesty, therefore, to go and see her, and you will find what I say to be but too true.

The great love the queen bore the princess readily made her comply with the nurse's proposal; so they went together immediately to the princess's palace.

The queen of China sat down by her daughter's bed-side upon her arrival in her apartment, and, after informing herself about her health, began to ask what had made her so angry with her nurse as to treat her after the manner she had done, which great princesses had never condescended or attempted to do before.

Madam, replied the princess, I plainly perceive your majesty is come to mock me; but I declare I will never let you rest till you consent I shall marry the young man that lay with me last night. You must needs know where he is, and therefore I beg your majesty would let him come to me again.

Daughter, answered the queen, you surprise me; I know nothing of what you talk. Then the princess lost all manner of respect for the queen, and replied, in a great passion, The king my father and you have all along persecuted me about marrying when I had no mind to it, and, now I have a mind, you would fain oppose me; but I must tell you, madam, I will have this young man I speak of for my husband, or I will kill myself!

Here the queen endeavoured to calm the princess by soft words. Daughter, said she, you know well you was alone in this apartment; how then could any man come to you? This must be mere fancy or a dream; for—Here the princess interrupted her, and was so far from hearkening to what she said, that she flew out into such extravagances as obliged the queen to leave her, and retire, in great affliction, to inform her lord in what condition their daughter was.

The king, hearing it, had a mind likewise to be satisfied in person; and, therefore, coming to his daughter's apartment, demanded of her to say if what he had just heard was true. Sir, replied the princess, let us talk no more of that; I only beseech your majesty to grant me the favour that I may marry the young cavalier I lay with last night.

What! said the king, has any one lain with you last night? How, sir! replied the princess, without giving the king leave to go on; do you ask me if any one lay with me last night? Your majesty knows that but too well. He was the finest and best made cavalier the sun ever saw: I desire him of you for my husband by all means, sir; and I beg you will not refuse me. But that your majesty may no longer doubt whether I have seen this cavalier, whether he has lain with me, whether I have caressed him, or whether I did my utmost to awake him without succeeding, see, if you please, this ring! She then reached forth her hand, and showed the king a man's ring upon her finger. The king did not know what to make of all this; but, as he had confined her as mad, so now he began to think her more so than ever. Therefore, without saying any thing more, for fear she might do violence to herself or somebody else, had her chained, and shut up more closely than ever, allowing her only the nurse to wait on her, with a good guard at the door.

The king, being exceedingly concerned at the indisposition of his daughter, sought all possible means to get her cured. He assembled his council, and, after having acquainted them with her condition, he proffered any one of them that would undertake her cure the succession to his kingdom after his death, if successful..

The desire of enjoying a young and beautiful princess, and the hope of governing one day so powerful a kingdom as that of China, had a strange effect on an old emir, already advanced in age, who was then present in council. As he was well skilled in magic, he offered the king to cure his daughter, and flattered himself with success. Very well, said the king; but I forgot to tell you one thing; and that is, that if you do not succeed, you shall lose your head. It would not be reasonable that you should have so great a reward, and yet run no risk on your part. And what I say to you, continued the king, I say to all others that shall come after you, to let them consider be- forehand what they undertake.

The emir, however, accepted the condition, and the king led him to the princess. She covered her face as soon as she saw them come in, and cried out, Your majesty surprises me, in bringing a man along with you whom I do not know, and by whom my religion forbids me to allow myself to be seen. Daughter, replied the king, you need not be scandalized; it is only one of my emirs that is come to demand you of me in marriage. It is not, I perceive, he that you have already given me, re- plied the princess; and your majesty may rest assured that I will never marry any other.

Now the emir expected the princess would have said or done some extravagant thing, and was not a little disappointed when he heard her talk so calmly and rationally; for he then knew her disease was nothing but a violent love passion, which he was by no means able to cure. He therefore threw himself at his majesty's feet, and said, After what I have heard and observed, sir, it will be to no purpose for me to think of curing the princess, since I have no remedies proper for her malady; for which reason I humbly submit my life to your majesty's pleasure. The king enraged at his incapacity, and the trouble he had given him, caused, him immediately to be beheaded.

Some few days after, his majesty, unwilling to have it said that he had neglected his daughter's cure, put forth a proclamation in his capital city, importing, that if any physician, astrologer, or magician, would undertake to restore the princess to her senses, he need only come, and he should be employed, provided he was willing to lose his head if he miscarried. He had the same thing published in the other principal cities and towns of his dominions, as likewise in those of the other neighbouring states.

The first that presented himself was both an astrologer and magician, whom the king caused to be conducted to the princess's prison by an eunuch. The astrologer, upon seeing his patient, drew forth, out of a bag he carried in his arm an astrolabe, a small sphere, a chafing dish several sorts of drugs proper for fumigations, a brass pot, with many other things, and desired he might have a fire lighted.

The princess demanded for what all these preparations were Madam, answered the eunuch, they are to exorcise the evil spirit that possesses you, and afterwards to shut him up in this pot, and throw him into the sea.

Foolish astrologer! replied the princess, I have no occasion for any of your preparations, but am in my perfect senses, and it is you alone who are mad. If your art can bring him I love to me, I shall be obliged to you; otherwise you may go about your business, for I have nothing to do with you. Madam, said the astrologer, if your case be so, I shall desist from all endeavours believing that the king your father can only remedy your disaster in this particular. So putting up his trinkets again, he marched away, very much concerned that he had so easily undertaken to cure an imaginary sick person.

Coming to give an account to the king of what he had done, he would not suffer the eunuch to speak for him, but began thus himself: According to what your majesty published in your proclamation, and what you were pleased to confirm to me yourself. I thought the princess was distracted and therefore had provided all I believed necessary to restore her to her senses, pursuant to the nostrums I have; but, to my great amazement, when I beheld her, I found she had no other disease than that of love, over which my art had no power. Your majesty, then, may be pleased to consider, that you alone are the physician who can cure her, by giving her the person in marriage whom she desires.

The king, upon hearing this, was very much enraged at the astrologer, and had his head cut off upon the spot. Now, not to fatigue your majesty with long repetitions, proceeded Scheherazade to the sultan, I will acquaint you, in few words, that so many astrologers, physicians, magicians, and the like, came upon this account, that they in all amounted to about fifty; who, nevertheless, all underwent the same fate, and their heads were set upon poles on every gate of the city.

THE STORY OF MARZAVAN, WITH THE SEQUEL OF THAT OF PRINCE CAMARALZAMAN.

The princess of China's nurse had a son whose name was Marzavan, and who had been foster-brother to the princess. Their friendship was so great during their childhood, that they called each other brother and sister, which even continued some time after their separation.

This Marzavan, among other studies, had from his youth been much addicted to judicial astrology, geomancy, and other secret arts, wherein he became exceedingly skilful. Not content with what he had learned from masters, he travelled; and there was hardly a person of note in any science whom he did not know, so great was his thirst after knowledge.

After several years absence in foreign parts on this account, he returned to the capital city of his native country, China; where, seeing so many heads on the gate by which he entered, he was exceedingly surprised, and, on coming to his lodging, demanded for what reason they had been placed there; but more especially informed himself of the condition of the princess his foster-sister, whom he had not forgotten. As he could not be made acquainted with one without having an account of the other, he for the present satisfied himself with what he had heard, till such time as he could learn more from his mother, the princess's nurse.

Although the nurse, mother of Marzavan, was very much employed about the princess, yet she no sooner heard her dear son was returned, but she found time to come and embrace, and stay with him a little. Having told him, with tears in her eyes, in what a sad condition the princess was, and for what reason the king her father had confined her, he desired to know of his mother, if she could not procure him the sight of her royal mistress, without the king's knowing any thing of it. After some pause, she told him she could say nothing