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THE HISTORY OF

SAMPSON LOW, SON,
CROWN HriLUI.XUS, 1*8,
AND MARSTON,
FLEET STRF-KT.

PREFACE.
IL LI AM BECKFORD, the author of
"Vathek," was born in 1759. He was the
son of the well-known and patriotic Lord
Major Beckford, the friend of the Earl of
Chatham. His father died when he was eleven years of
age, leaving him property which accumulated during his
minority to an annual income of one hundred and ten
thousand pounds, and this in addition to a million in
ready money.
His éducation was partially superintended by his
father's old friend, the Earl of Chatham, whose son,
William Pitt, he excelled in elocutionary powers. At"
the age of eighteen lie published his "Memoirs of Ex-
traordinary Painters," a work of considerable power
and humour, and real knowledge of the subject, whieh
satirises some English artists under feigned names, and
may even now be read with pleasure.
In 1780 he made a tour to the Continent, which formed
the subject of a series of letters picturesque and poeti-
cal, since published under the title of "Italy, with
Sketches of Spain and Portugal/' On his return to
England, Mr. Beckford sat for the borough of Hindou in
b

îí PREFACE.
several parliaments. He afterwards went to Portugal,,
and purchasing an estate at Cintra—that "glorious
Eden" of the south—lie built himself a palace for a
residence.
"There thou, too, Vathek Î England's wealthiest son.
Once formed thy paradise, as not aware
When wanton Wealth h<r mightiest deeds hath done,—
Meek Peace voluptuous lures was ever wont to shun.
Here didst thou dwell, here schemes of pleasure plan
Beneath yon mountain's ever-beauteous brow;
But now, as îf a thing unblcst by man,
Thy fairy dwelling is as lune, as thmi:
Here giant weeds a passage scarce allow
To hails deserted, portals piping wide;
Fresh lessons to the thinking bosom, how
Vain are the plesaunces on earth supplied.
Swept into wrecks anon by Time's ungentle tide,"
"Recollections of an Excursion to the Monasteries
of Alcobnça and Batalha." was published in 1835.
The excursion was made in June 1794, at the desire of
the Prince Regent of Portugal. Mr. Reckford describes
the wonderful ancient ecclesiastical edifice of Alcobaça,
with its princely monks, its paintings, and antique
tombs and fountains, as only a mind of the highest
imagination could do. The kitchen, whither he and
his friends were conducted by the Abbot, to witness
the preparations made to regale them, must have been
worthy of an eastern sultan. "Through the centre of
the immense and nobly-groined hall, not less than sixty
feet in diameter, ran a brisk rivulet of the clearest
water, containing every sort and size of the finest river
fish. On one side loads of game and venison were
heaped up; on the other vegetables and fruits in end-
less variety. Beyond a long line of stores extended a
row of ovens, and close to them hillocks of wheaten
PREFACE,
ni
ilour whiter ilian snow, rocks of sugar, jars of tlie
purest oil, and pastry î» vast abondance, which a luniìe-
rous tribu of lay broíhers and their attendants w ère
rolling ou t. and puíïìng up ínlo «i, lnindred diffèrent
sliapes, singing ail tlie wliîhï an blitlieìy as larks in a
eoriìfieid." This magnificent mnnastory w a.s plundered
aiiíi binait bj tlie VYcneli troops under M assena, in 1811.
u Vaíhck,** tlie íoiirth and la st édition of whieh w as
pttbìisbed i» by Bentley, is unquestionahly Beek-
ford's grea t work, ìIhî on o for whieh lie wíll al w ay s liold
a liîifli ra n k amongst reniant le and Imaginative \v rit ers.
The íirst édition oí' thi< work in Freneli w as prîiited in
178(1. Jt was w rit t en al. tlie âge ol' ( wonty-two, at one
siíting, as Beekford himself fohl Cy rus Kedding. J)ay
and night lie kept to bis work, onìy stopphìg oeeasionaliy
for rcfreshmení, and as mie.ht bave been expeeted, such
protraeted a])pliea{ion brought on a íìt of illness.
"Yatliek," says Lord Byron, u bears such marks o f
original ity, that tliose who have visited tla- Kasfc wíll
bave some dilìîetilty in belh-ving ît to be more tlian a
translation."
J ii his o w n préface1, Mr. Beekford says, "J'ai préparé
quelques épisodes; ils sont indiqués a la page 200,*
fournie faisant suite à Vatliek; peut-être paraitront-ils
un jour," But tlie v have iiot appeared y et. Beekford at
bis hou-e in Bark Lambin bis cighf ieth ycar, read them to
Cyrus Kedding, in tlie twilight osa glooniy spring day,and
without spectacles; but Mr. Redding does not appear to
bave eonsidered thèse épisodes important. Ile (Mr.
Redding) mentions tlie iaet, tliat Beekford gave strict
orders for tlie puroliase of a certain Eastern book, enti-
* We have given the titles of tliesc Episodes; tlie only part
ever writteu.
PREFACE,
tied "Abdallah : les Aventures du Fils de Han if, envoyé
par le Sultan des Indes a la Découverte de lTsle de
Borîeo où est la Fontaine merveilleuse dont seau fait
rajeunir." "There was nothing in 'Vathek,' sajs Mr.
Redding, "that might not have been found in 'Ab-
dallah,' which is supposed to be from an Arabic MS.
found in Batavia, The time in which the events of the
history occur is the reign of Chah-Jehan. The Hindoo
mythology is commingled in it with that of the Arabs.
Genius and Ginne, the Divs and Peris, the mountain
Kaf, and the empire of Ginnistan; in fact Indian and
Mohammedan notions intermingled, seemed to explain
the source, which, from happening to be in the hands of
young Beck ford at the moment, supplied the images
and terms which were requisite in order to render the
Eastern illusion in 'Vathek' complete. The two kinds
of Genii called Dives, or Divs and Peris masculine, and
Peri ses and Dives feminine, according to the Mohamme-
dan doctors, inhabited the earth before the creation of
Adam. Dazzial and his ass, Lutfallah, Gum's sword,
Konschau and similar names or objects on which ela-
borate notes have been written, may all be found in the
work in question."
Byron praises "Vathek" for its correctness of cos-
tume, beauty of description, and power of imagination.
"As an Eastern tale," he says, "even Basse las must bow
before it; his Happy Valley will not bear a comparison
with the Hall of Eblis."
As might be expected, the aim of the fortune-favoured
author of "Vathek" appears to have been to realize
through his surroundings the dreams and fictions of his
fancy; yet he does not seem to have brought himself in
bondage to his rìitourage, for, in 1822, he sold Fon thill
Abbey, and left for Bath, taking with him his most pre-
cious valuables, and glad of the change.
PREFACE. v
Fontlull Àbbey, Ilazlîtt ealled, "A désert os magni-
ficence, a glîlteriiig waste of lahorious idleness, a
cathédral turned into a toy-shop, an immense muséum
of ail tliat is inost curions and eostly, and at the saine
tiine most worthless in ibe productions of art and
nature." The tower o f tlie abbey sereins to bave met
with tlie misfortunes incident:d to ail towers, frotn tliat
of Babel downwards. At one tînie ít tumbled down; at
anotlier w as partîally bumt, tlie owner hîniseìf watehing
tlie Haines with as nmeli eomposiire as if they had not
devoured w bat it would eost a fortune to repair; but
j\Ir. Beckford had detennined npon tlie conipletion of
bis oherished scheme, and once tlie royal w or k s of St.
( îeorgo's Chapel, Windsor, w ère abandoned. tliat 46*0
meu iiiîgbt be employed iiîgbt and day on Fonthili
Abbey. Thèse men were inade to relie ve each other
by regular watelies; and during tlie longest and darkest
«iglits oí* winler tlie asf onislied traveller might see tlie
tower rîsing nnder their hands, the trowel and toreli
being associated for tliat purpose. Tbîs must bave liad
a very extraordinary appearanee, and we are told tliat
it w as anotlier of those exhibitions wbieh M r. Beekford
wíìs fond of contemplaiing. Ile is represented as stir-
veying tlie w or k tlnis expedíted, tlie busy levy of nuisons,
the high and gtddy dancing of the lights, and tlie strange
eílects produeed upon the architecture and woods below,
froni one of ilie éminences in the walks, and wasting the
eoldest h ours of Deceiober darkness in íeasting lits
sensé witli this dîspbiy of aìmost Fiipeihuiuan power,
Tlius far tlie extînet ÍÂtcmrij Gazette of ÌH22. Critics,
unless osa very rare kind íitdeed, are permitted to w rite
nonsense with impuniIy; it pieuses tbem, and does us
liítle harm; but we mny as weli pause to as k w bat tliere
is of "superhuiuaii power" in a mi U ion aire, tlie son osa
ví PREFACE.
ìueky cìty rnerehant, spending 1ns m o n cy fooîishly, and
hastening to a r;»t tcn and unfmi.dx'd emnph'tion a ì>uì 1 <i-
ing wliìrlì fdl to deeny hHore Úu> paím w as welì dry,
on its rococo and faine décoration*? Beekíbrd solins to
bave beon n moikÌ hand lìoraee Wíìlpfile, /;/?/>* two
millions of money, wt/ws what wit the gossiping Horace
had. The mas!* r threw ois as a iovr dr force n Mmie-
what rubbislnng gothic romaine, t lie u ( ';:> -th* of Ofrair
t o ;" bis iiìiîtafor did, in a like mariner, produce
4Í Valisek.'' iÎmíh romances hâve littlo moral, and arc
writtou with hi-HÍÌit'i'of knowhdge of time or place,
y et both are so distant that the reader fa ils to deteet
incongru i lies, and the books íbnn p!> a-ant readiiig.
Both authors daim to bave merely playrd with îotters.
Walpole kept hítnself awake with s trou g eossee, and w rote
his s tory "ail at once." "Vathek1' was akso writíen "at
one sittìng," Walpole did not oven knnw tlierc was a
eastle at Otranto. Beekíbrd was equally ignorant of
the ìoealities d^serîbed in u Yath» 1%." Walpole \va>, how-
ever, fonder of lus ehild than Bedvford; probablv lie was
more truly the parent of his curiosity of literai tire, not
the least curions part beîng tliat. bot h books should be-
eome in some sort classies. Beekíbrd cy en eari ied Lis
imitation so fur as to g ive in soine respect a reproduc-
tion of Strawberry llill at Fonthilî. Thèse détails are
oharaeîeristie of Mr. Beekíbrd, and íbrm an interesting
illustration of Iris peeidiar tast;» and genius.
In 1783, aster three y cars of married lise, liîs first
wife died, and he immediately nnìted lìiniself to Lady
Margand Gordon, danghter of the Earl of Aboyne, »
îady of wonderful sweetnoss of disposition, whom lie met
at Bai h, Ile was then only twenty-fonr,
"His manne r s," s ay s Cy ru s B edding, >peaking of him
near the close of his long lise, "his manners w ère tliose
PREFACE.
vu
of the school fashionable bet ween 1790 and 1800. lie?
was above the middle height, well-formed, and .slender
rather than stout. 11 is features indicated intellectual
power. lie had small, remarkably piercing grey eyes,
and, at eight y-four, had no need of Mpeetades. He
generally wore a green coat with eloih buttons, a bufF-
eoloured striped waistcoat, breeches of lite same kind of
cloth as the coat, and brown-topped boots, the fine
cotton .stocking appearing over them. IJ is voice was
agreeable, and Im enunciation rapid; and when lie
ceased talking he would frequently place his freckled
lingers over his lips. I lis bodily activity at eighty was
espial to that of a man of sixty: his face alone bore
signs of age, though not more than a hale man of seventy
would carry."
He was so passionately fond of old and rare books, that
it was a greater treat to him to be in their company than
in the society of the noblest men and women in England.
In his last illness he was still faithful to his books, and
pertinaciously read till he could read no longer, when he
quietly died after a short and comparatively painless
illness- at Bath, in 1844, at the advanced age of eighty-
four.
The present edition, which is, we believe, the fifth, is
printed verbatim from the first English edition. The
first was published, as- Beckford tells us in his preface,
which we subjoin, in Paris, from a translation made
for the author. He would have us believe that this was
by a mistake; the probability is that it was merely the
result of a knowing calculation on the part of the author,
and copies of the French work having been circulated
in England, before the appearance of the original, there
was no doubt much talk about the book, since those who
were happy enough to get a glimpse at it, magnified its
viii PREFACE.
beauties and its merits. Thus Lord Byron, who too
often wrote for effect, praises it. as a work of genius,
and draws a comparison, where, indeed, none exists,
between the happy valley of liasK-las and the IIall of
Eblis of Vathek,
Truly that is the crowning scene, and in its prosaic
grandeur will bear reading even after the astounding
and sublime gloom of Milton and Dante, from the latter
of whom the image of the hearts for ever devoured by
flames is no doubt taken. As ;t work of imagination,
full of u gloomy colouring, which is not, and an aimless
tyranny which is, truly Eastern, and as the last of a
long line of a class of stories, formerly so popular that
Pope says of Phillips, that he
"Turned a Persian tale for half-a-crown."
Vathek is deserving the popularity it has gained, while
the fervour of its composition, and the verve of its too
careless style, will always preserve it. To make our
volume as complete as possible, we add the characteristic
preface to the third French edition by the author, and
for the same reason we have added the exhaustive
though somewhat pedantic notes to the first edition by
Dr. Henley.


PREFACE TO TU K T111R1) FRENCH
EDITION.

ES éditions «le Parîs et de Lausanne, etant
d o venu (extrêmement rares, j'ai consenti
enfin a ee que fou repuMiat u Londres ce
petit ouvrage, tel í|iie je l'ai compose.
La traduction, eoiíiïiie on se ait, a paru avant rorigi-
nal; il est fort aisé de croire ijtie ee n'etoit pas mon
intention—<les circonstances, peu intéressantes pour le
publie, en ont été la cause.
J'ai préparé quelques Episodes; iis sont indiqués à la
page 200,* comme faisant suite à Yathek—peut-être
paraitrorit-ils un jour.
W. Beckfobb,
1 Jtdn, 1815.
* Thme are the Ilisíory o f the two friondìy Princes Âksí and
Firouz, shitt u p in tlie Palace of Subterranean Fíre»
Ilistory «f Prince Backiarohk, imprisoned in the Palace of
Subterranean sire.
Ilistory of Prime Kahlal), and of the Príncess Zulkais, shut
u p in the Palace of Subterranean Piie.
C
PREFACE TO THE FIRST ENGLISH
EDITION'.

I HE original of the following story, with
some others of a similar kind, collected in
the East by ji man of letters, was commu-
JLàSlil nicated to the Editor above three years ago.
The pleasure he received from the perusal of it induced
him at that time to transi ale it. How far the copy may
be ii just representation, it- becomes not him to deter*
mine. He présumée, however, to hope tha'. if she
difficulty of accommodating our English idioms to the
Arabie» preserving the correspondent tones of a diver-
sified narration, and discriminating the nicer touches of
character through the shades of foreign manners, be
duly considered, a failure in some points will not pre-
clude him from all claim to indulgence, especially if
those images, sentiments, and passions, which, being
independent of local peculiarities, may be expressed in
every language, shall be found to retain their native
energy in our own.

THE HISTORY OF THE CALFPIf
mm
VATHEK.

I AT HE K, ninth Caliph of the race of the
Abassides, was the son of Motassem, and
the grandson of Haroun Al Kasehid. From
an early accession to the throne, and the
talents he possessed to adorn it, his subjects were in-
duced to expect that his reign would be long and happy.
His figure was pleasing and majestic; but when he was
nngrv one of his eyes became so terrible, I hat no person
could bear to behold it, and the wretch upon whom it
was fixed instantly fell backward, and sometimes ex-
pired. For fear, however, of depopulating his dominions
and making his palace desolate, he but rarely gave way
to his anger.
Being much addicted to women and the pleasures of
the table, lie sought by his a liability to procure agreeable
companions; and he succeeded the better as his genero-
sity was unbounded, and his indulgences unrestrained,
for he was by no means scrupulous, nor did he think
with the Caliph Omar Ben Abdalaziz, that it was neees-
, > B
THE HIS TOR r OF
sary to make a hell of this world to enjoy Paradise in
the next -
lie surpassed in magnificence all his predecessors.
The palace of Alkorommi, which his father Motassem
had erected on the hill of Pied Horses, and which com-
manded the whole city of SamaT.-di, wa? in his idea far
too scanty; he added therefore live wing.-*, or rather
oilier palaces, which he destined for the particular grati-
fication of each of his senses.
In the first of these were tables continually covered
with the nmst exquisite, dainties, which were supplied
both by niirht and by day according to their constant
consumption, whilst the most delicious wines and the
choicest cordials flowed forth from a hundred fountains
that were never exhausted. This palace was called,
44 The Eternal or Unsatiating Banquet."
The second was styled 44 The Temple of Melody, or
the Nectar of the Soul." It was inhabited by the most
skilful musicians and admired poets of the { hue, who not
only displayed their talents wilhin, but dispersing in
bands without, caused every surrounding scene to rever-
berate their songs, which were continually varied in the
most delightful succession.
The palace named 44 The Delight of the Eyes, or the
Support of Memory," was one entire enchantment,
liarities collected from every corner of the earth were
there found in such profusion as to dazzle and confound,
but for the order in which they were arranged. One
gallery exhibited the pictures of the celebrated Mani,
and statues that seemed to be alive. Here a well-man-
aged perspective attracted the sighs, there the magic of
optics agreeably deceived it; whilst the naturalist on
his part exhibited, in their several classes, the various
gifts that Heaven had bestowed on our globe. In a
THE C A LIP It VATÍIKK. 3
word, Vathek omitted nothing in this palace that might
gratify the curiosity of those who resorted to it, although
lie was not able to .satisfy his own, for he was of all men
the most curious.
"The Palace of Perfumes," which was termed likewise
"The Incentive to Pleasure," consisted of various halls
where the di lie rent perfumes which the earth produces
were kept perpetually burning in censers of gold. Flam-
beaus and aromatic lamps were here lighted in open day.
But the too powerful effects of this agreeable delirium
might be avoided by descending into an immense garden,
where an assemblage of every fragrant ilower diffused
through the air the purest odours.
The fifth palace, denominated "The Retreat of Joy,
or the Dangerous," was frequented by troops of young
females beautiful as the houris and not less seducing,
who never failed to receive with caresses all whom the
Caliph allowed to approach them; for he was by no
means disposed to be jealous, as his own women were
secluded within the palace he inhabited himself.
Notwithstanding the sensuality in which Vathek in-
dulged, he experienced no abatement in the love of his
people, who thought that a sovereign immersed in plea-
sure was not less tolerable to his subjects than one that
employed himself in creating them foes. But the un-
quiet and impetuous disposition of the Caliph would not
allow him to rest there; he had studied so much for his
amusement in the lifetime of his father, as to acquire a
great deal of knowledge, though not a sufficiency to satisfy
himself; for he wished to know every thing, even sciences
that did not exist. He was fond of engaging in disputes
with the learned, but liked them not to push their oppo-
sition with warmth; he stopped the mouths of those with
presents whose mouths could be stopped, whilst others.
4
THE in STORY OF
whom his liberality was unable to subdue, lie sent to
prison to co« 11 their blood; a remedy that often succeeded.
Vathek discovered also a predilection for theological
controversy, but it was not with the orthodox that he
usually held. By this means he induced the zealots to
oppose him, and then persecuted them in reh>rn ; for he
resolved at any rate to have reason on his side.
The great prophet Mahomet, whose vicars the caliphs
are, beheld with indignation from his abode in the seventh
heaven the irreligious conduct of such a vicegerent,
"Let us leave him to himself," said he to the genii, who
are always ready to receive his commands; "let us see
to what lengths his folly and impiety will carry him; if
he run into excess we shall know how to chastise him.
Assist him, therefore, to complete the tower which, in
imitation of Kimrod, he hath begun, not, like that great
warrior, to escape being drowned, but from the in sole of.
curiosity of penetrating she secrets of Heaven; he w ill
not divine the fate that awaits him."
The Genii obeyed, and when the workmen had raised
their structure a cub-ií hi the day time, two cubits more
were added in the night, The expedition with which
the fabric arose was not a little flattering to the vanity
of Vathek. He fancied that even insensible matter
showed a forwardness to subserve his designs, not con-
sidering that the successes of the foolish and wicked
form the first rod of their chastisement.
His pride arrived at its height when, having ascended
for the first time the eleven thousand stairs of his tower,
he east his eyes below and beheld men not larger than
pismires, mountains than shells, and cities than bee-
hives. The idea which such an elevation inspired of
his own grandeur completely bewildered him; he was
almost ready to adore himself, till, lifting his eyes up-
77/77 CALIFII VAT1TEK, 5
ward, lie saw the stars as liigli above liini as they ap-
peared when he stood 011 the surface of the earth, lie
consoled himself, however, for this transient perception
of his littleness, with the thought of being great, in the
eyes of others, and flattered himself that 1 lie light of
his mind would extend beyond the reach of his sight,
and transfer to the stars the decrees of his destiny.
With this view the inquisitive Prince passed most of
his nights on the summit of his tower, till he became an
adept in the mysteries of astrology, and imagined that
the planets had disclosed so him the most marvellous
adventures, which were to be accomplished by an ex-
traordinary personage from a country altogether un-
known. Prompted by mot ives of curiosity he had always
been courteous to strangers, but from this instant he
redoubled his attention, and ordered it to be announced
by sound of trumpet, through all the streets of Sama-
ra h that 110 one of his subjects, on peril of displeasure,
should either lodge or detain a traveller, but forthwith
bring him to the palace.
iS'ot long after this proclamation there arrived in his
metropolis a man so hideous, that the very guards who
arrested him were forced to shut their eyes as they led
him along. The Caliph himself appeared startled at so
horrible a visage, but joy succeeded to this emotion of
terror when the stranger displayed to his view such
rarities as he had never before seen, and of which he
had no conception.
In reality nothing was ever so extraordinary as the
merchandize this stranger produced; most of his curio-
sities, which were not less admirable for their workman-
ship than splendour, had besides, their several virtues
described on a parchment fastened to each. There were
slippers which enabled the feet to walk ; knives that cut
6
THE HISTORY OF
without the motion of a It and; sabres which dealt the blow
at the person they were wished to strike, and the whole
enriched with gems that were hitherto unknown.
The sabres, whose blades emitted a dazzling radiance,
fixed mere than all the Caliph's attention, who promised
himself to decipher at his leisure the uncouth characters
engraven on their sides. Without, therefore, demanding
their price, he ordered all the coined gold to be brought
from his treasury, and commanded the merchant to take
what he pleased; the stranger complied with modesty
and silence.
Vathek, imagining that the merchant's taciturnity
was occasioned by the awe which his presence inspired,
encouraged him to advance, and asked him, with an air
of condescension, u Who he was? whence he came? and
where he obtained such beautiful commodities?" The
man, or rather monster, instead of making a reply, thrice
rubbed his forehead, which, as well as his body, was
blacker than ebony, four times clapped his paunch, the
projection of which was enormous, opened wide his
huge eyes which glowed like firebrands, began to laugh
with a hideous noise, and discovered his long amber-
coloured teeth bestreaked with green.
The Caliph, though a little startled, renewed his in-
quiries, but without being able to procure a reply; at
which, beginning to be milled, he exclaimed: "Knowest
thou, varlet, who I am? and at whom thou art aiming
thy gibes?" Then, addressing his guards, "Have ye
heard him speak? is he dumb?"
"He hath spoken," they replied, "though but little."
"Let him speak again then," said Vathek, "and tell
me who he is, from whence he came, and where he pro-
cured these singular curiosities, or I swear by the ass
of Balaam that I will make him rue his pertinacity
THE CALIPH VATIJEK. 7
The menace was accompanied by the Caliph with one
of liis angry and perilous glances, which the stranger
sustained without the slightest emotion, although his
eyes were fixed on the terrible eye of the Prince.
No words can describe the amazement of the cour-
tiers when they beheld this rude merchant withstand
the encounter unshocked. They all fell prostrate with
their faces on the ground to avoid the risk of their lives,
and continued in the same abject posture till the Caliph
exclaimed in a furious tone: "Up, cowards! seize the
miscreant! see that he be committed to prison and
guarded by the best of my soldiers! Let him, however,
retain the money I gave him, it is not my intent to take
from him his property, 1 only want him to speak."
No sooner had he uttered these words than the
stranger was surrounded, pinioned with strong fetters,
and hurried away to the prison of the great tower, which
was encompassed by seven empalements of iron bars,
and armed with spikes in every direction longer and
sharper than spits.
The Caliph, nevertheless, remained in the most violent
agitation; he sat down indeed to eat, but of the three
hundred covers that were daily placed before him could
taste of no more than thirty-two. A diet to which he
had been so little accustomed was sufficient of itself to
prevent him from sleeping; what then must be its effect
when joined to the anxiety that preyed upon his spirits?
At the first glimpse of dawn he hastened to the prison,
again to importune this intractable stranger; but the
rage of Vathek exceeded all bounds on finding the
prison empty, the grates burst asunder, and his guards
lying lifeless around him. In the paroxysm of his
passion he fell furiously on the poor carcasses, and
kicked them till evening without intermission. His
TUE III STORY OF
courtiers and vizirs exerted their efforts to soothe his
extravagance, but finding every expedient ineffectual
they all united in one vociferation: "The Caliph is
gone mad! the Caliph is out of his senses!"
This outcry, which soon resounded through the
streets of Samarah, at length reaching the ears of Cara-
this Ms mother, she flew in the utmost consternation to
try her ascendancy on the mind of her son. Her tears
and caresses called off his attention, and he wan pre-
vailed upon by her entreaties to be brought back to the
palace.
Carathis, apprehensive of leaving Varhek to himself,
caused him to be put to bed, and seating herself by him,
endeavoured by her conversation to heal and compose
him. Nor could any one have attempted it with better
success, for the Caliph not only loved her as a mother,
but respected her as a person of superior genius; it
was she who had induced him, being a G reek herself, to
adopt all the sciences and systems of her country, which
good Mussulmans hold in such thorough abhorrence.
Judicial astrology was one of those systems in which
Carathis was a perfect adept; she began therefore with
reminding her son of the promise which the stars had
made him, and intimated an intention of consulting them
again.
"Alas!" sighed the Caliph, as soon as he could speak,
a what a fool have I been! not for the kicks bestowed
on my guards who so tamely submitted to death, but for
never considering that this extraordinary man was the
same the planets had foretold, whom, instead of ill-
treating, I should have conciliated by all the arts of
persuasion.
■ "The past," said Carathis, "cannot be recalled, but it
behoves us to think of the future; perhaps you may

THE CALIPH VATHEE.
9
again see the object you so much regret; it is possible
the inscriptions on the sabres will afford information.
Eat, therefore, and take thy repose, my dear son; we will
consider, to-morrow, in what manner to act."
Vathek yielded to her couB.se! as well as he could, and
arose in the morning with a mind more at ease. The
sabres he commanded to be instantly brought, and
poring upon them through a green glass, that their glit-
tering might not dazzle, he set himself in earnest to
decipher the inscriptions; but his reiterated attempts
were all of them nugatory; in vain did he beat his head
and bite his nails, not a letter of the whole was he able
to ascertain. So unlucky a disappointment would have
undone him again, had not Carathis by good fortune en-
tered the apartment.
"Have patience, son ! n said she; u you certainly are
possessed of every important science, but the knowledge
of languages is a trifle at best, and the accomplishment
of none but a pedant. Issue forth a proclamation that
you will confer such rewards as become your greatness
upon any one that shall interpret what you do not under-
stand, and what it is beneath you to learn, you will soon
find your curiosity gratified."
41 That may be," said the Caliph; "but in the mean
time 1 shall be horribly disgusted by a crowd of smat-
terers, who will come to the trial as much for the plea-
sure of retailing their jargon as from the hope of gaining
the reward. To avoid this evil, it will be proper to add
that I will put every candidate to death who shall fail to
give satisfaction; for, thank heaven! I have skill
enough to distinguish between one that translates and
one that invents.
"Of that I have no doubt/' replied Carathis; "but
to put the ignorant to death is somewhat severe, and
10
THE IIIST011Y O F
m ay be producf ive os dangeruiis eíïeet>; content vour-
self wîth eommaoding f hoir beards t. o b o burnt,—beards
in a state are not qui te s o ossential as men."
The Caliph submìttod to tbe rcasons ni' bis niotlicr,
and sending for Mornkanabad, bis prime vizir, said:
"Let tlie eommon crie r s proelaîm, not onlj in Samarah,
but throughout everj eîtj in m y empire, tbat wbosoever
will repair hither and decipher certain eliaraeters which
appear to be inexplicable, sliall expérience tlie liber-
alitj for wbîeb I am renowiìed; but tbat ail w ho faii
upon trial sball bave their beards burnt off to thé last
h ai r. .Let tbeni add abo f !>at T v.ìlî besfow fi ft y bcautiful
slaves, and as niany jars os aprieots from tbe isle os
Kirmkh, upon any man tbat shall brìng me iiitelli-
gence os tbe stranger."
Tbe subjeets os tbe Calipb, like tbeir sovereign, being
great admirers os women and aprieots from Kirmith,
felt tbeir mouílis wafer at thèse promises, but were
totally unable to gratify tbeir bankering, for no one
knew whieh wav tbe étranger h a d gone.
As f o tlie Caliph's ofher réquisition, tbe resuit w as
diffèrent. The learned, tbe balf-learned, and tbose wbo
were neither, but íancied ihemseìves equal to bot h, came
boldly to hazard tbeir beards, and ail shamefulíy lost
f hem.
The exaetion os thèse forfeiturcs, -winch found suffi»
eient employment for tbe eunuebs, gave tbem su eh a
smell of singed haïr as greatly to clisgust tbe ladíes of tbe
seraglio, and make ít neeessary tbat thís new occupa-
tion of their guardians should be transferred into otber
h and s.
At length,however, an old man presented bimself whose
beard w as a eubit and a hais longer tbat any that had
appeared before him. The ossicers of tbe palace whis-
THE CALIPH VATJIEK.
11
percd to each other, as they ushered him in, "What a
pity such a beard should be burnt!" Even the Caliph,
when he saw it, concurred with them in opinion, but his
concern was entirely needless. This venerable person-
age read the characters with facility, and explained them
verbatim as follows: "We were made where every thing
good is made; we are the least of the wonders of a place
where all is wonderful, and deserving the sight of the
first potentate on earth."
"You translate admirably !" cried Vathek; "I know
to what these marvellous characters allude. Let him re-
ceive as many robes of honour and thousands of sequins
of gold, as he hath spoken words, lam in some measure
relieved from the perplexity that embarrassed me!"
Vathek invited the old man to dine, and even to remain
some clays in the palace. Unluckily for him he accepted
the oiler; for the Caliph, having ordered him next
morning to be called, said: "Read again to me what you
have read already; I cannot hear too often the promise
that is made me, the completion of which I languish to
obtain."
The old man forthwith put on his green spectacles, but
they ÍDsfantJy dropped from his nose on perceiving that
the characters he had read the day preceding had given
place to others of different import.
"What ails you?" asked the Caliph; "and why these
symptoms of wonder?"
"Sovereign of the world," replied the old man, " these
sabres hold another language to-day from that they
yesterday held."
"How say you ?" returned Vathek—" but it' matters
not! tell me, if you can, what they mean."
"It is this, my Lord," rejoined the old man: "Woe to
the rash mortal who seeks to know that of which he
THE 1TTRT0RY OF
slioiilci remaîn ignorant, and to undcrtake that wliich
siirpasseth liís power î"
u And woe to thee!" cried tlie Oalîph, in a hurst of
indignation; "to-day tliou art void of understanding;
bégone iVom my présence, they shall bum but tlie lialf
of tlij beard, beeause thou werfc yenterday fortuoate in
guessing ;—my gífts I never résume."
Tlte oid man, wîse enotigh to perçoive lie h ad hickily
esoaped, eoiisidering- tlie íolly of diselosing so dîsgttstíng
a ti'iith, imniediately wîthdrew and appeared not n gain.
But ifc w as not long b e fore Vathek discovercd abun-
dant reason to regret bis précipitation; sor thoiigh lie
eoidd not deci plier tlie eharaeíers hímself, y et by eon-
stantly poriîig iipon tiiein lie plainly pereeived that tliey
every day ehanged, and miíbrtuiiately no other candidate
offered to explain thenu Tliis perplexíng occupation
inliamed bis blood, dazzled his sight, and bronght 011 a
giddiness and debílity that lie eould not support. Ile
íailed not, however, tliongli in so redneed a condition, to
be ofïen earried to his tower, as lie (lutter ed himself that
lie intglit tliere read in tlie stars whieh lie went to con-
suls something more eongenial to his wishes: but in this
ii î s hopes w ère cbdiided; for liis eyes, dimmed by tlie
vapours of liis head, began to subserve iiís enriosíty so
ill, that lie beheld nothing but a thiek dun cloud, whieh
lie took for tìie most direíul of omens.
Agitated with m much anxîety, Vathek entírely lost
ail fniiiiiess; a fever seized him, and lits nppetite failed.
f nstcad of being on o of tìte groutest caters lie became as
distingnished for drinking. So insatiable was tlie thirst
whieh tormented him, that hís mouth, like a funneî, was
always open to receive the varions liquors that might be
ponred into if, and espeeîally eold water, whieh ealnied
him more thau every other.
77//': CALIPJs V'ATHEE. n
Tliîs îtiììiïippy prince being tlms îiìeapaeîtaied sor the
enjovnient of any plt^'isiire, eommanded tlie palaces of
íhe five sensés ío be sb ut tip, Jbrboro fo appoar íii publie,
eîlber to disphiy liîs magnificence or administer justice,
and retired to the inniost apartment of liîs harem. As
be liíid ever been an idulgent husbaud, lits wives, over-
whelmed with grief ut liîs déplorable situation, inces-
sant ly ofsered tlieîr prayers sor his healtb and iiîireinît-
tingly supplîed hini wítti water.
In the mcan tiiiie the Princess Carat his, whose «Mic-
tion no words can describe, insíead of restniîiìíng berseIf
ío sobbing and tears, w as eloseted daiîy wîíli tlie Vizir
Morakanabad, to íìnd ont y o me cure or mitigation of tlie
Caliplfs diseaso. IJnder tlie persuasion that ít w as
eaused by enchantaient, they turned o ver together, leaí
by ieaf, ail tbe books of magie that inîglit point out a
remedy, and eaused tlie horrible stranger, whoin they
accused as tlie enchanter, to be every where songht for
with tlie stríetest diligence.
At tlie distance of a few miles from Samarah stood a
liígli mouutain, whose sîdes were swarded wítli wîld
thyme and basil, and its summit oversproad with so de-
lightful a plain, that ít míglit be taken for tlie paradise
destined for tlie faitbful. Upon ít grew a hundred
thiekets of églantine and other l'ragrant shruhs, a hun-
dred arhours of roses, jessamine and honeysuckle, as
many cluraps of orange trocs, eedar and citron, whose
branches, intervvoven with the pal m, tlie pomegranate,
and the vine, présented every luxury that couid regale
the eye or the taste. The ground was strewed with
violets, hare-bells, and pansies, in the midst of wliích
sprang fort h tufts of jon<piils, hyaciníbs and car*
nations, with every other períume that imprégnâtes the
air. Four fotmtains, not léss clear than deep, and so
14 TUE HISTORY OF
abundant as to slake the thirst of ten armies, seemed
profusely placed here to make the scene more resemble
the garden of Eden, which was watered by the four
sacred rivers. Here the nightingale sang the birth of
the rose, her well-beloved, and at the same time lamented
Its short-lived beauty; whilst the turtle deplored the
loss of more substantial pleasures, and the wakeful lark
hailed the rising light that, reanimates the whole crea-
tion. Here more than any where the mingled melodies
of birds expressed the various passions they inspired, as
if the exquisite fruits which they peeked at pleasure had
given them a double energy.
To this mountain Yathek was sometimes brought for
the sake of breathing a purer air, and especially to drink
at will of the four fountains, which were reputed in the
highest degree salubrious and sacred to himself. His
attendants were his mother, his wives, and some eunuchs,
who assiduously employed themselves in filling capacious
bowls of rock crystal, and emulously presenting them to
him; but it frequently happened that his avidity ex-
ceeded their zeal, insomuch that he would prostrate
himself upon the ground to lap up the water, of which
he could never have enough.
One day when this unhappy prince had been long
lying in so debasing a posture, a voice, hoarse but strong,
thus addressed him: "Why assumest thou the funct ion
of a dog, O Caliph, so prdud of thy dignity and power?"
At this apostrophe he raised his head and beheld
the stranger that had caused him so much affliction.
Inflamed with anger at the sight, he exclaimed:
"Accursed Giaour Í what eoinest thou hither to do?
is it not enough to have transformed a prince remark-
able for his agility into one of those leather barrels
which the Bedouin Arabs carry on their camels when
THE CALIPH VATIIEK, 15
thej traverse the deserts? IVrceivest thou not that 1
may perish by drinking to excess 110 less than by a total
abstinence?"
"Drink then this draught," said the stranger, as he
presented to him a phial of - a red and yellow mixture;
"and, to satiate the thirst of thy soul as well as of thy
body, know that I am an Indian, but from a region of
India which is wholly unknown."
The Caliph, delighted to see his desires accomplished
in part, and flattering himself with the hope of obtaining
their entire fulfilment, without a moment's hesitation
swallowed the potion, and instantaneously found his
health restored, his thirst appeased, and his limbs as
agile as ever.
In the transports of his joy Yathek leaped upon the
neck of the frightful Indian, and kissed his horrid month
and hollow cheeks as though they had been the coral
lips, and the lilies and roses of his most beautiful wives;
whilst they, less terrified than jealous at the sight,
dropped their veils to hide the blush of mortification
that suffused their foreheads.
~Nor would the scene have closed here, had not Ca-
rathis, with all the art of insinuation, a little repressed
the raptures of her son. Having prevailed upon him to
return to Samarah, she caused a herald to precede him,
whom she commanded to proclaim as loudly as possible:
"The wonderful stranger hath appeared again, he hath
healed the Caliph, he hath spoken! he hath spoken I"
Forthwith all the inhabitants of this vast city quitted
their habitations, and ran together in crowds to see the
procession of Vathek and the Indian, whom they now-
blessed as much as they had before execrated, inces-
santly shouting: "He hath healed our sovereign, he
hath spoken I he hath spoken!" Nor were these words
16 THE JííSrOIiï" OF
forgotten in the public festivals which wore celebrated
the saine evening, to testify the general joy; for the
poets applied them as a chorus to all the songs they
composes].
The Caliph in the meanwhile caused the palaces of
the senses to be sixain set. (men; and, a- he found him -
self prompted to visit that of taste in preference to the
rest, immediately ordered a splendid entertainment, to
which his great oUicer.- :md favourite courtiers, were all
invited. The Indian, who was placed ne;u* the Prince,
seemed to think that aa a proper acknowledgment of so
distinguished a privilege he could neither eat, drink nor
talk too much. The various dainties were no sooner
served up than they vanished, to the great mortification
of \rathck, who piqued himself on being the greatest
eater alive, and at this time in particular had an excel-
lent appetite.
The rest of the company looked round at each other
in amazement; but the Indian without 'appearing to ob-
serve it quaffed large bumpers to the health of each of
them, sung in a style altogether extravagant, related
stories at which he laughed immoderately, and poured
forth extemporaneous verses, which would not have been
thought bad but for the strange grimaces with which
they were uttered. In a word his loquacity was equal
to that of a hundred astrologers, he ate as much as a
hundred porters, and caroused in proportion.
The Caliph, notwithstanding the table had been thirty
times covered, found himself incommoded by the vora-
ciousness of his guest, who was now considerably de-
clined in the prince's esteem, Yathek however, being
unwilling to betray the chagrin he could hardly disguise,
said in a whisper to Bababalouk, the chief of his eunuchs:
44 You see how enormous his performances in every way
THE C AU Pif V ATI! K K.
17
are, what would be the consequence should he get at my
wives! Go! redouble your vigilance, and be sure look
well to my Circassians, who would be more to Ms taste
than all of the rest."
The bird of the morning had thrice renewed his song
when the hour of the Divan sounded, Vathek in grati-
tude to his subjects having promised to attend, imme-
diately arose from table and repaired thither, leaning
upon his vizir, who could scarcely support him, so dis-
ordered was the poor Prince by the wine he had drunk,
and still more by the extravagant vagaries of his bois-
terous guest.
The vizirs, the officers of the crown and of the law,
arranged themselves in a semicircle about their sove-
reign and preserved a respectful silence, whilst the
Indian, who looked as cool as if come from a fast, sat
down without ceremony on the step of the throne,
laughing in his sleeve at the indignation with which his
temerity had filled the spectators.
The Caliph however whose ideas were confused and
his head embarrassed, went on administering justice at
hap-hazard, till at length the prime vizir, perceiving his
situation, hit upon a sudden expedient to interrupt the
audience and rescue the honour of his master, to whom
lie said in a whisper : "My Lord, the Princess Carathis,
who hath passed the night in consulting the planets, in-
forms you that they portend you evil, and the danger is
urgent. Beware lest this stranger, whom you have so
lavishly recompensed for his magical gewgaws, should
make some attempt on your life; his liquor, which at
first had the appearance of effecting your cure, may be
no more than a poison of a sudden operation. Slight
not this surmise, ask him at least of what it was com-
c
i8 THE HISTORY OF
pounded, whence lie procured it, and mention the sabres
which you seem to have forgotten.
Vathek, to whom the insolent airs of the stranger be-
came every moment less supportable, intimated to lih
vizir by a wink of acquiescence that he would adopt his
advice, and at once turning towards the Indian said:
"Get up, and declare in full Divan of what drugs the
liquor was compounded you enjoined nie to take, for if
is suspected to be poison; add also the explanation J
have so earnestly desired concerning the sabres you
sold me, and thus show your gratitude for the favours
heaped on you."
Having pronounced these word- in as modern*.' a lorn*
as n caliph well could, he waited in silent expectation
tor an answer. But the Indian, still keeping ids seat,
began to renew his loud shouts of laughter, and exhibit
the naine» horrid grimaces lie had shown them before,
without vouchsafing a word in reply, Vafhek, no
longer able to brook such insolence, immediately kicked
him from the steps; instantly descending, repeated his
blow, and persisted with such assiduity as incited all who
were present to follow his example. Every foot was
•timed at; the Indian, and no sooner had any one given
him a kick than he felt himself constrained to reiterate
the stroke.
The stranger afforded them no small entertainment;
tor, being both short and plump, he collected himself
into a ball, and rolled round on all ,<ides at the blows of
his assailants, who pressed after him wherever lie turned
with an eagerness beyond conception, whilst their num-
bers were every moment increasing. The ball indeed,
in passing from one apartment to another, drew every
person after it that came in its way, insomuch that the
whole palace was thrown into confusion, and resounded
TUE CJIJj'JÍ sJTÍ/k'K \*,
vnih a 1 !-*iîioti:1'-ïïebim-.'ir. Th*1 woecn of th • bar^n-,
aitutzed íit tlto nprostr, Me w to tbcir blinds to tIî.<**f>%«-r
1 i>e can^e; but no sonner dkl tbey c:\ivU a glîmpse ol
;b«» bail îban, f-bng ibi mselv?- unab.V H) reíbdn. tic -,
broke írom tbe ( iaf'.'hes ni' theír eunu<*}is, wb.o to ,sfop
tlieîr iîígbt pne-hed 1 !i<*ïii lili tbcy bled, but m vain;
Hlílst llìiMUSí']'. t!)Oi?;;b î F< >ì «", • ! i !1 ir V r; 11 tciT.J f îj.
oseape os t licii- charge, wer'.ì as îîk'íipithliï oí roisting i íc-
it tract ;<»n.
The l;wìian. • r bn\ocr tr;u--^sed ib • ítalR -íììì--ì ï-;
ehanìbers, kif fbeus, gardeus and ;í ables oí* tlie palan:,
ai lasfc (ook b b course íhrougli tbe courts; wliiist íh<-
l'alîph. persiiir-f 1dm « io--er t b;!,: -íhc bo .'.-wì.-íÌ
niany kicks ils 1k» possibly cowhk ycf nos witltouf, roecu -
îtig no w íì)\(] î k- n on.\ ,vlîicís bis con; .-î itoi: îii f jl<;
eagerness desigoed for 1 be bail.
Carai bis, Morakonabad, anil two or threo old vizirs,
ivhosc vnsdom had hiíhcrío w bhstoo.i íhe hí'ìihìÌo;:.
wîsbing to prevent Val lu k íron» oxposliìg biins<'lf in {{)<■
présence of liîs subjecís, f'ojl down íu bis vnty to bnpedt
íhe pur, uít; bui be, n gardiens of ií^rir otau uctioì-..
leapod o ver thoir heads and Avent on n s beíoro. Thev
flien ordered the Muezms to calJ tbe [.copie to prayer-,
bol h for î lie suke of geíting ihein oui oí the \ ay, une
of endea vom i g b y tlicir pétitions to avort the eala-
inîiy; but neîíher oí* tbese expédients w as a whîl mm <•
iiuceessílii; tbe biglit of this salai bail w as aione áum-
oient to draw aster ît every beholder. Tbe j\íuezin>
themselves, fhough tbe y sa w il but at a distance, ba>-
iened down iroui their minarets and mixod v* itb flu
crowd, wbich continued to inerease in so surpiising a
inaimer, tbat searee an inliabitant was lest in Samarah.
t-xeept the aged, tbe sick eonbnod to íh**ìr beds, and in-
í'ìiïìís ni tbe breast, wbosc; nurses could run more nimbJy
10
THE IÌ1 STORY OF
without them. Even Carat his, Morakanabad, and the
rest were all become of the party.
The shrill screams of the females, who had broken
from their apartments and were unable to extricate
themselves from the pressure of the crowd, together
with those of the eunuchs jostling aster them, terrified
lest their charge should escape from their sight, in-
creased bj the execrations of husbands urging forward
and menacing both, kicks given and received, stum-
blings and overthrows at every step; in a word, the
confusion that universally prevailed rendered Samarah
like a city taken by storm and devoted to absolute
plunder.
At last the cursed Indian, who still preserved his
rotundity of figure, after passing through all the streets
and public places, and leaving them empty, rolled on-
wards to the plain of Catoul, and traversed the valley
at the foot of the mountain of the Four Fountains.
As a continual fall of water had excavated an im-
mense gulf in the valley, whose opposite side was closed
in by a steep acclivity, the Caliph and his attendants
were apprehensive lest the ball should bound into the
chasm, and, to prevent it, redoubled their efforts, but in
vain. The Indian persevered in his onward direction,
and, as had been apprehended, glancing from the pre-
cipice with the rapidity of lightning, was lost in the
gulf below.
Vathek would have followed the perfidious Giaour,
had not an invisible agency arrested his progress. The
multitude that pressed after him were at once checked
in the same manner, and a calm instantaneously ensued.
They all gazed at each other with an air of astonish-
ment; and, notwithstanding that the loss of veils and
turbans, together with torn habits and dust blended with
THE CAT J PIT VA TURK.
21
sweat, prient»"'} a most laughable sp!M*kicle. fîu r<• was
not ont smile to be seen; on the contrary all, with looks
of confusion and sadness, returned in silence to Sama-
ruh and retired to their inmost apartments, without ever
reflecting that they had been impelled by an invisible
power into the extravagance for which they reproached
themselves; for it is but just that men. who so often
arrogate to their own merit the good of which they are
but instruments, should attribute to themselves the ab-
surdities which they could not prevent.
The Caliph was the only person that refused to leave
the valley. He commanded his tents to be pitched
there, and stationed himself on the very edge of the
precipice, in spite of the representations of Carathis and
Morakanabad, who pointed out the hazard of its brink
giving way, and the vicinity to the Magician that had
so severely tormented him. Vathek derided all their
remonstrances, and, having ordered a thousand flam-
beaus to be lighted, and directed his attendants to pro-
ceed in lighting more, lay down on the slippery margin
and attempted, by help of this artificial splendour,
to look through that gloom which all the fires of the
empyrean had been insufficient to pervade. One
while he fancied to himself voices arising from the
depth of the gulf; at another he seemed to distinguish
the accents of the Indian, but all was no more than the
hollow murmur of waters, and the din of the cataracts
that rushed from steep to steep down the sides of the
mountain.
Having passed the night in this cruel perturbation,
the Caliph at day-break retired to Ms tent, where, with-
out taking the least sustenance, he continued to doze
till the dusk of evening began again to come on. He
then resumed his vigils as before, and persevered in ob-
THE H J ST Oìi Y OF
serving them for many nights together. At length,
fatigued with so successless an employment, he sought
relief from change, To this end he sometimes paced
with hasty strides across the plain, and, as lie wildly
gazed at the stars, reproached them with having deceived
him; but lo! on a sudden the clear blue sky appeared
streaked over with streams of blood, which reached from
the v id ley even to the city of Smnarah. As this awful
phenomenon seemed to touch his tower, Vathek at first
thought of repairing thither to view it more distinctly,
but feeling himself unable to advance, and being over-
come with apprehension, lie inufiled up his face in his
robe.
Terrifying as these prodigies were, this impression
upon him was no more than momentary, and served
only to stimulate his love of the marvc lious. Instead
therefore of returning to his palace, he persisted in
she resolution of abiding where the Indian vanished
from his view. One night, however, while he was
walking as usual on the plain, the moon and the stars
at once were eclipsed, and a total dai kness ensued;
the earth trembled beneath him, and a voice came
forth, the voice of the Giaour, who, in accents more
-onorous than thunder, thus addressed him: "Wouldest
thou devote thyself to me? Adore then the terrestrial
influences, and abjure Mahomet. On these conditions
i will bring thee to the palace of subterranean fire;
there shalt thou behold in immense depositories the
treasures which the stars have promised thee, and which
will be conferred by those Intelligences whom thou
shalt thus render propitious. It was from thence I
brought my sabres, and it is there that Sol iman Ben
Daoud reposes, surrounded by the talismans that con-
trol the world."

THE CALIPH ì A TIIEK. 23
The astonishori Caliph treiiìbìed as lie answered, yeí
in a style that showed liìni to be 110 novice in prefer-
iiíitiiral adventures: "W Itère art thou? be présent to
tny eyos; dissipate the gloom íliat perplexes me, and
of whìeìi 1 deem tliee the eau se; aster the many tlam-
beaus I liave biirnt to diseover tliee, thon muyst al
least grant a gíii»p:*e of tliy horrible visage."
"Abjure llieii Mahomet," rcplted the Indian, "and
promise me full proofs of tby sineerity, othervvise thou
iûnùl ne ver behold me again."
Tlie iinhappy Caliph, insligated 1 >y insatiable eiirio-
síty, lavished his promises în the utmost profusion,
llie sky îïiiïiiediîifely brightened; and by the lîght of
the planets, whieii seeuied almost te blaze, Vatlick be-
hold the eartli «peu, and at tlie extremîty of* a vast
blaek ehasm, a portai of" ehony, beíbre wliieli stood the
Indian, still bhteker, holding in liîs han d a golden key
that eaiisod tlie loek to resound.
"llow," eried Vathek, a ear» I descend to tliee with-
out the eertainty of break in g m y neek? corne take me,
and instantly opeu tlie portai."
"Not so fast," repìied tlie Indian, " impatient Caliph!
Know that I ain parehed w h h thirst, and eannot open
this door tíll my thirst be thoroughly appeased. I re-
411 ire the blood of íìsty of tlie inost beatitiful sons of
thv vizirs and great m en, or neìther eau my thirst nor
thy euriosity lie satisíied. Iîeturn to Samarali, procure
for me this necessary libation, corne baek hither, throw
it thy sel f int.o this ehasm, and then shalt thon see!"
Ilaving tlius spoken tlie Indian turned his back on
the Caliph, w h o, ineited by the suggestion, of démons,
resolved 011 tlie direfid sacrifice. Ile now pretendod to
have regained his train puillity, and set ont for Samarali
amidst the acclamations of a people who still loved him,
THE IIJ STORY OF
and forebore not to rejoice wlien they believed him t<
have recovered his reason. So successfully did lie
conceal the emotion of his heart, that even Carathis
and Morakanabad were equally deceived with the rest.
Nothing was heard of but festivals and rejoicings; the
ball, which no tongue had hitherto ventured to mention,
was again brought on the tapis; a general laugh went
round, though many, still smarting under the hands of
the surgeon from the hurts received in that memorable
adventure, had no great reason for mirth.
The prevalence of this gay humour was not a little
grateful to Yathek, as perceiving how much it con-
duced to his project. He put on the appearance of
affability to every one, but especially to his vizirs, and
the grandees of his court, whom he failed not to regale
with a sumptuous banquet, during which he insensibly
inclined the conversation to the children of his guests.
Having asked with a good-natured air who of them
were blessed with the handsomest boys, every father at
once asserted the pretensions of his own, and the con-
test imperceptibly grew so warm that nothing could
have withholden them from coining to blows but their
profound reverence for the person of the Caliph. Un-
der the pretence therefore of reconciling the disputants,
Vathek took upon him to decide; and with this view
commanded the boys to be brought.
It was not long before a troop of these poor children
made their appearance, all equipped by their fond
mothers with such ornaments as might give the greatest
relief to their beauty, or most advantageously display
the graces of their age. But whilst this brilliant assem-
blage attracted the eyes and hearts of every one besides,
the Caliph scrutinized each in his turn with a malignant
avidity that passed for attention, and selected from their

THE CALIPH VA THE K. 25
number the fifty whom he judged the Giaour would
prefer.
With an equal show of kindness as before, he pro-
posed to celebrate a festival 011 the plain for the enter-
tainment of his young favourites, who he said ought to
rejoice still more than, all at the restoration of his health,
on account of the favours he intended for them.
The Caliph's proposal was received with the greatest
delight, and soon published through Saraarah; litters,
camels, and horses were prepared. Women and chil-
dren, old men and young, every one placed himself in the
station he chose. The cavalcade set forward, attended
by all the confectioners in the city and its precincts; the
populace following on foot composed an amazing crowd,
and occasioned no little noise; all was joy, nor did any
one call to mind what most of them had suffered when
they first travelled the road they were now passing so
gaily.
The evening was serene, the air refreshing, the sky
clear, and the flowers exhaled their fragrance ; the beams
of the declining sun, whose mild splendour reposed 011
the summit of the mountain, shed a glow of ruddy light
over its green declivity and the white flocks sporting up-
on it; no sounds were audible, save the murmurs of the
Four Fountains, and the reeds and voices of shepherds,
calling to each other from different eminences.
The lovely innocents proceeding to the destined sac-
rifice added not a little to the hilarity of the scene;
they approached the plain full of sportiveness, some
coursing butterflies, others culling flowers, or picking up
the shining little pebbles that attracted their, notice. At
intervals they nimbly started from each other, for the
sake of being caught again and mutually imparting a
thousand caresses.
26
777 /; HISTOftF O F
The dreadftd ehasi», at whose bnltom lïie portai of
ebony w as pîaeed, began to appear al a distance; It
looked 1 îke a bluek streak íìmt divided tht* plain. Moru-
kauabad and Lis eompanions look it for some vrurL whieb.
the Cidîph had onìored; uiiliîippj nitîii î lilîle dîd they
surin ise for w ha r ít w as destîned.
Vat ho k, not likinu they should oxnmino it ton nonrly,
stopped the procession, and ordered a spíicious eírejo to
be sonncd on thîs side, at somo distance front the aeeitrsed
chasm, The body-gnard o f emmens w as detaelted to
ineíisure oui the lisrs intended Ibr the gaines, and pré-
pare ringles íbr the bues lu keep « it the l'i'uwd. The
íìfty eompetltors were soon stripped, and présented to the
admiration of the speetators (lie suppleitess and grâce of
their délicate lhï\h^ : their oyos sparklod wirh n joy which
tliose o f their tond parents retlecíed. Every ono otlered
wishes íbr the lits le candidate nearest his heart, tmd
double d not of his being victorious; a brearbless sus-
pense awaited tlieeonlest of thèse amiable and innoí cm
victinis.
The Caliph. availing himseíf of the first moment to re-
tire íroi» the erowd, advaneed towards the eh asm, and
there heard, jet not withouî shuddcring, the voice of the
índian, w ho, gnashîog his teeth, eagerly demanded:
"Where are they f w h ère are they ? percehest thou not
how tii v mous h wa1er<?"
"Relentìess (jiaour î" answered Vathek wîtli émotion,
u can nothing content thee but the massacre of thèse
lovely victinis? Ah î wert thou to behold their beauty
it must eertainîy niove thy compassion."
*; Perdition on thy compassion, babbler!" erîed the
índian; "G ive the m me, instant ly give them, or m y
portai shall be elosed against thee íbr ever!"
"Not so loudîy," replied the Caliph, blushing.

y///; (\í u r u r,i77//;á'.
"I undorstand thee," returned tli<* Gíaoitr w if h the
grín os au ogre; "thon wanlesl to sunmion itp mon-
preseiu of niiml; ! v.jli fora m"i^< n\ foru, -.s ,'*"
Diirin'.1. fbijá ('X<[iiÌslf". dialogue fho «jrriimv.'oní for-
wai(ì wítlì ail aiacniy, and al h ngf h condfídmf just us
the twiisglit began to over«*asl tho mountains. Vathek,
wiio w as still standing 011 the edge of tlìe cltíisiu, ealled
out, wííîj ail his migln.: u Lct m y îííìj ìiîílo îavourites
approa< h n»!4 séparai-. • >, ami les ;v e .• corne 'n ;"h" or-!-"ì-
of their suceess. To il u; íirst 1 will give jny diamoml
bracelet, to tbe second iìij col lai1 of cuit ral'is, to ilie
íliirtl niy aigret of rubies, to t ht' íburtb my gin Ho of
topazes, and to the r-^t eaeh a p'-rt of my dres**, ovoì?
down f o m y -ìippeo, 1
This déclaration was reeeîved wîtli réitérât ed accla-
mai ious, and ail exlolled the liberality of a Prince who
would t!ei>: strip hr-e* ìì for the ;ouiiseinent <>r his sul -
jects and tbe oiu'(><r ag-ment of the rising gen- ;aiion.
Tlie Calípfi in lite ineanwliile undressed himself b y
degrees, and, rr^iiig his anu as liigli as lie was abie.
m a de each of the prîzes glitier în the air; but wbilst
lie delivered it witb one ban d to ilie chiid, wbo sprung
forward su reeeive k» b».- wirh íìe- oîle-r pusle d íbe poof
innocent ítito the guis, w h ère tbe (iiaour wîíli a sullen
inutíering incessant ly repeatcd, "More! more!"
Thi.- dr-'.ulful devîee was exc-'uí.'d with so vmvh dex-
íerily, íhaf tbe boy wbo was app?« ncbing him romaîncd
uneonsetous of tbe fa te of bis forerunner; and as to
spectators, tbe fluides of evcning, logetber wîtb their
distance, preciuded tbem froni pereeiving any objeet
distínetìy, Vatbek, having in thb, manner thrown in
tbe iast of the íiffv. expecîbig Ibat tbr? Giaour, on
rectiving tlem would bave preseuted tbe key, already
faneied bimself as great as Soìima», and conséquent!)'
28
THE HISTORY OF
above being amenable for what he had done; when, to
Ms utter amazement, the chasm closed, and the ground
became as entire as the rest of the plain.
No language could express his rage and despair. He
execrated the perfidy of the Indian, loaded him with
the most infamous invectives, and stamped with his foot
as resolving to be heard; he persisted in this demea-
nour till his strength foiled him, and then fell on the
earth like one void of sense. His vizirs and grandees,
who were nearer than the rest, supposed him at first to
be sitting on the grass at play with their amiable chil-
dren; but at length prompted by doubt, they advanced
towards the spot and found the Caliph alone, who
wildly demanded what they wanted?
"Our children! our children!" cried they.
"It is assuredly pleasant," said he, "to make me
accountable for accidents; your children while at play
fell from the precipice that was here, and I should have
experienced their fate had I not been saved by a sudden
start back."
At these words the fathers of the fifty boys criel out
aloud, the mothers repeated their exclamations an octave
higher, whilst the rest, without knowing the cause, soon
drowned the voices of both with still louder lamenta-
tions of their own.
"Our Caliph," said they, and the report soon circu-
lated, "Our Caliph has played us this trick to gratify
his accursed Giaour. Let us punish him for his perfidy!
let us avenge ourselves! let us avenge the blood of the
innocent! let us throw this cruel Prince into the gulf
that is near, and let his name be mentioned no more!"
At this rumour and these menaces, Carathis, full
of consternation, hastened to Morakanabad and said:
"Vizir, you have lost two beautiful boys, and must

THE CALIPH VATHEK. 29
necessarily be the most afflicted of fathers, but you are
virtuous, save your master."
"I will brave every hazard," replied the vizir, "to
rescue him from his present danger, but afterwards will
abandon him to his fate. Bababalouk," continued he,
"put yourself at the head of your eunuchs; disperse
the mob, and, if possible, bring back this unhappy
Prince to his palace." Bababalouk and his fraternity,
felicitating each other in a low voice on their disability
of ever being fathers, obeyed the mandate of the vizir;
who, seconding their exertions to the utmost of his
power, at length accomplished his generous enterprise,
and retired as he resolved to lament at his leisure.
No sooner had the Caliph re-entered his palace than
Carathis commanded the doors to be fastened; but,
perceiving the tumult to be still violent, and hearing
the imprecation which resounded from all quarters, she
said to her son: "Whether the populace be right or
wrong, it behoves you to provide for your safety; let
us retire to your own apartment, and from thence
through the subterranean passage, known only to our-
selves, into your tower; there, with the assistance of
the mutes who never leave it, we may be able to make
some resistance. Bababalouk, supposing us to be still
in the palace, will guard its avenues for his own sake;
and we shall soon find, without the counsels of that
blubberer Morakanabad, what expedient may be the
best to adopt.
Vathek, without making the least reply, acquiesced
in his mother's proposal, and repeated as he went:
"Nefarious Giaour! where art thou? hast thou not yet
devoured those poor children? where are thy sabres?
thy golden key? thy talismans?"
Carathis, who guessed from these interrogations a
3o 7/7/; HI STORY OF
part '>f the i had no difficulty so apprehend in
getting at the whole, as soon as he should be a little
composed in his tower. This Princess was so far from
beiuíí mlluonced by scruples, that she was as wicked as
wo.nitit could V>e, which is not saying a little, for the
sca j)iqiic themselves on their superiority in every com-
petition. The recital of the Caliph, therefore, occa-
sioned neither terror nor surprise to his mother; she
felt; no emotion but from the promises of the Giaour,
and .- ;id to !;••!• son: ir This Giaour, it must bo con-
it>s"d, is somewhat sanguinary in his taste, but the,
tterrestrial powers are always terrible; nevertheless,
what she one ícfh promised ami íhe others can confer
will prove a suilieient indemnification; no crimes should
be thought too dear for such a reward; forbear then to
revile the Indian; you have not fulfilled the conditions
to which his services are annexed; for instance, is not
a sacrifice to the subterranean Genii required? and
should we not be prepared to oiler it as soon as the
tumult is subsided? This charge I will take on myself,
and hnve no doubt of succeeding by means of your
treasures, which, as there are now so many others in
store, may without fear be exhausted."
Accordingly the Princess, who possessed the most
consummate skill in the art of persuasion, went im-
mediately back through the subterranean passage; and,
presiding hen-df to the populace from a window ;f the:
palace, began to harangue them with all the address of
which she was mistress, whilst Bababalouk showered
money from both hands amongst the crowd, who by these
united means were soon appeased; every person retired
to his home and Carathis returned to the tower.
Prayer at break of day was announced, when Carathis
and Vnthek ascended the steps which led to the summit
THE CALIPH VATHEK. 31
os site Unver, wliere tbey remahií d for souk- time, thou^h
tbe wcaíber wìis Io\vor«n;jf ami wr!. Tbis impeiìdíf»"
^loíun eormponded wítb flieir mali^iumt dispositions;
but wben tbe í-'ìiii began to break t!ir»!i«:ìi tbe eìouds
tbey yrderetì a pavilion to !>e nu<ed, a* a .'o-oíai from tbe
intrasion of bis beauw. The Culijíh, ovoreoiM» witli
fat*_mle, souirbl n tVesbmeiií from repose, íì! ibe* naine lime
li<>]iiíìfç tìiiíi úinûûvímí dreains nbiilit attend ou bis
slunibers; whilsl tlie îiìdefutîgíible Gtraf his, followed by
a party of ber unités, de>eeîìded to prépare wbafeveì*' slie
jutlt ed proper for tlu» eblaíiou of tlu» appi eaebine; nîgbt.
I > v Hfícrel síaírs, known ouï y to ber.-elf ami to Ìht hou,
sbe íirst repaired to tbe myr t< rions recenses in wliî**li were
deposited tlu4 ittuumiies íltai ìmû ìmim brougbt íVom tbe
eatacomlw of tlie anciens. Pbaniohs; of* tbese slie ordered
several to be taken, Froi» ílieiiee sbe reserted 1o a «uì-
lery where, under tl\ 1 euard of íìí'ty íemale nommes,
mute and blinti of tbe rigbí eye, were preserved lite oïl
of flic most veuomnus serpents, rhinocéros' bonis, and
woods of ít subtile and penetn-.i m o odour procired froiii
tbe inlerior of tlie Indie*, to^e: hcr witb a thousand other
horrible ravilies. TJiîs collection bail beeii formed for a
purposc like tbe présent hy Carat bis her>elf, from n pré-
sent huent that sbe iitîghl o ne d ay <-njoy some intercouv.se
witîì tbe infernal powers to whom sbe had ever been
passion atcly alíaehed, and to wliose taste shc was do
stranger.
To fîiiiiilííirize herself tlie betf«T witb tlie lion ors in
vie w, tbe IVineess renia in ed in tlie company of ber
négresses, wbo squîiiíeil in tbe nient amiable manner
from tlie onîy eye tliey had, and leered wîth exquisite
délie b t at tbe skulls and skeleíons whîeìi Carathis had
clrawn fortli from ber cabinets, wbose key she întrusteci
f o no one; ail of lb<m makinpr contortions, and utterîng
32 THE Ml STORY OF
a frightful jargon, but very amusing to the Princess, till
at last being stunned by their gibbering, and suffocated
by the potency of their exhalations, she was forced to
quit the gallery, after stripping it of a part of its
treasures.
Whilst she was thus occupied the Caliph, who instead
of the visions he expected had acquired in these insub-
stantial regions a voracious appetite, was greatly pro-
voked at the négresses; for, having totally forgotten
their deafness, he had impatiently asked them for food,
and seeing them regardless of his demand, he began to
cuff, pinch, and push them, till Carathis arrived to ter-
minate a scene so indecent, to the great content of these
miserable creatures, who, having been brought up by
her, understood all her signs, and communicated in the
same way their thoughts in return.
"Son! what means all this?" said she, panting for
breath. "I thought I heard as I came up, the shrieks
of a thousand bats tearing from their crannies in the re-
cesses of a cavern; and it was the outcry only of these
poor mutes, whom you were so unmercifully abusing.
In truth you but ill deserve the admirable provision I
have brought you."
"Give it me instantly," exclaimed the Caliph ; " I am
perishing for hunger!"
"As to that," answered she, "you must have an excel-
lent stomach, if it can digest what I have been pre-
paring."
"Be quick," replied the Caliph; "but, oh heavens!
what horrors! what do you intend?"
u Come, come," returned Carathis, "be not so squea-
mish, but help me to arrange everything properly, and
you shall see that what you reject with such symptoms
of disgust will soon complete your felicity. Let us get
THE CALIPH VATHEK, 33
ready the pile lor the sacrifice of to-night, and think not
of eating till that is jkm'Íortm *I: know yon not that all
solemn rite* ;n e preceded by a rigorous absf inenee 'r"
The1 Caliph, not daring' to object, abandoned him-
self to grief and the wind that ravaged his entrails,
whilst lus mol her went forward with the requisite opera-
tions. Phial- of serpents' oil. mummies and bone* were
soon set in order on the balustrade of the tower; the
pile began to rise, and in three hours was as many cubits
high. At length darkness approached, and Carathis,
having stripped herself to her inmost garment, clapped
her hands in an impulse of ecstasy and struck light with
all her force. The mutes followed her example; but
Vathek, extenuated with hunger and impatience, was
unable to support himself, and fell down in a swoon.
The sparks had already kindled the dry wood, the veno-
mous oil burst into a thousand bine flames, the mum-
mies dissolving emitted a thick dun vapour, and the
rhinoceros's horns beginning to consume, all together
diffused such a stench, that the Caliph recovering started
from his trance, and gazed wildly on the scene in full
blaze around him. The oil gushed forth in a plenitude
of streams; and the négresses, who supplied it without
intermission, united their cries to those of the Princess.
At last the lire became so violent, and the flames re-
flected from the polished marble m dazzling, that the
Caliph, unable to withstand the heat and the blaze,
effected his escape, and clambered up the imperial
standard.
In the meantime the inhabitants of Samarah, scared
at the light which shone over the city, arose in haste,
ascended their roofs, beheld the tower on fire, and hurried
half naked to the square. Their love to their Sovereign
immediately awoke; and, apprehending him in danger
i>
34 THE HISTORY OF
of perishing in his tower, their whole thoughts were oc-
cupied with the means of his safety. Morakanabad flew
from his retirement, wiped away his tears, and cried out
for water like the rest. Bababalouk, whose olfactory
nerves were more familiarized to magical odours, readily
conjecturing that Carathis was engaged in her favourite
amusements, strenuously exhorted them not to be
alarmed. Him however they treated as an old poltroon,
and forbore not to style him a rascally traitor. The
camels and dromedaries were advancing with water, but
no one knew by which way to enter the tower. Whilst
t he populace was obstinate in forcing the doors, a violent
east wind drove such a volume of flame against them, as
at first forced them off, but afterwards rekindled their
zeal; at the same time the stench of the horns and mum-
mies increasing, most of the crowd fell backward in a
state of suffocation; those that kept their feet mutually
wondered at the cause of the smell, and admonished each
other to retire. Morakanabad, more sick than the rest,
remained in a piteous condition; holding his nose with
one hand, lie persisted in his efforts with the other, to
burst open the doors and obtain admission. A hundred
and forty of the strongest and most resolute at length
accomplished their purpose; having gained the stair-
case by their violent exertions, they attained a great
height in a quarter of an hour.
Carathis, alarmed at the signs of her mutes, advanced
to the stair-case, went down a few steps, and heard
several voices calling out from below: "You shall in
a moment have water!" Being rather alert, consider-
ing her age, she presently regained the top of the tower,
and bade her son suspend the sacrifice for some minutes,
adding: "We shall soon be enabled to render it more
grateful; certain dolts of your subjects, imagining no


THE CALIPH VATEE.K, 35
doubt that we were on fire, have been rash enough to
break through those doors'which had hitherto remained
inviolate, for the sake of bringing up water; they are
very kind, you must allow, so soon to forget the wrongs
you have done them, but that is of little moment. Let
us offer them to the Giaour; let them come up; our
mutes, who neither want strength nor experience, will
soon dispatch them, exhausted as they are with fatigue."
"Be it so," answered the Caliph, "provided we finish
and I dine."
In fa et these good people, out of breath from ascend-
ing eleven thousand stairs in such haste, and chagrined
at having spilt by the way the water they had taken,
were no sooner arrived at the top than the blaze of the
flames and the fumes of the mummies at once over-
powered their senses. Tt was a pity! for they beheld
not the agreeable smile with which the mutes and the
négresses adjusted the cord to their necks; these amiable
personages rejoiced, however, no less at the scene; never
before had the ceremony of strangling been performed
with so much facility; they all fell without the least
resistance or struggle, so that Yathek in the space of a
few moments found himself surrounded by the dead
bodies of his faiths ulìesr subjects, all which were thrown
on the top of the pile.
Carathis, whose presence of mind never forsook her,
perceiving that she had carcasses sufficient to complete
her oblation, commanded the chains to be stretched
across the stair-case, and the iron doors barricadoed,
that no more might come up.
No sooner were these orders obeyed than the tower
shook, the dead bodies vanished in the flames, which at
once changed from a swarthy crimson to a bright rose
colour; an ambient vapour emitted the most exquisite
36 THE HISTORY OP
fragrance, the marble columns rang with harmonious
sounds and the liquefied horns diffused a delicious per-
fume. Carathis, in transports, anticipated the success
of her enterprise, whilst her mutes and négresses, to
whom these sweets had given the colic, retired to their
cells grumbling.
Scareelj were they gone when, instead of the pile,
horns, mummies and ashes, the Caliph both saw and felt,
with a degree of pleasure which he could not express, a
table covered with the most magnificent repast; flagons
of wine, and vases of exquisite sherbet floating on snow.
He availed himself without scruple of such an enter-
tainment, and had already laid hands on a lamb stuffed
with pistachios, whilst Carathis was privately drawing
from a filigree urn a parchment that seemed to be end»
less; and which had escaped the notice of her son;
totally occupied in gratifying an importunate appetite,
.he left her to peruse it without interruption, which
having finished, she said to him in an authoritative tone,
"Put an end to your gluttony, and hear the splendid
promises with which you are favoured!" She then
read as follows: "Vathek, my well-beloved, thou hast
surpassed my hopes; my nostrils have been regaled by
the savour of thy mummies, thy horns, and still more
by the lives devoted on the pile. At the full of the
moon cause the bands of thy musicians and thy tymbals
to be heard; depart from thy palace surrounded by all
the pageants of majesty; thy most faithful slaves, thy
best beloved wives, thy most magnificent litters, thy
richest loaden camels, and set forward on thy way to
Istakhar; there await I t hy coining; that is the region
of wonders; there shalt thou receive the diadem of Gian
Ben Gian, the talismans of Soliman, and the treasures
of the Preadamite Sultans; there shalt thou be solaced
with all kinds of delight, But beware how thou enterest
THE CALIPH VA THEK. 37
any dwelling on thy route, or thou shalt feel the effects
of my anger."
The Caliph, who, notwithstanding* his habitual luxury,
had never before dined with so much satisfaction, gave
full scope to the joy of these golden tidings, and betook
himself to drinking anew. Carathis, whose antipathy to
wine was by no means insuperable, failed not to supply
a reason for every bumper, which they ironically quaffed
to the health of Mahomet. This infernal liquor com-
pleted their impious temerity, and prompted them to
utter a profusion of blasphemies; they gave a loose to
their wit at the expend of the ass of Balaam, the dopt
of the seven sleepers, and the other animals admitted
info the paradise5 of Mahomet, In this sprightly humour
they descended the eleven thousand stairs, diverting
themselves as they went at the anxious faces they saw
on the square through the oilets of the tower, and at
length arrived at the. royal apartments by the subterra-
nean passage. Bababalouk was parading to and fro, and
issuing his mandates with great pomp to the eunuchs,
who were snuffing the lights and painting the* eyes of
the Circassians. No sooner did he catch sight of the
Caliph and his Mother than he exclaimed, "Hah Ï you
have then, I perceive, escaped from the flames; I was
not however altogether out of doubt."
44 Of what moment is it to us what you thought, or
think?" cried Carathis; "go, speed, tell Morakanahad
that we immediately want him: and take care how you
stop by the way to mak<- your insipid reflections."
Morakanabad delayed not to obey the summons, and
was received by Vafhek and his mother with great
solemnity; they told him, with an air of composure and
commiseration, that the fire at the top of the tower was
extinguished; but that it had cost the lives of the brave
people who sought; to assist them.
38 THE HISTORY OF
"Still more misfortunes!" cried Morakonabad, with
a sigh. "Ah, Commander of the faithful, our holy
Prophet is certainly irritated against us! it behoves you
to appease him."
"We will appease him hereafter!" replied the Caliph,
with a smile that augured nothing of good. "You will
have leisure sufficient for your supplications during my
absence; for this country is the bane of my health. I
am disgusted with the mountain of the Four Fountains,
and am resolved to go and drink of the stream of
Koenabad; I long to refresh myself in the delightful
valleys which, it waters. Do you, with the advice of
my mother, govern my dominions, and take care to
supply whatever her experiments may demand; for you
well know that our tower abounds in materials for the
advancement of science.'*
The tower but ill suited Morakanabad's taste. Im-
mense treasures had been lavished upon it; and nothing
had he ever seen carried thither but female negroes,
mutes and abominable drugs. Nor did he know well
what to think of Carathis; who, like a caméléon, could
assume all possible colours; her cursed eloquence had
often driven the poor mussulman to his last shifts. He
considered, however, that if she possessed but few good
qualities, her son had still fewer; and that the alter-
native on the whole would be in her favour. Consoled,
therefore, with this reflection, he went in good spirits to
soothe the populace, and make the proper arrangements
for his master's journey.
Vathek, to conciliate the Spirits of the subterranean
palace, resolved that his expedition should be uncom-
monly splendid. With this view he confiscated on all
sides the property of his subjects, whilst his worthy
mother stripped the seraglios she visited of the gems

THE CALIPH VÁTJ1EK.
39
they contained. She collected all the sempstresses and
embroiderers of Samarah and other cities to the distance
of sixty leagues, to prepare pavilions, palanquins, sofas,
canopies and litters for the train of the Monarch. There
was not lest in Masulipatan a single piece of chintz, and
so much muslin had been bought up to dress out Baba-
balonk and the other black eunuchs, that there remained
not an ell in the whole Irak of Babylon.
During these preparations Carathis, who never lost
sight of her great object, which was to obtain favour
with the Powers of darkness, made select parties of the
fairest and most delicate ladies of the city; but in the
midst of their gaiety she contrived to introduce serpents
amongst them, and to break pots of scorpions, under the
table; they all bit to a wonder; and Carathis would
have left them to bite, were it not that, to fill up the
time, she now and then amused herself in curing their
wounds with an excellent anodyne of her own invention,
for this good Princess abhorred being indolent.
Vathek, who was not altogether so active as his
mother, devoted his time to the sole gratification of his
senses, in the palaces which were severally dedicated to
them; he disgusted himself no more with the Divan
or the Mosque. One half of Samarah followed his
example, whilst the other lamented the progress of cor-
ruption.
In the midst of these transactions, the embassy re-
turned which had been sent in pious times to Mecca.
It consisted of the most reverend Moullahs, who had
fulfilled their commission and brought back one of those
precious besoms which are used to sweep the sacred
Caaba; a present truly worthy of the greatest potentate
on earth I
The Caliph happened at this instant to be engaged in
40 THE HISTORY OF
an apartment by no means adapted to the reception of
embassies, though adorned with a certain magnificence,
not only to render it agreeable, but also because he
resorted to it frequently, and stayed a considerable time
together, Whilst occupied in this retreat, he heard the
voice of Bababalouk calling out from between the door
and the tapestry that hung before it: "Here are the
excellent Mahomet Ebn Edris al Shafei, and the sera-
phic Al Mouhadethin, who have brought the besom
from Mecca, and with tears of joy intreat they may pre-
sent it to your majesty in person."
"Let them bring the besom hither; it may be of
use," said Vathek, who was still employed, not having
quite racked off his wine.
"How! answered Bababalouk, half aloud and
amazed.
"Obey," replied the Caliph, a for it is my sovereign
will; go instantly, vanish; for here will I receive the
good folk, who have thus filled thee with joy.'*
The eunuch departed muttering, and bade the vener-
able train attend him. À sacred rapture was diffused
amongst these reverend old men. Though fatigued
with the length of their expedition, they followed Ba-
babalouk with an alertness almost miraculous, and felt
themselves highly flattered, as *hey swept along the
stately porticoes, that the Caliph would not receive them
like ambassadors in ordinary in his hall of audience.
Soon reaching the interior of the harem (where, through
blinds of persian, they perceived large soft eyes, dark
and blue, that went and came like lightning) penetrated
with respect and wonder, and full of their celestial mis-
sion, they advanced in procession towards the small
corridors that appeared to terminate in nothing, but
nevertheless led to the cell where the Caliph expected
their coining.
THE CALIPH VATHEK,
41
"What! is the commander of the faithful sick?" said
Ebn Edris al Shafei in a low voice to his companion.
"I rather think he is in his oratory," answered Al
Mouhadethin.
Vathek, who heard the dialogue, cried out: "What
imports it you how I am employed? approach without
delay."
They advanced, and Bababalouk almost sunk with
confusion, whilst the Caliph, without showing himself,
put forth his hand from behind the tapestry that hung
before the door, and demanded of them the besom.
Having prostrated themselves as well as the corridor
would permit, and even in a tolerable semicircle, the
venerable Al Shafei, drawing forth the besom from the
embroidered and perfumed scarves in which it had been
enveloped, and secured from the profane gaze of vulgar
eyes, arose from his associates, and advanced with an
air of the most awful solemnity, towards the supposed
oratory; but with what astonishment! with what horror
was he seized! Vathek bursting out into a villanous
laugh, snatched the besom from his trembling hand, and,
fixing upon some cobwebs that hung suspended from
the ceiling, gravely brushed away till not a single one
remained. The old men, overpowered with amazement,
were unable to lift their beards from the ground; for,
as Vathek had carelessly left the tapestry between them
half drawn, they were witnesses to the whole transac-
tion; their tears gushed fortl* on the marble, Al Mou-
hadethin swooned through mortification and fatigue,
whilst the Caliph, throwing himself backward on his
seat, shouted ami Happed his hands without mercy. At
last, addressing himself to Bababalouk: "My dear
black," said he, "go, regale these pious poor souls
with my good wine from Shiraz; and, as they can boast
42 TUE ITISTORY OF
of having seen more of my palace than any one besides let
them also visit my office courts, and lead them out by the
back steps that go to my stables. Having said this lie
threw the besom in their face, and went to enjoy the
laugh with Carathis. Bababalouk did all in his power
to console the ambassadors, but the two most infirm ex-
pired on the spot; the rest were carried to their beds,
from whence, being heart-broken with sorrow and shame,
they never arose.
The succeeding night Vathek attended by his mother
ascended the tower to see if everything were ready for
his journey; for lie hud great faith in the influence of
the stars. The planets appeared in their most favour-
able aspects. The Caliph, to enjoy so flattering a sight,
supped gaily on the roof, and fancied that he heard
during his repast loud shouts of laughter resound through
the sky, in a manner that inspired the fullest assurance.
All was in motion at the palace; lights were kept
burning through the whole of the night; the sound of
implements and of artisans finishing their work, the
voices of women and their guardians who sung at their
embroidery, all eonspired to interrupt the stillness of
nature and infinitely delight the heart of Vathek, who
imagined himself going in triumph to sit upon the
throne of Solium m
The people were not less satisfied than himself, all
assisted to accelerate the moment which should rescue
them from the wayward caprices of so extravagant a
master.
The day preceding the departure of this infatuated
Prince was employed by Carathis in repeating to him
the decrees of the mysterious parchment, which she had
thoroughly gotten by heart, and in recommending him
not to enter the habitation of any one by the way; "for
TUE CALIPH VATIIKK. 43
well thou knowest," added she, u bow liquorish tliy taste
is after good dishes and young damsels; let me, there-
fore, enjoin thee to be coulent with thy old cooks, who
are the best in the world, and not to forget that in thy
ambulatory seraglio there are three dozen pretty faces,
which Bababalouk hath not yet unveiled. I myself
have a great desire to watch over thy conduct, and visit
the subterranean pabiee, which 110 doubt contains what-
ever can interest persons like us; there is nothing ho
pleasing as retiring to caverns; my taste for dead bodies
and every thing like mummy is decided, and 1 am con-
fident thou wilt see the most exquisite of their kind.
Forget me not then, but the moment thou art in posses-
sion of the talismans which are to open to thee the
mineral kingdoms and the centre of the earth itself, fail
not to dispatch some trusty genius to take me and my
cabinet, for the oil of the serpents I have pinched to
death will be a pretty present to the Ginour, who can-
not but be charmed with such dainties,"
Scarcely had Carat h is ended this edifying discourse
when the sun, setting behind the mountain of the Four
Fountains, gave place to the rising moon ; this planet
being that evening at full appeared of unusual beauty
and magnitude in the eyes of the women, the eunuchs
and the pages, who were all impatient to set forward.
The city re-echoed with shouts of joy and flourishing of
trumpets; nothing was visible but plumes nodding
on pavilions, and aigrets shining in the mild lustre of
the moon; the spacious square resembled an immense
parterre, variegated with the most stately tulips of the
East.
Arrayed in the robes which were only worn at the
most distinguished ceremonials, and supported by his
Vizir and Bababalouk, the Caliph descended the grand
44
THE 111 ST OR F OF
staircase of the tower in the sight of all his people; lie
could not forbear pausing at intervals to admire the
superb appearance which every where courted his view,
whilst the whole multitude, even to the camels with
their sumptuous burthens, knelt down before him. For
nome time a general stillness prevailed, which nothing
happened to disturb but she shrill screams of some
eunuchs in the rear; these vigilant guards, having re-
marked certain cages of the ladies swagging somewhat
awry, and discovered that a few adventurous gallants
had contrived to get in, soon dislodged the enraptured
culprits, and consigned them with good commendations
to the surgeons of the serail. The majesty of so mag-
nificent a spectacle was not, however, violated by inci-
dents like these, Vathek meanwhile saluted the moon
with an idolatrous air, that neither pleased Morakana-
bad nor the Doctors of the law, any more than the
vizirs and the grandees of his court, who were, all as-
sembled to enjoy the last view of their Sovereign.
At length the clarions and trumpets from the top of
the tower announced the prelude of departure; though
the instruments were in unison with each other, yet a
singular dissonance was blended with their sounds; this
proceeded from Carathis, who was singing her direful
orisons to the Giaour, whilst the négresses and mutes
supplied thorough-base without articulating a word.
The good Mussulmans fancied that they heard the sullen
hum of those nocturnal insects which presage evil, and
importuned Vathek to beware how lie ventured his
sacred person.
On a given signal the great standard of the Califat
was displayed, twenty thousand lances shone around it,
and the Caliph, treading loyally on the cloth of gold
which had been spread for his feet, ascended his litter
amidst the general awe that possessed his subjects.
THE CALIFJf VATJIEK 45
The expedition commenced with the utmost order and
so entire a silence, that even the locusts were heard
from the thickets on the plain of Catoul. Gaiety and
good-humour prevailing, six good leagues were past
before the dawn; and the morning star was still glit-
tering in the firmament when the whole of this numerous
train had halted on the banks of the. Tigris, where thej
encamped to repose for the rest of the day.
The three days that followed were spent in the same
manner; but on the fourth the heavens looked angry,
lightnings broke forth in frequent flashes, re-echoing
peals of thunder succeeded, and the trembling Circas-
sians clung with all their might to their uejy guardians.
The Caliph himself was greatly inclined to take shelter
in the large town of Gulchissar, the governor of which
came forth to meet him, and tendered every kind of
refreshment the place could supply; but, having exa-
mined his tablets, he suffered the rain to soak him almost
to the bone, notwithstanding the importunity of his first
favourites. Though he began to regret the palace of
the senses, yet he lost not sight of his enterprise, and
his sanguine expectations confirmed his resolution; his
geographers were ordered to attend him, but the weather
proved so terrible that these poor people exhibited a
lamentable appearance; and, as no long journeys had
been undertaken since the time of Ihiroun al Kaschid,
their maps of the different countries were in a still worse
plight than themselves; every one was ignorant which
way to turn; for Vathek, though well versed in the
course of the heavens, no longer knew his situation 011
earth; he thundered even louder than the elements,
and muttered forth certain hints of the bow-string,
which were not very soothing to literary ears. Dis-
gusted at the toilsome weariness of the way, he deter-
mined to cross over the craggy heights and follow the
4ó THE HISTORY OF
guidance os a peasant, who undertook to bring Mm in
four days to Koenabad. Kemonstrances were all to no
purpose; his resolution was fixed, and an invasion com-
menced on the province of the goats, who sped away in
large troops before them. It was curious to view on
these luilf calcined rocks camels richly caparisoned, and
pavilions of gold and silk waving on their summits,
which till then had never been covered but with sapless
thistles and fern.
The females and eunuchs littered shrill wail in gs at
the sight of the precipices below them, and the dreary
prospects that opened in the vast gorges of the moun-
tains. Before they could reach the ascent of the steepest
rock night overtook them, and a boisterous tempest arose
which, having rent the awnings of the palanquins and
cages, exposed to the raw gusts the poor Indies within,
who had never before felt so piercing a cold. The dark
clouds that overcast the face of the sky deepened the
horrors of this disastrous night, insomuch that nothing
could be heard distinctly but the mewling of pages and
lamentations of sultanas.
To increase the general misfortune, the frightful up-
roar of wild beasts resounded at a distance, and there
were soon perceived in the forest they were skirting the
glaring of eyes which could belong only to devils or
tigers. The pioneers, who as well as they could had
marked out a track, and a part of the advanced guard
were devoured before they had been in the least apprized
of their danger. The confusion that prevailed was ex-
treme; wolves, tigers and other carnivorous animals,
invited by the howling of their companions, flotìked
together from every quarter; the crashing of bones
was heard on all sides, and a fearful rush of wings over-
head, for now vultures also began to be of the party.
THE CALIPM VATHEE. 47
The terror at length reachcd tlie main body of the
froops winch surrounded the monareh and bis harem,
ai tlie distance of two leagues f roi u thç scène. Vuthek
{volupUí'fUhly rt!i''. ':d in h N \:apaei<>u- iìtter n;i«in ensil-
ions of silk, witb !wo litlh» pages beside bim of com-
plexions more fkîr tlian tlie eiuunel of Franguestan,
wlio were oeeupìed in kecping oíf íìîes) wns goundly
asleep, and eontemplating in bis drcams the treasures
of Soliman. The shrieks however of bis Avives awoke
bim witb a st art, and, instead of tlie (ííaonr witb bis
l:cy of ti>!'ì I, he b^în-îd l>;i'>;il>:ilouk fuìi of eon-í "rnation.
"Sire/' exclam^d thb <n>od servant of íbe iwr-t
potent of monarehs, w niisfortune is an ived at its
height; wild beasís, who entertain 110 more révérence
for your sacred puson tban for tbat of a dead ass, bave
beset your camels and tlieír drivers; tbirty of tbe
rirbest laden are already hecome tlu'îr prov, as weli as
your eonfectioners, your eooks, and purveynrs; and,
n n léss cnr bol y Pmphot hould protect u*\ we sball
bave ail eaten our btst ineal."
At tbe mention of eatîng tlie Calipb lost ail patience;
lie begau to bellow and even beat bímseif (for tbere wa&
no seeing in tbe dark). The ru mou r every instant in-
ereased, and Bababaìouk, finding no good could be done
wìtb hí • îaaster, síoppcd boih bis ears against 1 !ie hurly-
hurly of íbe harem, and eab»"l out a.b>'.td: 41 (Vùih1, ladies
and brotbers! ail bands to work; strike Jight in a mo-
ment! ne ver sball it be said tbat tbe Commander of the
iaithful &t-rved to regale thèse iníìdel brutes."
Though tbere wanted not in tbis bevy of beautics a
suffieîent mtmber of eaprieious and wayward, yet on the
présent occasion ibey were ail coinplianee; tires were
visible in a twinkling in aìl theîr eag^s; te n tbousand
torches were lighted at once; the Calipb bim self seized
48
THE HISTORY OF
a large one of wax; ever j person followed his example,
and, by kindling ropes ends dipped in oil and fastened
on poles, an amazing blaze was spread. The rocks were
covered with the splendour of sun-shine; the trails of
sparks wafted by the wind communicated to the dry fern,
of which there was plenty. Serpents were observed to
crawl forth from their retreats with amazement and his-
sings, whilst the horses snorted, stamped the ground,
tossed their noses in the air, and plunged about without
mercy.
One of the furests of cedar that bordered their way
took tire, and the branches that overhung the path, ex-
tending their flames to the muslins and chintzes which
covered the cages of the ladies, obliged them to jump out
at the peril of their necks. Vathek, who vented on the
occasion a thousand blasphemies, was himself compelled
to touch with his sacred feet the naked earth.
Never had such an incident happened before, Full of
mortification, shame and despondence, and not knowing
how to walk, the ladies fell into the dirt. "Must I go
on foot!" said one; "Must I wet my feet!" cried
another; "Must I soil my dress !" asked a third ; "Ex-
ecrable Bababalouk !" exclaimed all; "Outcast of hell!
what hadst thou to do with torches? Better were it to
be eaten by tigers than to fall into our present condition!
we are for ever undone! Not a porter is there in the
army, nor a currier of cornels, but hath seen some part of
our bodies, and what is worse, our very faces!" On say-
ing this the most bashful amongst them hid their fore-
heads on the ground, whilst such as had more boldness
flew at Bababalouk; but he, well apprized of their hu-
mour and not wanting in shrewdness, betook himself to
his heels along with his comrades, all dropping their
torches and striking their tymbals.
THE CALIPH VATHEK,
49
It was not less light than in the brightest of the dog-
days, and the weather was hot in proportion; but how
degrading was the spectacle, to behold the Caliph be-
spattered like an ordinary mortal! As the exercise of
his faculties seemed to be suspended, one of his Ethiopian
wives (for he delighted in variety) clasped him in her
arms, threw him upon her shoulder like a sack of dates,
and, finding that the fire was hemming them in, set off
with no small expedition, considering the weight of her
burden. The other ladies, who had just learnt the use
of their feet, followed her, their guards galloped after,
and the camel-drivers brought up the rear as fast as their
charge would permit.
They soon reached the spot where the wild beasts had
commenced the carnage, and which they had too much
spirit to leave, notwithstanding the approaching tumult
and the luxurious supper they had made; Bababalouk
nevertheless seized on a few of the plumpest, which were
unable to budge from the place, and began to flay them
with admirable adroitness, The cavalcade being got so
far from the conflagration as that the heat felt rather
grateful than violent, it was immediately resolved on to
halt. The tattered chintzes were picked up, the scraps
left by the wolves and tigers interred, and vengeance
was taken on some dozens of vultures that were too much
glutted to rise on the wing. The camels, which had
been left unmolested to make sal ammoniac, being num-
bered, and the ladies once more enclosed in their cages,
the imperial tent was pitched on the levellest ground
they could find.
Vathek, reposing upon a mattress of down, and tolera-
bly recovered from the jolting of the Ethiopian, who to
his feelings seemed the roughest trotting jade he had
hitherto mounted, called out for something to eat. But
B
So
THE HISTORY OF
alas! those delicate cakes which had been baked in silver
ovens for his royal mouth, those rich manchets, amber
comfits, 11 agon s of Scliiraz wine, porcelain vases of snow,
and grapes from the banks of the Tigris, were all ir-
remediably lost! And nothing had Bababalouk to pre-
sent in their stead but a roasted wolf, vultures à la daube,
aromatic herbs of the most acrid poignancy, rotten
truffles, boiled thistles, and such other wild plants as
must ulcerate the throat and parch up the tongue. Nor
was he better provided in the article of drink, for lie
could procure nothing to accompany these irritating
viands but a few vials of abominable brandy, which had
been secreted by the scullions in their slippers.
Vathek made wry faces at so savage a repast, and
Bababalouk answered them with shrugs and contortions;
the Caliph however eat with tolerable appetite, and fell
into a nap that lasted six hours. The splendour of the
sun reflected from the white cliffs of the mountains, in
spite of the curtains that enclosed him, at length dis-
turbed his repose ; he awoke terrified, and stung to the
quick by those wormwood-colour flies, which emit from
their wings a suffocating stench. The miserable Mon-
arch was perplexed how to act, though his wits were not
idle in seeking expedients, whilst Bababalouk lay snoring
amidst a swarm of those insects, that busily thronged to
pay court to his nose. The little pages, famished with
hunger, had dropped their fans on the ground, and ex-
erted their dying voices in bitter reproaches on the
Caliph, who now for the first time heard the language of
truth.
Thus stimulated, he renewed his imprecations against
the Giaour, and bestowed upon Mahomet some soothing
expressions. "Where am I?" cried he; "what are
these dreadful rocks? these valleys of darkness? are

THE CALIPH YATHEK. 51
we arrived at the horrible Kaf? is the Simurgh coining
to pluck out 111 j eyes, as a punishment for undertaking
this impious enterprize?" Having said this he bellowed
like a calf, and turned himself towards an outlet in the
side of his pavilion; but alas! what objects occurred to
his view? on one side a plain of black sand that ap-
peared to be unbounded, and on the other perpendicular
crags, bristled over with those abominable thistles which
had so severely lacerated his tongue. lie fancied how-
ever that he perceived, amongst the brambles and briers,
some gigantic flowers, but was mistaken; for these were
only the dangling palampores and variegated tatters of
his gay retinue. As there were several clefts in the
rock from whence water seemed to have stowed, Vathek
applied his ear with the hope of catching the sound of
some latent runnel, but could only distinguish the low
murmurs of his people, who were repining at their jour-
ney, and complaining for the want of water.
"To what purpose," asked they, "have we been
brought hither? hath our Caliph another tower to
build? or have the relentless Afrits, whom Carathis so
much loves, fixed in this place their abode?"
At the name of Carathis Vathek recollected the tablets
lie had received from his mother, who assured him they
were fraught with preternatural qualities, and advised
hi01 to consult them as emergencies might require.
Whilst he was engaged in turning them over, he heard
a shout of juy and a loud elappin-r of hands; the cur-
tains of his pavilion were soon drawn back, and he
beheld Bnbabulook, followed by a troop of hi> [\w ourire^
e< inducting two dwarfs, each a cubit high, who brought
between them a large basket of melons, oranges and
pomegranates. They were singing in the sweetest tones
the words that follow;
52 THE HIS TOBY OF
u We dwell on the top of these rocks iti a cabin, of
rushes and canes; the eagles envy us our nest; a small
spring supplies us with Abdest, and we daily repeat
prayers which the Prophet approves. We love you, O
commander of the faithful! our master, the good Emir
Fakrcddin, loves you also; lie reveres in your person
the vicegerent of Mahomet. Little as we are, in us
lie confides; he knows our hearts to be good as our
bodies are contemptible, and hath placed us here to aid
those who are bewildered on these dreary mountains.
Last night, whilst we were occupied within our ceil in
reading the holy Koran, a sudden hurricane blew out
our lights and rocked our habitation; lor two whole
hours a palpable darkness prevailed, but we heard
sounds at a distance which we conjectured to proceed
from the bells of a Casila passing over the rocks; our
ears were soon filled with deplorable shrieks, frightful
roarings, and the sound of tymbals. Chilled with terror,
we concluded that the Deggial, with his exterminating
angels, had sent forth their plagues on the earth. In
the midst of these melancholy reflections we perceived
flames of the deepest red glow in the horizon, and found
ourselves in a few moments covered with flakes of fire;
amazed at so strange an appearance, we took up the
volume dictated by the blessed Intelligence, and, kneel-
ing by the light of the fire that surrounded us, we
ri'cited the verse which says: * Put no trust in any
thing but the mercy of Heaven; there is no help save
in the holy Prophet; the mountain of Kaf itself may
tremble, it is the power of Alia only that cannot be
moved.* After having pronounced these words we felt
consolation, and our minds were hushed into a sacred
repose; silence ensued, and our ears clearly distin-
guished a voice in the air, saying: 4 Servants of my

THE CALIPH VATHEK.
53
faithful servant! go down to the happy valley of Fak-
reddin; tell him that an illustrious opportunity now
offers to satiate the thirst of his hospitable heart. The
Commander of true believers is this day bewildered
amongst these mountains, and stands in need of thy
aid.' We obeyed with joy the angelic mission, and our
master, filled with pious zeal, hath culled with his own
hands these melons, oranges and pomegranates; he is
following us with a hundred dromedaries laden with the
purest waters of his fountains, and is coming to kiss the
fringe of your consecrated robe, and implore you to
enter his humble habitation, which, placed amidst these
barren wilds, resembles an emerald set in lead." The
dwarfs, having ended their address, remained still
standing, and, with hands crossed upon their bosoms,
preserved a respectful silence.
Vathek in the midst of this curious harangue seized
the basket, and long before it was finished the fruits
had dissolved in his mouth; as he continued to eat his
piety increased, and in the same breath which recited
his prayers he called for the Koran and sugar.
Such was the state of his mind when the tablets,
which were thrown by at the approach of the dwarfs,
again attracted his eye; he took thern up, but was ready
to drop on the ground when he beheld, in large red
characters, these words inscribed by Carathis, which were
indeed enough to make him tremble.
"Beware of thy old doctors, and their puny mes-
sengers of but one cubit high; distrust their pious
frauds, and, instead of eating (heir melons, impale on a.
spit the bearers of them. Should est thou be such a fool
as to visit them, the portal of the subterranean palace-
will be shut in thy face, and with such force as shall
shake thee a-under: thy body shall be spit upon, au*I
bats will engender in thy belly."
54
THE IIIS TO R F OF
"To what tends this ominous rhapsody?" cries the
Caliph; "and must I then perish in these deserts with
thirst, whilst I may refresh myself in the valley of
melons and cucumbers? Accursed be the Giaour, with
his portal of ebony Î he hath made me dance attendance
too long already. Besides, who shall prescribe laws to
me? I forsooth must not enter any one's habitation!
Be it so; but what one can I enter that is not my
own,!M
Bababalouk, who lost not a syllable of this soliloquy,
applauded it with all his heart, and the* ladies for the
first time agreed with him in opinion.
The dwarfs were entertained, caressed and seated with
great ceremony on little cushions of satin. The sym-
metry of their persons was the subject of criticism; not
an inch of them was suffered to pass unexamined;
knick-nacks and dainties were offered in profusion, but
all were declined with respectful gravity. They clam-
bered up the sides of the Caliph's seat, and, placing
themselves each on one of his shoulders, began to
whisper prayers in his ears, their tongues quivered like
the leaves of a poplar, and the patience of Vathek was
almost exhausted, when the acclamations of the troops
announced the approach of Fakreddin, who was come
with a hundred old grey-beards and as many Korans
and dromedaries; they instantly set about their ablu-
tions, and began to repeat the Bismillah ; Vathek, to get
rid of these officious monitors, followed their example,
for his hands were burning.
The good Emir, who was punctiliously religious and
likewise a great dealer in compliments, made an ha-
rangue five times more prolix and insipid than his har-
bingers had already delivered. The Caliph, unable any
longer to refrain, exclaimed:

77777 CATJPJI VATITEK. 55
"For the love of Mahomet, m y de a r Fakrcddin, have
flone! let us proeeecl fo your valley, and enjoy tlie fruits
that heaveu Iiath vouehsa fed you."
The liîut of proeeeding put ail info motion; the
vénérable aítendants of tlie Emir set sorward somewhat
slovvly, but Vathek, having ordered bis little pages îiì
private to goad on tlie drouiedaries, îoud sits of latighter
broke forth froin tlie cages, for tlie unwieldy curvetfîiig
of tlie se poor beasts, and tlie ridiculous distress of tlieîr
superamniated riders, atlbrded tlie ladies no small enter-
tainment.
They descended however iinhurt into tlie valley, b y
tlie large steps wliieli tlie Emir liad eut in the rock ; aitd
already tlie nmrmuring of streams, and tlie rustling of
loaves began to eateh their attention. Tlie cavalcade
soon entered a pat b wbieb w a s skîited by flowering
skrubs, and extended to a vast wood of palm-trees,
wliose brandies overspread a building of hewn stone,
Tbis édifiée w as crowned witli nine dômes, and adorned
witli as many portais of bronze, on wliieli w as engraven
tlie following inscription: "This is tlie asylum of pll-
grinis» tlie refuge of travellers, and tlie deposítory of
secrets for ail parts of tlie world."
Nine pages, beautiful as tlie d ay, and elothed in robes
of Egyptian linen, very long and ver y modest, were
standing at eacli door. Tliey reeeived tlie whole retinue
with an easy and inviting air. Four of the most amiable
plaeed the Caliph on a magnifieent taktiwan ; four others,
somewhat léss graeeful, took eliarge of Bababaíouk, w ho
eapered for joy at the simg litIle eabin that feJl to hì<
sbare; tlie pages that rein ai ne d waited on the rest of the
train,
W h en everything masculine w as gone ont of sígkt,
tlie gâte of a large enelosure on the right t-urned on its
56 THE HISTORY OF
harmonious hinges, and a young female of a slender
form came forth; her light brown hair floated in the
hazy breeze of the twilight; a troop of young maidens,
Mice the Pleiades, attended her on tip-toe. They has-
tened to the pavilions that contained the sultanas, and
the young lady, gracefully bending, said to them:
"Charming Princesses, every thing is ready; we have
prepared beds for your repose, and strewed your apart-
ments with jasmine; no insects will keep off slumber
from visiting your eyelids, we will dispel them with a
thousand plumes; eome then, amiable ladies! refresh
your delicate feet and your ivory limbs in baths of rose
water; and, by the light of perfumed lamps, your ser-
vants will amuse you with tales.
The sultanas accepted with pleasure these obliging
offers, and followed the young lady to the Emir's harem,
where we must for a moment leave them and return to
the Caliph.
Vathek found hi niseis" beneath a vast dome, illumi-
nated by a thousand lamps of rock crystal; as many
vases of the same material, filled with excellent sherbet,
sparkled on a large table, where a profusion of viands
were spread; amongst others were sweetbreads stewed
in milk of almonds, sairron soups, and Iamb à la crime,
of all which the Caliph was amazingly fond, lie took
of each as much as he was able, testified his sense of the
Emir's friendship by the gaiety of his heart, and made
the dwarfs dance against their will, for these little
devotees durst not refuse the Commander of the faith-
ful; at last he spread himself on the sofa, and slept
sounder than lie had ever before.
Beneath this dome a general silence prevailed, for
there was nothing to disturb it but the jaws of Babaha-
louk, who had un trussed himself to eat with greater ad-
THE CALIPH VA THE K. 57
vantage, being anxious to make amends for his fast in
the mountains. As bis spirits were too high to admit, of
his sleeping, and uofc loving to he idle, lie proposed with
hiniself to visit the hamm and repair to his eharge of
the ladies, to examine if tlmy had been properly lubri-
cated with the balm of Mecca, if their eyebrows ami
tresses were in order, and, m a word, to perform all the
little oílices f hey might, need. I le sought for a long time
together, but without being able to find out the door;
he durst not speak aloud for fear of disturbing the Caliph,
and not a soul was stirring in the preejnets of the palace;
he almost despaired of effecting his purpose, when a low
whispering just reached his ear; it came from the dwarfs,
who were returned to their old occupation, and, for the
nine hundred and ninety-ninth time in their live?, were
reading over the Koran. They very politely invited
I»ababalouk to be of their party, but his head was full of
other concerns. The dwarfs, though scandalized at hi?
dissolute morals, directed him to the apartments he
wanted to find; his way thither lay through a hundred
dark corridors, along which he groped as he went, and
at last began to catch, from, the extremity of a passage,
the charming gossiping of the women, which not a little
delighted his heart. u Ah, ha! what, not yes asleep?"
cried he; and, taking long strides as he spoke, "did you
not suspect me of abjuring my charge. ì I stayed but to
finish what my master had left."
Two of the black eunuchs, on hearing a voice so loud,
detached a party in haste, sabre in hand, to discover the
cause; but presently was repeated on all sides: "'Tis
only Bababalouk I no one but Bababalouk!" This cir-
cumspect guardian, having gone up to a thin veil of car-
nation-coloured silk that hung before the doorway, distin-
guished, by means of the softened splendour that shone
58 THE HISTORY OF
through it, an oval bath of dark porphyry, surrounded by
curtains festooned in large folds; through the apertures
between them, as they were not drawn close, groups of
young slaves were visible, amongst whom Bababalouk per-
ceived his pupils, indulgingly expanding their arms, as if
to embrace the perfumed water and refresh themselves
after their fatigues. The looks of tender languor, their
confidential whispers, and the enchanting smiles with
which they were imparted, the exquisite fragrance of the
roses, all combined to inspire a voluptuousness, which
even Bababalouk himself was scarce able to withstand.
He summoned up however his usual solemnity, and, in
the peremptory tone of authority, commanded the ladies
instantly to leave the bath. Whilst he was issuing these
mandates the young Nouronihar, daughter of the Emir,
who was sprightly as an antelope, and full of wanton
gaiety, beckoned one of her slaves to let down the great
swing, which was suspended to the ceiling by cords of
silk, and whilst this was doing, winked to her companions
in the bath, who, chagrined to be forced from so soothing
a state of indolence, began to twist it round Bababalouk,
and teaze him with a thousand vagaries.
When Kouronihar perceived that he was exhausted
with fatigue, she accosted him with an arch air of re*
spectful concern and said : " My Lord! it is not by any
means decent, that the chief eunuch of the Caliph, our
Sovereign, should thus continue standing; deign but to
recline your graceful person upon this sofa, which will
burst with vexation, if it have not the honour to re-
ceive you."
Caught by these flattering accents, Bababalouk gal-
lantly replied: "Delight of the apple of my eye! I
accept the invitation of thy honeyed lips; and, to say
truth, my senses are dazzled with the radiance that beams
from thy charms."

THE VA1JPM 1'A Til UK. q9
"Repose then at your ease," replied the beauty, and
placed lijm on the pretended nota, which, quicker than
lightning, gave way all at once. The rest of the women,
having aptly conceived her design, sprang naked from
the bath, and plied the swing with such unmerciful jerks,
that it swept through the whole compass of a very lofty
dome, and took from the poor victim all power of respir-
ation; sometimes his feet rased the surface of the water,
and at others the skylight almost flattened 1m nn-e; m
vain did he pierce the air with the cries of a voice that
resembled the ringing of a cracked basin, for their peals
of laughter were still more predominant.
iSsouronihar, in the inebriety of youthful spirits, being
used only to eunuchs of ordinary harems, and having
never seen any thing so royal and disgusting, was far
more diverted than all of the rest : she began to parody
some Persian verses, and sung with an accent most de-
murely piquant:
"0 gentle white clove, as thou soarst through the air,
Vouchsafe one kind glance on the mate of thy love;
Melodious Philomel, I am thy rose;
Warble some couplet to ravish my heart I"
The sultanas and their slaves, stimulated by these plea-
santries, persevered at the swing with such unremitted
assiduity, that at length the cord which had secured it
smipt suddenly asunder, and Bababafouk fell floundering
like a turtle to the bottom of the bath. This accident
occasioned a universal shout; twelve little doors, till now
unobserved, flew open at once, and the ladies in an in-
stant made their escape, after throwing all the towels on
his head, and putting out the lights that remained.
The deplorable animal, in water to the chin, over-
whelmed with darkness, and unable to extricate himself
6o
THE HISTORY OF
from the wrap that embarrassed him, was still doomed
to hear for his further consolation the fresh bursts of
merriment his disaster occasioned. He bustled, but in
vain, to get from the bath, for the margin was become
so slippery with the oil spilt in breaking the lamps, that
at every effort he slid back with a plunge, which re-
sounded aloud through the hollow of the dome. These
cursed peals of laughter at every relapse were redoubled;
and he, who thought the place infested rather by devils
than women, resolved to cease groping and abide in the
bath, where he amused himself with soliloquies, inter-
spersed with imprecations, of which his malicious neigh-
bours reclining on down suffered not an accent to
escape. In this delectable plight the morning sur-
prised him. The Caliph, wondering at his absence, had
caused him to be everywhere sought for. At last he
was drawn forth, almost smothered from the wisp of
linen, and wet even to the marrow. Limping and
chattering his teeth, he appeared before his master, who
inquired what was the matter, and how he came soused
in so strange a pickle?
"And why did you enter this cursed lodge?" an-
swered Bababalouk, gruffly. "Ought a monarch like
you to visit with his harem the abode of a grey bearded
emir, who knows nothing of life? And with what gra-
cious damsels doth the place, too, abound! Fancy to
yourself how they have soaked me like a burnt crust,
and made me dance like a jack-pudding the live-long
night through, on their damnable swing. What an
excellent lesson for your sultanas to follow, into whom I
have instilled such, reserve and decorum!"
Vathek, comprehending not a syllable of all this in-
vective, obliged him to relate minutely the transaction;
but, instead of sympathizing with the miserable sufferer,

THE CALIPH VATJIEK.
61
he laughed immoderately at the device of the swing,
and the figure of Bababalouk mounting upon it. The
stung eunuch could scarcely preserve the semblance
of respect.
"Ay, laugh, my lord! laugh," said he; "but T wish
this jS7()iironilmr would play some trick on yuu, she is
too wicked to spare even majesty itself."
Those words made for the present but a slight im-
pression on the Caliph; but they not long after re-
curred to his mind.
This conversation was cut short by Fakreddin, who
came to request that Vathek would join in the prayers
and ablutions to be solemnized on a spurious meadow,
watered by innumerable streams. The Caliph found
the waters refreshing, but the prayers abominably irk-
some: he diverted himself however wills, the multitude
of Calenders, Santons and Dervises, who were con-
tinually coming and going, but imperially with the Brah-
mins. Fakirs and other enthusiasts, who had t ravelled
from the heart of India, and halted on their way with
the Emir. Thc^-e latter had., i a(d) of them, some mum-
mery peculiar to himself. One dragged a huge chain
wherever he went, another an ouran-ouíanu, whibt a
third was furnished with scourges, and all performed to
a charm; some elambered up trees, holding one loot
in the air; others poised themselves over a lire, and
without merry filliped their noses. There were some
amongst them that cherished vermin, which wore not
ungrateful in requiting their caresses. These rambling
fanatics revolted the hearts of the Dervises, the Calen-
ders and Santons; however the vehemenee of their
aversion soon suicided, under the hope that the presence
of the Caliph would cure their folly, and convert them
to the Mussulman faith; but alas! how great was their
62
THE HISTORY OF
disappointment! for Vatliek, instead of preaching to
them, treated them as buffoons, bade them present his
compliments to Visnow and Ixhora, and discovered a
predilection for a squat old man from the isle of Seren-
dib, who was more ridiculous than any of the rest.
"Come!" said he, "for the love of your gods bestow
a few slaps on your chops to amuse me."
The old fellow, offended at such an address, began
loudly to weep; but, as he betrayed a villanous dri-
velling in his tears, the Caliph turned his back and
listened to Bababalouk, who whispered, whilst he held
the umbrella over him: "Your Majesty should be cau-
tious of this odd assembly, which hath been collected I
know not for what. Is it necessary to exhibit such
spectacles to a mighty Potentate, with interludes of
Talapoins more mangy than dogs? Were I you I would
command a fire to be kindled, and at once purge the
earth of the Emir, his harem, and all his menagery."
"Tush, dolt," answered Vathek; "and know that all
this infinitely charms me; nor shall I leave the meadow
till I have visited every hive of these pious mendicants."
Wherever the Caliph directed his course objects of
pity were sure to swarm round him; the blind, the
purblind, smarts without noses, damsels without ears,
each to extol the munificence of Fakreddin, who, as
well as his attendant grey-beards, dealt about gratis
plasters and cataplasms to all that applied. At noon a
superb corps of cripples made its appearance, and soon
after advanced by platoons on the plain, the completest
association of invalids that had ever been embodied till
then. The blind went groping with the blind, the lame
limped on together, and the maimed made gestures
to each other with the only arm that remained; the
sides of a considerable water- fail were crowded by
THE CALIF H VATHEK, 63
the deaf, amongst whom were some from Pegu with
ears uncommonly handsome and large, but were still less
able to hear than the rest; nor were there wanting
others in abundance with hump-backs, wenny necks,
and even horns of an exquisite polish.
The Emir, to aggrandize the solemnity of the festival
in honour of his illustrious visitant, ordered the turf to
be spread on ail sides with skins and table-cloths, upon
which were served up for the good Mussulmans pilaus
of every hue, with other orthodox dishes; and, by the
express order of Vathek, who was shamefully tolerant,
small plates of abominations for regaling the rest. This
Prince, on seeing so many mouths put in motion, began
to think it time for employing his own; in spite there-
fore of every remonstrance from, the chief of his eunuchs,
he resolved to have a dinner dressed on the spot. The
complaisant Emir immediately gave orders for a table
to be placed in the shade of the willows. The first ser-
vice consisted of fish, which they drew from a river
flowing over sands of gold at the foot of a lofty hill;
these were broiled as fast as taken, and served up with
a sauce of vinegar, and small herbs that grew on Mount
Sinai; for everything with the Emir was excellent and
pious.
The dessert was not quite set on when the sound of
lutes from the hill was repeated by the echoes of the
neighbouring mountains. The Caliph, with an emotion
of pleasure and surprise, had no sooner raised up his
head than a handful of jasmine dropped on his face; an
abundance of tit! «-ring succeeded the frolic, and instantly
appeared through the bushes the elegant forms of several
young females, skipping and bounding like roes. The
fragrance diffused from their hair struck the sense of
Vathek, who, in an ecstasy, suspending his repast, said to
Bababalouk:
64
THE HISTORY OF
"Are the Peri es come clown from their spheres? Note
her in particular whose form is so perfect, venturously
running on the brink of the precipice, and turning back
her head, as regardless of nothing but the graceful slow
of her robe; with what captivating impatience doth she
contend with the bushes for her veil! could it be she
who threw the jasmine at me?"
"Ay! she it was; and you too would she throw from
the top of the rock," answered Bababalouk; "for that is
my good friend Nouronihar, who so kindly lent me her
swing; my dear lord and master," added he, twisting a
twig that hung by the rind from a willow, "let me cor-
rect her for her want of respect; the Emir will have no
reason to complain, since (bating what I owe to his piety)
he is much to be censured for keeping a troop of girls on
the mountains, whose sharp air gives their blood too brisk
n circulation.
"Peace, blasphemer," said the Caliph; "speak not
tints of her, who over her mountains, leads my heart, a
willing captive; contrive rather that my eyes may be
fixed upon hers, that I may respire her sweet breath, as
she bounds panting along these delightful wilds!" On
saying these words Vathek extended his arms towards the
hill, and directing his eyes with an anxiety unknown to
him before, endeavoured to keep within view the object
that enthralled his soul; but her course was as difficult
to follow as the flight of one of those beautiful blue but-
terflies of Cashmere, which are at once so volatile and
rare.
The Caliph, not satisfied with seeing, wished also to
hear Nouronihar, and eagerly turned to catch the sound
of her voice; at last he distinguished her whispering to
one of her companions behind the thicket from whence
she had thrown the jasmine: *' A Caliph it must be

THE CALIPH VATlsEK, 65
owned is a sine tiling to see, but my little Gulehenrouz
~\< much more amiable; oik1 luck of his hair is of more
value to me tlian the richest embroidery of the Indies;
I had rather that his teeth should mischievously pros
my singer than the richest ring of the imperial treasure;
where have you left him, Suf lememe Y and why is he now
not here?"
The agitated Cabph still wished tu hoar more, hut she
immediaiely retired with :di her attendant^ , she fond
Monarch pursued her with his eyes till she was gone out
of sight, a J id then continued, like a bewildered and be-
nighted traveller, from whom the clouds had obscured
ihe const « dation thai guided his way: the curtain of
night seemed dropped before him; everything appeared
discoloured; the falling waters filled his soul wish de-
jection, and his tears trickled flown the jasmines he had
caught from Kouronihar, and placed in his inibimed
be.MMn; he sua te lied up a shining pebble, to remind him
of the scene where he felt the first tumults of love. Two
hours were elapsed, and evening drew on before he could
resolve to depart from the place; he often, but in vain,
attempted to go ; a soft languor enervated the powers of
his mind; extending himself on the brink of the stream,
lie turned his eyes towards the blue summits of the
mountain and e.xelai i.ed: '* What coneealest thou behind
thee? what is passing in thy solitudes? Whither is she
gone? O heaven ! perhaps she is now wan den ing in thy
grottos, with her happy Gulchenrouz!"
In the meantime the damp- began to descend, and the
Emir, solicitous for the heabh of the Caliph, ordered the
imperial litter (o be brought. Vathek, absorbed in his
reveries, was imperceptibly removed and conveyed back
to the saloon that received him the evening before.
But let us. leave the Caliph, immersed in his new pas-
F
66
THE HISTORY OF
sion, and attend Nouronihar beyond the rocks, where
she had again joined her beloved Gulchenrouz. This
Gulchenrouz was the son of Ali Hassan, brother to the
Emir, and the most delicate and lovely creature in the
world. Ali Hassan, who had been absent ten years on
a voyage to the unknown seas, committed at his depar-
ture this child, the only survivor of many, to the care
and protection of his brother, Gulchenrouz could write
in various characters with precision, and paint upon vel-
lum the most elegant arabesques that fancy could de-
vise; his sweet voice accompanied the lute in the most
enchanting manner, and when he sung the loves of Meg-
noun and Leileh, or some unfortunate lovers of ancient
days, tears insensibly overflowed the cheeks of his audi-
tors; the verses he composed (for, like Megnoun, he too
was a poet) inspired that unresisting languor so fre-
quently fatal to the female heart; the women all doted
upon him; for though he had passed his thirteenth year,
they still detained him in the harem; his dancing was
light as the gossamer waved by the zephyrs of spring,
but his arms which twined so gracefully with those of
the young girls in the dance, could neither dart the lance
in the chase, nor curb the steeds that pastured his
uncle's domains. The bow however he drew with a cer-
tain aim, and would have excelled his competitors in the
race, could he have broken the ties that bound him to
Nouronihar.
The two brothers had mutually engaged their chil-
dren to each other, and Nouronihar loved her cousin
more than her eyes; both had the same tastes and
amusements, the same long, languishing looks, the same
tresses, the same fair complexions, and when Gulchen-
rouz appeared in the dress of his cousin he seemed to
be more feminine than even herself. If at any time he

THE CALIF II VATHEK. 67
left the harem to visit Fakrecldin, it was with all the
bnshfulness of a fawn, that consciously Tentures from
the lair of its <iam; he was however wanton enough to
mock the solemn old greybeards to whom he was subject,
though si ire to be rated without mercy in return; whenever
this happened he would plunge into the recesses of the
harem, and sobbing take refuge in the arms of Nouro-
nihar, who loved even his faults beyond the virtues of
others.
It fell out this evening that, after leaving the Caliph
in the meadow, she ran with Gulehenrouz over the
green sward of the mountain that sheltered the vale
where Fakrecldin had chosen to reside. Tlie sun was
dilated 011 the edge of the horizon; and the young peo-
ple, whose fancies were lively arid inventive, imagined
they beheld in the gorgeous clouds of the west the
domes of Shadukiam and Ambreabad, where the Feries
have fixed their abode. Nouronihar, sitting on the
slope of the hill, supported on her knees the perfumed
head of Gulehenrouz; the air was calm, and 110 sound
stirred but the voices of other young girl?, who were
drawing cool water from the streams below. The un-
expected arrival of the Caliph, and the splendour that
marked his appearance, had already filled with emotion
the ardent soul of Nouronihar; her vanity irresistibly
prompted her to pique the Prince's attention, and this
she before took good care to effect whilst lie picked up
the jasmin*1 she bad thrown up<m him. Hut when
Gulehenrouz asked after the flowers he had culled
for her bosom, Kouronihar was all. in confusion; she
hastily kissed his forehead, arose in a flutter, and walked
with unequal steps on the border of the precipice.
• .Night advanced, and the pure gold of the setting gun
had yielded to a sanguine red, the glow of which, like
68
THE HISTORY OF
the reflection of a burning furnace, flushed Xouronihar's
animated countenance. Gulchenrouz, alarmed at the
agitation of his cousin, said to her with a supplicating
accent;
"Let us be gone; the sky looks portentous, the
tamarisks tremble more than common, and the raw
wind chills my very heart; come! let us be gone, 'tis a
melancholy night!"
Then, taking hold of her hand, lie drew it towards
the path he besought her to go. Nouronihar uncon-
sciously followed the attraction, for a thousand strange
imaginations occupied her spirit; she passed the large
round of honeysuckles, her fa vourite resort, without ever
vouchsafing it a glance, yet Gulchenrouz could not help
snatching otf a lew shoots in his way, though he ran as
if a wild beast were behind.
The young females seeing him approach in such haste,
and according to custom expecting a dance, instantly
assembled in a circle and took each other by the hand;
but Gulchenrouz, coming up out of breath, fell down at
once on the grass. This accident struck with conster-
nation the whole of this frolicsome party; whilst Nou-
ronihar, half distracted, and overcome, both by the vio-
lence of her exercise and the tumult of her thoughts,
sunk feebly down at his side, cherished his cold hands
in her bosom, and chafed his temples with a fragrant
unguent. At length he came to himself, and, wrapping
up his head in the robe of his cousin, entreated that she
would not return to the h an: m; he was afraid of being
snapped at by S h aba n his tutor, a wrinkled old eunuch
of a surly disposition; for having interrupted the stated
walk of Xouronihar, he dreaded lest the churl should
take it amiss. The whole of this sprightly group, sitting*
round upon, a mossy knoll, began to entertain themselves

THE CALIPH VATHEK.
69
will: various pastimes, whilst their superintendents the
eunuchs were gravely conversing at a distance. The
nurse of the Emir's daughter, observing her pupil git
ruminating with her eyes on the ground, endeavoured to
amuse her with diverting tales, to which Guleheiirouz,
who had already forgotten his inquietudes, listened with
a breathless attention; he laughed, he dapped his hands,
and passed a hundred little tricks on the whole of the
company, without omitting the eunuchs, whom he pro-
voked to run after hi in, in spite of their age and decrepi-
tude.
During these occurrences the moon arose, the wind
subsided, and the evening became so serene and inviting,
that a resolution was taken to sup on the spot. Sutle-
• ineme, who excelled in dressing a salad, having filled
large bowls of porcelain with eggs of small birds, curds
turned with citron juice, slices of cucumber, and the
inmost leaves of delicate herbs, handed it round from
one to another, and gave each their shares in a large
spoon of Coeknos. Gulchenrouz, nestling as usual in
the bosom of Nouronihar, pouted out his vermilion
little lips against the offer of Sutlememe, and would
take it only from the hand of his cousin, on whose mouth
he hung like a bee inebriated with the quintessence of
flowers. One of the eunuchs ran to fetch melons, whilst
others were employed in showering down almonds from
the branches that overhung this amiable party.
In the midst of this festive scene there appeared a
light on the top of the highest mountain, which attracted
the notice of every eye; this light was not less bright
than the moon when at full, and might have been taken for
her, had it not been that the moon was already risen.
.The phenomenon occasioned a general surprise, and no
one could conjecture the cause; it could not be a fire,
jo THE HISTORY OF
for the light wa* clear and bluish, nor had meteors eve r
been seen of that magnitude or splendour. This strange
light faded for a moment, and immediately renewed its
brightness; it first appeared motionless at the foot of
the rock, whence it darted in an instant to sparkle in a
thicket of palm-trees; from thence it glided along the
torrent, and at last fixed in a glen that was narrow and
dark. The moment it had taken its direction, Gulehen-
rouz, whose heart always trembled at anything sudden
or rare, drew Nouronihar by the robe, and anxiously
requested her to return to the harem; the women were
importunate in seconding the entreaty, but the curiosity
of the Emir's daughter prevailed; she not only refused
to go back, but resolved at all hazards to pursue the
appearance. Whilst they were debating what was best
to be done, the light shot forth so dazzling a blaze,
that they all fled away shrieking; Nouronihar followed
them a few steps, but, coming to the turn of a little bye
path, stopped, ami went back alone ; as she ran with an
alertness peculiar to herself, it was not long before she
came to the place where they had just been supping.
The globe of fire now appeared stationary in the glen,
and burned in majestic stillness. Nouronihar, com-
pressing her hands upon her bosom, hesitated for some
moments to advance; the solitude of her situation was
new, the silence of the night awful, and every object
inspired sensations which till then she never had felt;
the affright of Gulchenrouz recurred to her mind, and
she a thousand times turned to go back, but this lumi-
nous appearance was always before her; urged on by
an irresistible impulse she continued to approach it, in
defiance of every obstacle that opposed her progress.
At length she arrived at the opening of the glen;
but, instead of coming up to the light, she found herself

THE CALIPH TATHEE, 71
surrounded by darkness, excepting that at a consider-
able distance a faint spark glimmered by fits, She
stopped a second time; the sound of water-falls ming-
ling their murmurs, the hollow rustlings amongst the
palm-branehes, and the funereal screams of the birds
from their rifted trunks, all conspired to fill her with
terror; she imagined every moment that she trod on
some venomous reptile; all the stories of malignant
Dives and dismal Goules thronged into her memory;
but her curiosity was, notwithstanding, more predomi-
nant than her fears; she therefore firmly entered a
winding track that led towards the spark, but, being a
stranger to the path, she had not gone far till she began
to repent of her rashness.
"Alas! said she, "that I were but in those secure
and illuminated apartments where my evenings glided
on with Gulchenrouz! Dear child! how would thy
heart flutter with terror wert thou wandering in these
wild solitudes like me!" A t the close of this apostro-
phe she regained her road, and, coming to steps hewn
out in the rock, ascended them undismayed; the light,
which was now gradually enlarging, appeared above her
on the summit of the mountain; at length she dis-
tinguished a plaintive and melodious union of voices,
proceeding from a sort of cavern, that resembled the
dirges which are sung over tombs; a sound likewise,
like that which arises from the filling of baths, at the
same time struck her ear; she continued ascending, and
discovered large wax torches in full blaze planted here
and there in the fissures of the rock; this preparation
filled her with fear, whilst the subtle and potent odour
which the torches exhaled caused her to sink almost
lifeless at the entrance of the grot-
Casting her eyes within in this kind of trance, she
72
THE ITI8 TO R ¥ OF
beheld a large cistern of gold filled with a water, whose
vapour distilled on her face a dew of the essence of
roses; a soft symphony resounded through the grot; on
the sides of the cistern she noticed appendages of royalty,
diadems and feathers of the heron, all sparkling with
carbuncles; whilst her attention was fixed on this dis-
play of magnificence, the music ceased, and a voice in-
stantly demanded:
"For what monarch were these torches kindled, this
hath prepared, and these habiliments, which belong,
not only to the sovereigns of the earth, but even to the
Talismanic Powers?"
To which a second voice answered: "They are for
the charming daughter of the Emir Fakreddin."
"What," replied the first, "for that tritler, who con-
sumes her time with a giddy child, immersed in soft-
ness, and who at best can make but an enervated
husband?"
"And can she," rejoined the other voice, "be amused
with such empty trifles, whilst the Caliph, the sovereign
of the world, he who is destined to enjoy the treasures
of the pre-adarnite Sultans, a prince six feet high, and
whose eyes pervade the inmost soul of a female, is in-
flamed with the love of her. Wo! she will be wise
enough to answer that passion alone that can aggran-
dize her glory; no doubt she will, and despise the
puppet of her fancy. Then all the riches this place
contains, as well as the carbuncle of Giamschid, shall be
hers."
"You judge right," returned the first voice, u and 1
haste to Istakhar to prepare the palace of subterranean
fire for the reception of the bridal pair."
The voices ceased, the torches were extinguished, the
most entire darkness succeeded, and Nouronihar, re-

THE CALIPH VATHEE. 73
covering with a start, found herself reclined on a sofa
in the harem of her father. She clapped her hands,
and immediately came together Gulchenrouz and her
women, who, in despair at having lost her, had des-
patched eunuchs to seek her in every direction; Shaban
appeared with the rest, and began to reprimand her
with an air of consequence:
"Little impertinent," said he, "whence got you false
keys? or are you beloved of some Genius that hath
given you a pick-lock F I will try the extent of your
power; come, to your chamber! through the two sky-
lights; and expect not the company of Gulchenrouz;
be expeditious I 1 will shut you up in the double
tower."
At these menaces Nouronihar indignantly raised her
head, opened, on .Shaban. her black eyes, which, since the
important dialogue of the enchanted grot, were consider-
ably enlarged, and said: "Go, s{)eak thus to slaves, but
learn to reverence her who is born to give laws, and
subject all to her power."
She was proceeding in the same style, but was inter-
rupted by a sudden exclamation of "The Caliph! The
Caliph!" The curtains at once were thrown open, and
the slaves prostrate in double rows, whilst poor little
Gulchenrouz hid himself beneath the elevation of a sofa.
At first appeared a file of black eunuchs, trailing after
them long trains of muslin embroidered with gold, and
holding in their hands censers, which dispensed as they
passed the grateful perfume of the wood of aloes; next
marched Bababalouk with a solemn strut, and tossing
his head as not overpleased at the visit; Vathek came
close after, superbly robed, his gait was unembarrassed
and noble, and his presence would have engaged admi-
ration, though he had not been the Sovereign of the
74
THE IslS TOR F OF
world; lie approached Notirouîhar with a throbbing
heart, and seemed enraptured at the full effulgence of
her radiant eyes, of which he had before caught but a
few glimpses; but she instantly depressed them, and her
confusion augmented her beauty.
Bababalouk, who was a thorough adept in coin-
cidences of this nature, and knew that the worst game
should be played with the best face, immediately made
a signal for ail to retire; and no sooner did lie perceive
beneath the so fu the little one's feet, than lie drew him
forth without ceremony, set him upon his shoulders, and
lavished on him as lie went off a thousand odious
caresses; Gulchenrouz cried out, and resisted till his
cheeks became the colour of the blossom of the pome-
granate, and the tears that started into his eyes shot
forth a gleam of indignation; he cast a significant glance
at Nouronihar, which the Caliph noticing asked: "Is
that then your Gulchenrouz?"
"Sovereign of the world!" answered she, "spare my
cousiti, whose innocence and gentleness deserve not
your anger!"
"Take comfort," said Vathek, with a smile, "he is in
good hands; Bababalouk is fond of children, and never
goes without sweetmeats and comfits."
The daughter of Fakreddin was abashed, and suffered
Gulchenrouz to be borne away without adding a word.
The tumult of her bosom betrayed her confusion; and
Vathek, becoming still more impassioned, gave a loose
to his frenzy, which had only not subdued the last faint
strugglings of reluctance, when the Emir suddenly
bursting'in, threw his face upon the ground at the feet
of the Caliph, and said:
• "Commander of the faithful Î abase not yourself to
the meanness of your slave."


THE CALIPH VATHEK. 75
"No, Emir," replied Vuthek, "I raise her to an
equality with myself; I* declare her my wife, and the
glory of your race shall extend from one generation to
another."
u Alas! my lord," said Fakreddin, as he plucked off
the honours of his beard, "out short the days of your
faithful servant, rather than force him to depart from
his word. Nouronihar, as her hands evince, is solemnly
promised to Gulchenrouz, the son of my brother Ali
Hassan; they are united also in heart, their faith is
mutually plighted, and affiances so sacred cannot be
broken."
"What then P replied the Caliph bluntly, "would
you surrender this divine beauty to a husband more
womanish than herself? and can you imagine that I will
suffer her charms to decay in hands bo inellleient and
nerveless? No! she is destined to live out her life
within my embraces; such is my will; retire and dis-
turb not the night I devote to the homage of her
charms."
The irritated Emir drew forth his sabre, presented it
to Vathek, and, stretching out his neck, said in a firm
tone of voice: "Strike your unhappy host, my lord! he
has lived long enough, since he hath seen the Prophet's
Vicegerent violate the rites of hospitality."
At his uttering these words Nouronihar, unable to
support any longer the conflict of her passions, sunk
down in a swoon. Vathek, both terrified for her life
and furious at an opposition to his will, bade Fakreddin
assist his daughter, and withdrew, darting his terrible
look at the unfortunate Kmir, who suddenly fell back-
ward bathed in a sweat cold as the damp of death,
Gulchenrouz, who had escaped from the hands of
Hababalouk, and was that instant returned, called out
76 THE HISTORY OF
tor help as loudly as he could, not having strength to
u!Ford if himself. Pale ami panting, the poor child
attempted to revive Nouronihar by caresses; and it
happened that the thrilling warmth of his lips restored
her to life. Fakroddin ln-ginning also to recover from
the look of the Caliph, with difficulty tottered to a seat,
and after warily easting round his eye to see if this
dangerous Prince were gone, sent for Shaban and Sutle-
niomo, and said to shorn apart:
"My friends! violent evils require as violent reme-
dies; the Caliph has brought desolation and horror int*>
my family, and how shall we resist Ins power? another
of his looks will send me to my grave. Fetch then that
narcotic powder, which the Dervish brought me from
Araean; a dose of it, the effect of which will continue
three days, must be administered to each of these
children; the Caliph will believe them to be dead, for
they will have all she appearance of death; we shall go
as if to inter them in the cave of Meimoune, at the
entrance of the great desert of sand, and near (he cabin
of my dwarfs. When all the spectators shall be with-
drawn, you, Shaban, and four select eunuchs, shall con-
vey them to the lake, where provision shall be ready to
support them a month; for one day allotted to the sur-
prise this event will occasion, five to the tears, a fortnight
to reflection, and the rest to prepare for renewing his
progress, will, according to my calculation, fill up the
whole time that Vathek will tarry, and I shall then be
freed from his intrusion."
"Your plan," said Suilememe, "is a good one, if it
can but be effected. I have remarked, that Nouronihar
Is well able to support the glances of the Caliph,
and that he is far from being sparing of them to her;
be assured therefore, notwithstanding her fondness for
THE CALIPH FATHER. 77
ijulchenrouz, she will never remain quiet while she
knows him to be here, unless we can persuade her that
both herself ami fJuleJieiiroiiz are really dead, and that
they were conveyed to those roeks for a limited season
to expiate the little faults of which their love was the
cause; we will add that we killed ourselves in despair,
and that your dwarfs, whom they never yet saw, will
preach to them delect a hie sermons. I will engage that
every thing shall succeed to the bent of your wishes."
"Be it so!" said Fakreddin, UI approve your pro-
posal; let us lose not a moment to give it effect."
They forthwith hastened to seek for the powder,
which, being mixed in a sherbet, was immediately
drunk by Gulehenrouz and Nouronihar. Within the
space of an hour both were seized with violent palpi-
tations, and a general numbness gradually ensued; they
arose from the floor, where they had remained ever
since the Caliph's departure, and, ascending to the sofa,
reclined themselves at full length upon it, clasped in
each other's embraces.
u Cherish me, my dear Nouronihar!" said ( rule hen-
ronz; "put thy hand upon my heart, for it, feels as if
it were frozen. Alas! thou art as cold as myself! hath
the Caliph murdered us both with his terrible look?"
a I am dying!" cried she in a faltering voice; 44 press
me closer, I am ready to expire!"
"Let us die then together," answered the little Gul-
chenrouz, whilst his breast laboured with a convulsive
sigh; "let me at h-a<t breathe forth my soul on thy
lips!" They spoke n«> more, and became as dead.
Immediately the most piercing cries were heard
through the harem, whilst Shaban and Sutlemerac per-
sonated with great adroitness the parts of persons in
despair. The Emir, who was sufficiently mortified to
7 8 THE HISTORY OF
be forced into such untoward expedients, and had now
for the first time made a trial of his powder, was under
no necessity of counterfeiting grief. The slaves, who
had flocked together from all quarters, stood motionless
at the spectacle before thorn; all lights were extin-
guished save two lamps, which shed u wan glimmering
over the faces of these lovely flowers, that seemed to he
faded in the spring-time of life; funeral vestments were
prepared, their bodies were washed with rose-water,
their beautiful tresses were braided and incensed, and
they were wrapped in si mars whiter than alabaster,
At the moment that their attendants were placing two
wreaths of their favourite jasmines on their brows, the
Caliph, who had just heard the tragical catastrophe,
arrived; he looked not less pale and haggard than the
Goules, that wander at night among graves; forgetful
of hi niseis and every one else, he broke through the
midst of the slaves, fell prostrate ai the foot of the sofa,
beat his bosom, called himself "atrocious murderer!"
and invoked upon his head a thousand imprecations;
with a trembling hand he raised the veil that covered
the countenance of Nouronihar, and, uttering a loud
shriek, fell lifeless on the floor. The chief of the
eunuchs dragged him off with horrible grimaces, and
repeated as he went: "Ay, I foresaw she would play
you some ungracious turn!"
No sooner was the Caliph gone than the Emir com-
manded biers to be brought, and forbad that any one should
enter the harem. Every window was fastened, all in-
struments of music were broken, and the Imans began
to recite their prayers; towards the close of this melan-
choly day Yathck sobbed in silence, for they had been
forced to compose with anodynes his convulsions of rage
and desperation.
THE OA UPII VAT11EK. 77
At the dawn of the suceeedinir morning the wide folding
doors of the palace were set open, and the funeral pro-
cession moves! forward, for tin5 mountain. The wailful
cries of u La II ah ilia Alia!" reached to the Caliph, who
was eager to i'ieatrise himself and aitend the ceremonial;
nor could he have been dissuaded, had not his excessive
weakness disabled him from walking; at the few first
steps he fell on the ground, and his people were obliged
to lay him on a bed, where he remained many days in
such a state of insensibility, as excited compassion in
the Emir himself.
When the procession was arrived at the err of, of Mei~
m ou ne, Shaban and Sntlememe dismissed the whole of
the train, excepting the four confidential eunuchs who
were appointed to remain. After resting some moments
near the biers which had been left in the open air, they
caused them to be carried to the brink of a small lake,
whose banks were overgrown with a hoary moss; this
was the great resort of herons and storks, which preyed
continually on little blue fishes. The dwarfs instructed
by the Emir soon repaired thither, and, with the help of
the eunuchs, began to construct cabins of rushes and
reeds, a work in which they had admirable skill; a
magazine also was contrived for provisions, with a
bin all oratory for themselves, and a pyramid of wood
neatly piled, so furnish the necessary fuel, for the air
was bleak in the hollows of the mountains.
At evening two fires were kindled on the brink of the
lake, and the two lovely bodies, taken from their biers,
were carefully deposited upon a bed of dried leaves
within the same cabin. The dwarfs began to recite the
Koran with their clear shrill voices, and Shaban and
Sutlememe stood at some distance, anxiously waiting
the effects of the powder. At length Nouronihar and
go
THE HISTORY OF
Gulchenrouz faintly stretched out their arms, and gra-
dually opening their eyes, began to survey with looks of
increasing amazement every object around them; they
even attempted to rise, but, for want of strength fell
back again; Sutlememc on this administered a cordial,
which the Emir had taken care to provide.
Gulchenrouz, thoroughly aroused, sneezed out aloud,
and raising himself with an effort that expressed his
surprise, left the cabin, and inhaled the fresh air with
the greatest avidity.
"Yes," said he, " I breathe again! again do I exist!
I hear sounds! I behold a firmament spangled over
with stars!"
Nouronihar, catching these beloved accents, extri-
cated herself from the leaves, and ran to clasp Gulchen-
rouz to her bosom. The first objects she remarked
were their long simars, their garlands of flowers, and
their naked feet; she hid her face in her hands to reflect;
the vision of the enchanted bath, the despair of her
father, and, more vividly than both, the majestic figure
of Vathek recurred to her memory; she recollected also
that herself and Gulchenrouz had been sick and dying;
but all these images bewildered her mind. Not know-
ing where she was, she turned her eyes on all sides, as
if to recognize the surrounding scene; this singular
lake, those flames reflected from its glassy surface, the
pale hues of its banks, the romantic cabins, the bull-
rushes that sadly waved their drooping heads, the storks
whose melancholy cries blended with the shrill voices of
the dwarfs, everything conspired to persuade them that
the Angel of Death had opened the portal of some other
world.
Gulchenrouz on his part, lost in wonder, clung to the
neck of his cousin; he believed himself in the region of
THE CALIPH VA THE K. ■ 81
phantoms, and was terrified at the silence she preserved;
at length addressing her:
"Speak," said he, " where are we? do you not see
those spectres that are stirring the burning coals f are
they Honker and Nakir, come to throw us into them?
does the fatal bridge cross this lake, whose solemn still-
ness perhaps conceals from us an abyss, in which for
whole ages we shall be doomed incessantly to sink?"
"JSro, my children!" said Sutlemcme, going towards
them, " take comfort! the exterminating Angel, who
conducted our souls hither after yours, hath assured us
that the chastisement of your indolent and voluptuous
life shall be restricted to a certain series of years, which
you must pass in this dreary abode, where the sun is
scarcely visible, and where the soil yields neither fruits
nor flowers. These," continued she, pointing to the
dwarfs, " will provide for our wants, for souls so mun-
dane as ours retain too strong a tincture of their earthly
extraction; instead of meats your food will be nothing
but rice, and your bread shall be moistened in the fogs
that brood over the surface of the lake."
At this desolating prospect the poor children burst into
tears, and prostrated themselves before the dwarfs, who
perfectly supported their characters, and delivered an
excellent discourse of a customary length upon the
sacrèd camel, which after a thousand years was to con-
vey them to the paradise of the faithful.
The sermon being ended, and ablutions performed,
they praised Alia and the prophet, supped very indif-
ferently and retired to their withered leaves. Nouroni-
har and her little cousin consoled themselves on finding
that, though dead, they yet lay in one cabin. Having
slept well, "before, the remainder of the night was spent
in conversation on what had befallen them, and both,
G
82
THE HISTORY OF
from a dread of apparitions, betook themselves for pro-
tection to one another's arms.
In the morning, which was lowering and rainy, the
dwarfs mounted high poles like minarets, and called
them to prayers; the whole congregation, which con-
sisted of Sutlememe, Shaban, the four eunuchs and some
storks, were already assembled. The two children came
forth from their cabin with a slow and dejected pace;
as their minds were in a tender and melancholy mood,
their devotions were performed with fervour. Mo sooner
were they finished, than G ulehenrouz demanded of Sut-
lememe and the rest, "how they happened to die so
opportunely for his cousin and himself?"
"We killed ourselves," returned Sutlememe, "in
despair at your death."
On this, said Nouronihar, who, notwithstanding what
was past, had not yet forgotten her vision: "And
the Caliph! is he also dead of his grief? and will he
likewise come hither f"
The dwarfs, who were prepared with an answer, most
demurely replied: "Yathek is damned beyond all re-
demption!"
u 1 readily believe so/* said Gulchenrouz, "and am
glad from my heart to hear it; for I am convinced it
was his horrible look that sent us hither to listen to
sermons and mess upon rice."
One week passed away on the side of the lake un-
marked by any variety; Nouronihar ruminating on the
grandeur of which death had deprived her, and Gul-
chenrouz applying to prayers and to panniers, along
with the dwarfs, who infinitely pleased him.
Whilst this scene of innocence was exhibiting in the
mountains, the Caliph presented himself to the Emir in
a new light; the instant he recovered the use of his

THE CALIPH VATHER. 83
senses, with a voice that made Bababalouk quake, he
thundered out: "Perfidious Giaour! I renounce thee
for over Í it is thmi who hast slain my beloved No 1 iron i-
liar! and I supplicate the pardon of Mahomet, who
would have preserved her to me had i been mort; wise;
let water be brought to perform my ablutions, and let
the pious F-:ikred<lin be called to oiler up his prayer f>
with mine, and reconcile me to him; afterwards we will
go together and visit the sepulchre of the unfortunate
Noun miliar; I am resolved to beeome a hermit, and
consume the residue of my days on this mountain, in
hope of expiating my crimes."
Mouronîliar was not altogether so content, for though
she felt a fondness for ( xulchenrouz, who, to augment"
the attachment, had been left at full liberty with her,
yet she still regarded him as but a bauble, that bore no
competition with the carbuncle of Giamschid. At times
she indulged doubts on the mode of her being, and
scarcely could believe that the dead had all the wants
and the whims of the living. To gain satisfaction how-
ever 011 so perplexing a topic, she arose one morning
whilst fill were asleep, with a breathless finition, from
the side of Gulchenrouz, and, aster having given him a
soft kiss, began to follow the windinys of the lake till it
terminated with a rock, whose top was accessible though
lofty; this die clambered up with considerable toil,
and, having reached the summit, set forward in a run,
like a doe that unwittingly follows her hunier; í hough
she skipped along with the alertness of an antelope, yet
at intervals she was forced to desist and rest beneath
the tamarisks to recover her breath, Whilst she, thus
reclined, was occupied with her little reflections on the
apprehension that she hail some knowledge of the place,
Vathek, who smiling himself that morning but ill a?
84 THE HISTORY OF
ease had gone ibrth before the dawn, presented himself
on a sudden to her view; motionless with surprise, he
durst not approach the figure before him; which lay
shrouded up in a simar, extended on the ground,
trembling and pale, but yet lovely to behold. At length
Nouronihar, with a mixture of pleasure and affliction,
raising her fine eyes to him, said: "My lord! are
you come hither to eat rice and hear sermons with me?"
"Beloved phantom!" cried Vathek; *' dost thou
speak? hast thou the same graceful form? the same
radiant features? art thou palpable likewise?" and,
eagerly embracing her, added: "Here are limbs and a
bosom animated with a gentle warmth! what can such
a prodigy mean?"
Nouronihar with diffidence answered: "You know,
my lord, that I died on the night you honoured me
with your visit; my cousin maintains it was from one
of your glances, but I cannot believe him; for to me
they seem not so dreadful, Gulchenrouz died with me,
and we were both brought into a region of desolation,
where we are fed with a wretched diet. If you be
dead also, and are come hither to join us, I pity your
lot; for you will be stunned with the noise of the
dwarfs and the storks; besides, it is mortifying in the
extreme that you, as well as myself, should have lost the
treasures of the subterranean palace."
At the mention of the subterranean palace the Caliph
suspended his caresses, which indeed had proceeded
pretty far, to seek from Nouronihar an explanation of
her meaning. She then recapitulated her vision, what
immediately followed, and the history of her pretended
death, adding also a description of the place of expiation
from whence she had fled, and all in a maimer that
would have'extorted his laughter, had not the thoughts

THE CALIPH VATHEK.
85
of Vathek been too deeply engaged. Wo sooner how-
ever had she ended, than he again clasped her to Ms
bosom and said:
"Light of my eyes! the mystery is unravelled; we
both are alive! your father is a cheat, who, for the sake
of dividing, hath deluded us both; and the Giaour,
whose design, as far as I can discover, is that we shall
proceed together, seems scarce a whit better; it shall
be some time at least before he find us in his palace of
fire. Your lovely little person in my estimation is far
more precious than all the treasures of the pre-adamite
Sultans, and I wish to possess it at pleasure, and in
open day, for many a moon, before I go to burrow
underground like a mole. Forget this little trifler,
Gulchenrouz, and—"
"Ah! my lord!" interposed Nouronihar, "let me
entreat that you do him no evil."
"No, no !" replied Vathek, 441 have already bid you
forbear to alarm yourself for him; he has been brought
up too much on milk and sugar to stimulate my jealousy;
we will leave him with the dwarfs, who by the bye are
my old acquaintances; their company will suit him for
better than yours. As to other matters, 1 will return
no more to your father's; I want not to have my ears
dinned by him and his dotards with the violation of the
rites of hospitality; as if it were less an honour for you
to espouse the Sovereign of the world than a girl dressed
up like a boy!"
Nouronihar could find nothing to oppose in a discourse
so eloquent; she only wished the amorous Monarch had
discovered more ardour for the carbuncle of Giamschid;
but Haltered herself it would gradually increase, and
therefore yielded to his will with the most bewitching
submission*
86
THE HISTORY OF
When the Caliph judged it proper he called for Baba-
balouk, who was asleep in the cave of Meimoune, and
dreaming that the phantom of Nouronihar, having
mounted Mm once more on her swing, had just given
him such a jerk, that he one moment soared above the
mountains, and the next sunk into the abyss; starting
from his sleep at the voice of his master, he ran gasping
for breath, and had nearly fallen backward at the sight,
as he believed, of the spectre by whom he had so lately
been haunted in his dream.
"Ah, my lord!" cried he, recoiling ten steps, and
covering his eyes with both hands: "do you then per-
form the office of a goul! 'tis true you have dug up the
dead, yet hope not to make her your prey; for after all
she hath caused me to suffer she is even wicked enough
to prey upon you."
"Cease thy folly," said Tathek, "and thou shalt soon
be convinced that it is Nouronihar herself, alive and
well, whom I clasp to my breast; go only and pitch my
tents in the neighbouring valley; there will I ix my
abode with this beautiful tulip, whose colours I soon
shall restore; there exert thy best endeavours to pro-
cure whatever can augment the enjoyments of life, till I
shall disclose to thee more of my will."
The news of so unlucky an event soon reached the
ears of the Emir, who abandoned himself to grief and
despair, and began, as did all his old greybeards, to
begrime his visage with ashes. A total supineness
ensued, travellers were no longer entertained, no more
plaisters were spread, and, instead of the charitable
activity that had distinguished this asylum, the whole
of its inhabitants exhibited only faces of a half cubit
long, and uttered groans that accorded with their for-
lorn situation.

THE VAÌAPll YATÌIEK.
S-
Thoiigh Fakreddin bewaîled bis diiiighlcr as \mì, h»
hiro for ever, jet (í uiehenrouz was not forgotten. 11<ï
despatehed immédiate instruction to Sutlememe, Shaban
and tlie dwarfs, enjoining theni not f o tnideeeîve f ht»
ehild in respect to bis s taie, but, under s u me pretenco,
to e.onvey hini far front tlie lofíy rock at the extremity
of tlie lake, to a place whieh he sbotdd appoint, as sa fer
froni danger; for lie suspected that Vathek iníonded
hiin evil.
Gulchenrouz in tlie meanwhile w as fillcd wîtli a ma ze*
ment at not finding liîs cousin; n or w ère tlie dwarf's at
ail léss surprîsed; but Sutlememe, wlio b ad more péné-
tration, immediateîy guessed w bat liad happened. Gul-
chenrouz w as amused wîtb the delusive hope of once
more embraeing Nouronibar in tbe interior recesses of
tbe mountains, wbere tbe ground, strevved over wîtb
orange blossoms and jasmin es, oíFered beds mueb more
inviting tban tbe witbered leaves in tbeîr cab in, wbere
they mîght aceompany wítìi tbeîr voices tbe soumis of
tbeir lufes, and chase butterstîes in concert. Sutlememe
was far gone in this sort of description, w h en one of
tbe four etmuchs beckoned ber aside, to apprize ber of
tbe arrivai of a messenger fr om tbeir fraíernity, w b o
b ad explained tbe secret of tbe ílîgbt of Nouronibar,
and brought tbe eommands of tlte Emir. A councîl
witlì Shaban and tbe d w ars s was inimediatílv bel i •
tbeir baggagc being stowed in conséquence of it, they
embarked in a shallop, and quíetly sailed witb tbe litíle
one, wbo acqnîesced in ail tbeîr proposais ; tbeir voyage
prnceeded in tbe ?ame manncr tilì they came to tbe
place wbere tbe lake sinks beneath tbe bollow of tbe
rock; but as soon as tbe bark b ad entered it, and Gul-
chenrouz sound himself surrounded wîtb darkness, he
was seized wîfb a dreadful consternation, and in ces-
88
THE HISTORY OF
siintly uttered the most piercing outcries; for he now
was persuaded he should actually be damned for hav-
ing taken too many little freedoms in his lifetime with
his cousin.
But let us return to the Caliph, and her who ruled
over his heart. Bababalouk had pitched the tents, arid
closed up the extremities of the valley with magnificent
screens of India cloth, which were guarded by Ethio-
pian slaves with their drawn sabres; to preserve the
verdure of this beautiful enclosure in its natural fresh-
ness, the white eunuchs went continually round it with
their red water vessels. The waving of fans was heard
near the imperial pavilion, where, by the voluptuous
light that glowed through the muslins, the Caliph
enjoyed at full view all the attractions of Xouronihar.
Inebriated with delight, he was all ear to her charming
voice which accompanied the lute; while she was not
less captivated with his descriptions of Samarah and the
tower full of wonders, but especially with his relation
of the adventure of the ball, and the chasm of the
Giaour with its ebony portal.
In this manner they conversed for a day and a night;
they bathed together in a basin of black marble, which
admirably relieved the fairness of JSiouronihar. Baba-
balouk, whose good graces this beauty had regained,
spared no attention that their repasts might be served
up with the minutest exactness; some exquisite rarity
was ever placed before them; and he sent even to
Schiraz for that fragrant and delicious wine, which had
been hoarded up in bottles prior to the birth of Ma-
homet; he had excavated little ovens in the rock to
bake the nice manchets which were prepared by the
hands of Kouronihar, from whence they had derived a
flavour so grateful to Vathek, that he regarded the ra-
TILE CALIPH VATHEK. 89
gouts of bis other wives as entirely maukish; whilst
they would have died at the Emir's of chagrin, at find-
ing themselves so neglected, if Fakreddin, notwith-
standing his resentment, had not taken pity upon them.
The Sultana Dilara, who till then had been the
favourite, took this dereliction of the Caliph to heart
with a vehemence natural to her character; for during
her continuance hi favour, she had imbibed from
Vathek many of his extravagant fancies, and was fired
with impatience to behold the superb tombs of Istakar,
and the palace of forty columns; besides, having been
brought up amongst the Magi, she had fondly cherished
the idea of the Caliph's devoting himself to the worship
of fire; thus his voluptuous and desultory life with her
.rival was to her a double source of affliction. The
transient piety of Vathek had occasioned her some
serious alarms, but the present was an evil of far
greater magnitude; she resolved therefore, without hési-
tation» (o write to Carathis, and acquaint her that all
things went ill; that they had eaten, slept and revelled
at an old Emir's, whose sanctity was very formidable,
and that after all, the prospect of possessing the treasures
of the pre-adamiie Sultans was no less remote than be-
fore. This letter was entrusted to the care of two
woodmen, who were at work on one of the great forests
of the mountains, and, being acquainted with the
shortest euts, arrived in ten days at S a mar ah.
The Princess Carathis was engaged at chess with
Morakanabad, when the arrival of these wood-fellers
was announced. She, after some weeks of Vathek's
absence had forsaken the upper regions of her tower,
because every thing appeared in confusion among the
stars, whom she consulted relative to the fate of her
son. In vain did she renew her fumigations, and extend
9o THE HISTORY OF
herself on the roof to obtain mystic visions; nothing
more could she set* in her dreams than pieces of bro-
cade, nosegays of flowers, and other unmeaning gew-
gaws. These disappointments had thrown her into a
state of dejection, which no drug in her power was
sufficient to remove; her only resource was in Mora-
kanabad, who was a good man, and endowed with a
decent share of confidence, yet whilst in her company
he never thought himself on rones.
No person knew aught of Vathek, and a thousand
ridiculous stories were propagated at his expense. The
eagerness of Carathis may be easily guessed at receiving
the letter, as well as her rage at reading the dissolute
conduct of her son. "Is it so?" said she; "either I
will perish, or Vathek shall enter the palace of fire.
Let me expire in flames, provided he may reign on the
throne of Soliman!" Having said this, and whirled
herself round in a magical manner, which struck Mora-
kanabad with such terror as caused him to recoil, she
ordered her great camel Alboufaki to be brought, and
the hideous Nerkes with the unrelenting Cafour to
attend. í41 require no other retinue,** said she to
Morakanabad; "I am going on affairs of emergency, a
truce therefore to parade! Take you care of the people,
fleece them well in my absence; for we shall expend
large sums, and one knows not what may betide,"
The night was uncommonly dark, and a pestilential
blast ravaged the plain of Catoul that would have
deterred any other traveller, however urgent the call:
but Carathis enjoyed most whatever filled others with
dread. Nerkes concurred in opinion with her, and
Cafour had a particular predilection for a pestilence.
In the morning this accomplished caravan, with the
WDod-fellers who directed their route, halted on the

THE CALIPH VATIIEK. 9i
edge of an extensive marsh, from whence m noxiou;*
a vapour arose as would have destroyed any animal but
Alboufaki, who naturally inhaled these malignant fogs.
The peasants entreated their convoy not to deep in this
plaee.
"To sleep," cried On rath is, 44 what an excellent
thought! I never sleep but for visions; and, as to my
attendants, their occupations are too many to close the
only eye they each have/*
The poor peasants who were not overpleased with
their party, remained open-mouthed with surprise,
Carat his alighted, as well as her négresses, and
severally stripping oif their outer garments, they all ran
in their drawers, to cull from those spots where the sun
shone fiercest the venomous plans? that grew on the
marsh; this provision was made for the family of the
Emir, and whoever might retard the expedition to Istakar.
The woodmen were overcome with fear when they be-
held these three horrible phantoms, run, and, not much
relishing the company of Alboufaki, stood aghast at the
command of Carathis to set forward, notwithstanding it
was noon, and the heat fierce enough to calcine even
rocks. In spite however of every remonstrance, they
were forced implicitly to submit.
Alboufaki, who delighted in solitude, constantly
snorted whenever he perceived himself near a habi-
tation; ami Carathis* who was apt to spoil him with
indulgence, as constantly turned him aside, so that the
peasants were precluded from procuring subsistence;
for the milch goats and ewes, which Providence had
sent towards the district they traversed, to refresh
travellers with their milk, all tied at the sight of the
hideous animal and his strange riders. As to Carathis,
she needed no common aliment, for her invention had
9*
THE HISTORY OF
previously furnished her with an opiate to stay her
stomach, some of which she imparted to her mutes»
At the fall of night Alboiifa.fi, making a sudden stop,
stamped with his foot, which to Carathis, who under-
stood his paces, was a certain indication that she was
near the confines of some cemetery. The moon shed a
bright light on the spot, which served to discover a long
wall, with a large door in it standing ajar, and so high
that Alboufaki might easily enter. The miserable
guides, who perceived their end approaching, humbly
implored Carathis, as she had now so good an oppor-
tunity, to inter them, and immediately gave up the
ghost. Nerkes and Cafour, whose wit was of a style
peculiar to themselves, were by no means parsimonious
of it on the folly of these poor people, nor could any
thing have been found more suited to their tastes than
the site of the burying ground, and the sepulchres
which its precincts contained; there were at least two
thousand of them on the declivity of a hill; some in the
form of pyramids, others like columns, and in short the
variety of their shapes was endless. Carathis was too
much immersed in her sublime contemplations to stop
at the view, charming as it appeared in her eyes; pon-
dering the advantages that might accrue from her pre-
sent situation, she could not forbear to exclaim:
** So beautiful a cemetery must be haunted by gouls!
and they want not for intelligence; having heedlessly
suffered my guides to expire, I will apply for directions
to them, and as an inducement will invite them to regale
on these fresh corpses."
After this short soliloquy she beckoned to Werkes and
Cafour, and made signs with her fingers, as much as to
say, "Go, knock against the sides of the tombs, and
strike up your delightful warblings, that are so like

THE CALIPH VATHEK. 93
to those of the guests whose company I wish to
obtain."
The négresses, full of joy at the behests of their mis-
tress, and promising themselves much pleasure from the
society of the gouls, went with an air of conquest, and
began their knoekings at the tombs; as their strokes
were repeated a hollow noise was heard in the earth,
the surface hove up into heaps, and the golds on all
sides protruded their noses, to inhale the effluvia, which
the carcasses of the woodmen began to emit.
They assembled before a sarcophagus of white marble,
where Carathis was seated between the bodies of her
miserable guides; the Princess received her visitants
with distinguished politeness, and, when supper was
ended, proceeded with them to business. Having soon
learnt from them everything she wished to discover, it
was her intention to set forward forthwith on her jour-
ney, but her négresses, who were forming tender con-
nections with the gonls, importuned her with all their
fingers, to wait at least till the dawn. Carathis however,
being chastity in the abstract, and an implacable enemy
to love and repose, at once rejected their prayer, mounted
Aiboufaki, and commanded them to take their seats in a
moment; four days and four nights she continued her
route, without turning to the right hand or left; on the
fifth she traversed the mountains and half-burnt forests,
and arrived on tjie sixth before the beautiful screens
which concealed from all eyes the voluptuous wander-
ings of her son.
It was day-break, and the guards were snoring on
their posts in careless security, when the rough trot of
Alboufaki awoke them in consternation. Imagining
that a group of spectres ascended from the abyss was
approaching, they all without ceremony took to their
94 THE Ml STORY OF
heels, Vathek was at that instant with Nouronihar in
the bath, hearing tales, and laughing at Bababalouk
who related them; but no sooner did the outcry of his
guards reach him, than he flounced from the water like
a carp, and as soon threw himself back at the sight of
Carat h is, who, advancing with her négresses upon Al-
boufaki, broke through the muslin awnings and veils of
the pavilion; at this sudden apparition Nouronihar
(for she was not at all times free from remorse) fancied
that the moment of celestial vengeance was come, and
clung about the Caliph in amorous despondence.
Carathis, still seated on her camel, foamed with indig-
nation at the spectacle which obtruded itself on her
chaste view; she thundered forth without check or
mercy: "Thou double-headed and four-legged mon-
ster! what means all this winding and writhing? art
thou not ashamed to be seen grasping this limber sapling,
in preference to the sceptre of the pre-adamite Sultans?
is it then for this paltry cloxy that thou hast violated
the conditions in the parchment of our Giaour? is it on
her thou hast lavished thy precious moments? is this
the fruit of the knowledge I have taught thee F is this
the end of thy journey? tear thyself from the arms of
this little simpleton, drown her in the water before me,
and instantly follow my guidance,"
In the first ebullition of his fury Vathek resolved to
make a skeleton of Alboufaki, and to stuff the .skins of
Carathis and her blacks; but the ideas of the Giaour,
the palace of Istakar, the sabres and the talismans, lash-
ing before his imagination with the simultaneousness of
lightning, he became more moderate, and said to his
mother, in a civil but decisive tone: "Dread lady ! you
shall be obeyed, but I will not drown Nouronihar; she
is sweeter to me than a Myrabolan comfit, and is en a-

TUE CATJPÍs VATI IKK. 9ç
mourcd os carbuneles, espeelally that of ílíaiiiseliíd,
wliîcii liatli al s o been promised to be cou f'erre-d upon
lier; sb o therefore sliall go atong wítîi 11s, for I intend
to repose wîtli ber beneuth tìie eanopies os Soliman; I
can sleep no more without lier."
"Be il so !" replied Caratbis, aligliiîfig, and at tîie saine
time eomniitting Albonfaki to the charte os lier women.
Nonronihar, wbo bad not jet qiiîtted ber b obi, began
to take courage, and saîd wîtb an accent of fbndnoss to
tbe Caliph; "IVar Sovcreign of my soul! 1 will ibllow
thee, íf it be tíiy will, bejond tbe K afin the land of tbe
A frits; i wiìi not besîtate to elîinb for tbee tbe nest of
tbe Simurgh, wbo, this ìady exeepted, is tbe niost awful
of ereated existences."
"We bave bere thon,'* snbjoined Caratbis, "a girl
both of courage ami science!"
Nouronihar bad eertainly botb; but, rtotwithstanding
ail ber firnmess, sbe cou Id not belp casting baek a look
of regret upon tbe grâces of ber little Gulebenronz, and
tbe days of tenderness sfae bad partieipated wíth him;
sbe even dropped a few tears, whieli Caratbis observed,
and inadvertently breatbed ont wîtb a mgh: "Álas!
my gentle cousin! w bat will become of bim?"
Vathek at (bis apostrophe knitted iip bis brows, and
Caratbis ínqiiired w bat ít could mean?
"Sbe is preposteroiisly síghíng aster a strîplîng wîtb
languishing eyes and soft bair, w ho loves ber/* saîd tbe
Caliph.
"Where is he?" asked Caratbis. "I must be ae-
quainted with this prêtty ebild; for," added sbe, lower-
íng ber voice, "I design before 1 départ to regain tbe
favour of the Giaour; tbere ìs nothing so delieious in
bis estimation as the heart of a délicate boy, palpítatíng
wîtb tbe íìrst tumults of love."
96 THE HISTORY OF
Vathek, as lie came from the bath, commanded Baba-
balouk to collect the women and other moveables of his
harem, embody his troops, and hold himself in readiness
to march in three days; whilst Carathis retired alone
to a tent, where the Giaour solaced her with encouraging
visions; but at length waking, she found at her feet
Nerkes and Cafour, who informed her by their signs,
that having led Alboufaki to the borders of a lake, to
browse on some moss that looked tolerably venomous,
they had discovered certain blue fishes of the same kind
with those in the reservoir on the top of the tower.
"Ah! ha!" said she, " I will go thither to them;
these fish are past doubt of a species that, by a small
operation, I can render oracular; they may tell me
where this little Gulchenrouz is, whom I am bent upon
sacrificing." Having thus spoken, she immediately set
out with her swarthy retinue.
It being but seldom that time is lost in the accom-
plishment of a wicked enterprise, Carathis and her
négresses soon arrived at the lake, where, after burning
the magical drugs with which they were always pro-
vided, they, stripping themselves naked, waded to their
chins, Nerkes and Cafour waving torches around them,
and Carathis pronouncing her barbarous incantations.
The fishes with one accord thrust forth their heads
from the water, which was violently rippled by the
flutter of their fins, and, at length finding themselves
constrained by the potency of the charm, they opened
their piteous mouths, and said: "From gills to tail we
are yours, what seek ye to know?"
"Fishes," answered she, "I conjure you, by your
glittering scales, tell me where now is Gulchenrouz?"
"Beyond the rock," replied the shoal in full chorus;
"will this content you? for we do not delight in ex-
panding our mouths."

THE CALIPH YATIIEK.
97
"It will," returned the Princess; "I am not to leant
tliat you like riot long conversations; I will leave you
therefore to repose, though I had other questions to
propound." The instant she had spoken the water be-
came smooth, and the fishes at once disappeared.
Carathis, inflated with the venom of her projects
strode hastily over the rock, and found the amiable
Gulehenrouz asleep in an arbour, whilst the two dwarfs
were watching at his side, and ruminating their accus-
tomed prayers. These diminutive personages possessed
the gift of divining whenever an enemy to good Mussul-
mans approached; thus they anticipated the arrival ot
Carathis, who, stopping short, said to herself: "How
placidly doth he recline his lovely little head! how pale
and languishing are his looks I it is just the very child
of my wishes!"
The dwarfs interrupted this delectable soliloquy by
leaping instantly upon her, and scratching her face
with their utmost zeal. But Nerkes and Cafour, be*
taking themselves to the succour of their mistress,
pinched the dwarfs so severely in return, that they both
gave up the ghost, imploring Mahomet to inflict his
sorest vengeance upon this wicked woman and all her
household.
At the noise which this strange conflict occasioned in
the valley Gulehenrouz awoke, and, bewildered with
terror, sprung impetuously upon an old fig-tree that
rose against the acclivity of the rocks; from thence
gained their summits, and ran for two hours without
once looking back. At last, exhausted with fatigue, he
fell as if dead into the arms of a good old Genius, whose
fondness for the company of children had made it his
sole occupation to protect them, and who, whilst per-
forming his wonted rounds through the air, happening
H
98 THE HISTORY OF
on the cruel Giaour at the instant of his growling in
the horrible chasm, rescued the fifty little victims which
the impiety of Vathek had devoted to his maw; these
the Genius brought up in nests still higher than the
clouds, and himself fixed his abode in a nest more
capacious than the rest, from which he had expelled the
possessors that had built it.
These inviolable asylums were defended against the
Dives and the Afrits by waving streamers on which
were inscribed, in characters of gold that flashed like
lightning, the names of Alia and the Prophet, It was
there that Gulehenrouz, who as yet remained unde-
ceived with respect to his pretended death, thought
himself in the mansions of eternal peace; he admitted
without fear the congratulations of his little friends,
who were all assembled in the nest of the venerable
Genius, and vied with each other in kissing his serene
forehead and beautiful eyelids. This he found to be
the state congenial to his soul; remote from the in-
quietudes of earth, the impertinence of harems, the
brutality of eunuchs, and the lubricity of women; in
this peaceable society his days, months and years glided
on; nor was he less happy than the rest of his com-
panions; for the Genius, instead of bnrthening his
pupils with perishable riches and the vain sciences of
the world, conferred upon them the boon of perpetual
childhood.
Carathis, unaccustomed to the loss of her prey, vented
a thousand execrations on her négresses for not seizing
the child, instead of amusing themselves with pinching
to death the dwarfs, from which they could gain no
advantage. She returned into the valley murmuring,
and finding that her son was not risen from the arms of
Nouronihar, discharged her ill-humour upon both. The

THE CALIPH VAT HEX. 99
idea however of departing next daj for Istakar, and
cultivating, through the good offices of the Giaour, an
intimacy with Eblis himself, at length consoled her
chagrin. Bot» Fate had ordained it otherwise.
In the evening, as Carat h is was conversing with
Dilara, who, through her contrivance, had become of
the party, and whose taste resembled her own, Bababa-
iouk came to acquaint her, u that, the sky towards
ÎSamarah looked of a fiery red, and seemed to portend
some alarming disaster." Immediately, recurring to
her astrolabes and instruments of magic, she took the
altitude of the planets, and discovered by her calcu-
lations, to her great mortification, that a formidable
revolt had taken place at Samarah; that Motavakel,
availing himself of the disgust which was inveterate
ui:am.>t his brother, hud incised commotion,-; among*}
the populace, made himself master of the palace, and
actually invested the great tower, to which Moraka-
nnbad had retiree!, with a handful of the few thai still
remained faithful to Vaihek.
"What!" exclaimed she; "must I lose then my
tower! my mutes! my négresses! my mummies! and,
worse than all, the laboratory in which I have spent so
many a night! without knowing at least if my hair-
brained son will complete his adventure? Ho! I will
not be the dupe! Immediately will I speed to support
Alorakanabad; by my formidable art the clouds shall
sleet hailstones in the faces of the assailants, and shafts of
red-hot iron on their heads; I will spring mines of ser-
pents and torpedos from beneath them, and we shall soon
see the stand they will make against such an explosion!"
Having thus spoken Carathis hastened to her son, who
was tranquilly banqueting with Nouronihar in his superb
carnation-coloured tent.
100
TUE JUS TOM Y OF
"Glutton tliat thou art!" cried she, " were it not for
me, thou wouklst soon find thyself the commander only
of pies. Thy faithful subjects have abjured the faith
they swore to thee; Motavakel thy brother now reigns
on the hill of pied horses, and had I not some slight
resources in the tower, would not be easily persuaded
to abdicate; but, that time may not be lost, I shall only
add four words: Strike tent to-night, set forward, and
beware how thou lui ter est again by the way; though
thou hast forfeited the conditions of the parchment, 1
am not yet without hope; for it cannot be denied that
thou hast violated to admiration the laws of hospitality,
by seducing the daughter of the Emir after having par-
taken of his bread and his salt. Such a conduct cannot
but be delightful to the Giaour; and if on thy march
thou canst signalize thyself by an additional crime, all
will still go well, and thou shalt enter the palace of
Sol iman in triumph. Adieu! Alixmfaki and iny négresses
are waiting."
The Caliph had nothing to offer in reply; he wished
his mother a prosperous journey, and eat on till he had
finished his supper. At midnight the camp broke up,
amidst the flourishing of trumpets and other martial in-
struments; but loud indeed must have been the sound
of the tymbals to overpower the blubbering of the Emir
and his long-beards, who, by an excessive profusion of
tears, had so far exhausted the radical moisture, that
their eyes shrivelled up in their sockets, and their hairs
dropped off by the roots. Nouronihar, to whom such a
symphony was painful, did not grieve to get out of
hearing; she accompanied the Caliph in the imperial
litter, where they amused themselves with imagining
the splendour which was soon to surround them. The
other women, overcome with dejection, were dolefully

THE VAL1F1I VATUKK,
JOl
roeked in tlieîr cages, whilst Dilara consoled liersels
wítli anticipating tlie ]oy of celebrating the rites of sire
on tlie statelj terraees of istakar.
In four d ay s tliey reaehed tlie spaeious valley of Roe-
nabad. Tlie season of spríng w as in ail its vigour, and
tlie grotesque branches of tlie aìntond trees in full blos-
som fantastiealîy ehequered tlie clear b lue sky; tlie
eartli, variegated with liyacîiìths and jonquìls, breathed
íbrth a fragrance wliich dissused through tlie soul a
divine repose; myrîads of bees and searee fewer of San-
tons, h ad tliere taken up tlieîr abode; on tlie banks of
tlie stream hives and oratorios were alternately ranged,
and tlieîr neatness and whiteness were set oíF by tlie
deep green of the cypresses tiiat spired up amongst thcm.
Thèse pions personages aniused tliemselves with euîti-
vating lttile gardens that abounded with slow ers and
fruits, espeeially musk-melons of the best f laveur that
Persia eould boast; soinetimes dispersed o ver tlie mea-
dow, they entertaîned tliemselves with feeding peaeocks
whiter than s no w, and turtles more Mue than the sap-
phire; in this m an ne r were they oceupied when the
harbingers of the impérial procession began to proclaim;
"Inhabitants of Roc n ab ad î prostrate yourselves on the
brínk of'your pure wat ers, and tender your tbanksgivings
to heaven that vouchsafeth to show y ou a ray of its glory;
for lo! tlie Commander of tlie faîtìifut draws near"
The poor Santons, fi lied with hoîy energy, having
bustled to ligltt up wax torches in their oratorios and
expand the Koran on their ebony tlesks» went íbrth to
meet the Caliph with baskets of honeycomb, dates and
melons. But, whilst they were advancing in soleum
procession and with measured steps, the horses, cainels
and guards wantoned over their tulips and other ílowers,
and inade a terrible liavoe amongst them. The Santons

102
THE HISTORY OF
could not help casting from one eye a look of pity on
the ravages committing around them, whilst the other
was fixed upon the Caliph and heaven. Nouronihar,
enraptured with the scenery of a place which brought
hack to her remembrance the pleasing solitudes where
her infancy had passed, entreated Vathek to stop; but
he, suspecting that each oratory might be deemed by
the Giaour a distinct habitation, commanded his pioneers
to level them all; the Santons stood motionless with
horror at the barbarous mandate, and at last broke out
into lamentations; but these were uttered with so ill a
grace, that Vathek bade his eunuchs to kick them from
his presence. He then descended from the litter with
Nouronihar; they sauntered together in the meadow,
and amused themselves with culling flowers, and passing
a thousand pleasantries on each other. But the bees,
who were staunch Mussulmans, thinking it their duty
to revenge the insult on their dear masters the Santons,
assembled so zealously to do it with effect, that the
Caliph and Nouronihar were glad to find their tents
prepared to receive them.
Bababalouk, who in capacity of purveyor had acquitted
himself with applause as to peacocks and turtles, lost no
time in consigning some dozens to the spit, and as many
more to be fricasseed. Whilst they were feasting,
laughing, carousing, and blaspheming at pleasure on the
banquet so liberally furnished, the Moullahs, the Sheiks,
the Cadis and Imans of Sehiraz (who seemed not to
have met the Santons) arrived, leading by bridles of
riband inscribed from the Koran, a train of asses,
which were loaded with the choicest fruits the country
could boast; having presented their offerings to the
Caliph, they petitioned him to honour their city and
mosques with his presence.

THE CALIPH Y ATHEE, 103
"Fancy not," said Vathek, "that you can detain iiie:
your presents I condescend to accept, but beg you will
let me be quiet, for I am not over-fond of resisting
temptation; retire then; yet, as it is m it decent for
personages «0 reverend to return on foot, and as you
have not the appearance of expert riders, roy eunuchs
shall tie you on your asses, with the precaution that
your backs be not turned towards me, lor they under-
stand etiquette."
In this deputation were some high-stomached sheiks,
who, taking Vathek for a fool, scrupled not to speak
their opinio?!. These Bubabaiouk girded with double
cords, and, having well disciplined their asses with
nettles behind, they all started with a preternatural
alertness, plunging, kicking and running foul of each
other in tin: most ludicrous manner imaginable.
Nouronihar and the Caliph mutually contended who
should most enjoy so degrading a sight; they burst out
in volleys of laughter to see the old men and their asses
fail into the stream; the leg of one was fractured, the
shoulder of another dislocated, the teeth of a third
dashed out, and the rest suffered still worse.
Two days more, undisturbed by fresh embassies, hav-
ing been devoted to the pleasures of Rocnabad, the ex-
pedition proceeded, leaving Shiraz on the right, and
verging towards a large plain, from whence were dis-
cernible on the edge of the horizon the dark summits of
the mountains of Istakar.
At this prospect the Caliph and Nouronihar were
unable to repress their transports; they bounded from
their litter to the ground, and broke forth into such
wild exclamations, as amazed all within hearing- Inter-
rogating each other, they shouted, "Are we not ap-
proaching the radiant palace of light ? or gardens more


'SHE HISTORY OF
delightful than those of Sheddad?" Infatuated mor-
tals! thej thus indulged delusive conjecture, unable to
fathom the decrees of the Most High!
The good Genii, who had not totally relinquished the
superintendence of Vathek, repairing to Mahomet in
the seventh heaven, said: "Merciful Prophet! stretch
forth thy propitious arms towards thy Vicegerents who
is ready to fall irretrievably into the snare which his
enemies, the Dives, have prepared to destroy him; the
Giaour is awaiting his arrival in the abominable palace
of fire, where, if he once set his foot, his perdition will
be inevitable.'*
Mahomet answered with an air of indignation: "He
hath too well deserved to be resigned to himself, but I
permit you to try if one effort more will be effectual to
divert him from pursuing his rain."
One of these beneficent Genii, assuming without delay
the exterior of a shepherd, more renowned for his piety
than all the Derviches and Santons of the region, took
his station near a flock of white sheep on the slope of a
hill, and began to pour forth from his flute such airs of
pathetic melody, as subdued the very soul, and, awaken-
ing remorse, drove far from it every frivolous fancy.
At these energetic sounds the sun hid himself beneath
a gloomy cloud, and the waters of two little lakes, that
were naturally clearer than crystal, became of a colour
like blood. The whole of this superb assembly was in-
voluntarily drawn towards the declivity of the hill;
with downcast eyes they all stood abashed, each upbraid-
ing himself with the evil he had done; the heart of
Dilara palpitated, and the chief of the eunuchs with a
sigh of contrition implored pardon of the women, whom
for his own satisfaction he had so often tormented.
Vathek and Nouronihar turned pale in their litter,

THE CAMPII VATHEK.
and, regard ing eacli otlier withhaggard looks, reproaehed
thernselves— the one wítli a thousand of tlie blaekest
crimes, a thousand projcets of hnpious ambition—the
other wiíli the désolation of lier sain il y, and the perdition
of the amiable Gulchcnrouz. Nouronihar pcrsuaded
lierself that slie heard in the fatal music the groans of
her dying father, and Vathek, the sobs of the lift y ehil-
dren lie h ad sacriíìced to the Giaour. Amidst thèse
eomplieated pangs of anguish tliej pereeived thernselves
înipelied towards the shepherd, whosc countenance w as
80 cornmanding. that. Vathek for the fìrst time felt over-
awed, whilst Nouronihar coneealed lier face with her
hands.
The Hiusîc paused, and the Genius, addressíng the
Caliph, saîd; "Deluded Prince! to whora Providence
h a th. confided the care of innumerabie subjects, îs ít thus
that thou fulfillest thy mission? Thy erimes are already
completed, and art thon now hastening towards thy
punîshment? Thou knowest that beyond thèse raoun-
tains Eblís and his aceursed D ives hold their infernal
empire; and, seduced by a malignant phantom, thou art
proceeding to surrender thyself to tlieni! This moment
îs the last of grâce aìlowed thee; abandon thy atrocious
purpose; return; give baek Nouronihar to her father,
who still retains a few sparks of lise; destroy thy tower
with ail its abominations; drive Carathis from thy
councils; be just to thy subjects; respect the minìsters
of the Prophet; eornpensate for thy impieties by an ex-
emplary lise; and, instead of squandering thy days in
voluptuous indulgence, lament thy crimes on the sepul-
chres of thy ancestors. Thou beholdest the elouds that
obscure the sue; at the instant he recovers his splen-
deur, íf thy heart be not changed, the time of merey
assigned thee will be past for ever."


io6 THE HISTORY OF
Vathek, depressed with fear, was on the point of pros-
trating himself at the feet of the shepherd, whom he per-
ceived to he of a nature superior to man; but, his pride
prevailing, he audaciously lifted his head, and, glancing
at him one of his terrible looks, said; "Whoever thou
art, withhold thy useless admonitions; thou wouldst
either delude me, or art thyself deceived. If what I
have done be so criminal as thou pretendest, there
remains not for me a moment of grace; I have traversed
a sea of blood to acquire a power which will make
thy equals tremble; deem not that I shall retire when
in view of the port, or that I will relinquish her who is
dearer to me than either my life or thy mercy. Let the
sun appear! let him illumine my career! it matters not
where it may end." On uttering these words, which
made even the Genius shudder, Vathek threw himself
into the arms of Nouronihar, and commanded that his
horses should be forced back to the road.
There was no difficulty in obeying these orders, for
the attraction had ceased; the sun shone forth in all his
glory, and the shepherd vanished with a lamentable
scream.
The fatal impression of the music of the Genius re-
mained notwithstanding in the heart of Vathek's atten-
dants; they viewed each other with looks of consterna-
tion; at the approach of night almost all of them
escaped, and of this numerous assemblage there only
remained the chief of the eunuchs, some idolatrous
slaves, JDilara and a few other women, who, like herself,
were votaries of the religion of the Magi.
The Caliph, fired with the ambition of prescribing
laws to the Intelligences of Darkness, was but little
embarrassed at this dereliction; the impetuosity of his
blood prevented him from sleeping, nor did he encamp

THE CALIPH KÂTJŒK.
107
any mord as before. Nouronihar, whose impatience if
possible exceeded his own, importuned him to hasten his
march, and lavished on him a. thousand caresses to be-
guile all reflection; she fancied herself already more
potent than lialkis, and pictured to her imagination the
Genii falling pros!rats) al the foot of her throne. In
this manner they advanced by moonlight, till they came
within view of the two towering rocks that form a kind
of portal to the valley, at whose extremity rose the vast
ruins of Istakar. Aloft on the mountain glimmered the
fronts of various royal mausoleums, the horror of which
was deepened by the shadows of night. They passed
through two villages almost deserted, the only inhabi-
tants remaining being a few feeble old men, who, at the
sight of horses and litters, fell upon their knees and
cried out:
"O heaven! is it then by these phantoms that we
have been for six mouths tormented? Alas! it was
from the terror of these spectres and the noise beneath
the mountains, that our people have fled, and left us at
the mercy of maliiieent spirits!"
The Caliph, to whom these complaints were but un-
promising auguries, drove over the bodies of these
wretched old men, and at length arrived at the foot of
the terrace of black marble; there he descended from
his litter, handing down Nouronihar; both with beating
hearts stared wildly around them, and expected with
an apprehensive shudder the approach of the Giaour;
but nothing as yet announced his appearance.
A deathlike stillness reigned over the mountain and
through the air; the moon dilated on a vast platform
the shades of the lofty columns, which reached from the
terrace almost to the clouds; the gloomy watch-towers,
whose numbers could not be counted, were veiled by no
THE HISTORY OF
roof, and their capitals, of an architecture unknown in
the records of the earth, served as an asylum for the
birds of darkness, which, alarmed at the approach of
such visitants, fled away croaking.
The chief of the eunuchs, trembling with fear, besought
Vathek that a lire might be kindled.
"Ho!" replied he, "there is no time left to think of
such trifles; abide where thou art, and expect my com-
mands."
Having thus spoken he presented his hand to Nou-
ronihar, and, ascending the steps of a vast staircase,
reached the terrace, which was flagged with squares of
marble, and resembled a smooth expanse of water, upon
whose surface not a leaf ever dared to vegetate; on the
right rose the watch-towers, ranged before the ruins of
an immense palace, whose walls were embossed with
various figures; in front stood forth the colossal forms
of four creatures, composed of the leopard and the griffin;
and, though but of stone, inspired emotions of terror;
near these were distinguished by the splendour of the
moon, which streamed full on the place, characters like
those on the sabres of the Giaour, that possessed the
same virtue of changing every moment; these, after
vacillating for some time, at last fixed in Arabic letters,
and prescribed to the Caliph the following words:
"Vathek! thou hast violated the conditions of my
parchment, and deservest to be sent back; but, in favour
to thy companion, and as the meed for what thou hast
done to obtain it, Eblts permitteth that the portal of
his palace shall be opened, and the subterranean fire
will receive thee into the number of its adorers."
He scarcely had read these words before the moun-
tain against which the terrace was reared trembled, and
the watch-towers were ready to topple headlong upon

THE CALIPH FATHER. 109
them; the rock yawned, and disclosed within it a stair-
case of polished marble that seemed to approach the
abyss; upon each stair were planted two large torches,
like those Nouronihar had seen in her vision, the cam-
phorated vapour ascending from which gathered into a
cloud under the hollow of the vault.
This appearance, instead of terrifying, gave new
courage to the daughter of Fakreddin. Scarcely
deigning to bid adieu to the moon and the firmament,
she abandoned without hesitation the pure atmosphere
to plunge into these infernal exhalations. The gait of
those impious personages was haughty and determined;
as they descended by the effulgence of the torches they
gazed on each other with mutual admiration, and both
appeared so resplendent, that they already esteemed
themselves spiritual intelligences; the only circumstance
that perplexed them was their not arriving at the bottom
of the stairs; on hastening their descent with an ardent
impetuosity, they felt their steps accelerated to such a
degree, that they seemed not walking, but falling from a
precipice. Their progress however was at length im-
peded by a vast portal of ebony, which the Caliph with-
out difficulty recognized; here the Giaour awaited them
with the key in his hand.
"Ye are welcome," said he to them with a ghastly
smile, "in spite of Mahomet and all his dependants. I
will now admit you into that palace where you have so
highly merited a place."
Whilst he was uttering these words he touched the
enamelled lock with his key, and the doors at once ex-
panded, with a none still louder than the thunder of
mountains, and as suddenly recoiled the moment they
had entered.
The Caliph and Nouronihar beheld each other with
no
THE HISTORY OF
amazement, at finding themselves in a place which,
though roofed with a vaulted ceiling, was so spacious and
lofty that at first they took it for an immeasurable plain.
But: their eyes at length growing familiar to the gran-
deur of the objects at hand, they extended their view
to those at a distance, and discovered rows of columns
and arcades, which gradually diminished till they ter-
minated in a point, radiant as the sun when he darts his
last beams athwart the ocean; the pavement, strewed
over with gold dust and saffron, exhaled so subtle an
odour as almost overpowered them ; they however went
on, and observed an infinity of censers, iu which amber-
gris and the wood of aloes were continually burning;
between the several columns were placed tables, each
spread with a profusion of viands, and wines of every
species sparkling in vases of crystal. A throng of
Genii and other fantastic spirits of each sex danced
lasciviously in troops, at the sound of music which issued
from beneath.
In the midst of this immense hail a vast multitude
was incessantly passing, who severally kept their right
hands on their hearts, without once regarding any thing
around them; they had all the livid paleness of death;
their eyes, deep sunk in their sockets, resembled those
phosphoric meteors that glimmer by night in places of
interment. Some stalked slowly on, absorbed in pro-
found reverie; some, shrieking with agony, ran furiously
about, like tigers wounded with poisoned arrows; whilst
others, grinding their teeth in rage, foamed along, more
frantic than the wildest maniac. They all avoided each
other, and, though surrounded by a multitude that no
one could number, each wandered at random, unheedful
of the rest, as if alone on a desert which no foot had
trodden,

THE CALIPH VAT HE li-
nt
Vatliek and Nouronihar, frozen with terror at a sight
so baleful, demanded of the Giaour what these appear-
ances iuiiiht mean, and why these ambulating spectres
never withdrew their hands from their heart*.
"Perplex not yourselves," replied he bluntly, "with
so much at once, you will soon be acquainted with all;
let us haste and present you to Eblis."
They continued their way through the multitude;
but, notwithstanding their confidence at first, they were
not sufficiently composed to examine with attention
the various perspectives of halls and of galleries that-
opened on the right hand and left, which were all illu-
minated by torches and braziers, whose flames rose in
pyramids to the eenire of the vault, At length they
came to a place where long curtains, brocaded with
crimson and gold, fell from ail pari s in striking con-
fusion; here the choir? and dances were heard no longer,
the light which glimmered came from afar.
After some time Yathek and, Nouronihar perceived a
gleam brightening through the drapery, and entered a
vast tabernacle carpeted with the skins of leopards; an
infinity of elders with streaming beards, and Afrits in
complete armour, had prostrated themselves before the
ascent of a lofty eminence, on the top of which, upon
a globe of fire, sat the formidable Eblis. His person
was that of a young man, whose noble and regular
features seemed to have been tarnished by malignant
vapours; in his large eyes appeared both pride and
despair; his flowing hair retained some resemblance to
that of an angel of light; in his hand, which thunder-
had blasted, he swayed the iron sceptre that causes the
monster Ouranabad, the Afrits, arid all the powers of
the abyss to tremble; at his presence the heart of the
í'aììph sunk within him, and for the first time, he fell
112
THE HISTORY OF
prostrate on his face. Nouronihar however, though
greatly dismayed, could not help admiring the person
of Eblis; for she expected to have seen some stupendous
Giant. Eblis, with a voice more mild than might be
imagined, but such as transfused through the soul the
deepest melancholy, said:
"Creatures of clay, I receive you into mine empire;
ye are numbered amongst my adorers; enjoy what-
ever this palace affords; the treasures of the preadainite
Sultans, their bickering sabres, and those talismans that
compel the Dives to open the subterranean expanses of
the mountain of lias, which communicate with these;
there, insatiable as your curiosity may be, shall you
find sufficient to gratify it; you shall possess the exclu-
sive privilege of entering the fortress of Aherman, and
the halls of Argenk, where are pourtrayed all crea-
tures endowed with intelligence, and the various animals
that inhabited the earth prior to the creation of that
contemptible being, whom ye denominate the Father of
Mankind."
Vathek and Nouronihar, feeling themselves revived
and encouraged by this harangue, eagerly said to the
Giaour:
"Bring us instantly to the place which contains these
precious talismans."
"Come Î" answered this wicked Dive, with his malig-
nant grin, "come! and possess all that my Sovereign
hath promised, and more.'*
He then conducted them into a long aisle adjoining
the tabernacle, preceding them with hasty steps, and
followed by his disciples with the utmost alacrity.
They reached, at length, a hall of great extent, and
covered with a lofty dome, around which appeared fifty
portals of bronze, secured with as many fastenings of

THE CALIPH VATI1EK. u3
iron; a funereal gloom prevailed over the whole scent1;
here, upon two beds of incorruptible cedar, lay recum-
bent the fie «hies s forms of the Preadamite Kings, who
had been monarchs of the whole earth; they still pos-
sessed enough of life to be conscious of their deplorable
erudition; their eyes retained a molaneliolv motion;
they regarded each other with looks of the deepest
dejection; each holding his right hand motionless on
his heart; at their feet were inscribed the events
of their several reigns, their power, their pride, and
their crimes; Soliman liaad, Soliman Daki, ami Soliman
I>i (Í ian Ben ( jiam who, after having chained up the
Dives in the dark caverns of Kaf, became so presump-
tuous as to doubt of the Supreme Power; all these
maintained great state, though not to be compared with
the eminence of Soliman. Ben I >aoud.
This king, so renowned for his wisdom, was on the
loftiest elevation, and placed immediately under the
dome; he appeared to possess more animation than the
rest; though from time to time he laboured with pro-
found sighs, and, like his companions, kept his right hand
on his heart; yet his countenance was more composed,
and he seemed to be listening to the sullen roar of a
vast cataract, visible in part through the grated portals;
this was the only sound that intruded on the silence of
these doleful mansions. A range of brazen vases sur-
rounded the elevation.
"Remove the covers from these cabalistic depositaries,"
said the Giaour to Vaihok, " and avail thyself of the
talismans, which will break asunder all these gales of
bronze; and not only render thee master of the treasures
contained within them, but also of the spirits by which
they are guarded.
The Caliph, whom this ominous preliminary had en-
1
«4 TUE HSTORY OF
tirely disconcerted, approached the vases with faltering
footsteps, and was ready to sink with terror when he
heard the groans of Soliman. As he proceeded a voice
from the livid lips of the Prophet articulated these
words:
"In my life-time I idled a magnificent throne, having
on my right hand twelve thousand seats of gold, where
the patriarchs and the prophets heard my doctrines; on
my left the sages and doctors, upon as many thrones of
silver, were present at all my decisions. Whilst I thus
administered justice to innumerable multitudes, the birds
of the air libra ting over me served as a canopy from the
rays of the sun ; my people flourished, and my palace rose
to the clouds ; I erected a temple to the Most High, which
was the wonder of the universe; but I basely suffered
myself to be seduced by the love of women, and a cu-
riosity that could not be restrained by sublunary things;
I listened to the counsels of A h or m an and the daughter
of Pharaoh, and adored lire and the hosts of* heaven; I
forsook the ho!y city, and commanded the Genii to rear
the stupendous palace of Istakar, and the terrace of the
watch-towers, each of which was consecrated to a star;
there for awhile I enjoyed myself in the zenith of glory
and pleasure; not only men, but supernatural exist-
ences were subject also to my will. I began to think, as
these unhappy monarch* around had already thought,
that the vengeance of Heaven was asleep; when at once
the thunder burst my structures asunder and precipi-
tated me hither; where however J do not remain, like the
other inhabitants, totally destitute of hope, for an angel
of light hath revealed that, in consideration of the piety
of my early youth, my woes shall come to an end when
this cataract, shall for ever cease to ilow; till then I am
in torments, ineffable torments! an unrelenting fire
preys on my heart.**

TUE CALI FII VATJ1EK.
Havïng nttered tbis exelamation S o! iman raised his
hands townrds í Jcaven, in íoken of suppìh-utiou, and th.'
Calipli diseorned throngh his bosom, whieh w as trans-
parent as erystaï, his heart enveloped in ílames. Ai a
sight so iìill of horror Nonmnihar h U huek, Jìke oïk-
pefrifìed, înto the anns of Vathek, wlio cried ont. wit.li a
convulsive sol»:
u O Giaour! whîther liast thon brought us? Alíow
us to départ, and 1 wìll rclinquish ail tlioti hast promised.
O Mahomet! remains there no more merej?"
"None! none!" replìed the malieioiis Dtve. u Know
mîserable prince! thon art n o w in the abod ì of ven-
geance and despair; thj lieurt also will lie kíndied, lik»-
tliose of the other vota ries of Ebîis. A few d a y s are
allfil« 'ì tìu■(.- prevîoes fo (his fatal period; employ {lien,
a< lh<-u w îIí ; reobue on 1 hoso heaps o f go M; eo'nmand
the Infernal Polenta tes; range at thy pleasure throngh
thèse inimense snbterranean domains; no barrier sliall
lu; shut agíiînst thee; as for nie, I have fulíìlled my mis-
sion; I no w leave thee to thyself." At thèse w or d s lie
vanished.
The Caliph and Nouronihar reniained in the most ab-
y:rl afliietinn; th'Mr íoars unablo fo ílow. searrely eoiihl
they support themselves At length, taklng eaeli other
despondingly by the hand, they went falterîïìg from tliis
fit al hall, ìiMÌiíïtTí'tif which w a y they 1 crn< d t !u î r stop-;
every portai opened at their approaeh; the Dives fell
prostrate before íhem; every réservoir of rielies wns
diseloscd to their vie w; but they no longer ívìí the in-
centives of curiosity, prîde or avariée. With like
apathy they heard lite eì.'orus of (bnii, and sa w the
statelv banquets prepared to rénale them; they went.
wandcriiig on from rhamber to ehamber, hall to hall,
and gallory to gaíL'ry, ail wîthout botinds or limît, ail
Oiisíingìîihìinble by the same lowering gloom, ail adonn d
u6 THE HISTORY ÛF
with the same awful grandeur, all traversed by persons
in search of repose and consolation, but who sought
them in vain; for, every one carried within him a
heart tormented in flames: shunned by these various
sufferers, who seemed by their looks to be upbraiding
the partners of their guilt, they withdrew from them to
wait in direful suspense the moment which should ren-
der them to each other the like objects of terror.
"What!" exclaimed Nouronihar; 14 will the time
come when I shall snatch my hand from thine?"
w Ah ! * said Yathek; "and shall my eyes ever cease
to drink from thine long draughts of enjoyment! Shall
the moments of our reciprocal ecstasies be reflected on
with horror! It was not thou that broughtest me hither;
the principles by which Carathis perverted my youth,
have been the sole cause of my perdition!" Having
given vent to these painful expressions, he called to an
Afrit, who was stirring up one of the braziers, and bade
him fetch the Princess Carathis from the palace of Sa-
in arah.
After issuing these orders, the Caliph and Nouroni-
har continued walking amidst the silent crowd, till they
heard voices at the end of the gallery; presuming
them to proceed from some unhappy beings, who like
themselves were awaiting their final doom, they followed
the sound, and found it to come from a small square
chamber, where they discovered sitting on sofas five
young men of goodly figure, and a lovely female, who
were all holding a melancholy conversation by the
glimmering of a lonely lamp; each had a gloomy and
forlorn air, and two of them were embracing each other
with great tenderness. On seeing the Caliph and the
daughter of Fakreddin enter, they arose, saluted and
gave them place; then he who appeared the most con-

THE CAL TP II VATIÎEK. 117
s id érable of the group addressed himself thus to
Vathek.
"Strangers! who doubtless are in the same state of
suspense with ourselves, its you do not yet bear your
hand on your heart, if you are come hither to pass
the interval allotted previous to the infliction of our
common punishment, eonde<<-.>nd to relate the adven-
tures thnfc have brought you to this fatal pi are, and we
in return will acquaint you with ours, which deserve
but too well to be heard; we will trace back our crimes
to their source, though we are not permitted to repent;
this is the onlv employment suited to wretches like
us!"
The Caliph nod Nouronihar assented to the proposal,
and Vathek began, not without tears and lamentations,
a sincere recital of every circumstance that had passed.
When she n fïlicting narrative was (dosed, the young man
entered on his own,* Each person proceeded in order,
and when the fourth prince had reached the midst of
his adventures, a sudden noise interrupted him, which
« aused the vault to tremble and to open,
Immediately a cloud descended, which gradually dis-
sipating, discovered Carat h is on the back of an Afrit,
who grievously complained of his burden. She, in-
stantly springing to the ground, advanced towards her
son and said:
"What dost thou here in this little square chamber?
* See note to the Author's French preface; Beeksord has
here added the titles of three stones related in the Hal! of
Kblis. This is all that he has done, the three titles given be-
ing inserted in the third French edition, hut not in the English
preface, between the paragraphs separated by an asterisk.
Beekford does not appear ever to have proceeded further with
these tales than the titles,
the jus tor r of
As the Dives are become subject to thy beck, I ex-
pected to have found thee on the throne of the Pre-
sixainite Kings."
"Exécrable woman!" answered the Caliph; "curbed
be the day thou gavest me birth! go, follow this Afrit,
let him conduct thee to the hail of the Prophet Soli»
iiiiin; there thmi wilt learn to what these palaces are
destined, and how much I ought, to abhor the impious
knowledge thou hast taught me.'*
"The height of power, to which thou art arrived, has
certainly turned thy brain," answered Carathis; "but
i ask no more than permisMon to show my respect for
the Prophet, It is however proper thou shouldest know,
that (as the Afrit has informed me neither of us shall
return to Samarah) 1 requested his permission to
arrange my affairs, and lie politely consented; availing
myself therefore of the few moments allowed im\ I set
fire to the tower, and consumed in it the mutes,
négresses, and serpents which have rendered me so
much good service; nor should I have been less kind
to Moi akanabau, had he not prevented me, by deserting
at last to thy brother. As for Pababalouk. who had the
folly to return to Samarah, and all the good brother-
hood to provide husbands for thy wives, I undoubtedly
would have put them to the torture, could Ì but have
allowed, them the time; being however in a hurry, I
only hung him alter having caught him in a snare with
thy wives, "whilst them I buried alive by the help of my
négresses, who thus spent their last moments greatly to
their satisfaction. With respect to I.) il ara, who ever
stood high in my favour, she hath evinced the greatness
of her mind by fixing herself near in the service of one
of the Aiiigi. and I think will soon le our own."
Vathek, too much cast down to express the indig-

TUK CALIPH VA Til K K. i;9
nation excited by such a discourse, ordered (lie Afrit to
remove Carathis from liîs présence, and continued im-
mersed in thought, which his companion durst not disturb.
Carat h is however eagerly entered the dome of Boli-
roan, and, without regarding in the least the groans of
the Prophet, undauntedly removed the covers of the*
vases, and violently seized on the talismans; then, with
a voice more loud than had hitherto been heard within
these mansions, she compelled the Dives to disclose to
her the most secret treasurers the most profound stores,
which the Afrit himself had not seen; she passed by
rapid descents known only to Eblis and his most
favoured potentate?, and tints penetrated the very
entrails of the earth, where breathes the Sansar, or icy
wind of death; nothing appalled her dauntless soul;
she perceived however in all the inmates who bore their
hands on their heart a little singularity, not much to^
her taste. As she was emerging from one of the
abysses, Ebbs stood forth to her view , but, notwith-
standing he displayed the full effulgence of his infernal
majesty, she preserved her countenance unaltered, and
even paid her compliments with considerable firmness.
This superb Monarch thus answered: "Princess,
whose knowledge and whose crimes have merited a
conspicuous rank in my empire, thou dost well to employ
the leisure, that remains; for the flames and torments,
which are ready to seize on thy heart, will not fail to
provide thee with full employment." He said this, and
was lost in the curtains of his tabernacle.
Caraí h is paused for a moment with surprise; but,
resolved to follow the advice of Eblis, she assembled
all the ehoits of (ieuii, and all the Dives, to pay her
homage; lhu< marched she in triumph through a vapour
of perfumes, amidst the acclamations of all the malig-
I20
THE HISTORY OF
nant spirits, with most of whom she had formed a pre-
vious acquaintance; she even attempted to dethrone
one of the Soliimins for the purpose of usurping his
place, when a voice, proceeding from the abyss of Death,
proclaimed, 44 All is accomplished!" Instantaneously
the haughty forehead of the intrepid Princess was cor-
rugated with agony; she uttered a tremendous yell, and
fixed, no more to be withdrawn, her right hand upon
her heart, which was become a receptacle of eternal fire.
In this delirium, forgetting all ambitious projects and
her thirst for that knowledge which should ever be
hidden from mortals, she overturned the offerings of the
Genii, and, having execrated the hour she was begotten
and the womb that had borne her, glanced off in a whirl
that rendered her invisible, and continued to revolve
without intermission.
At almost the same instant the same voice announced to
the Caliph, Nouronihar, the five princes, and the princess,
the awful and irrevocable decree. Their hearts immedi-
ately took fire, and they at once lost the most precious of the
gifts of heaven—Hope. These unhappy beings recoiled
with looks of the most furious distraction; Vathek beheld
in the eyes of Nouronihar nothing but rage and vengeance,
nor could she discern aught in his but aversion and
despair. The two princes who were friends, and till
that moment had preserved their attachment, shrunk
back, gnashing their teeth with mutual and unchange-
able hatred. Kalilah and his sister made reciprocal
gestures of imprecation, whilst the two other princes
testified their horror for each other by the most ghastly
convulsions, and screams that could not be smothered.
All severally plunged themselves into the accursed
multitude, there to wander in an eternity of unabating
anguish.

THE CALIPH VATHEK
121
Such was, and such should be, the punishment of
unrestrained passions and atrocious actions! Such is,
and such should be, the chastisement of blind ambition,
that would transgress those bounds which the Creator
hath prescribed to human knowledge; and, by aiming
at discoveries reserved for pure Intelligence, acquire
that infatuated pride, which perceives not the condition
appointed to man is to be ignorant and humble.
Thus the Caliph Vathek, who, for the sake of empty
pomp and forbidden power, had sullied himself with a
thousand crimes, became a prey to grief without end,
and remorse without mitigation; whilst the humble and
despised Gulchenrouz passed whole ages in undisturbed
tranquillity, and the pure happiness of childhood.


NOTES.
Pag k î.
A LTV IL Tiiis titlo íimongst tlio Mahométans
eomprehend.- the çoneîvte ebaraeier o£ prophet,
príest, and ¥mgf and is usecl to sîgnify tlie Vicar
os (íod oo eartli, JfaheKci's State o f the Ottoman
Kmpirc, p, !>; Ì!erbciot, p, ÍKSó.
0//<? <?/* /«*,? ey^y òf came so terrible. The anthor of Nígliî-
nnstan hath j»îv--«>rv{-d ;i fu-t that supports this ncrcount; and
there is no hisforv ot' Vaíliek in whirh ì>is terrible cy !■* n«'t
mentioned.
Omar Ben Abdulaziz. Tliís caliph wns éminent ab ove» ail
olhors for tempera o- and st-ìÍ--tìiuí, iesom tich fhat he is be-
liev»'d to bave îiceo rai m'd to Mahomet*,-; ho-<nn, a< a. roward for
bis abstinence in an a^e oíCorruption, Herbclot, p,
P. 2. Sa m,/; r ah. À city of tlie Babylouian Irak» siipposecl
to bave stuod on (ho sise udu-ro Ximrod ereeted bis tower,
Klioudi inir relates, in liis lise of Motas^>in, tbat this prince» to
terminale the disputes winch won1 perpétua îly happening be-
íweon the inhabitants of Bandât and bis Turkish slave?, with-
drew from thenee, an î, havirejf íìxed on a situation in the plain
of Citoul. there íbumled >a;narah; In- is said to bave had in
the stable* of t bis city a hnndn-d and thirty thousand pied
horsos, eacli of wbicii canied bv h is on.ler a saek of earth to a
place ho h uî ehoson; bv tbis accumulation an élévation was

124
worn s.
formed that commanded a view of all Samarah, and served for
the foundation of lus magniiicent palace, lierheiot, p. 752.,
308» 985; Anecdotes Arabes, p. 413.
In the most delight fid succession. The great men of the
East have been always fond of music. Though forbidden by
the Mahometan religion, it commonly makes a part of every
entertainment; female slaves are generally kept to amuse
them and the ladies of their harems. The Persian Khan-
yagere seems nearly to have resembled our old English min-
strel, as he usually accompanied his barbtit, or lute, with
heroic songs; their musicians appear to have known the art of
moving the passions, and to have generally directed their
music to the heart. Al Farabi, a philosopher, who died about
the middle of the tenth century, on his return from the pil-
grimage of Mecca, introduced himself, though a stranger, at
the court of Seifeddoula, sultan of Syria; musicians were acci-
dentally performing, and he joined them; the prince admired
him, and wished to hear something of his own; he drew a
composition from his pocket, and distributing the parts amongst
the band, the first movement threw the prince and his courtiers
into violent laughter, the next melted all into tears, and the
last lulled even the performers asleep. Richardson's Disserta-
tion on the Languages, &c. of Eastern Nations, p. 211.
Manu This artist, whom Inatulla of Delhi styles the far-
famed, lived in the reign of Schabur, or Sapor, the son of
Ardichir Babegan, was founder of the sect of Manicheans, and
by profession a painter and sculptor; his pretensions, supported
by an uncommon skill in mechanical contrivances, induced the
ignorant to believe that his powers were more than human.
After having secluded himself from his followers, under the
pretence of passing a year in Heaven, he produced a wonderful
volume, which he affirmed to have brought from thence, con-
taining images and figures of a marvellous nature. Ilerbelot,
p. 548. It appears from the Arabian Nights that Haroun Al
Kasehid, Vathek's grandfather, had adorned his palace and
furnished hi* magnificent pavilion with the most capital per-
formances of the Persian artists.
P. 3. Houris» The Virgins of Paradise, called from their

MOTES, 125
large black eyes,1 ffnr aï oi/mi, An intercourse with thc.>e,
according In the institution of Mrdionvf, is to eonstitute the
principal felicity of the faithful; nos formed of day Jikn mortal
women, they are deemed in the Lightest degree beautiful, and
exempt from every inconvenience incident to the sex. AI
Koran; passim.
J\ 4. '/''/v nol frith thr or'liotlo.v tlutf he, usnofl?,' livid.
VntheU ]'« iS' (M!tcd with «\tnin< rigour all wli<» doiettded the
eternity of tlie Koran, which the 8onniten, or orthodox, main-
tained to bo uncreated, and the Motazalitcs and Sehiiten a*
strenuously denied. Jlorhelot, p. 85, &e.
Mahomet in the seventh ILm en. In this heaven the para-
dise of Mahomet is supposed to he placed contiguous to the
throne of Alia., Hani Khalf'ah rotate* th-if Ibn Jatmaiah, a
celebrated Doctor of Damascus, had the temerity to assert
1 Might not Akenside's expression •
In the dark heaven of Mira's eye—
bare been suggested by the eyes of the Virgins of Paradise?
The enthusiasm of the acute Winekelnmim for the statuary of the
ancients was apt to mislead both his judgment unci taste. What but
such a bias could induce him to maintain—after asserting that Homer
meant by the word pswriç, to characterise the beauty of Juno's eyes, and
eitiug with approbation m^avo^êaì^oç—xakn to vpoa-wmv as the gloss of
the Scholiast upon it—that the epithet the poet had selected was de-
signed by him to express, not what it naturally imports, but a sense in-
dependent '»f it. ond wlii* h if c«.uhi mily be «uj post-d't" imply, in.-m being
placed in an absurd connexion % The eye of the animal to which the
term belongs is no doubt large, if referred to the human countenance,
but not properly so in its own situation. Had Homer applied powinç to
the statue of Juno, §owmç (as the Abbé contends) must huve been inter-
preted large eyed, because in tins relation no idea except thai of magni-
tude (unless we add prominence) could possibly be extorted from it; but
it must be allowed, 011 the same principle, that an epithet taken from the
eye of the ass, or ;ny other creature's of equal size, whatever were its
colour, would have become the «tutue of the goddess as well, and signified
precisely the same. On such commentators a poet might justly ex-
claim;
——~— Pol, me oeeidistis, am ici f
JN'on servastis!
In their descriptions of female beauty, the p'-ets of the east frequently
use the same imaue "with Homer, and exactly in his seiii-e: thus, m
particular, Lebeid: *• A company of maidens were seated in their vehicles,
with "black eyes and graceful motions, like the wild heifers of Tudab."
MOTES.
that, when the Most High erected his throne, he reserved a
vacant place for Mahomet upon it.
Genii. Germ or G inn in the Arabic signifies a genius or
demon, a being of a higher order, and sonnet! of more subtile
matter than man. According to Oriental mythology, the
genii governed the world long before the creation of Adam;
the Mahometans regarded them as an intermediate race be-
tween angels and men, and capable of salvation, whence Ma-
homet pretended a commission to convert them. Consonant
to this, we read that when the servant of God stood up to in-
voke him, it wanted little but thai the Genii had pressed on
him in crowds to hear him rehearse the .Koran. Ilerheiot, p.
375; Al Koran, eh. 72.
Assist him to complete the tower. The genii, who were
styled by the Persians peries and dives, were famous for their
architectural skill; the pyramids of Kgypt have been ascribed
to them, and we are told of a strange fortress which they con-
structed in the remote mountains of Spain, whose frontal pre-
sented the following inscription:
It is no light tusk to disclose the portal of this asylum:
The bolt, rash passenger, is not of iron, but the tooth of a furious
dragon:
Know thou that no one tan break tin* Hi arm
Till Destiny shall have cousigu'd the key to his u.heut'rous hand.
The Koran relates that the genii were employed by Solomon
in the erection of his magnificent temple. BaiHy sur FA tlantide,
p. 146; Herbelot, p. 8; Al Koran, eii. 34.
P. 5. The siranper displayed such rarities as he had never
before seen. In the Tales of Inatulla we meet with a traveller who
like this was furnished with trinkets and curiosities of an ex-
traordinary kind; that such were much sought after in the
days of Vathek may be concluded from the encouragement
which Haroun Al Rasehid gave to the mechanic arts, and tin-
present he sent by his ambassadors to Charlemagne; this, con-
sisted of a clock, which when put into motion by means of a
elepsydrum, not only pointed out the hours in their round, but
also by dropping small balls on a bell struck them, and at the
same instant threw open as many little doors to let out an
equal number of horsemen; besides these the clock displayed

NOTES.
127
varions oíht-r con f rivai ìees. Ami, Keg. Franc. Pip. Caroii.
&c. ad ann. 807; Weidler, p. 205.
J\ <>. ('Jinravíc-rs un Um s rion s. Suc!» inscriptions osteti
occur in E as te r n romandes; we find in tlie Arabian iVight* a
cornelian, on wbieh unknuwn ebaraeter* wer»* en^raven, ami
also a sabre likc those hère cìeseribed. I11 the French K.ingV
library îs a étirions treatíse, intitìecl Se/a t. Alaclam, coiitaîning
a varicív of alphabet* anan^<<d umìvr dijbnìtt beads, «meb ;■••>
fcho prophétie, tbe mystica), tlie philosophie, the inagîeal, the
talismanic, &c. whieh seenis to bave e.scaped tbe renearch os
the indefatigable Mr. Astle. Arabian iVights, vol. ii. p. 246,
vol. î, p. 143; Herbelot, p. 797.
F» 8. Endearmircd by her consolation to h cal and compose
Mm* The same sanative qualitv îs ascribed to soothing con-
versation, bot b by jKscliylus and M il ton:
Ofynî W"íferr,ç mmv laìpo» Xoyo».
J hante th. r. 373.
—Apt words hâve power to s» u âge
'I fie (um"urs f.: n trouhlífd ruina;
And are as haïra to íester'd wouuds.
Sdiiisoa Agon. y. 184»
P. 10. Beards burnt off. Tlie I08S of tlie beard frorn f ho
earliest âges was aeeounted highiy díngniceful; an instance
■h'.cutá m tbe Ta b s nf Inaíulla ol o ne b<-in<í sìnged otf, as a
mulet on the ownor for having failed to cxplain a question pro-
pounded, and in tbe Arabian JS'i^hts ;\ proclamation niav in»
seen sîmilar to this of Vatbek. Vol. i. p. 268, vol. ii. p. 228.
P. IL Rohes of h cm ou r and seqttins of go/d. Su eh rewards
were connu on in tbe East. »See particularly Arabian Nights,
vol. ii. p. 72, 125, vol. iií. p. 64.
The old man put on kis green spectacles. Tbis îa an ap-
parent anacliroiiisin, but such fn-qu< mh o«'cur ín mtdîng the
Arabian writer*: it sbouhl b»' rcniembered, tbe difheolty «f
ascertaíniog f'acts and fìxing the dates of inventions must 1 e
considérable in a vast oxtent of eoimtrv, whore hooks are corn-
parativeiy few, and the art of printing unpmctisod; íhough fhe
origin of spectacles can be traeed bac k with eertaintv no
higlier tban tbe tbirteentlt centurv, y et tlie observation of
>unwa, that ietíers appeaivd of an increased magnitude w hen
NOTES.
viewed through the medium of convex glass, might have been
noted also by others, and a sort of spectacles contrived în con-
séquence of it; but however this might have been, the art of
staining glass is sufficiently ancient to have suggested in the
days of Vathek the use of green as a protection to the eye
from a glare of light.
P. 12. The stars which he went to consult. The phrase of
the original corresponds with the Greek expression, ko-rça
BiaÇecrôcn, which in another view will illustrate St. Matthew,
xi. 12.
P. 14. To drink at will of the Four Fountains, which
were reputed in the highest degree salubrious, and sacred to
himself, or literally, to be of gold and sacred to himself.
Agathocles (cited by Athenaius, 1, xi. p. 515) relates that
"there were certain fountains in these regions to the number
of seventy, whose waters were denominated golden, and of
which it was death for any one to drink save the king and his
eldest son." In this number, as appears from our author's
epithet, the Pom* Fountains were formerly reckoned, whose
waters, as Vathek had no son, were saered to his own use, The
citation from Agathocles may likewise explain the wish of King
David "for water from the well of Bethlehem/* unless we sup-
pose it to have arisen from a predilection like that of the Par-
thian monarchs for the water of Choaspes, which was carried
with them wherever they went, and from that circumstance
«tyled by Tibuilus regia Ipmpha, and by Milton
The drink of none but kings.
Bowls of rock crystal. In the Arabian Nights Schemselni-
har and Ebn Thaker were served by three of their attendants,
each bringing them a goblet of rock crystal filled with curious
wine.
Accursed Giaour. Dives of this kind are frequently men-
tioned by Eastern writers; consult their tales in general, and
especially those of the Fisherman, Aladdin, and the Princess
of China.
P. 15. Drink this draught, said the stranger, as lie presented
a phial. A phial of a similar potion is ordered to be instan-
taneously drank off in one of the Tales of Inatnlla. "These
brewed enchantments" have been used in the East from the

NOTES.
149
days of Homer. Milton in "bis ( 'omus describes one of them,
which greatly resembles the Indian's:
And fust heboid this cordial julep here.
That Humes and danres in his i-rystaJ bon mis.
With spirits of balm, anil frnqrnnt syrups inix'd.
Not that N«*prnthes, whirli the wife of I hoot*
In Efxypt gave to Jove-born Helena,
Ik of such pow'r to stir tip joy as tins;
To life so friendly, or so cool to thirst.
P. 16, The Poets applied them m a chorus to all the. song.,'
they composed. Sir John Chardin, describing a public enter-
tainment and rejoicing', observes that the most ingenioiiH poet*
in Persia (as is related oi' Homer) sung their own works, which
for the most part are in prai.se of* the king, whom they fail not
to extol, let him be never so worthy of blame and oblivion; the
son#s of this day were adapted to the occasion of the festival,
which was the restoration of the prime minister to his office-—
be adds, "I saw one that abounded in fine and witty turns, the
burthen of which was this?:
Him set aside, all men bnt equals are;
E'en Bol survey'd the spacious realms of air.
To see if he could find another star,
A sfiir, that like the polar star could reign,
And long lie sought it, but he sought in vain,*
The ingenuity of the poet seems to consist in an allusion to
the prime minister's title, I von Aicdave, or the Pole of Persia.
Bahnhalouk, the chief of Ms eunuchs. As it was the em-
ployment of the black eunuchs to wait upon and guard the
sultanas, so the general superintendence of the harem was par-
ticularly committed to their chief. Habesci's State of the
Ottoman. Empire, pp. 155, 6.
P. 17. The Divan. This was botli the supreme council and
court of justice, at which the caliphs of the race of the Abasside*
assisted in person to redress the injuries of every appellant,
ilerhelot. p. 298.
The officers arranged themselves in a semicircle. Such was
* See Lloyd's Introduction to a Collection of Voyages and Travels
never before published in English, p. 21.
E
13o , NOTES.
the etiquette constantly observed on entering the Divan. Arab.
Sights, vol. iv. p. 38; Herbelot, p. 912.
The prime vìzìr, Vazir, vezir, or as we express it, vizir,
literally signifies a porter, and by metaphor the minister who
bears the principal burthen of the state.
P. 18, The Indian, being short and plump, collected himself
into a ball, Happy a* Horace lias been in his description
of the wise man, the figurative expressions which finish the
character are literally applicable to our author's Indian :—
m sripso totu?, teres atqne rotnnrins;
Externi ne quid valeat per lan e morari:
In quern mauca rait semper foriuua.
F. 19» The Mmzins and their minarets. Valid, the son of
Abdalmalek, was the first who erected a minaret or turret, and
this he placed on the grand Mosque at Damascus, for the
meuzin or crier to announce from it the hour of prayer. Her-
belot, p. 576.
P. 22. The subterranean palace of fire. Of this palace,
which is frequently mentioned in Eastern romance, a full de-
scription will be found in the sequel.
P. 23, I require the blood offifty of the most beautiful sons
of the viziAmongst the infatuated votaries of the powers of
darkness, the most acceptable offering was the blood of their
children; if the parents were not at hand to make an immedi-
ate offer, the magistrates did not fail to select those who were
most fair and promising, that the demon might not. be de-
frauded of his dues. On one occasion two hundred of the prime
nobility were sacrificed together. Bryant's Observations, p,
279, &c.
P. 28. Give them me, cried the Indian. In the story of Co-
dadad and his brother, we read of a black like this who fed
upon human blood. Arab. JVights, vol. iii. p. 199.
P. 27. With the grin of an ogre. Thus in the History of the
Punished Vizir: "The prince heard enough to convince him
of his danger, and then perceived that the lady who called her-
self the daughter of an Indian king was an ogress, wife to one
of those savage demons called an ogre, who stay in remote


MOTES, 131
places an«l makc use osa thoiisainl wilcs to surprise ami devour
passeuse rn." Aral). Xijrhfs, vol. î. p, ô'L
Bracelet, The bracelet, in th<- Fast, ay as an oinblom oi' roy-
alty. Jìerbeìot, p, 541.—-For want os a more proper tenu to
donominate tbe ornament s< rUiooj, the word u f y réf. in liere
used.
P, 29. A s ut> s. ít lias boen «suai 111 eastern courts IV..n»
tiîiie immémorial, to retain a nuniber ol mutes; thèse a,re not
only empiovcil to amuse tbe monarch, lait also to instrut í bis
pages in au art to us little kttown, os conimunieating everythinu;
I>v sî^îis» lest the houikÌb oi" theír voiles «houM disíurb tlie
sovereign. líabcsefs State os tlie Ottoman Kmpire, p. 101. •
The niìttes are also tlie secret instrumenta es bis private
vengeance.
F. ')(). Prai/cr aniwfmcfíd, ut break ofd ay. Tlie &tated s ra-
sons of-publie prayer îu tlie tweuty-sour liours were ííve: <la\ -
break, noon, mid-time between n00n and snnset» ijiiruediat**ly
as tlie sud leaves tlie horizon, aiitl an hmir an<l hait' aster it i<
down.
P. 'òì. MifmmkiS'. Movìiiht, (íroiii Moum, wax and talion j
signifies the flesh os tlie huinan body préservée! in the saii<lf
aster baving hoen ornbalmed and wrapped in ce rem on ts; thov
are freqiiently i'ound in tlie sepuìebres os Fgypt, but mo-t oi
the oriental m 11 m mi os are brought frein n cavern near Abin, tu
Pcrsia. Herbclot, p. 647.
Rhinocéros horns. Of'theír extraordinary rjuftlîtîos and ap-
plication a curions aeeount may be neen in tlie l>ibliotb< qu»-
Orientale, and tbe Supplément to it,
Skullx and Skcìcfom. Botli were usually added to tlie in-
grédients already mentïoned. Tbe.se magie rites Huíìieientiy
reseinbic the witeh scènes os Middh ton» Shakespeare, &e,f to
show llieîr orientai 0 ri gin; rior îs it f o bc wondei'ed if, amongsr
the many Systems adopted frorn the Faet, tbis sliouM hav<*
heen in the number. It inay lie «ren l'rom the Arabian Taie*
tbat magie was an art publicly taught; and Fat ber A n gel o re-
lates ol* a rich enelianter wborn lie k n*-w at Fassora, tbat bis
poptk were m mimerons as to oeetipy an en tire quarter of tlie
city.
P. W. Fl ayons of witv\ anil vus< s- of sherbeí Jloaltwj on
132 MOTES.
snow. Sir John Chardin speaks of a wine much admired in the
East, and particularly in Persia, called roubnar, which is made
from the juice of the pomegranate, and sent abroad in large
quanti tirs. The oriental sherbets, styled by St. Jerome sorlri-
tiimculœ d<Iicat<v, consisted of various syrups (such as lemon,
liquorice, capillaire, &c.) mixed with water; to these Hassel-
quist adds several others, and observes that the sweet-scented
violet is a flower greatly esteemed, not only for its smell
and colour, but especially for its use in sherbet, which, when
the Easterns intend to entertain their guests in an elegant
manner, is made of a solution of violet sugar. Snow, in the
rin frescos of a hot climate, is almost a constant ingredient;
thus in the Arabian Nighta, Bed redd in Hassan, having filled
a large porcelain bowl with sherbet of roses, put snow into it.
A lamb stuffed with pistachios. The same dish is mentioned
in the Tale of the Barbers Sixth Brother.
A parchment. Parchments of the like mysterious import
are fréquent in the writings of the Easterns. One in particu-
lar amongst the Arabians is held in high veneration; it was
written by AH and Giafar Sadok in mystic characters, and is
said to contain the destiny of the Mahometan religion, and the
great events which are to happen previous to the end of the
'world; this parchment is of camel's skin; but it was usual with
Catherine of Medicis to carry about her person a legend in
cabalistic characters, inscribed on the nkin of a dead-born in-
fant. If erbeiot, p. 366; W rax all's House of Valois.
fotakhar. This city was the ancient Persepolis and capital
of Persia, under the Icings of the three first races. The author
of Lebtarikh writes that .KiRcbtnb there established ids abode,
erected several temples to the element of fire, and hewed out
for himself and his successors sepulchres in the rocks of the
mountain contiguous- to the city. The ruin? of column h and
broken figures which still remain, defaced as they were by
Alexander, and mutilated by time, plainly evince that those
ancient potentates had chosen it for the place of their inter-
ment; their monuments however must not be confounded with
the superb palace reared bv quoon ITomai in the midst of
Istakhar, which the Persians distinguish by the name of Tchil-
minar, or the forty watch-towers. The origin of this city is

NOTES. 133
ascribed by some to Gianisehid, and others carry it higher;
hut the Persian tradition is that it was built by the peris or
fairies when the world was governed by Gian be 11 ííian. Her-
belot, p. 327.
(Han Ben Gian. By this appellation was distinguished the
monarch of that species of beings whom the Arabians denomi-
nate g ia n or (strtn, that is yenii, and the Tari k h Thabari, perk,
seeZf or fairies; he wan renowned for his warlike expeditions
and stupendous structuras; according to oriental writers the
pyramids of Egypt were amongst the monuments of his power.
Tlie buckler of this mighty sovereign, no less famous than that
of Achilles, was employed by three successive Sol imans to
achieve their marvellous exploits; from them it descended to
Tahainurath, surnamed Divhetid, or Conqueror of the Giants,
This buckler -was endowed with most wonderful qualities,
having been fabricated by talismanic «art» and was alone suffi-
cient to destroy all the charms and enchantments, of demons or
giants, which on the contrary were wrought by magie. Hence
we are no longer at a loss for the origin of the wonderful shield
of Atlante. The reign of Gian Ben Gian over the peri h is said
to have continued for two thousand years, after which Eblis
was sent by the Deity to exile them on account of their dis-
orders, and confine them in the remotest region of the earth.
Herbelot, p. 300; Bailly sur F Atlantide, p. 147.
The talismans of Soi una a. Amongst the mont fanions talis-
mans of the Hast, and which could control even the arms and
magie of the dives or giants, was mohur Solimani, the seal or
ring of >Soliman dared, fifth monarch of the world after Adam;
by means of it the possessor had the entire command, not only
of the elements, but also of demons and every created being.
Richardson's Dissertât, p. 272; Herbelot, p. 820.
Preadamite Suit am. These monarch?, which were seventy-
two in number, are said to have governed each a distinct species
of rational beings prior to the existence of Adam. Amongst
the most renowned of them were Sol iman Raad, Sol iman Daki,
and Sol iman T)i Gian Ben Gian. Herbelot, p. 820.
Beware how thou enterest any dwelling. Strange as this in-
junction may seem, it is by no means incongruous to the cus-
toms of the country. Dr. Pocoeke mentions his travelling
134
XOTES.
with the train of the governor of Fain me, who, instead of
lodging in a village that was near, passed the night in a grove
of palm trees. Travels vol. i. p. oG.
P. 37. Every Intmper, which they ironically (piaffed to the
health of Mahomet, There are innumerable proofs that the
Grecian custom, arufxTriuv xua&tÇofxtvouç, prevailed amongst the
Arabs; but, had th-^o been wanted, Carathi?* could nor he sup-
posed a stranger to it; the practice was to hail the gods in the
first place, and then those who were held in the highest vene-
ration; this they repeated as often as they drank ,• rims St.
Ambrose: "Quid obtcstationc* potantium loquar? quid me-
morem m cram en ta, qua1 violare nesas arbitrantur? Bibamus,
inquiunt, pro salute impemiomm; et (jui non Inherit, sit reus
indevotionis."
The uss of JJalaa/n, the don °f seven sleepers, and the
other animals admitted into the paradise of Mahomet, It was
a tenet of the Mussulman creed that all animals would be
raided again, and many ot* them honoured with admission to
paradise, The story of the seven sleepers, borruWf d from
Christian legends, was this: in the days of the Emperor Deeius
there were certain Ephesian youths of a good family, who, to
avoid the flames of persecution, fled to a secret cavern, and
there slept for a number of years. In their flight towards the
cave they wore followed by a rhng, which, when they attempted
to drive him back, said: "I love those who are dear unto God;
go sleep therefore, and I will guard you." For this dog the
Mahometans retain so profound a reverence, that their harshest
sarcasm against a covetous person is, ''he would not throw a
bone to the dog of the seven sleepers/' It is even said, that
their superstition induces them to write his name upon the
letters they send to a distance, as a kind of talisman to secure
them a «afe conveyance. Religious Ceremonies, vol. vii. p.
74, n.; .Sale's Koran, eh. xviii. and notes.
Painting the eyes of the Circassians, It was an ancient
custom in the East, and still continues, to tinge the eyes of
women, particularly those of a fair complexion, with an im-
palpable powder prepared chiefly from crude antimony, and
called mmieh, Ebni'l Motezz, in a passage translated by Sir

MOTES.,
W. Jones, hath not otily ascertaîned its purple colour, but also
likened the violet to it:
Viola eolfegít in lin mu, similía
í'ollyrio iììííi'o, ijuod hit)it lachrymas die diseessûs,
Veliit si eshet super vasa m qmhus 1"nlg« ut
Prima* ignis Jìammuì»' m sulplmriïs extremis partilras,
Thîs pigment, wlien applíed f o tli<: inner surface of the îids.
commun icatos to the e\v íe^peeîalìy if seen by the light of
lamps) so teiider atid saseîtmtin^ a Jangnor as wt language îs
compétent to express.* Ilonce the epifliet i9$\s<papoç, at~
tributed by the (ireeks f to tlie goddoHs of Beanty, and the
A ralliai) comparison of 41 (ho oyelidw osa fine woman baihed in
t.»«ars, to violets dropping with dow." Perhaps also Shakes-
peare* s
violets dim.
But swceter than tlie iícls of Juno's eyes
nihould be ultimatcly refrrred to the pâme ori^ín; but however
thís may be, it "m ohvious (tìiough bis eoînìììenfators have over-
looked ít) that Anacreon alhided to the naine cosnietic w h en be
• When Tasso représenta Love as ambushed
sotte ail' ombra
Delle palpebre
ht» alleírorically al lu d es to tìiat appoaranoe in nature, winch the artifice
hère riescribed was meant to e'itmíeríeit.
1 J.ìofîi H orner and Ilesiod liave applíed ^hm^-hspypç H Vi w?i5f, in a
synonytnnus sensé, as is évident f'r>>m iiiny, w h o, amotigst other pro-
perties of îhe hélix, minore!y spécifies its purj/li/h flweix T!»s Iwoy^a^n
o$3a>./uwv vill ìíkewîse expiait! 'ehwoirt;.
Winkelmaim and Ciranius have each givcu diffèrent interprétât ions, bnt.
let tliern botli speak for themsehes; 41 'Ef^AKs^ar,; euraetérise des yeux
dont let* paupières ont an inoin eiwetit nndovutit que k* poëte compare au
jenue ceps de la viírne."—//'sf. dr ('Art ///■> s-jìiìtii}. tcmu íi., p.
"E?.íx>f>.í4>aíc» et í)jx.wnr.í; pnell.T Ora'eis di«-nittm% qui mi ut niobili oculo-
rrun petulantia, ut Petron, loquitur, sive qoa» halant, ut idem dieit;
hJanda* ocidos et in qui et os
Et qnadatn propna nota loquaces.
Qni îiinc Ovidio d'u'nntur argutî. Aliter pîeriquo sentinnt. et exponnnt:
nigros oculos hahentes. Sed ea vera evt quain dixì hnjns Toeis notio,
quanti facile plwríbus conûnnarcru, ni si res ipsa loqueretur."—Lectwncs
ttenodecs, cap. xx.
136 MÛTES,
required of the painter that the eyelids of his tnistress's por-
trait shoukìj like her own, cxhibit tliis appearancc,
E^6T« ÒTTCtìÇ BKÎIW,
B\í<$>Ctf>00Y ITVV KSXaiWHf
and her ove hoth the briffht citr-on* of Mmerva's, and the
clewy radiance f of Cytherea's:
To h 0MjU{xa wv aXnûmç
Alto ru irvpoç woino-ov*
Afxa yXavKov, ccç aônmç"
AfXA §** 'y^pov, mç xuônpHÇ. J
F» 38. Bocnahad. The stream thus denominatcd flows near
the city oí ochiraz; its watcrs ar«- uneommoniy pure ami •
limpid, and thoir hank« stvardcil wííh the ímest verdure. \u
praises are eelebratcd by Hafez in an animated song, whieh
Sir W. Jones lias admirably translated:
l'oy, let yon I Squid ruby slow,
And bid thy pensive heart be glad;
Whate'er íbe siwning y eu lot s say,
Tel! thêta tlit'ir Eden can no» show
A stream so clear as Rocnabad,
Á bower so sweet as Mosellay.f
Do youf wìih the advicc ofmy mot her, govem. Females in
the cast vroiv not aneienth excludod froni power. în the h tory
of Zeyn Alasnam and the K in g of the Genii, the mother of Zeyn
undertakes, with the aid of his vizirs, to govem Balsora during
ììi-i absence on a similar « xpedition.
P. 39. Chintz and mwlin. For man y curions particulars
relative to thèse articles, consul t Mr. Delaval's Inijuiry con-
* "Eyen, brigìit citrin."-—Chaucer. No expression enn ht* léss exact
rhan blue-eyed wlieu used u* the eharaeterbtic of Mí»«*rva. nor any
pcrìiaps more so than Chaueer's; uuless <y>»o:uxw7riç be liu-rally rendeml.
t 'Yy^oí'—c VM<x)a.<poeoç, stç raç ^ovaç peviJ.dìi(ùfj,evoç.—Glosa, lìibl. Coislin.
Tasso, in his Jérusalem, bas well paraphrased the iraport of this epí-
thet:
Quai raggîo în onda, le scintilla un riso
Ntuli u midi occhj íreiiìuîo et iascivo.
% Odcxxviii. lá; 2 Kings ix. 30; Ezek. xxiii. 40; ìierbelot, p. 832,
Lítdy M. W. M-nitagu's Letters. let. xxix.
§. M -tselìa was un oratory on the buaks of lloenabad.


MOTES.
137
corning the changes of colours, &«■., to which ni;iv Ik- added,
Lucret. lib. iv. 5; Petron. c. 37; Martial, viii. ep. 28, 17, xiv.
op. loO: J'lot arch in Vita Catonis; I Mm. viii. 4'>.
Serpents and scorpions. Various accounts are given of the
magical applications of these animals, and the power of sor-
cerers ovi-r them, to v\hi' li even Salomon referred, Hir John
Chardin relates, that at feu rat an Armenian, having scon some
of these creatures craw! and twine over the naked I todies of
children belonging to the charmers, daringly hazarded the
same experiment, but it soon proved fatal to him, for he was
bitten, and dn-d in the -q>:H-«- of two hours.
She amused herself in earing their ivounds. Clorin, in the
Faithful Shepherdess of Hotelier, po^o^ed the like skill:
Of all green wounds I know the remedies,
1b men or cattle; be they stung with snakes,
<>v i:harm'«i with powerful vw»ril> ff wiekcl urt,
* m * * *
These I euii cure.
Moullahs. Those amongst the Mahometans who were bred
to the law had this title; and from their order the judges of
cities and provinces were taken.
The mrrrd Caaba. That part of the Temple at Mecca which
is chiefly revered, and indeed gives a sanctity to the rest, is a
square stone building called the Caaba, probably from its quad-
rangular form; the f nvst't of thi; edithv from north to south
is twenty-four cubits, and its breadth from east to west twenty-
three: the door is on the east. side, and stands about four
cubits from the ground, tin- floor h<an<: h-yel with í ho threshold.
The Caaba bas a double roof, supported internally by three
octangular pillars of aloes-wood, between which on a bar of
iron hang.-- a row of siÌM-r lamps; the outside if; covered with
rich black damask, adormni with an embroidered band of gold;
this ban trim;, which is changed every \ car, was formerly seat
by the caliphs. Rale's Preliminary Discourse, p. 152.
P. 41. Bahahalouk almost sunk with confusion, whilst, Sfc.
The heinousness of Yathck's profanation can only be judged of
by an orthodox Mussulman, or one who recollects the ablution
and prayer indispensably required 011 the exoneration of nature.
138 MOTES.
Sale's Prelim. Disc. p. 139; Al Koran, ch. 4; Ilabescrs State
of the Ottoman Empire, p. 93.
The tapestry thai huntj before the door. This kind of cur-
tain, at first restricted to the serai 1 or palace, was afterwards
adopted by the great, and gradually became of general use*
The author of Leh Tank h relates that Lohoraahh, king of
Persia, haying granted to the great officers of his household
and army the privilege of giving audience on seats of gold, re-
served to himself the right of the straperdeh, or curtain, whieli
was hung before the throne to conceal him from the eyes of his
subjects, and thereby preserve their reverence for his person.
Í» later times, the daughter of a law professor, who occasionally
in her father's absence filled his chair, had recourse to the
same expedient, lest the charms of her face should distract her
pupils' attention. Abbé de Sade'a Memoirs de Pétrarque,
torn, i, p. 42.
The supposed oratory. The dishonouring such places as had
an appearance of being devoted to religious purposes, by con-
verting them to the most abject oslices of nature, was , an
Oriental method of expressing contempt, and bath continued
from remote antiquity. H armer s Observations, vol. ii. p.
493.
Regale these pious poor souls with my good nine from
Schiraz. The prohibition of wine in the Koran is so rigidly
observed by the conscientious, especially if they have performed
the pilgrimage to Mecca, that they deem it sinful to press
grapes for the purpose of making it. and even to use the money
arising from its sale. Chardin, Voy. de Perse, torn. ii. p, 212.
Schiraz was famous in the East for its wines of different sorts,
but particularly for its red, which was esteemed more highly
than even the white wine of Kismisehe.
P. 42. The Caliph, to enjoy so flattering a s'xjht, supped gaily
m the roof. Dr. Pocoek relates that he was entertained at Galilee
by the steward of the Sheik, with whom be supped on the top
of the house. From a similar motive to Vathek's, .Nebuchad-
nezzar is represented by Daniel as contemplating his capital
from the summit of his palace when he uttered that exulting
apostrophe i "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built?"
P» 43. The most stately tulips of the East. The tulip is

N'OTES, 139
a flowcr *•-!* lùastoi e. <:»•<>\vt h, a; m! ru-ro lici.i in ssroat <*>'ímation;
tbnsin in ode of Mof*ihi: 4k 'f ho rdfiso of the braver is filled
Wítll tl:r Mit r-,! _\Ì?MK.<I: aìiî'.Il^ tl»" pl-ififS íh' /V.rí:iM;tN-
ttilipH reprirent bis companinns."
P. 4-í. Jjnivchs in t/ic rcar. As tlie blaek eunuehs were
the inséparable attendants of the ladies, ihe rear \va^ eonse-
quonth t! ì « * i r po:-í; -o in the av^nro'-Mî fo tin j.oem of
Amriolkaís: "One dav when 1m r tribe ìiad struek their tents,
and were ehanpnir their station, tht* wonien as itsnal, eamo
behind fie1 rost, with the Pervants and ha^gage iu f-avriíifîos
fixod on the hacks os eamels."
Crrtain canes of' ìadies. There are man r pas^a^es os the
Moaìlakat in'wliicli thèse ragea aro íuìlv described; thtis, in
tho ])of m "1* Lebeid: ** How w > r< • î h v tende:- afïboií* *ìì- raìsod
wlion tlif dam sols of the triì>o dopartod, when thoy híd thom-
f.p!vo^ in rsUTÍapr'"'-' <>f eetton !ike ïiìtí'I<*i * < ih their k^r, and tin-
tenta as tìioy woro struek irave a pierein» sound! They wero
concealetì in vehíeles "whose s ides wore well covorod wîtli ;uvn-
ings and earpets, with fine-spun onrtains and pietured veils."
Airain /."hair: "Look my f >•»» nd! dost ihou w>t d née m a
company of maillons peated on camols, and advanoin# ovor the
liîgh uround above f lie -treams of Jortliam '/ Tlioy ìeave 011
their m I=í the moMntains and rockv plao\< of Keîi.sar.- Oh:
how înnny of my bit fer foe«, an/1 how manv of my í'rm allies
does Konaan eontain î Tlioy are mounfod in ean inucs covorod
with eostly awnin<rs and with roso-eoloured veils, tbc lînîng of
whiefi híi\tîìe hue of ennemi Andemw/ie.ì. They wnv ap~
pear by the valloy <<f ÍNibaan. «nd iìow thoy pass throu^h it;
the trappings of ail tlieir camols are new and large, W b on
thoy aseend from the bosom of the raie thoy sis forward on the
sadtJle-eloflw, with overy mark of a voîuptuons iraiefy." Moal-
lakat, by Sir W. Joììos, pp. 4 o, -U); see ako La d y M. W. Mon-
tagne. 1' f. xx vi.
Sirantjhi'j someìcïmi awry, Ainrinlkai-, in the fírst poem of
the Moallakat, bath related a ^insilar a d vent ure: 'Min tbat
happy i!;»y í entercd the carr-a^'*, the carnníre of (>rîaî:ía, who
saíd, * V* < o fo ihee ! thon wilt oompel me to travel on foot.*
Slie adde k wlnle îbc vrliiele bont ;i^Ìdo with ou r v.,"ighí,
* O Amriolkais deí?cend, 01* iny heast also wîll be kilîed 1* 1
140
MOTES,
answered, * Proceed, and loosen his rein, nor withhold from me
the fruits of thy love, which again and again may he tasted
with rapture. Many a fair one like thee, though not like thee
a virgin, have 1 visited by night.'"
Dislodged, Our language wants a verb equivalent to the
French dénicher, to convey in this instance the precise sense of
the author.
Those nocturnal insects which presage evil. It is observable
that in the 5th verse of the 91st Psalm, the terror by night
is rendered in the old English version the bugge by night.*
In the first settled parts of North America, every nocturnal fly
of a noxious quality is still generically named a bug, whence
the term bughenr signifies one that carries terror wherever he
goes. Beelzebub, or the Lord of flies, was an Eastern appel-
lative given to the Devil, and the nocturnal sound ealied by the
Arabians azif was believed to be the howling of demons.
Analogous to this, is a passage in Com us, as it stood in the
original copy:
But fbr that damn'd magician, let Mm be girt
With all the grisly legions that troop
Under the sooty flag of Acheron,
Harpies and Hydras, or all the monstrous huggs
'Twixr Africa and lade, I'll find him out,
P. 45. The locusts were heard from the thickets on the plain
of CatovL The insects here mentioned are of the same species

* Instances are not wanted, both ia the English and Greek versions,
where the translators have modified the sense of the original by their
own preconceived opinions. To this source may be ascribed the hugge of
our Bible, and (Sounonov i*s<rwjJo(ivov) the noon-day demon of the seventy,
unless the copies of the lutter he supposed to have read, uotTW bat
W. If the terror hy night be taken in connexion with the pestilence
that walketh in darkness, and both opposed to the arrow that flier h by
day and the destruction that wasteth at neon, it will seem to imply the
dread of real evil only, which may be explained in the language of the
poet by
Night, and all her sickly dews.
Hot if the rendering of our old version, adopting that of the Seventy, be
founded, it will also include the imaginary evils that follow:
Her spectres wau and hirds of boding cry.
MÛTES,
141
wítli tlic Terris of (lie G rocks, and the Cicada o f tìie Latins,
and are eallod lociisfs from tbeír having boen m denoiitinateíl
by the íírst Eti^ìisb BeftferH in Ain o rien.
I lait al an the hunks of the 'J'tari.s. If is a jirnef ieo in the
Easí, and espeeially when large parties jourix-y togotber, f<»
lìîìlt if possible in the vieinity of a stream ; tluiK Zohair: "They
rose at day-break; they proeeeded at earh dawtì; thev arc ad-
vaneîng towards f lie valìoy of lias direetly and surcîv as th<
liand to tìie mou th. J\row wheri they bave reaehed the brink of
y on bine ffìish'm^ rivulet, th<>y íix the pôles of their tents, liht
the Aral), in a settled mansion.*'
The tu-are ns ìùokcd cmgrij, òyc. Thîs tempes t may he doerned
somewhat the more violent from a supposition tliat Mahomet
interferod ; whîeh wíll appear the more probable» if tin-4 oimim-
stanee of ifs obliterating the road* he eonsidered. WîlJiarti of
Tyre hath recorded one of a mrmhr kìml that visites! Uahhvin
in Mb expédition agninst Daniíiseus; "fie» agaînst whose wiJl
ail projects are vain, suddenly oversproul the sic y with dark-
iiess, poured dowri midi torrents of ra in, and s o entîrely effieecî
the ronds, that nearce any h ope of epeaping reniaíned. Thèse
dìsasters w ère îndeed portended by a gloornincag in the air,
lowerîng clouds. írre«nlar-gusts of wind, increasine; f biinders,
and incessant li^htninns, but as the iïiìikI of man knows not
what rnay befd lìîra, thèse admonitions of Jfeavm were s%htí*íl
and opposerì.*'— (resta Ueî per Franc os^ p, 840,
lie determined to from ove r the craaqii hci<jlittsf áy\, to Jto<~
nabad. Oriental travellers bave sometimos recourse to thèse
expédients for the sake of abriiìgîng tlie toíls of theîr jonrneys;
hence Amgrad, in the Arabian \ií,dits, who liad himself been
about six weeks in travelling from the isle of Ehene, eould not
comprehend the possibilité of coniíng in léss tírne» nnìes.s hy
en chant ment, or erossing tlie mountains, whîeh from the difïi-
culty of the pass were but seldom traversed.
♦ Exelesive however of prêtera attira] interférence, it freqtientìy faap-
pens that a sndcìea blast will arise on the vast déserts of the East, and
sweep away in its eddies the tracks of the last passenger, vrho&e eamel
therefore in vain for the wanderer that follows,
** Lin qui t homi pedibos vestigía pressa bisulcis."
14*
NOTES.
F. 46. Tigers and vultures. The ravages of these animals in
the East are almost incredible.
Before them. Death with shrieks directs their way,
Fills the wild yell and leads them to their prey.
From the earliest days they have been the constant attendants
oo scenes of carnage, in the sacred writings, David threatens
"to give the hosts of the Philistines to the fowls of the air,
and the wild beasts of the earth." An tara boasts at the close
of a conflict of "having left the father of his foes, like a victim,
to be mangled by the lions of the wood, and the eagles*
advanced in years." And in the narrative of the prisoners
taken at Beodore, the author relates that many of them were
devoured by tigers and vultures.
I*. 47. Vathfk—frith two little pages, "All the pages of the
seraglio are sons of Christians made slaves in time of war in
their most tender age. The incursions of robbers in the con-
fines of Circassia afford the means of supplying the seraglio,
even in times of peace." Habesci's State of the Ottoman Em-
pire, p. 157. That the pages here mentioned were Circassians,
appears from the description of their complexion: more fair
than the enamel of Fran gu es tan.
Confectioners and cooks. What their precise number might
have been in Vathek's establishment it is not now easy to de-
termine, but in the household of the present grand Seignior
there are not fewer than a hundred and ninety. Habesci's
State, p. 145.
Torches were lighted, Sfc, Mr. Marsden relates, in his His-
tory of Sumatra, that tigers prove most fatal and destructive
enemies to the inhabitants, particularly in their journeys; and
adds that the numbers annually slain by those rapacious tyrants
of the woods is almost incredible; as these tremendous enemies

• Finely as Gray conceived the idea cf the eagle awe-strnck at the
corses of the htirds, there is a languor hi his expression thaï wants to
be removed. Milton, as his best editor judiciously remarks, applied (he
might hare said confined) the verb hui*r,y to preternatural motion or
imaginary beings: adopting it then fore in a kindred sense, might we
not (for passes) advantageously read
'* The famish'd eagle screams, and hurries by."
NOTES.
143
are alarmed at the appearance of tin>, it is usual for the native*
to carry a splendid kind of torch, chiefly to frighten them, and
also to make a blaze with wood in different parts round their
villages. P. 141).
P. 48. One of'the. forests which bordered their ttaij took fire.
Accidents of tliis kind in Persia are not, (infrequent. "it was
an ancient practice with the kin^s and great men to pet fire to
large bunches of dry combustibles, fastened round wild beasts
and birds, which being then let loose the air and earth appeared
one great illumination; and as those terrified creatures natu-
rally fled to the woods for shelter, it is easy to conceive that
conflagrations which would often happen must have been pecu-
liarly destructive." Richardson's Dissertation, p. 185. In the
83 rd Psalm, v. 14, there is a reference to one of those fires,
though arising from another cause; and Homer likewise has
taken a simile from thence:
Htm 7rvp Aifoi'kov SfrifKsyBi acwírov h\m
Qvfîoç ev M?v<pn;' éxaÔsv te re <panBTai avyn,
II. 13. 455,
Hath seen some part of our bodies and, what is worse, our
very faces. "1 was informed," writes Dr. Cooke, " that the Per-
sian women in general would sooner expose to public view any
part of their bodies than their faces." Voyages and Travels,
vol. íí. p. 443,
P. 50. Calebs baked hi silver ovens for his royal mouth.
Portable ovens were a part of the furniture of eastern travel-
lers; St. derom (on Lament, v. 10) hath particularly described
them. The Caliph's were of the same kind, only substituting
silver for brass. Dr. Pocoeke mentions his having been enter-
tained in an Arabian camp with cakes baked for him. In what
the peculiarity of the royal bread consisted it is not easy to de-
termine, but in one of the Arabian tales a woman, to gratify
her utmost desire, wishes to become the wife of the Sultan's
baker, assigning for the reason that she miVht have her Ml of
that bread which is called the Sultan's, Vol. iv. p. 269,
Vases of snow, and grapes from the hanks of the Tigris.
It was customary in Eastern climate?, and especially in the
144
NOTES.
sultry season, to carry when.journeying supplies of snow. These
mstivm nires (as Ma me rt in us styles them) being put into
separate vases, were by that means better kept from the air,
as no more was opened at once than might suffice for imme-
diate me; to preserve the whole from solution, the vessels that
contained it were secured in packages of straw. G esta Dei, p.
1098. Vathek's ancestor, the Caliph M ahadi, in the pilgrimage
to Mecca, which he undertook from ostentation rather than
devotion, loaded upon camels so prodigious a quantity as was
not only sufficient for himself and Ms attendants amidst the
burning sands of Arabia, but also to preserve in their natural
freshness the various fruits he took with him, and to ice all
their drink whilst he staid at Mecca, the greater part of whose
inhabitants bad never seen snow till then. Anecdotes Arabes,
p. 326,
Roasted wolf, Sfc, In the poem of Amriolkais a repast is
described, which in manner of preparation resembles the pre-
sent: "He soon brings us up to the foremost of the beasts,
and leaves the rest far behind, nor has the herd time to dis-
perse itself He runs from wild bulls to wild heifers, and
overpowers them in a single beat, without being bathed or even
moistened with sweat. Then the busy cook dresses the game,
roasting part, baking part on hot stones, and quickly boiling
the rest in a vessel of iron." Disgusting as this refection of
Vathek may be thought, Atlante boasts to Ruggiero of having
fed him from his infancy on a similar diet: ^
Pi midolle gîà d* oral e di leoni
Ti porsi io unnqne li primi alimertti!
and we read that lion's flesh was prescribed to Vathek, but on
a different occasion. Anecdot. Arab. p. 419. The vegetables
that made part of this entertainment were such as the Koran
hath ordained, to bo food for the damned.
Dropped their fans on ike ground* Attendants for the same
purpose are mentioned in the story of the king of the Black
Isles: "One day when she was at bath I found myself sleepy
after dinner, and lay down upon a sofa; two of her ladies who
were then in my chamber came and sat down, one at my head
and the other at my feet, with fans in their hands to moderate

NOTES.
the heat, and to hinder the Hies from disturbing my slumber."
The comfort of such an attendant in the hour of repose can be
known only in the climes of intolerable clay.
i\ 51. Horrible Kaf. This mountain, which in reality is
no other than Caucasus, was supposed to surround the earth
like a ring encompassing a linger; the nun was believed to rise
from one of its eminences (as over Oeta, by the Latin poets)
and to set on the opposite, whence from Kaf to Kaf signified
from one extremity of the earth to the other. The fabulous
historians of the east affirm that this mountain was founded
upon a stone called Saklirat, one grain of which, according" to
Lokman, would enable the possessor to work wonders; this
stone Ls further described as the pivot of the earth, and said to
be one vast emerald, from the refraction of whose beams the
heavens derive their azure. It m added, that whenever CJod
would excite an earthquake, he commands the stone to move
one of its libres (which supply in it the office of nerves) and,
that being moved, the part of the earth connected with it
quakes, is convulsed, and sometimes expands; such in the phi-
losophy of the Koran Î The Tarikh Tabari, written in Persian,
analogotis to the same tradition, relates that, were it not for
this emerald the earth would be liable to perpetual commo-
tions, and unfit for the abode of mankind. To arrive at the*
Kaf a vast region, far from the sun and summer gale, must be
traversed; over this dark and cheerless desert the way is inex-
tricable without the direction of supernatural guidance. Here
the dives or giants were confined after their defeat by the first
heroes of the human race, and here also the peries, or fairies,
are supposed in ordinary to reside, Sukrage the giant wan
kinii <»f Kaf, and had Jîueail, one of the children of Adam for
bis prime minister. The giant Argenk, likewise, from the
time that Tahamurah made war upon him, reigned here, and
reared a superb palace in the city of Ahcrman, with uallen'"*.
on whose walls were paint.-el the creatures that inhabited tin-
world prier to the formation of A<lam, Herbolot, p. 230, ite.
Tin- SiHivryh. This* is that wonderful bird of the east con-
cerning which so many marvels are told; it was not only en-
dowed with reason, hut possessed also the knowledge of every
laug-uaee; hence, it may be concluded to have been a dive in
L
NOTES,
a borrowed form. This creature relates of itself that it had
Keen the great revolution of seven thousand years twelve times
commence and close; and that in its duration, the world had
been seven times void of inhabitants, and as often replenished.
The Simurgh is represented as a great friend to the race of
Adam, and not less mimical to the dives. T;diarnurath and
Alterman were apprised by it* prediction* of nil that was des-
tined to befal them, and froin it they obtained the promise of
assistance in every undertaking'. Armed with the buckler of
Gîan Ben (íian, Tahamurath was borne by it through the air
over the dark desert to Kaf. From its bosom his helmet was
crested with plumes, which the most renowned warriors have
ever since worn. In ('very conflict the Sinitirglt was invulner-
able, and the heroes it favoured never failed of success; though
possessed of power sufficient to exterminate its foes, yet the ex-
ertion of that power was supposed to be forbidden. Sadi, a
serious author, gives it as an instance of the universality of
IVovidoneo, that the Sinwrgh, notwithstanding its immense
bulk, is at no loss for sustenance on the mountain of Kaf.
Inatulla hath described Goîiafrose, queen of the genii, as seated
on a golden chariot, drawn by ten Simurghs, whose wings ex-
tended wide as the earth-shading bir,* and whose talons re-
• Or Banian, to which the epithet of Inatulla most emphatically be-
longs, Milton hath Hcenrateh' described this extraordinary tree, though
by another name:
The fig-tree—not that kind for fruit renown M:
Beit, such us at this day to Indians known,
In Malabar or 'Pecan, spreads her arias
Branching' m> broad and long, that in the ground
The bended twigs take root, and daughters grow
About the mother tree; a pillar'd shade
High over-arch'd and echoing walks between.
Was it not from hence that Warbnrton framed his hypothesis on the
origin of Gothic architecture? At least, here were materials sufficient
for a fancy less forgetive than his, Mr. Tves. in his journey from Persia,
thus speaks of this vegetable wonder: "This is the Indian's sacred tree.
It grows to a prodigious height, and its branches spread a great way; the
limbs drop down fibres, which take root and become another tree, united
by its branches to the first, and so con tin ce to do, until the trees cover a
great extent of ground : the arches which those different stocks make are
gothie, like those we see in Westminster Abbey; the storks not being
single but appearing as if composed of many stocks, are of a great cir-


MOTES,
147
somWcxl the probowis of mighty dépliants; ìnit ît «loos not
appcar írorii any other w ri ter that tln-re vwr was ìnorc flian
011e, wliieli Íh froquontiy v.úlvd the marveliouH trryphon, nutï sai<ì
to ì»e like that iniauinary nionsfcr. slorhclof, p. 1017» H]f),
&c.; Tait's of Inafulla, vol. ii. pp. 71» 72, As tho »iï»fríe sliíeltl
of Atlante ref*embloH tho buekler of (iian JJen <íian, ho his lp-
po£>rif apparonílv enmv srom tho Simuruh, notwithstawliní; thr
référence of Arinato to the vondirnl arclihtshop:
Non ho veduío mai, nè letto aìtrovc,
F un r che in Turpiti, d'un sì fatto animale.
Palampores, &•<: Thèse closant pro'1 notions, wlik'lt aboun»!
in ail pnrts oí the Hast, woro ot* vcrv ivniote aiitîquîfy; not only
ctiiiiíVreiv-e. There is a eertaín soletnnify aernjnpajiynjy those trees, »ior
rto I remember that I wus tner imiter the eover of any o f them, btif theí
my m in d was ut the lira»» impre>s>-d with a rovereutial awe!" Page<t«>>.
From the
l'illar'd sliade high o\ cr-arch'd, uikî echonig walks betwven
as well as the
ïlighest woods, impénétrable to star or snii-light
jtist before menfîouerf, and the naine í/n en to the trro, ît is probable f li-.it
the poet's description wus priwipally i'ounded mi the nccomit of IJiip '.
whoia the rhnpter D» Figuier d'Jnde of his stiigular !><>ok (entitled,
*' Histoire admirable des p huit es et herbes esmprueilhtbles et ìntraeulens.'S
en iiíitiii'»'," et à l'aris, 1('>0.1), thus srt iP'S; Ha grosseur est quelquefois
telle, qnf trois hommes ne le seauroieuí embrasser; quelquefois vn '<«
detix de ces figuiers foui un bois avez grand, îoffu, et, ombraguex, d» i»s
lequel les rayons du soìeil 11e pentienf aueum-m» ut pénétrer, durant lv<
chaleurs d'esté et í<mí ces figuiers intimes tonnes et cabinets si enucíiiîes
et eotnierts de feuilles et de smiiosifez [aísles aiid recesses, >o arclied nvcr
with foliée and etribowed ramilj cation s) qu'il s'y forme des eehos 011
reuerberations de \oix et sous, jusques â trois fojs; et est telle la moindre
d'vu shuI ombre de ses arbres, qu'elie penf foiìteíiír soubs sny à connert
hiiiet cens ou mil per<f>unes, et la plus grande nmlu'e, trois mil hommes.'*
p. 124. Tins tree irii^ht well }>e «'îyled the earfh-sliadínts.*
Thou^rh the eariy nrehiteetare o f ou r ishitid be coîifes>edly of a donljt-
ful oriyio. it iievertheless deserves to hv uoted tliat tìte resejrihbdìee h^-
tween the eohunns of the rnîtied (dr.ineel at íb'ford and those of Tsoik
Kesserah oa the b.'inks of the Tipris is much ton strict to be morel\
ea^ual; ít m ay be added that f be arrhes of this edilìre, :iw\ iheir orna-
mentSj are of the style we eaîl the early Kornifin.
* "The following is sb aecoimt r,f the dimensions of a reinarkablf
Banyaii tree near Manjee, tweuty miles west of Pat n a in liengal.
Diaineter 'M'A to ^Tô feet; eireurnlerenfe of its shad> w at noon,
feet; circninferenee of the se ver al stems (in ïiumber 50 or 60) 921 feet."
Marsden's History of Sumatra, p. 131.
NOTES.
are c-irìovaç guavÔetç, fìnely stowered lînens, noticed by Strabo,
but Herodotus relates tliat tlie nations of Caucasus adorned
tlieir garments with figures of varions créatures by means of
tlie sap of certain vegetables, wliicli, wben macerated and dtiuted
with water, communicato col ours tbat cannot be wasbed o ut,
and are no lésa permanent than tlie texture itself. Strabo, 1.
x?. p. 709; Iferodot. 1. î. p. 96. Tlie Àrahian Taies repeatedly
describe thèse " íine linens of india, paiuted in tlie most lively
col ours, and repreaenting beasts, trees, flowers, &c." Arab.
Nights, vol. iv. p. 217, &(*.
A/hts. Thèse were a kind of Médusa, or Lamia, supposée!
to be tlie most terrible and cruel of ail the orders of tlie clives,
líerbeiot, p. 66.
Taòlets fraisyht with preternaturaì qvaìities. Mr. Richard-
son observes, "tbat in tlie east meo of rank in gênerai carried
with them pocket astronomical tables» which tliej consul terî on
every affair of moment." Thèse tablets however were of tlie
magical kind, and sucli as often occur in works of romance.
Thus in Boiardo, Orlando receivos from tbe fkther of tbe
youtli be bad rescued a book tbat would soîve ail doubts; and
in Ariosto, LogÎKtilk bestows upon Astolpho a similar directory.
Tlie book s wliîch Carat bis turned ove r with Morakanabad were
imaginée! to bave possessed tbe lîke virtues.
Dwarfs. Sueb unfortunate beings as are thus "curtailed of
faîr proportion," bave been for âges an appendage of caste r n
grandeur, One part of tbeir office consists in tlie instruction
of tbe pages, but tbeir principal dutv is tbe amusement of tbeir
m as ter. Isa dwarf happen to be a mote he is m u eh esteemed,
but îf lie be also a eunueh he is regarded as a prodigy, and no
pains or expense is spared to obtain him. llabesei's State of
tbe Ottoman Empire, p, 164, &c.
P, 52. A cahin of rushes and canes, Huts of thïs sort are
mentioned by Ludeke, in bis Expositio brevig Loc. Script, p.
51, Tugnriola sen palis, fruticibus virîdsbos, vel j un ci s circuin-
datîs vi tf'Ctîs, amborpie qtiiilem faciîiímè eonstruuntur.
A smaïl sprìng supplies us with Abdest, and ive dail// repeat
prayers, êfc. Amongst tbe indispensable rules of tbe Maho-
métan faîth, ablution is one of tbe chief; this rite is divided
into three kinds; tbe fìrst, performed before prayers, ís cailed


MOTES.
149
abdost; ít bovins wîtli washiiig* both banda, and rc^peíìtî 11lí
thèse wonî-: "IVai-vd be Ália, wlto cre-'tîed cloan watcr, and
cave, it the virtuo te pn ri fy; lui alao ì * ; * f ì t ronder«'d our íaith
conspicuous." This dono, water m takon in the right hand
thrice, and tlie month boing washod ílie worshípper subjoina;
"I pray thee, O Lord, to let me ta s te of that uuior wim h
tbou hast Lfîven to thy lVeplut Mahomet in ]\a radiée, nmre
íragrant than musk, wbiter than m i I k, «weeter than honoy,
and whieh ban the power to «;u<neh b>r <-\>.-r f lu- fìnrst os hm>
that drinks it." Thia pétition i» aceornpanied wiíb aniíhng a
ÌUíIo water info the nose; tho Oieo is then fhree limea wasln-d,
and bebínd tbe cars; aster whieh water ís taken wîtb botb
banda, betrinning wífls tho rîy:hf, and thrmyn h* fin- olb«>i\;
tbe washing of tbe crovvn next follows, ancì tbe apcrturcs oi*
the car witb tbe thumba; aitorward f he n oc k u if h ail the
íbïíì'ers; and fînaìly the f»»et; in thia Ia«t opération if i« lu id
sidìîeient to wet tho mandai <>nly. A t eaeh cérémonial n
suitable pétition is otfered, and the wholo conclude» witb tbís:
44 íïokl me np h'rndv, O Lord î and buffer not mv font to s!íj».
that I may not fall front tbe bridge info bell." Nothing tan
be niore oxeniplary fhan tbe attention v> it h whieh tlnse rites
are pcrfbrmed; if an involuntary congh or aneez*1 inrerrnpr
tbe m, tbe w b oie seniee ia bogun anew, and that m aïtcn as it
happena. Habesei, p, 91, &c.
Headitìtj the holtf Koran-, The Mahométans bave a. book of
stops or pauses in rondin g tbe- Koran, wbicb divides it into
soventeen sections, and allows oí'jio more, Jlerbelot, p. 91 ô.
The belìs of a enfila, A cafila, or caravan, accord in g to
Pitts, is divi.ied inf o distinct companics. :ì{ tbe 1m ad of whieh
an officor. or person of distinction, ia oarried in a kind of
borse lisser, and íolìowed by a >u?npter eaniol lornb;<) with h\<
treaaure; this camel batb a bell íastened to eitber aide, the
aound of whieb may be heard at a considérable distance; otber«
bave bells on tbeir necks and their leps, to solace tliem wb(-n
dronpinu- witb lnat and fatiírn". Inatnlla. also, in lus tale^
batb a aimilar référence: "tbe bella of tbe cafila may be rung
in tbe tbirsty désert," Vol. ii. p. 15.
JJeygial. Tbia word signifier properìv a liar and imposte r.
but is applied by Mahonietan w rit ers to their antichrist. île
i5o NOTES.
I
m described as havíog but ono eye and eyebrow, aitl on bis
forehead tiie radieals os caser (or iníidel) are saíd to bc îni-
pressetì. Accord ing to tbe traditions os tbe íaithíul, bis first
appearance Avili bc hetween Irak au d 8 y ria, monnted on an
nm; gevenfcy thon sa n d Jews from Ispalian are expected to
fbllow him; bis confumance on earth is to be fort y days;
ail places arc to be clostroyed by him and his cmissarics, exeept
Meeea or Mrdina, wliîcb will be protceted by angels íroni tfae
gênerai overthrow; at last, however, lie will be niai» by Je.suh,
wìto is to oneounter him at tlie gâte of laid. Herbelot, p. 282;
Sale's Freliir», Disc, p, 100.
Ditiated by ihe blesscd Intelligence, Thafc ís, tbe ange!
(iabriel. Tlie Mahométans de n y tbat tlie Koran was com-
posed by tbeir prophet; ît being tbeíi* gênerai and ortbodox
belicf tbat ît is of divine orîgîoal, nay even eternal and un-
ereated, remaining in tlie very essence o f (íod; tbat tbe first
traiitícript lias been íroni everlasting- by bis tbrone, written on
a table of* immense si ze called tbe preserved table, on wbicb
are aîso reeorded tlie divine cìeereeet, past and future; tbat a
copy was by tbe ministry of tbe angel Gabriel sent clown to tbe
lowest beaven, in tbe month of Ramadan, 011 tbe nipht or
power; irom wlienee («abriel revealed ít to M ab o m et by parccls,
some nt Meeea, and sonie at Médina. Al Koran, eh. îí. &c;
Sale'8 Prelíro. Dise. p. 85,
P. 53. ílath eullcd with his own hands thèse mtthms, Ssc.
Tbe great men of tlie East bave ever been, w bat Iíerodotus
Kbrewdiy styled them, û#pof«yoi» or gift-eaters; for no visitor
ean approach tbem with empty hands, In sucb a climate and
situation, w bat présent could be more acceptable to Vatbek
tb an tìiîs refresliing' collation?
To kiss tfie frìmje of thy comeemted robe. Tbis observance
was an act of tbe mont proibund révérence. Arabian Kights,
vol iv. p. 236, &c:
Fah'eddms spring résidence, It bas long been customary
fer tue Arabs to chango their habitations with tbe soasons.
Tiras An tara; "Tbou hast possessed tbysclf of my beart; thou
hast fìxed thy abode, and art sotîlod tbere, as a boloved and
eherisbed inhabiíaní. Yet bow ean 1 visit m y íhir one whilst
ber famiìy-have tbeir vernal mansion in Oneizaíain, and mine

NOTES,
!5I
are statîoned in Ghaîlem ?*' Xenophon relate?, in his Ana-
basîs, tljaf it wns eustomary íbr the kings of Persîa, BïpiÇeiv k*i
epi^giv, to pass tlio .smniner and sprinjcr in Susa and Erbafana;
ami FI ii tare h observes furtlier that their winters were Fpent in
Bain Ion, their smmm'rs in Media (that m Kebatana), and the
pleasantest part of Hprmg í» Susa: Kami rBcrys Tltp<roov 0aenKmç
SfxaKapi^ov hv Oa^t/X«vs t;v %íiiac»vx htycvraç' ív $i Mnha to ôspcç'
sv h ïyroiç, ra hhçof ra Expoç, De Exil, p. 004» This Ta
'nherroy of the venin 1 scason is exquisitoly <i< sc*rìî)f(î l»y Solo-
mon: *' Lo the wîníer is pant, the rein is ove r; ít is gone.
The flowers appciir on the earth, the yeason of singiníí w corne,
and the voice of the turtlc* is henni in ou r land. The fìg-tree
putteth forth hergreeii tiys, and the vines witli tho tender guipe
giveagood smeìl. Arise, my love, in y fairone, and corne avvay/'
An emerald ,s'ei in ira//. Àh nothing a fr the opening of
spring can exeeed the luxuriant végétation of thèse irriguons
valleyw, so no terni eould he choson more expressive of their
verdure. The prophet Ezekîeì, oinhlemati/.ing Tyre under the
symbol of paradise, hath deseribed bj the diffèrent pfeniH of
the east the ílowers tint variera te it« surtare, and pars îeularly
by the eineraîd its greeo: "Thou hast heen in Eden, the
gardon of ííod: ^roco m p» piVbD thy carpet was an as-
semblage of every preeions stone, the rubv, topaz, and the
diamond. the Hu y-ohl*', 1 !m- onyx, and í h« * i » s j h r. 11 k «ipphin ,
the eiieraìd." * ('h. xx*iiî. 1 ft haíh not perhaps Ìh < n
hitherto ohserved, that the paradise of Arioflto was eopied from
hence:
Zafflr, ruhini, oro, topaxj, e pt-rîe,
E diamantt, e chrysolìfi, e giacinti
Potrianoi jìovi assitnìgliar, <*lie j>er le
Lìete piagge v'uvcu l'aimi dipiuîi.
Hi verdí l'ei'he, vhe poteudo Hvcrle
Qua giù, ue fora u glî mu-ra !di vinti.
Cunto xxxiv. st. 49.
• The saine k in d of imagery uhouuds in the Oriental poeís, Thos
Abu N a was: "lit'hohl the gardons of the earth, and coasider the
embleins oi" those thíii^s -which Divine power hath formed; eyes of silver
(daísies) everywhere discîosed, witb papils like mol te u goïà, unitt-d to an
emerald "talk; thèse avoueh that no oric cqinil to God." Ho líkewise
Sadi; 14 He hath plantcd nibies and wneraids oa the hard rot-k ; the
rahy rose ou its fanerai d stem." And Ebn lin mi, of the violet: "It is
not a ílower, but au emerald bearictg a purple géra.'1
152
ÂrOTFS.
When Gray in his description of Grasmere, spoke of its
"meadows green as an emerald," lie might have added also the
circumstance noted by our author—beset with mountains of
the hue of lead, Shakespeare, in a similar comparison, hath
denominated our green England,
This precious stone set in the silver sea.
Sugar, Dr. Pococke mentions the su ça r-cane as a great des-
sert in Egypt; and adds tliat, besides coarse loaf sugar and
sugar candy, it yields a third sort remarkably fine, which is
sent to the Grand Seignior, and prepared only for himself.
Travels, vol. i. pp. 183, 204.—The jeweller's son, in the story
of the Third Calender, desires the prince to fetch some melon
and sugar, that he might refresh himself with them. Arab.
.Nights, vol. i, p. 159,
lied Characters. The laws of Draco are recorded by Plu-
tarch, in his life of Solon, to have been written in blood. If
more were meant by this expression than that those laws were
of a sanguinary nature, they will furnish the earliest instance of
the use of red characters, which were afterwards considered as
appropriate to supreme authority, and employed to denounce
some requisition or threatening* designed to strike terror. Ac-
cording to Suidas, this manner of writing was likewise practised
in magic rites; hence their application in the instance here
mentioned, Trotz in Herro, Hugonem, pp. 106, 307; Suidas
SUb VOC. ©STcrctXtj ywrs.
Thy body shall be spit upon. There was no mark of con-
tempt amongst the Easterns so ignominious as this. Arab,
ISsights, vol. i. p. 115; vol. iv. p. 275. It was the same in the
days of Job, Herodotus relates of the Med es Titruuv amov
AtcrXrm ÉÇ*í* and Xenophon relates Aiomx?m fn Tísçxraiç to Airoirrvsiv.
Hence the reason is evident for spitting on our Saviour,
Bats shall engender in thy belly. Bats in these countries
were very abundant, and both from their numbers and nature
held in abhorrence. See what is related of them by Thevenot,
part i. pp. 132, 133. Egmont and Hayman, vol. ii. p. 87, and
other travellers in the east.
P. 54» The Bismillah. This Word (which is prefixed to every
chapter of the Koran except the ninth) signifies In the name


NOTES.
153
os she mo?t merciful Cod. It immune- not tin- î n it iatorv for-
mula of prayer till tiie time of Mooz the Fatimiie. llerbelot,
j). <»26. Ahìiitìrm is of ;ni <>rigin hmir prior to Mahomet; if is
mentioned in Hom'T, and alluded to by tho Psalmist: I will
wash my hands in innoei-nev, and so will 1 compas-; thine altar,
O Lord." Again: "\ < i*i 1 v have Í < bruised rny heart in vain,
and washed my hands in innoeeney."
I'. 65. . I rasf wood <>sp<ilm-1r< < s. Perhaps the palm is no
where more ahundant titan in this region, that only excepted to
which Viruil refrs, in a passage a* yet not explained:
Primus idum&as referam tibi, Mantua, palmas.
If the ingenuousness and delicacy of a Right Reverend Critic
! who is sn?d so have owed his present dignity to a note on the
eon text) had not been long known,* an ordinary reader might
he startled at the resemblance between his Lordship's criti(|ue
and Catron's, whilst a fastidious one in a splenetic mood might
apply, like another Edwards, the Marks of Imitation as so
many canons to annoy their founder, 'she hypothesis how-
ever of -Hartley, Priestley, and those other physiologists, who
have so clearly deduced the phenomena of mind from organiza-
tion, and traced hack she coineidomes of thouuht to predis-
posing motives and similar associations, will enable us on the
idea of a!) internal conformity between the crith-s, to account
for their congruity of writing, without leaving room to surmise
that the one ever heard of the othor, .Not a breath then of
Achan and his wedge of gold! Catrou, supposing that Virgil
meditated the improvement of his writings after an excursion to
Greece and Asia, translates ego in patriam rediens, by à mon
retour en Italie; but the restricted sonse in which the poet de-
lights to apply pa tri a (as in Ids first Kelogue:
Nos patriae fines, et du lei a Hiiquiinas arva,
IWs patriuin hi trim us—)
as well as the mention of Mantua and the Minci us, precludes
this more extended construction; if therefore ego in patriam
* See the tract intituled " On the Delicacy of Friendship, a seventh
dissertation, addressed to the author of the sixth."
154
MOTES.
rediens be liferally taken, it wîll ratìicr mark tìie design of
Vîrgil to retire fVom Rome to tbe seqiiestered scènes of liis
native Man tua. wliere lie was first smitten with the love of
sonpf, and whither l»e pu r poses to brïtig* tlie sisterhood of tlie
Muses; but tlie clause least wnderstoûd i« that wliieli immédi-
at ely foi Km s;
P riions Idumreas referam tibí, Mamtiia» palmas,
(,'atrou liatl» inferred from it that Virgíl aetoalìy projected a
voyage to tlie Levant; to fetch palnis no doii!>t! Tlie bîshop,
îiowever, aster remark ing that tlie poet havîng lield himself
fbrth as a conqueror, ancl doelared tlie object of bis conquest to
bave been brîngíng tbe Muses captive from Greeee, subjoins,
"tbe palmy triomphal enfry, wliieb was u suai to vietors on tbeir
returu from forci gn sueeesses, follows:
Primus Idumcpas referam tibí, Mantua, palmas,"
But wítî\ the déférence due to so vénérable a cri tic, wïll this ex-
plication stiffîee? for m ay it not be asked, If to eelebrate a
trimiiph for foreígn sueeesses palma from Mtimae» were requi-
site? If vietors were aeeustomed to go tliitlier for tbem p rê-
vions to tbeir triumphal entry? Or (allowing Idumœas to be,
sine ruente sonum, a word wîtliotifc meaning*) bow eould it
liappen tbat the palmy triumphal mírv nhouM hâve bue» \mmì
to vietors, and y et Virgil tbe first w h ose success was to be
graeed with it?
Primas Iduœaeas referam—palmas.
It îs observable that tbís book of the GoorgiVs opens wîtb pro-
posing its subject, the novelty of whieh induees tbe author to
remark f bat, as tbe usuaì thèmes of th»' Roman port* were ail
beeome tríte, it would be liis aîni to seek famé from foreîgn ac-

• Tfatts also Martyn, bec an se Idumîea was famons for palms» interpréts
Idumaea» palmas, "palms in gênerai ;" and Ile/ne: •' idumícas autem
palmas poetíco plane epttheto appeliabat, a nobili aliquo génère;" yet he
iminediately adds: "Idumen poetœ pro Iduraœa »c toi» Judœa dieunt,
qnam quidem palmis fréquentera fuisse not u m est arbosto palmarum
dives Idame. Lacan, iii, 216."
K OTE S. 155
(juisitiorw, and liîs purpose to agrandi ze tlie gloryos liis coun-
try In* Httbjeetiug to îts laog-iiagt? tlie poetu-al heautîoH ot' ûreeee
and Jrtdea.
ïf ít be admitfod thaï, under the allegory oí' leadinir the
Muse* (wlio were peeuìiar t<» (íreeee) froni tlie sununit of tlie
Aonian moimt, tlie poet. intonded lo eharaeterize tlie loftie^t
flíg'hts of (jreeian poetry. or tlie épie,* it fol Ion s from pari f y of
reason that, iiiìder tlie ^vmhol of thoir cotmtry,f he eqw.ùìx de-
Hî^ncd the prophétie strains of tlie 1 íebrows:
Primas fyo in {«uti'iatri mcciira, modo vifîi superait»
Aoiiio ìvdiens dcthu-ani \t'VÚcv Musas:
Friinîis Iduni«Tíi,s refera m tibi, Man tu a, palmas.
Tlie verì» rtj* non in connection wîfh tihi Ma n tu a, împlies that
Virgil Jiad aìready hrou^ht. Idiome m palms toliî.s nasal soiî, and
what tlie.se nieant is abnndantly plain; for w 110ever wili com-
pare the íth lOcíoauf wîffs tho pr"pj|< ey of ísaiah, nuet por-
ceive too clo.se an ajjreement to suppose that the naine images,
utìder similar eombinatiotis, and botlt îiew to a Roman poet,
shoold have oeemred to Vir^il radier í'rom chance than a pré-
viens perusal of tlie prophetJ in Grée k. it oidy rcmains then
to lie inquired whether Virgil, aí't-r lutvîrig- îutroduced in bis
Pastorals sorne of the prophétie traits ef llehrew poetry, any
* It was in this light that the /Kneis was regarded n y Propertîiis, w h o
exdaims iu référence to ít(B. íí. El. xxxiv. \. t5.3)
í'edsît- triai í,
N (-<•}<■> quid majus ua-cítur Iliade!
Tho author of un -déduit íuid mu^iorly pa/nphhd. enHtled, "CriíH'.íî
í »lis,-rvations o s ':m- Sîxth B<-*-U oí' rhf Kneid" r pahìM.í'd hy K!;a-!y,
1770) supposes Propertíus iu the eontext to have had his eye 011 the
shield oíVKueas; but from romparing the pasha^e iteeiíwith the Bíxth
i-'.l. -J,y nsth.- F'»»»-» h Ì5'..ik, it »ep< ■>■■>< mon- íikHy ihat h.; ylluded î*> the
baifîe of Aetium, u> d-'-rribed in Eu, viii. 704,
1 It was by ttsi - í--nì)iem that th»- Uoinniis 011 xhftv f-oins represe iit^d
Juda'u; and purtìcularly oa the :uedal, to bigualize iu réduction;
4* ]ì<-;iruth her pu1 ïji hert» ^ad Judea <.Yf'í.-ps."
I Tacîtiïs mentions the Aneient St rijitures of the Jewish Prîests, as
coiitiiíjiiag the prédiction whíeh Virail 'm hère supposed to have adopted,
Ilíst. 1. v. 9 13.
MOTES,
further availed himself of it in the Epic here projected? For
a satisfactory answer to this question it might suffice to reply,
that if there he any characteristic which discriminates the
iBneid more than another, it is the prophetic:
In medio roihi Caesar erit, tempi unique tenebit.
As in the Pollio, the images employed by the prophet to pre-
figure the birth of the Messiah and the blessings of his reign,
were applied by the Roman poet to the birth of the expected
eon of Augustus * and the return of the golden age under his
auspices; so in the JEneid, he resumes the prediction, and ap-
plies it to Augustus himself:
Hic vir, hic est, tibi qnem promitti swpius audis,
Augustus Caesar, Divi genun; aurea condet
Sieriila qui rursus Latio, regnata per urva
Satnrno quondam; super et G animant as et Indos
Pro t ere t Imperinm. Jacet extra sidera tell us,
Extra anai solisque rias» &c.
Mn. VI. 192.
Inscription. Inscriptions of this sort are still retained; thus
Ludeke, "In ter ni non solum Divani pluriumque conclavium pa-
rietes, sed etiam frontispicia super portas insert ptiones habent."
—Expositio, p. 04. In the history of Amine we find an in-
scription over a gate in letters of gold, analogous to this of
Fakreddin: "Here is the abode of everlasting pleasures and
content/' Arab, Fights, vol. i. p. 193.
A magnificent taktreuan. This kind of moving throne,
though more common at present than in the days of Vathek,
is still confined to persons of the highest rank.
P. SB, Her light brown hair floated in the hazy breeze of the
twilight. Literally hyacin thine; the metaphor taken from
this flower expressed by the word sunbul, is familiar to the
Arabians. Thus in Sir William Jones's Soli ma, an eclogue
made up of eastern images:
The fragrant hyacinths of Azza's hair,
That wanton with the laughing s a m mer air-

s' By Scribonia, then pregnant of the infamous Julia. See Bishop
Chandler's Vindication, and Mas son's Dissertation subjoined.
NOTES.
157
Sor was ít léss comtnon to tîie G rocks; perhaps Hilton in tlie
í'oliowing lincp,
Flyaeinthin locks
Round from liis parfe<l forelork inauly hiintç
Cliistering, but not beueatli his shonlders broad—
adoptai ít from Liifiíiiì. The terni manlv, wîtli the restriction
at thc close, given fui! scope for this conjecture, as in Lueian
the descriptions relate only lo women. Tlie poet; ma y be
furtlier traeed u pou the show of tlie elassics in tlie use of tlie
te r m clustcring, an équivalant expression hv'mg appropriated b?
tlie aneients to that disposition of the curls wliieli resemblcH the
growtìi of exapes, and niav be obsorvod on geins, coins, and
statues, Flutarch, Con sol. A poil. p. 196. It m sinaular that
hoth Jexieographern and critics sliould bave considered Borpm-
^airnç and Bor^voma-ptoç as synonymous; tìiis confusion however
appears to bave arisen from hoth being* attributes of Baccbus,
w h ose bai r was not only adorned witli cluslers froni the vine,
but Mke the locks of Ápollo (vrXoxfjtot ^orpoeyreç. Apollon.
Apyov. 1). 677) was itself clustcring.* ÍSir William Jones aeutoly
conjectures that Solonion alluded to the hair in that eiliptieal
speech of the Shulamitc, Hong î, 14,
^ nrr ibdh bwx
A eluster of grapes, àcc.
The líke epithet, though adopfcecl from a diffèrent fruit, occurs
in tlie poom of Amriolkais: ** Jler long coal-black hair deco-
ratecl lier back, thiek and diffnsed, like bunehes of dates elus-
ter in y on tlie palm-tree." The diffusion of hair h ère noticed,
and ít» floatirjtf as described by ou r author, are circum stances
so fréquent in the works of Ha fez and Jami, that there ía
scarce a page of thera in wliich the idea of the breeze playing
* Winckelmann hath strangely fixed upon the reverse of this eharacter
as an exclusive property of thèse divinities; and so infaîìible a criterion
d.---'- lie maki- u, ii> t-\(-tì from H alom- ta iisr.-rtum fheir niutilated
statues. Hist. de Y Ait â* Antiq. loin, ií. p, M6. However, in another
part of his work iie refers to Plutarch as eited above.
i58
MOTES,
with tlie tresses of a beautiful girl isnot agreeaMy and variously
exprès»'d.* An instance from jPetraivb resemhlîng their
rnanner may b o seen m the lines tliat sollnw:
Anra, clie quelle cliiorne hionde e cre$pe
Circondi, e nioví» e se' mossa da loro
Foa.vr;:ì»'n!c, e spartn .pu-l dolce mi o,
E poi'i ruccogli, e'n bet nodi'l rinerespe.
Xnn. cxci.
P, 58, Yottr iuortj lìrnhs. Tlie Arabians compare tlie skin
osa hs-aníiiul woman t<* the i-sru' et' the o<!reh Tvhen preserved
unsullied ; f tlius Amriolkais: *' Délicate was her shape, f ai r
her skin, and lier body well prnjr>rtioned; her bo^-in was as
pinooth as a mirror, or ìike tlie pure og-g of an ostiicli, of a
yelìowÍRÌi tint blemled witli white/' Aîxo tlie Koran; "Xear
tlicm slmll lio tlie vir^ins ofParadHo, rofraiiiing their looks from
belioldhìír anv ìie^ide?» tlieir «pinces, havhu; large b'aek eves,
and re-i*iììhìin<r the í'L'íT* of nn "«trich cov«Ted with h :it her-<
from dwst.M Moallakat, p. 8; Al Kor-n, ch. 27. But thouuh.
tlie Arabian opithet h«> faken í'rom tbei!< <\ y<>t tlie word ívory
is substituted, as more analownis to European idoas. and not
foreiuti SVotti the oasrern; t hu* Amru: ** And 1 w o sweet
breasts, smooth and wliîte as vessels of ivory, înodestîy de~
í.'ndí'd from the hnntì of tho^e who présume to roMch fhem."
Moallakat, p. 77.
Ba^hs of rose-vnh r. The n se of porfumed water< for the
pnrposo of hathinu is of nn early or:-in in the east, where
* Préface to Jones's Poerns, p. xii.
î A fuir skin is likened by the Italian Poets to eurd: thus Braecio-
Imi;
I stioi teneri meinbri un latte sien >
Ch»; tremolante, ma non roiío aneora,
Pose aecorto Pastorso í verdi giunchi.
Amoroso Sú'Qìio, ïn.-J..
Likewise Tasso;
eglî ri vol se
I cupidi ofí'bi in quelle membra belle,
Cbe, como .«unie tiviuoìnre. ìl latte
Ne giunehi, si purean morbide, e bianche;
Amînta, tii. 1.

XOTKS. 159
evcry odori forons plant sbeds a Heher f ra errance thmi m known
to ou r more b uni id eliniates. The n>so which yioldn this
lotion is, accord ing f o líasselquist, of «1 heautiíul paie blush
colour, double, large as a man's fist. and moiv oxquisife in
seeiìt than an y cithc >r spoeios. The quantifies oí' this wator
distillod aimualìv a f Fajliutu, and carriod to distant oountrios,
is immense. The mode oí" eom ovine: if is in voshoIh os copper,
eoafcd wîtk w;ix» V,.ya^. p. 218. Ben «loiisoo mnkes Yolpone
sa y to Ceba:
Tlìcir },;-Jb sluili l«e thc jii.v. .' «f gilliílowerf»,
Spirit oi" roses and os violets.
Amvw ìiau vif h taies. Thus in tlie sfory os Alraoui: "Tli«.«re
was an en.ir oí' ( irand Cairo, ubose company w a.s 110 léss coveted
for Isis génies than bis ra n k: beinif one d ay in «a molanehoîy
iiìood, lie tiiniod towards a courtier and sa id: 'Alraoui, my
hoart is rìejec-lod and í kuow nef the cause; relate to me somo
pîeasant slory to dispel my chagrin." Alraoui n plied: 'the
great bave wîtlì reason regard od taie? as the besf antidote to
eare; if y ou wili ail o w me, 1 w 111 t"U yon m y owu."" Trans-
later! from one of the uiipubîixhod M 88. nienfîoned in the
préface. "The Arabian XigiiH," saith Colonel f'appor in bis
observations 011 the passade to India, throngh Kgypt, and
aeross f lie firent Déport, "are by many people supposed to be
a spiirìoiiH prodiietîoii, and are tliereíbre sliejiíed 111 a mariner
they do not deserve; they are writfoo by an Arabian, and are»
univcrsaliv read and admired throu^le et Asia by porsons os ail
ra n k s, botli obi and yonng; considered tberesore as an original
work, descriptive as they are of the manners and enstonis of
the east in gênerai, awî also of the gonius and eharacter of tbe
Arabians in parfieular, they snreîy must be thougbt to merit
the attention of the* curions; nor are they ín iny opinion en-
tire 1 y dcstitute of merit in otber respects; for altboiìgb the ex-
travagance of sonie of the s<ori<\s is canif-d too far, y et on tlie
wliole one cannot lielp admiring tbe fan cy and invention of tbe
autbor in striking ont sucb a variety of pleasing incidents,
pleasing ï cal! tbem bécasse they bave l'n qoeníly aíforded me
much amusement; nor do ì envv any man bis leelìrsgs who is
above being pleased wîth theni; but beíbre an y person décidés
i6o
kotj: S.
on the merit of these books lie should be eye-witness of the
effects they produce on those who best understand them, 1
have more than once Been the Arabians on. the desert sitting
round a fire, listening to these stories with such attention and
pleasure, as totally to forget the fatigue and hardship with
which an instant before they were totally overcome; io short,
they are held in the same estimation all over Asia, as the ad-
ventures of Don Quixote are in Spain," If the observation of
the Knight of La JMnucha, respecting translation in general be
just—-"me pareee, que el tradueit* de una lengna en otra, es
como qui en mira los tapices flamencos per el rêves, que au n que
se veil las figuras, son llenas de hi los que las escureeen, y no se
ven con la lisura y tez de la haz —-the wrong side of tapestry
will represent more truly the figures on the right, notwith-
standing the floss that blurs them, than any version, the pre-
cision and smoothness of the Arabian surface. The prospect of
a rich country in all the fr!ori<'S of.«ummer i.s not more dish-rent
from its November appearance, than the original of those tales,
when opposed to the French translation; of which it may be
added, our version is at best but a moonlight view:
pallida la luna
Tingea d'un lu me seolorito e incerto
La vast a solitudhie terrena.
Lamb à la crime, So dish amongst the Easterns was more
generally admired; the Caliph Abdolmolck, at a splendid en-
tertainment to which whoever came was welcome, asked Amrou
the son of Hareth what kind of meat he preferred to all others;
the old roan answered: "An ass's neck, well seasoned and
roasted/* But what say you," replied the Caliph, "to the leg
or shoulder of a lamb à la crimes" and added:
"How sweetly we live if ft shadow would last?"
M.S. Laud. Numb. 161. A, Ockley's Hist* of the Saracens,
vol. ii. p. 277.
Made the dwarfs dance against their trill. Alt Chelebi al
Mouítî, in a treatise on the subject, hold that dancing after the
example of the Derviches, who made it a part of their devotion,
was allowable. But in this opinion he was deemed to be

MOTES,
161
lieforodox; for Mahométans in général plnro slancing amongst
the thitig-R tbat are i'orbidden. llerbflot, p. 98,
Dur.s't ìiot reftts-v the Commander of the F ai f h fui. The man-
dates of" Oriental potentatoh !i;iui ever been aeeounted irré-
sistible; îienee the submission of thèse devotees fo the will of
flie Calipli. Ivsther î. 19; J)anioI vi. 8; Ludeke Expos,
brevis, p, 60.
lie spread h im self on íhe sofa. The idiom of the original
oeeurs iii Euripidrs, n ml ís froin Iiím adoptod by Hilton:
fxaXav B7TI WB^ût)
XVfxsvor' m rahaç.
Heraclidee, v. 75.
?pí* how ho lies «if rundom, <«areìes>]y difTus'd,
Witli laugtiísh'd hvná unpwpt,
As oiìí' piist fiopf, ífhíiiidfin'O,
And by hunself pivt'ii ovt-r.
Samson, w 118.
P. 57. Propprhj lubricatfd with the. bal m of M f cm» Un-
giieîìtR» for reasoiî.s sufïîeiontìy obvions, havr been of gênerai me
in bot elimates. Aceordini; to Pìiny, "at the time of the
Trojan war, tbey consisted of oils perfnmed with the odeurs of
flowers, and ehierlv of roses ;>f wberice the 'pcîoev sXatov of Jfomer,
JïasselqiiÎHt speaks of o il. împregimfed wítli tlie tuberose and
jossami no; but the unguont here moiitioned was preíi rred to
every other. Ladv M, W, Montagu, désirons (o try its efforts»,
sooms to bave stifïëred niaterially íroìu having injproperìy ap-
plíetl it.
Iftheir ej/r-òrows and tresses inre in order. An perfnmîng
and décoration the bai r of tlie Sultanat was an essential dutv
of tbeir attendants, tlie translater liatli ventured to substituts
tbe terni tresses for another more exact to tlie original. In
Don Quixote indeod a waiting woman of tbe duchess mentions
tbe samo service? wírh our author, but as períbrmed hy persons
of ber own sex: b ay en Candaya mugeres que andan de casa
en <-asa á «juitar el veìio, y k pulîr las <-ejas, y haeer et ros men~
jurges tocantes á mugorca, nosotras las dueîias de roi sériera
por jaiwas quîsmios admis irias, parque las mas nlisean á ter-
ceras/í tom. iv. eap» 40, p. 42. Other offices of the dressing-
M
MOTES,
room an J toilet may be seen in Lucian, vol. ii. Amor. 39, p.
441. The Arabians bad a preparation of antimony and gaits
with which they tinged the eye-brows of a beautiful black,
and great pains were taken to shape them into regular arches.
In combing the hair it was customary to sprinkle it with
perfumes, and to dispose it in a variety of becoming' forms.
Richardson's Dissertât, p. 431; Lady M. W. Montagu'8
Letters,
The nine hundred and ninety-ninth time. The Mahometans
boast of a doctor who is reported to have read over the Koran
not fewer than twenty thousand times. Hcrbelot, p. 75,
Blaek eunuchs, sabre in hand. In this manner the apart-
ments of the ladies were constantly guarded. Thus in the story
of the enchanted horse, Firouz Schah, traversing a strange
palace by night, entered a room, "and by the light of a lanthorn
&i\v that the persons he had heard .snoring- were black eunuchs
with naked satires by them, which was enough to inhVm him
that this was the guard chamber of some queen or princess."
Arabian Nights, vol. iv. p. 189.
P. 58. Noxironihar, daughter of the Emir, urns sprightly m
an antelope, and full of wanton gaiety, Solomon has com-
pared his bride to "a company of horses in Pharaoh's cha-
riots ;" Horace, a sportive young female to an untamed filly;
Sophocles, a delicate virgin to a wild heifer; Ariosto, Angelica
to a fawn or kid; and lasso* Erminia to a hind; but the
object of resemblance adopted by our author is of superior
beauty to them all.
To let down the great swing. The swing was an exercise
much used in the apartments of the eastern ladies, and not only
contributed to their health, but amusement. Tales of Inatulhu
vol i. p. 259.
/ accept the invitation of thy honied Hps, Uncommon as this
idiom may appear in our language, it was not so either to the
Hebrew or the Greek, Compare Proverbs xvi. 24—
with Homer, Iliad A. 249—
Ton mai ttwo y\oocr<m<; MiXítoç y\vKtm pegs avbi—

MOTES,
Tbeocritus, Myl, xx. 26—
EX 9-TOfAO.TM &
And Solomon's Song, iv. 11-—
m
wîfch Moschua, Icljl. î. 9—~
An Arabian sabulist, etiiimeratîng tlie cliarms of a conmiminate
beauty, hatli nsed the identieai expression of our autbor, but
probably in an ex ton ded sensé, as
From her lip
Not words aìone pleased hun.
My semés are dazzlcà with the radiance thett Imams from
thy ehiirms, or, to express an idiom for wïiîcli we bave no sub-
stitute» thy countenanee, my minante de beautés et de graves.
Descriptions of tliîs kiod are fréquent iit Arabian writers ; thus
Taras»: "Her face appears to be w rappel in a veil of sun-
beams." And in the Arabian Nigbts: "SebeniBeìnibar came
forward amonpfst lier attendants wîtb a majestv resembling1 the
sun amidst tbe clou d s, which r e ce ive bis splendeur wíthout
coneealing bis lustre," To aeeount for tliis compliment, in the
ììiontli of Bababaloiik, we shouM rem em ber tbat lie w as, ex
officia, elegans formarum spectator.
P» 59. Melodious Philomel, I am thy rose, The passion of
tbe nicrbtíngale. for tbe rose U eeh'brared ovor ail the ea,«f:
thus Mesihi, as translated by Sir W. Jones:
Corne, eharmíng maid, and hear thy poet sîng,
Thyself the rose, and he the bird of spring;
Love bids h iin sîng, and love will be obey'd,
Be gay; too soou the flowers of spring wíll fade,
P. 60. OU spût in hreaking the lamps, It appears from
Tbevenot tbat illuminations w ère xmmì on the arrivai of a
stranger, and be mentions on an occasion of tbis sart two hun-
dred lamps bein«r li^bted , tbe quant ity es o il tberefore spìlt by
Bahahalouk m ay be oasily aceounted for frora. this» custom.
MOTES,
Reel i ni n (j on down. See Lady M. W» Montagu, let. xxvi.
P. 61. Calenders. These w. re a sort of men amongst the
Mali orne fan s who abandoned fa* her and mother, wife and chil-
dren, relations and possessions, to wander through the worlti
under a pretence of religion, entirely subsisting on the fortui-
tous bounty of those they had the address to dupe. il< i belot,
Suppl. p. 204.
Santons. A body of religionists who were also called Abdals,
and pretended to be inspired with the most enthusiastic rap-
tures of divine love; they were regarded by the vulgar as
saints, Oloarius, ton), i. p. 971; Ilerbeiot, p. 5.
Dervì.ses. The term dervish signifies n poor man, and is the
general appellation by which a religious amongst, the Maho-
metans is named. There are however discriminations that dis-
tinguish this clasH from the others already mentioned; they are
bound by no vow of poverty, they abstained not from marriage,
and, w lie never deposed they may relinnnhdt both, their blue
shirt and profession, Ilerbeiot, Suppl. 214. It is observable
that these different orders, though not established till the reign
of Kassor al Samani, are notwithstanding mentioned by our
author nu coeval with Vathek, and by the author of the Arabian
Mights as existing in the days of 1 laroun al Kaschid; so that
the Arabia?) fabulists appear as inattentive to chronological
exactness in points of this sort as our immortal dramatist
himself.
Brahmins, These constituted the principal caste of the In-
dians, according to whose doctrine Brahma, from whom they
are called, is the first of the three created beings by whom the
world was made. This Brahma is said to have communicated
to the Indians four hooks, in which all the sciences and cere-
monies of their religion an.* comprised, The word Brahma in
the Indian language signifies pervading all things. The Brah-
mins lead a life of most rigid abstinence, refraining not only
from the use but even the touch of animal food, and are equally
exemplary for their contempt of pleasures, and devotion to phi-
losophy and religion. Ilerbeiot, p. 212; Brtiekeri Hist, Philo-
soph. torn. i. p. 194.
Fakirs. This sect were a kind of religious anchorites, who
spent their whole lives in the severest austerities and mortisi-

i6s
eation. ìt is al r n ost impossible for tbe imairinat ion to form an
extravagance tbaf lias not beon practí«ccl bv sonie os tliern to
tormont tbomselves; as tlioir réputation sor sanetity ris.es in
proportion to tbeir suíteringH, tbose amon^st íbem arc rcvv-
reneed i lu> in ost who are mont ingénions in tbe invont ion ol*
tortures, and perscvorinn; in cndurin^ thciti; beneo soi ne liave
persistai în sittinff or standings l<»r y cars to^etber in ono intva-
ried posture, snpportîng an abnost intolérable bnrdon, dra^jiin^
tlie most ciîinbroiiH ebains, exposing tbeir naked bodies fo tbo
Hi-Divliiii'jf sud, and lianjíiiig witlt tiio íuad downward boforo tlie
iiereesí lires. Itelig. (Jervmon. vol. iii. p. 204, tvo.; Wbíte's
Serinons, p. oûl,
Sfiìttfí that clt'Tìslit.d rt.rmiiï. .1 n tliîs attaebment tbey wero
not sîiìgular; tbo Emperor .luíian not only disoovored f ho Rame
partiality, but célébrate<! wítb visible eoíripìneeney tlie ahn'jgy
and populous beard wiiicb lie fondly cberishod; and «-von tlie
bistorian oí* tbo Roman empire aílirms "tbat tlie little anima!
îb a béant familiar to man, and se/ni lies love/' Vol, îi. p. ,*Mb'b
V. 62. Visnow ami I r h ara. Two deîties os tlie East Iti-
dians, eoneernintí wbose bístory and adventures more nonsonse
related tlian can be íound in tlie wliolo eompass of tnytboloLsy
besides; tlie traditions of tìieîr votaries are no doubt alle-
gorieal, but wîthout a boy to d r s cl o se tlieîr rmsíie iinport tbey
are little botter tban senseless jargon.
Tuhtpnins. Tliîs order, wbîcb abounds in Siani, Laos, ïV|rn,
and otbor eountries, consiste of d i fièrent classes and bot b sexes»
but ebieíìv of men. R"li^. Ccromon. vol. iv. p. 62, &e.
()!>j- c1s- n f pHif were, sure to xwarm rovnd Mm. . Ludeke
montions the praetiee of brinaio,^ tbose wbo wero Hijfferíng «n-
cler any cnlaniity, or bail iost tbe use of tbeir limbs, &c, into
public for tbo pu r pose of exciting compassion; on an occasion
tberesore ostbis sort wben Fakreddin, lîko a pions Mussnîman,
was pnblicly to distribu te bis a lms, and tbe Commander of tbo
faitbful to mako bis appearanee, sueb an assemblage migbtwell
be expeeted. Tbe castern ciwtom of regaling a convention oí
tbís k í n cl is of trreat antiquity, as is évident frorn tbe parable of
tbe kino; in tbe <b.<pels, vvìto enrertained tbe maitned, tbe
lame, and tbe Wîncl; nor was it diseontinued wben Dr. Po-
cocke visitée! tlie East. Vol i. p, 182.
i66
NOTES.
P. (>n. ffonts of an exquisite polish, Jacinto Polo de Me-
dina, in one of his epigrams has as unexpected a turn on the
same topic:
Cavando un sepulero un hombi't*
Sacò largo, corvo y grueso.
Entre otros muchos, nn hueso.
Que tieue cuerno por nombre:
Volviòìo al sepulero aì p unto;
Y vièndolo un cortesa no,
IHjo: hit'u haet'ís, herrnuiio,
Qne es hueso de ese desunto.
Small plates of abominations, The Koran hath established
several distinctions relative to different kinds of food; and
many Mahometans are so scrupulous as not to touch the flesh
of any animal over which in the article of death the butcher
had omitted to pronounce the Bismillah. Eelig. Cerem, vol.
vii. p. 110.
Fish which they drew from a river. According to Le Bruyn,
the Oriental method of fishing with a line is by winding it
round the finger, and when the fisherman feels that the bait
is taken he draws in the string- with alternate hands; in this
way, he acids, a good dish of fish is soon caught. Tom. i. p,
«564. It appears from a circumstance related by G aland that
Vathek was fond of this amusement. Ilerbelot, Suppl. p. 210.
Sinai, This mountain is deemed by Mahometans the noblest
of all others, and even regarded with the highest veneration,
because the divine law was promulgated from it, Ilerbeloi",
p. 812.
P. 64. Penes, The word peri in the Persian language sig-
nifies that beautiful race of creatures which constitutes the
link between angels and men. The Arabians call them f/inn,
or genii, and we (from the Persian, perhaps) fairies; at least
the peries of the Persian romance correspond to that imagi-
nary class of beings in our poetical system. The Italians de-
nominate them fata, in allusion to their power of charming and
enchanting; thus the JSlanta fatidica of Virgil is rendered in
Orlando La fata Manto. The term ginn being common to both
peries and dives, some have erroneously fancied that the peries
were female dives; this appellation, however, served onlv to dis-
criminate their common nature from the angelic and human,


NOTES.
wîthout respect to tìieir qualifies, moral or porsonal; thua the
clives are hideous and wieked, whîlst íhe perie.s are beautii'uí
ami gootl. AruongHt the i'crsian poets íhe beauty os tbe pcrics
is príH^rì>îaî, in-ontu«h íhaf a wonian stiperlativeiy hamlsoine
is s( \ It ti hv ílu-fi! f h(! <»i {sprints ofn péri.
But ter flics of Cmhmere. The nninc insecte are celebratefi
in an uiipubiLshed poeni of Mesibi, another of tbe MBS. men-
ti oned in tbe préface. Sir Antony Sbirlie relates that ít was
custonmry in Persìa "to hawko aster bntterfìies wifh sparrows
ruade to tbat me, and 8tares." Jt in perhaps to tbís amuse-
ment tbat onr atithor alìudes in tbe eontext.
/ had rat h ( r tì<nt ìûs ùttíh sdiould nmehiemmshf prens m//
fííifjer. Thèse molles mormaiculiB rend nd ono of JLesbia and
ber gparrow:
Passer âelieìs} menr» ptiella?,
Q nie-n m ludere» quetu in mmi tenetv,
Qui'i prìmmn dîgitotn dare adpetenti,
.Et acres soles incitare morsus.
In tbe r tory of tbe sleeper awakened (wbicb tbe induction to
the Tainin^ of tbe Shrew greatly resembles) A bon Hassan thun
addresscK tbe lady that Avas brougbt bîm: Corne hither, íair
0 ne, and bi te tlie end of m y linger,* tbat I mny feel wbetber
1 a m asleep or au-ake." Aral). Ni#hts, vol. íîí. p. 137. Lady
Perey, witb ail the sonriness of insinuation, praetises on lier
wayward Jfotspur a blandisliment similar to tbat b ère instances
by Nouronihar:
('orne, corne, you paraquito, answer me
ìfirec.tìy to tliis question that I ask.
I» faith 1*11 break thy ìittlc flutít r. Harry,
An if thon wilt u o r teíl me ail îhings true.
P. GO. Miijnoìin and Leilek. Thèse personages are es-
teemed amonost the Arabians as tbe most beautiful, chaste
and iíni- ^'i'HitMl of ìoveix; ;ind tbeir amours bave- beon célé-
brât ed un S» A\ íhe ebanns of ví rse in evry Oriental lan^na^e:
tbe Mahomeian- regard thorn and tbt- po. tirai records of tbeir
love in tbe «ame bah f as tbe lîridegrroom and S no u se, and the
Son g oí Sohjlts are ro^anied by tbe Jews. Ilerbi-Iot, p. óT'b
* AXA* tri Xjxîçov iw, axf>y ^aêvXov xo?a3axm> —Hom.fr. Jiatrnch. Y. 4.".
ióS
MOTES.
Thcu still dctcûned Mm in the harem, Noureddin, who was
a» old as (íuleheurouz, liad a sîmíkr indulgence os resortîng to
tlie harem, and no léss avaíicd hîmself of ît A ra b. Nights,
vol. îìî. pp. 9, 10.
Dart the lance in the ehase* Throwino; the lance was a
íavourite pastime with tlie yoitng Arahiaim; and so expert
w ère they m thís pructíce (wliicli prepared thera for the con-
Hiets both of the ehase and of war) that they could benr ois a
ring on the points of their javelins. Kichnrdsou's Dissertât,
pp. 198, 281 « Though the ancients hui varions methods of
hunting, yefc the two wliieli chiefly prcvailed were those de-
seribed bj Virgil,* and alludcd to hy Bolonion.f Prov. vii. 22.
• Dum trépidant ala», saltusque índagine cingunt.—^« îr, 121.
Notwithstandiag tlie explunations of al» whieh bave been given hy
Servius, Burtnan and others, there can senree be a dnubt but that Virgil
referred to the eustom of searing deer into liolts, with sent h ers fastened
ou Hues; a praetioe so effeetual to tlie purpose, that Linnams character-
ìzeà the d u m a or fallow deer, from it, arcetur filo horizontali. The saine
strutagem is inentior.ed in the Géorgie» (ìíí. #71).
Pimieereve agitant pavidos formidine pieuse:
an d a gai u in the iEneid (xíi, 749)
Inclusum veluti si quando flumíne naetus
Cervum, aut punieea? sept uni formidiue pinno».
It is observable however that the poet, in thèse instances, hath studionsly
vu rie d his mode of expression; the sportsmen of Italy ttsed pinion
feathers, which. the bel ter to answer their purpose, they d y eu of a
Lybiau red ; J but as Africa abounded in birds whnse wintrs were im-
pregnated with the ppontaneous and glossy ttneture of nature» soeh an
expédient in that eonntry mu st bave bet n needless. If we advert the n
to the seene of Dido's ehase, tlie reason will be obvions why Virgil
omit ted pu niées1, and for pinna» substituted al a». There is a passage in
Nemesíanus whieh witl at ouee eonflnn the interprétation h ère given,
and iìlustrate the jndgmeut of the poet in the ehoiee of hís terras;
Hinc [se, ex Africa] mage pnnîeeas nativo mu n ère suines:
Namque illic sine fine, grèges lîorentìbws alis
Invenifes avium, suavique rubeseexe luto.
Cynegeticon, v. 317.
t The wide région, of conjectural emendation cannor prodace a happíer
instance of critical skilì than was diseovered b y that a ee u rate and

| Lybice fucantur sandyce pinnœ,™Gratii Cyneg. r. 80,
KOTJSS. 169
Nor ciirb the steeds, ThouLsh ííulchenrouz was too young
to oxcvl in horsonmriship, îfc novortlieìcas was n n easentia! ae~
compîisIiîDCîit amongst f lie Anibiuns; Jwmîco Ihe hoast os
Amriolkais: "Ost en hav<> 1 ri son at oaríy dawn, wliîle tlie
ju'îicious scholar, flic lato Dr. liant,* who, wîien tlie «cnsc o f the pascagf»
referred to h ad for ay es been ìost, saa-aHonsly rr^fofed H hy rurtailin^ a
ìctitr. Proverbs vii. 1':'. As au linrt Ò^H for b^N) boundcth iiito the
toits, tilt a d art sf rikc f lirnuírh hís It\ et". W heu I ht* gaine driven < iwtlter
wvre either rírcmiivent ed, as deseribeci b y Virgîl, or en^ruin-d h y f h «
font íijohç-mùi} n s alludwì to hy Solomon, the iiiiiittvrs dispatebod theii)
witlì tìifìr uússïìv- weapoos. TIïijs Xeuophoji (as eited "m Dr. Huiit's
Dissertation (Xçn h' tctv hÌwç é\íj-~ eav usv t} aç'pr,v uy\ ■erçotrtevat eyínç' yoep
neoctTi vtuìh- km tu; -crvo-f/' uiroísy m ««vriTfiv. Wìnmi flie animât is íîhis
»'aoght, ymi imi-t iv>t, if il he a maie, udvunce within bis reaoh, for t hey
are apt to sfríke wifìt their bonis and their lieds; il wilì be proper
therofore tu ptem* him at a distance.
* The correction witli the confext îs this:
22. Hc- g-íit th. !itf<*r hi-r .-tmightway,
As au nx írocih to the slaujíMer;
ï--. Or ■,<- hart boundeth iuto íh>- fuils, *
24, As a hìrcì hast eth to the siiare,
And knowvîh noí t bat it K for hhs lite,
Dr Jnbb vn-ìì ìî:iíi<rinr'd (íh-íícrh he hatb jll rendemî TOn in the '21.st
\-rse. ìrvf/r/f ,-,'.,/.:/) t?i:>! tj,.. ì,í>edle-- h:^!e o f the b'rd íoward- thf
stiare might be cuusrd b y the ìnre os a fetnale's caii, and adduced srom
Oppian un apposite exajnp'e:
("JríAgíav 3a(u.vo*Ti xaìaxçuTrlet XacrioKriv
*íí& XiyctxXctim hìÀm (J.$7,oç ot S'moúíç
//■ilieut. iv. IàO.
As when the fowìer to the fields resorts,
!í;- '-rt»ed don-:' -f n- partner nf bis sports
H-'iin.d sonv- -!iadi'-proje<'tÌìííí bnsh he ì'fys.
And wreaths the wiry wiííi Idoomiiig sprays.
The pretty eaptîv<» to theprows arnund
Wíii-bb'S her pv.-.c^ «-^d rare-dí îudin^ soinid,
Ihr attentive íbcks pursue vvitii ravish'd tur
Th-.* feniule mn^n- os the feath-r'd fuir,
l'Vrin í to ses, aiid rush upon tlie snare.
Jones,
170
MOTS S,
birds were yet in their nest, and mounted a Tranter with
smooth .short hair, of a full height, and so fleet as to rnako
captive the beasts of the forest; ready in turning, quick in
pursuing, bold in advancing, firm in backing, and performing
the whole with the strength and swiftness of a vast rock which
u torrent has pushed from its lofty hase; a bright buy steed
from whose polished back the trappings slide, as drops of rain
slide hastily down the slippery marble. . , . . Ho makes
the light youth slide from his seat, and violently shakes the
skirts of a heavier and more stubborn rider." Moallakat, p. 10.
The stud of Fakreddin consisted no doubt of as noble a breed,
though sprung neither from " the mighty Tartar horse" (whose
gigantic rider was slain by Codadad ), nor the sire of Clavileno
"and the wondrous horse of brass." Milton's allusion to the
last having occasioned much fruitless inquiry concerning bis
pedigree,* it shall here be made out, with that of his brother.
The principal qualities of
"the horse of brass/'* were—
that he was brought before
the Tartar King after the third
course of a feast, which was
solemnized at the commence-
ment of spring; that he was
able within the compass of a.
natural day to carry his rider
wherever he might choose;
that ho could mount into the
air as high as an eagle, and
with as equable and easy a
The particulars of Clavileno
are—that be was the produc-
tion of an enchanter; was
capable of rising into the air
with the velocity of an arrow,
and carrying his ridor to any
distance; was pot into motion
by the turning of a pin on
his neck, and directed in Ins
course by another in his fore-
head; that he fleeted «0
steadily through the air as
not to spill a drop from a cup

* "Among the MSS. at Oriel College in Oxford is an old Latin treatise
entitled * Fabula de afneo cab alio.' Here I imagined ! had discovered
the origin of Chancer s * Squier's Tale,* so replete with marvellous
imagery, and evidently an Arabian fiction of the middle ages; but I
was disappointed, for on examination, it appeared to have not even a
distant connexion with Chaucer's story. 1 mention this that others,
on seeing such a title in the catalogue, might not be tattered with spe-
cious expectations of so curious a discovery, and misled like myself by a
fruitless inquiry."—Wartok's edit, of Hilton's Poems, p, 82,
MOTES.
171
motion; that ity turning one
pin fixed in Iiis ear Ms course
might he directed to a des-
tined spot, and by means of
another he might he made to
alight, or return to the place
from whence he set out.
fid! of water in the band of
his rider; that, being- lent hy
his owner, Pierres made a
long- voyage upon him, nod
brought off the fair Magalona
who alighted to become a
queen; that Don Quixote,
when high in the air, knew
not the management of the
pin to prevent his rising; and
that in* at last vanished amides
rockets and crackers.
The resemblances here specified are evidently too strong to
have resulted from accident; and it will appear on further
enquiry that " the enchanted horse," in the Arabian Nights,
was not only possessed of those qualities wide h were common
to them both, but also of such as were peculiar to each. Thus
he was présentes! to the King of Persia at the close of a festival
which was celebrated on the opening of spring; could trans-
port his rider, and in the space of a day, wherever he Hated;
moved so smoothly as to cause bo shock, even on his coming
to the ground; could soar beyond the ken of every beholder;
might be guided by turning a pin in the hollow of his neck to
any point his rider should choose; arid by means of another be-
hind his right ear be made to descend, or return whence he
<;um«; u;i< the prulnHiou of an enchanter; passed through
the air with the speed of an arrow; having been lent by his
owner to Firouz Se h ah, carried him a considerable distance,
and brought back behind biro the princess of Bengal, to whom
the prince was afterwards married; that Firouz Schah, when
high in the air, was unable to manage the pin so as to prevent
him from rising; and finally, that he made his last exit in an
explosion of fireworks and smoke.*
• It may not be impertinent to subjoin, on a kindred subject, as no
mention has lu'cn hitherto inn de of him, that the author of" The Touch-
stone, or pariuloxrs brought to the test of a rigorous and fair examina-
tion, printed for Noon, Î l'.ïj," appears to hare been the original projector
of sailing through the air in a beat appended to a ball.
»;2 NOTES»
The boni, howevcr, hc tire w wìih a certain ai m. Tins, as
well as the other accomplishmenfs mentioned before, was a
constituant part os an eastem éducation; tlms in the s tory of
the sisters who envied thoir sîster: "Wlien tlie princes were
iearning to mount tlie mananfed horse and to ride, tlie prineess
could not permit thom to have tìiat ailvnntage o ver lier, but
went through ail tlieir exercises wîfcli tìierti, îearning- to ride tìie
jjsroat liorse, dart tlie jardin, and hend tlie bow." Aral),
Nighta, vol. if. p. 276.
The t>ro brofhers had mutuaìly engagcd their eh il dr en to each
othcr. Contracts of tìiis nature were fréquent amongst t!»e
ArabiariH; anotber instance occurs in tlie storj of Nourcdilin
Ali and Bonreddin .Hassan,
Nouronìhar ìoved her cousin even more tìuin her eyes. Thîs
mode of expression not only oeeurs in the saered wrítera, but
also în tlie Greek and Roman; thus, Moselnis:
Tev jt4.iv tfm tuctkqv icrov faîETciv îfAùKnv-—-
and ( atullus:
Quern plus illa ociilis suis amabat.
The sa me long, langui shing looks, So Ariosto:
Negrì oc«'hi,
Píetosí a riguardare, a mover parebi.
The lí nés wbicli fol! o w, from Shakespeare and Sponsor, may
serve as a comment upon tlie bries but beautiíul description of
our author.
Never gazed tlie raoou
Upon tlie water, as fae'lì stand, and read,
As 'twere, my daughter's eyes.
Winter's Taie,
Her eyes sweet smiliug in delight»
Moystened their fierie hen m es, with vhirh she thrild
Frai le hearts, yet quenehed not; líke starry iight,
Which sparkìing on the sìleat waves doeg seeme more bright.
Faerie Queen,*

♦ Spenser seems to have copied this simiîe from Tasso;
Quai raggio in ou da, le scintilla un ris©
Negli umidi occhi trémolo e laseivo.
NOTES.
173
F. fi 7. Wìfh ail the hashsì/lnrss of a f mm. Tho fawn, nn
botter known, îs horo ì-sk-îitutod ïor thr tfiv/.Ah. of the Arabi-
ans, an animal unconmmnîy bí'autif'd ;md shy.
Take rpfi/íje in f/te arms ofNovronihar. Ample seope "m
hère lest to the imagination os the reader, and Tashowill assist
hìm to idl M|> îhe picrim\
í'ovra lui t.-í-îMÌ.'*: ed ei nfì isr>-»nbo moIU1
I po^u i! 'í-.-j:.., * ! volts ai \ ,.U*. Molli .
iv/ fxvi. 18.
ShaduLiant ami Amhnahad. Tho-r won.1 tvro «-iíio.s of th<-
porics in tho ìmaoinary r.'^ion of (íinniatan; thf i<~>rmor signi-
fîs^ pjca^iirí' ;«Ti'l dos?p\ tin- latter ihe eity of \ mbrr^ris. Í-W
Richardson's Dissertât, p, 169.
Youiiff (jirls draivhiff rool watcr from the strcams èe'ow. The
Hïic<» oi' js-si-lniìg- water ìn tho Iîast bolontírs ío ìvcinou, and par-
ticularìv to í4 young ivninon that arc finale." Tho eool of the
t v* iiírjfs wa^ t))«* soa^o'i lo procure- n supply fer t !•<• morrovv;
this eustom îs of gnat anticjuity; an instance of if oecurs in
the wrifíîi'.'- o<" Mosí's. ;!!|(! in Iíoon r not iinfrt-<jtNn;fIv. Shaw'1-'
Travels, )), 211; Chardin*^ MS. (d n d }>y Harmer) tien, xxiv.
15—45; O.Iysp. xx. x, 105,' vii. 20s
P. 60. A ftpnojj of ( \k I})(>9. TIh' «-ot-kiios \< a hìnl wÎhis'o
ìmûí "m mndi oste^med for its beaiitîfuì polish, and someíimcs
uscd as «1 «pooi!; thus in tho History of Atalmuirk ami Zelica
ïìogom, it w cmployc.-ì for a simiìur purpose: 44 X<!iea havin^
caliod for rcfrcshment, -îx old slave* instaníly hronght in and
ds<í rihof ••(! Aiahfarna-; and f lien s< rw d about in ;i <.reat hasm
of m art a ha m a salad mado of herbs of Tarions kinds, citron
jt'Hv, and ils - pìth of nu-unibeiv; thcv ^<.'rvcd it íir^t to tlu-
piinc.-fss in a^-ockìios' ìj» ak; she took a heak ot' íìn< saìad, eut
if-, and gavo anothor to tì:o ncxt filavt; that sat by ber on b(*r
río-iit })an<i. wìsì<*li slavp d id n< ho r înistr<^8 ìiad dono *"
P. 71. (rouïf.9, («ouï or f//i?//, in Arabie sig-nifieH any terri-
<\ ino- obi*et wìiich d* j>riv< s- poo])]*- of r!n> us(; of tln ir aensen;
honco it bccame the stj>pollative of that spcciYs of monater
ìvhich was supposed to haunt forost.«, cemeterios, and othfr
lonrly placos, and btlii-vrd not only to tcar in picoos tho living.
74
MOTES.
but to dig up and devour the dead. Richardson's Dissert, pp.
174_274» That kind of insanity called by the Arabians kut-
rub (a word signifying not only a wolf, but likewise a male
gold), which incites such as are afflicted with it to roam howl-
ing amidst those melancholy haunts, may cast some light on
the nature of the possession recorded by St. Mark, chap. v.
1, &c.
P. 72. Feathers of the heron, sparkling with carbuncles.
Panaches of this kind are amongst the attributes of eastern
royalty. Tah*s of Inatulla, vol. it. p. 205.
Whose eyes pervade the inmost sold of a female. The ori-
ginal in this instance, as in the others already noticed, is more
analogous to the French than the English idiom: dont Voed
pénétre jusqu'à la moelle des jeunes filles,
The car bu ne! e os Gíamschid, This mighty potentate was the
fourth sovereign of the dynasty of the Pisehadians, and brother
or nephew to Tahamurath; his proper name was (rittm or (rem,
and Schitlf which in the language of the ancient Persians de-
nominated the sun, an addition ascribed by some to the majesty
of his person, and by others to the splendour of his actions.
One of the most magnificent monuments of his reign was the
city of tstakhar, of which Tahaimirath had laid (he foundations.
This city, at present called Gihil-, or Tchil-minar, from the
forty columns reared in it by Homai, or (according to our
author and others * Soltman Ben Daoucl, was known to the
Greeks by the name of Persepolis; and there is still extant in
the east a tradition that when Alexander burnt the edifices of
the Persian kings, seven stupendous structures of Giamschid
were consumed with his palace, This prince, after having sub-
jected to his empire seven vast provinces of Upper Asia, and
enjoyed in peace a long n ign (which some authors have pro-
tracted to seven hundred years), became intoxicated with his
greatness, and, foolishly fancying it would have no end, arro-
gated to himself divine honours; but the Almighty raised up,
even iri his own house, a terrible instrument to abase his pride.

* Examen Critique des Anciens Historiens d'Alexandre le Grand,
p. 281.
W'OTMS, 175
bv w hom he was easily overcome and driven înto exile. The
íiutiior of Giame al Tavatikh mentions the etip or concave
mirror of (îiam.-í hid, son m d os a gem, an;! called tho cup of
tho Sun; to thin v<\«sol ihi- IVrsian poots ofhu reh-r, and allc>-
gorize ît in diffèrent ways; thev attribute to it tîn* proporty os
4 xhìbítîriir everyí hiug in the compas of nature ane « \ <n hohìc
thinga that are pr^ternntural; tìie ï;cm it conwiatod oí appears
to be th.- '.•;)rlï!iMcbi or oriental rubv, winch, froni its ivsons-
blanee to a burnîng coa! and tlie Rplendour it was siippoaed to
émit in îho dark, was eaííod scheh.jtray, or tho tun-h os the
night; îiecoriìinir to St rai »0 it ohtained its high intimation
amongst the Peraians, wbo were worsliippers of tire, ironi its
ígneous qiiídities. and perhaps thoxe virtue-s for which it bat h
been Rtyled "tho tirst of atones." Miìton had a loarn^d retro-
<pect to Hïì fahuiou* powern in describing the < )ld Sf-rpent:
ilis heud
Cnsted aloft„ and carbuiude his eyt-s
Ilerbelot, pp. 392, 395, 780, &c.; Brigitte on Melancholíe,
p. 321; Faradise Lost, ix. 199.
The f arrhes were cxthìíjìtiahcd, From the emblème of rov-
alfy in tlie vision, and tlie closíng déclaration of tin» Jast voico,
it is évident that thèse torches, XafxTraiïaç &m roui w^fixw rou
ìatfxcvoç âlavToç, wore lighted by tho d ive, to prognostieate* tho
destincd union, of which tho water in the bath was a further
omen. Thus Lactantius; "A veteribus instítutnm est, nt sacra-
inento ignis et aqme nuptiarum fœdera saneìantur, quod fœtus
animant ium calore et humore corporontur aiqu.-» animeritur ad
vitam. Un de aqua et igne uxorem aecipere dîcitur." Ovîd.
Fast. iv. 702; Va r. de ling. Lat. iv. 10; Serv. ad Virg. JEto. iv.
167. Of the union here pretìgnrcd the eequel ivíll aílow to be
added:
Non Hymena-us ndest iiíi. non gratin !c<-to;
Eumenides tenueie faces, de í'unere raptas:
Eumenides btravtre tortn».
* Mihi dednctœ fax omen praptuìit.
l'ropa t. IV. iíí. 13,
76
NOTES.
F, 73. She ciapped herhands. Tliîswas tlie ordinary method
in tlie east os calluii: the attendants in waîting. See Arabian
Níghts, vol. î. pp. 5, im'h 193, ike.
Whence tjoi, ij'ou f al se km/s f corne, io y ou r chmnber! I wììl
shut y ou vp in the double lower. 1t was tlie ofïíce of Shaban an
c*hîet* eunueh to keep tlie key of f lie la» lies' aparhnont. 1 n the
Htory of (laoera, Ilarotiti al Ka^ehid commands JMoflronr, the
ehief of tlie eumiclis, •< to ta k o the períidious Fetnah, and BÌmt
lier up in the dark towor." That tower was wîtliîn the enclo-
8iire of tbo palace, and comrnonly perved as a prison for tlie
íavouritos w h o mi p ht chance to disgust the ÍJalipb.
F, 74. Set h>m ì/pon hìs sltviddtrs. Tlie same mode of ear-
rvîng 1)ovh îs not< d by Sandys; and Lwcleke lias a passage atìll
more to tlie purpo.se: "Libères dominorum su on un grand ius-
culos ita humeris portant nervi, ut illí lacer tin Bim horurn
eollum, pedibus vero Intera ampleetantur, sícqiie illorum faeies
btiper borum eapnt éminent.*' Expositio Brevis, p. 37.
f lis ehceks became the colmir of the hlossom of thc pome-
qranate. Tlie modost blush of an ingéniions yoiitli (whieh a
(ìrocian îadv of admired tasf,> av<Ttod to ho the fix-»t (vlonr in
nature) îs dcnominated by tlie Arabîans from this very flower.
Solomon, in bis exquisite Idylíium, bat h adoptetl tlie saine
eomparison, eh. î?. v. 3; -jnpi poin rÔED Tby eheoks are íike
tlie opening bloom * of the poinegranate. But a more apposite
use o f this similitude oceurs in an ode by a poet of Damaseus:
* Simon interpréts ff?B by eruptio JInris, and Guarini by brrlaustium:
.-ruses, -vvhieh the followhig passage í'roni Pliny witl support: H Friiinw
pMini hujus part us tiare incipientis, Cytiuus vocatnr Graîeis —-, lu hoc
ipso cyîiîio Hosruíi snnt, antequam seilioei malum tp-uin pj-od.-at, erum-
pent«*s. qm.s balausrium wuri dixirms-." Nat. Hist, Ijh. xxíii. 59, «o.
Areording to líìoseorides, í, 132, the ("tlnustiurn was the bìossom of tlie
wihl. and the eitymis of the enitivated p-.-inegranaíe. Dr. J.'urefl. justiy
dissatisfird wíth thc versions K-fbre hitu, hath reudered tlie hemistich
thus; thy eheeks are like a piece of p-.megramife—and mhh; "The
eheeks îti' o,mp;!red to a píeee of thi- truit. hccause the porneyranate
when whole ís of a du il eolour, but when eut up of a lively beau ti fui ver-
niilion.*' But it tliis interprétation and reí^oninu In; allowed, Holomo'i
was léss pat at a simile than Hancho; for whether the eheeks of a bloom-
ing bride or the imví»rds of a man, "ju^t eleit írum noddie down to
noek "—be more Iike a split pomepraìiate ?" let the forest judge,'*
Dureli'js Crítieal Kecnarks, p. 29-': Don Quixote, ton», iíi. p, 2?tî. *


NOTES,
177
"The IiIofsooi of thv pome^ninate brings baek to tu y miwl flic
1)1 u s! ics of m y belovd, wbetì ber ebeeks arc» colourcd witli a
î n < ides t resent me 111
P, 75, As fttr hiínds < riiìfc. Wìwn íeinales in tbe l'ast are
betrotbed, tboir pabtiB and {ingérs are íhigcâ of a erimson
íîolotn* wîth f lie berb binnab. Thm ís ealled tlie crim.soii of
eonsrnt. Tait'.s of f natiilla, vol. ií. p. 15.
Violas e tìie ris n- of liospihtUty. 80 liigìi au idea of tbese
rites prevails arnongst tlie A rabbins, tbat a broad and sait
traitor ís tlie niOBt opprobrioti.s invective wïtli wliidi one per.son
eau reproaeh anotlur. Kiclmrdson's Dissert. p. 219; see also
tbe story of Ali Baba and tbe For fy Tliieves, in tlie Arabian
Xj'wlits, vol. iv. p. 1 í)().
l\ 70. Narcûîir puxuh r. A drug of flic same quality ihÏxcmÍ
ir» lemonade is gîven to Zobeide, in tlie r tory of (bmom.
P, 7B. lùntertiì mwtmunis in-rr prcparrff, fin ir IhhIÌc.s umahed,
6çv. Tlie rites lien» practised liíid obtmned frorn tlie on ri i est
âges; ni<»st of tliem r n ay be fourni in Ilonier and tbe otiicr
poets of (íreece. iaieian deseribos tlie dead in bis tinie ;ih
nasbed, pcrfumed, vested, and erowned, &pa,mç uvÔscrn, wîfli tbe
Howers m ost in season ; or, aecording to otber w r itérs, t.lioso in
particular vvbicb tîie deceased were wont to prefer. T be
élevant editor of tbe IìuìjihoI* Palmyra mentions tbe íra^iïierifK
osa muininy fottfitl tbere, tlie bai r of wliîcli was pkîted exactly
in t.be manner a« won» at présent by tlte wonien of Aiabia.
Tlie bitrial d r es s from tlie days of Homer batb boen eommonly
wliite, and aniongst Mabometans is made witliont a >eam, tbat
it niay not impede tbe eeremonial of kneeling in tlte grave
wìien tbe dead person nndergoes examination. Homer, Etirî-
pides, &e. pas.sirn; Lucian, tora. ii. p. 927; Pasebal de Coron,
p. 225: Kuîns of Palmyra, pp. 22» 23; íìîad 2. 352; Relier.
Cerem. vol. vii. p, 1.17.
A U iiìstnnnfnts of mvsic were brakcn, Tbtis in tlie A rabian
Nigbts: "Ifaroun Al Rascbid wept over Selieniselnibar, and
beíore be lest tlie room ordered ail tlie musical instruments to
be brokcn.'* Vol. íi. p. 190.
Imans heyan. to récite thv.ir prai/ers. An Iman is tlie princi-
pal priesfc osa mosquc. It ;vas tbe office of tbe Imans to pro-
ie
i7S
MOTES.
cède the bior, prayinjcr as tlie procession movod on. Relig.
Cereni. vol. vìi. p. 117.
P. 79, The ivaiísuï mV.y os La Ilah ilht Alla I This excla-
mation, wbieli con tains the lenditicf principhv of Mah<.n»eían
beìieí, and signifies tltere is ho (»<>d but (iod, was eormnoniy
uttered under nome violent émotion of nùtuL The S] m nia n in
adopted ít from tlioir Moorish iteí^bboiirs, and Cervantes Jiath
used ífc in Don Quixoto: "En esfo llejnáron eorriondo cou
grita, lílilíes [literally professions < \' íhith in Alla] y al^azara los
de las libreas, adonde Don ÍJuîxoto suspense y atónito esta\a/'
Parte Segttìida» cap. tom. iv. p. 2 i t. Tho sa me expression
Ì8 sometîiiieá wriffcii by the Span lards Lila/la, ami Iiila ìùl-
akaila.
P, 80, The Amjel os Dvath hmì oja nal ihc pmial of some
other u vrìd. The naine of this exíerfitttìatl'ìg* an£cl "m Azracl,
and f ils office m to eonducfc the deatl to the abode asVtgned
theiìi, wliîcli "m sa s d by somo to be ncar the place o f tlieir in-
tonnent. »Sn!e\s Prelim. Disc. p. 101; H y de in notis ad
Bobov. p. 19; B. Elias, în Tisìibi; Bimìorí" Bynag. Jud, of
Lexic. Talnuhb
P. 81. 3Ionker and Nakir. Thèse are two blaek anuels of
a tremendous appraraneo, w ho examine the di-p.uted on the
subjeet of IìÎh iaiîh; by wboni if lie give not a satHaetory
aeeoimt, be is mnv to be end^ellcd wíib maecs of red-hof îroii,
and íoriiiciiti'tl more varîously tban words ean deseribo. Kolig.
Ceremon. vol vìi. pp. 59» 68, 118; vol. v. p. 290; Sales Pre-
lim. Disc. p. 101» and one of the MSS. speoihVd in the préface.
The, fatal bridge. Tbîs bridge called in Arabie al Sirat,
and said to extend o ver the infernal guis, is ropresented as nar-
rower tban a spidor's web, and sharpor tlian the edge of a
sword. Tlionglì the attempt to vrom ít be
More full of péril, ami advent/rons spirit,
Than to oYrwalk a eurivnt, roitvinjx loucl»
Ou the uiisfeailfttiít footing osa speai*;
yet the paradis.' of Mahomet can be entored by no other
avenue; those indeed w b o bave behaved weîl need not be
alarraed, mixed characters wíll tin d it cîîffieult» but the wicked
soo» miss tlieir standing and plonge beadlong into the abyss.

• NOTES. 179
Pocock in Port. Mo^. p. 2«s2. <.V<'. Milron app^remly eopi d
frofii this uvii-known rietîou, ;»nd nor rw f )r. Warfon c«>njt>eturc'«î,
íroiti the Poet Sadi, hi* w;tv
Ovt'i- the dnrk abjss, whu-c boilintf guis
U unie! y endura <i bruine <>!' «...lid'rous leiijith.
f !'<)>;! hi'll <'f)U! ::i>i'fl. ]V;irh'mi tl>r utlJiOSf '.}!>
Of this f r u il worhl.
^4 rortwn séries of' years. Aeeording f o the tradition from
î):*' Prophe*, Mot k'iís than ïiiixí hiuMn-d nor íìh'ìc- rhan «r*; il
fhousand.
77ie sarrttl eumel. It was an article os the Mahométan
ereed íliat ail nui mai s would lie ratsed api in, ati<l son u» of thein
ndtnitted info paradi.se; tlie animaJ h ère mentîonecì appears t<>
hâve been om os thoso v.-hito-wingod »-amels,* o^purisonod \\ w\\
ii-Mi], whieb Ali aííirinc'i v»«ï'ild ho provìded toeonwv the Jid'h
fol. Ke%, Or. vol. vií. p, 70; Haie's Preìím. Ui.-c. p. 112;
Al Janheri. Kbtiol Athir, «Síc.
F. 82. Pnnnkrs. This sort os basket-work hath been loti*;
nwíl in the rast, and eonsisfs of the l^aves of the date-boarmi*
pal m. Pan nier* of this texture are oí' «reat utilitv in eonvev-
ìng fruits, bread, &e., wMîst heavier articles, or snco as reijuin-
a more compact eove»in<ï, are earríerl in ìm<rs oi* leather or
«k in. ] 1 assel 1 juist's Yovagf>, p. 261.
77a: Caï'ph prcstnfcf hhnsdf to <he Emir h; »? nev lia1,r.
The propcnsitv of a vicions pcrson, in affliction, to seek con-
solation Iroin the cérémonies oí religion is an exotiisîfo trait in
the charaoter of Vathek»
P. 88. Thu waving of Jans. The.se fans eondsted of tins
trains of p< arorUs or oxtnrhes, Avhosi- r.uills wi ve r its a h>o^
stem so as to imbrieate the plumer in the gradations of tlteir
natnraî growth. Fans of this fashion w ère formerlv used in
K:i_;îand. T paisse from the lanona^- of Burtwn -■ ,f ií'ln; m f
any remuant of'lier's, a hnske-point, a íeatlier («f lier fanne, a
shoo-tve, a lace"—thèse fans ?oon aster beeamo common. It
* Taras», amon^t otítfi* eir^ninstaiicfs in The «inscription oíius emnel.
nnti.-t<> bi't- hu-liy tïu!, which appt'nrs hs if t)ie twu wmgs osa laip»-
wlntí» eKi'lc wert» fransfìxetl hy an awl to the boue, and hun g wa\hig
ríHifìí! h'>th her -ides," Moalìakat, p. 10.
180 MOTES,
was however to this kind that Milton allticlecl in a passage of
Paradise Lost, the collocation of which, though disjointed
through the mistake of Mb amanuensis, may by transposing a
word he restored:
his sleep
Was aery light, from pure digestion bred,
And temperate vapours bland, which th' only sound
Of sum in ir rills and leaves, Aurora's fan,
Lightly dispersai, and the shrill matin song
Of birds on ev'ry bough.
Trees whose h ran eh es are well covered with leaves may he not
improperly styled feathering'; * and in the language of Milton
form the fan of Aurora, which, when waved hy the breeze of
the morning, occasions the rustling that constitutes a third in
the complex sound referred to.
Wine hoardM vp in Itoitivs prior to the birth qs Mahomet.
The prohibition of wine hy the prophet materially diminished
its consumption within the limits of his own dominions; hence
a reserve of it might he expected of the age here specified.
The custom of hoarding wine was not unknown to the Persians,
though not so often practised hy t hem as hy the Ci reeks and
the Romans. "1 purchase," says Leheid, *' the old liquor at a
dear rate, in dark leathern bottles long reposited. or in casks
black with pitch, whose seals 1 break, and then fill the cheerful
goblet." Moallakat, p. 53.
Excavated owns in the rock. As substitutes for the portable
ovens which were lost.
Manchets prepared by Noitrunihar. Herodotus mentions a
lady of equal rank performing a similar office—h h ywn ru
Bao-iKwç avrn ra ana, cr$i tnts-crs ; f and the cakes which Tamar
made lor .A m non are well known,
P. 90. Whirled herself round in a magical manner. The
Arabic verb (which corresponds to the Hebrew inv and irw) is
interpreted by Willmet set nd ere s, secare in orbem: hide notio
cir candi, nwx gyrandi, et Mue a mot u ver sat Hi Fuscinarit, in-

• Thus Mr, Whateîey, the first authority in the language of picturesque
description; "Large boughs feathering down often intercept the sight."
t Lib. viii. p. m~>. Th it <n1i« is to he understood in the sense above
given is certain from what immediately follows.
NOTES.
181
vanfarit. Ati inflexion o f tìi<* saiiio vorb îs bcautifully applied
in the Koran, and by lïaríii to tlie fascination power of élo-
quence.
lier great et t nul AIbmtfakh There is a singular and labotired
description of ;i eamel in the poem of Ta ra fa, but Alboiifakí
posHossed (pialities appropríate to hiinself, and wliieli rendered
hîìii but lits le les,* conspicuous tlian 11 j e delormcd du» eamcl of
Aad.
F. 91. To set jhrwunì) not'withstandiwj it /ras m m n. The
empìoyineiìt of vood-fellers was íiecotinted of ail othorn the
m os t toilsome, an tliose oceupicd in ít w ère eompelled to foreo.»
that midday cessation wîlli wliieli otber labourera were în-
dtdp'd. InatuIIa spestks proverbially of "woodmen in the
n te ri dia n lionr, scnreo nhìe to raine the anus of languor." The
guides of Carathis beingof this occupation, sb o adroit.lv availed
horsolf of* it to nr^e ther» fonvard, wítliout allowiii^ ibeiu that
repose dnrìiìg the m id-da v fervour wliich traveliers in thune
clintates always enjoyed,* and wbicli was deenied so essential
to the préservation of'theîr hcaîth.
F. 1)2. Tlte confines ofsome ecmeterif. Flacon of intermont
in tlio east wero eofìiinoïìly situatcd in scènes of .solitude; we
niad of ono in tlio Misfory of tlie First Caleoder, ahotiiìding* wìtli
so mattv inonuioonts, that ì'wiv days wcrc «uceessively ppent in
ít wítbout the iiKjuirer beiti^ able to find tlie toiob lie looked
for: and from tlie «tory of Canen> it appeare that tlie doors of
thèse eerneteries w ère oíten lest ope n. Arab, Kiglifs, vol. i.
p. 112; vol. îiî. p. Vio.
F. 01. A Myralmbui comfit. The invention of tbis con-
fection is attributed by M. Cardon no to Avicenna, but tbere is
al)nn(lant reason, exclusive of our author's authority, to suppose
ít <>f i\ lìineb earii.r origin; bot b tlie Latins and G rocks were
• Pru xci. ft. The oxplnnatorr itération of tlie .« observent a erse
points ont a eoiieruìîy betvcen the Hebrew poet un d Hunier. A» the
contagion amoiigst the Greeks piodticed hy the excessive heat of the sou
was ashigned in the iliad to 1 he urrows of tlie 0»od of iijjsht, bo the de-
struction t h a t wîi>teí h ut iionu is attributed in the psalro to the arrow
that llieth hy d ay. It lias been oheerved by a uobleman of raany nei-ora-
plisbineuts, that thís verne shoold be acîded to the other passagesof Scrip-
mre whieh bave heen noted in the writings ascribed to Zoroaster,
182
MOTES,
acquainted wîtli tlio balsatn, and tho troc that produeed it was
indigenous in various parts oí'Arahia.
P, í-0. îìluc shìèf-s, FisJu'H of the s;ìm<* colon? arc men-
tîoned î11 tho Arabian Nigìity» and, like tliese, were endowed
wíth tlie gUï of speech.
P. 9H. Nests sfiìì hiijlicr thon îlte vlovd*. The no» »phor oí"
a nesf For a seeuiv habitation oecurn in the saered \vritin^.s:
finis Habakkuk: "W o to him that eoveteth an evîl eovetous-
iiess to bis lioii.se, that ho may sot Km n ost on liiglt, that ho
may hr d,iivcred IV"in tho pmver ot' * v ïï r and Ohadiah:
"thonpl» thon cxalt thyself as thc caple. and thoriMi tliou set
thy nost a m on g thc stars," &c. Tho «venins hore mentionod
seems to bave heon adopted tïom tlie Jewîwli notion os «ruardian
an^els, to whom tho snporiutondonee of chiMron is supposcd to
be comiaitted, and tu whieb ou r Saviour himsolf hath reíbrrcd
fMatt. xviii. 10); whilst tlie original possossors of tlio nost
may ho preHumed to havo been nome of thèse marvellous birds
si» froqtiently mentionod in Rastorn romanoo.
WarììKj streann on w/tich icere inscrits <l thc. faunes ot
Alla oìhÌ the Prophrf, Tho p«*«ition that u there is no God
but (ùnl. and Mahomet 'm bis prophot," pervades every part
of thc Mahométan religion, Banners, like t. h ose hore de-
-;eribed, aiv presoi v *d ín thc .-everal mos'jnc-. and on tht» doath
of extrnordinary perdons arc hnrnc hoforo the bior in solemn
*tato. \IA\j-. Coron,, vol. viì, p. 119, 20.
P, 90. Astrolabes, The mention of tho Astrolabe may l>o
íìecmod incompatible at tìrst view witli c-hronoîogicai «-xaohicss,
as therc h no instance of anv beíng construetod by a Musul-
man till aster tho tin.o of Vaîîiek. lt mav howoYfr bc re-
marked, to uo no h i «sb or, that Sincsius, bis hop of Ptolemais»
inventod one ín tho tifth century; and that Caratbis was not
only her->eìf a G rock, but also oultivated thoso sciences which
tho gond Mussulmans of hor lime ail îield in abhorrence.
Bailly, Híst, de l'Àstronom. Moderne, tom. í. p. 563, 573.
P, 101. On the ôanks of the siream hives and ora tories.
The beo is an infect hold ìn high vénération amonust the
Mahométans, it beiriff pointed out in thc Koran "for a eign
unto thc peuple that understand the Santons thorofore who

NOTES. 183
înhabit the fertile ban k .s of Iioenabad, are mit léss fainotiá for
♦lieir h ives thon f hoir oratorios. Herbe-lot, p. 717,
/A/;•/>'//./r;-.v os tlie impérial procession hujtin to proclaim.
This vÀri'nmAmwv oí sondin^ heralds îo anneunee flic approach
of a Hown-ï'^ìì reminds us of •' t! 1 '- voice of otie cmn*? in fisc
ivihlenies-.
P, 102. S/ni?,*. ('<oli.s. Shoiks are tin» chics s of the societiox
of" Derviche;-; ( adis are tlie ii i;« u'î-it rases osa t u w n 01* eity.
yl.v.vcy in hridlcs os fìhaml inscri.hrd srom -'sir Koran. \<
tlie jn«ljj:«\H of Israël îo aneient «In\^ rude on wliíte íw<es, ho
amonu'st the Mahométans thèse ílinf, alfect an oxtraurdiunry
snnetity use tlie naine animal ín préférence to llie, liorse» Sir
John ( 'hardin obsorvod îo varions pur f s of t he Kant tliat tiieir
reins, as bore roproHenfed, were of silk, wîlil tlie naine of Ood,
nr ofìier inscriptions opmi fhein, Lndeke Ii\po.«. b revis p.
■h): Chnrdm's ?dS. eifed by Uariucr.
P. 1 Ut. Otìe os tht'k»' íìnia-siecíìl, (jenii ftKsuminj ihc v.xierior
'sa .s/opfimi, dfr. bcgfiìì to pour srom ìnsjìufe, ^c. The Musc
w as cousidorod as a saered instrument, whieh .lace h and «f lier
holy sbophords lin d sanetitied by îi«îi!*x. íuligious Cerem. vol.
vii," p. 110.
Inrolun tarif// drawn toœurds the dcrìiri,'// os /7c h'dì. A
sîmilar instance of attraction may hc scen in the síory oi' Prince
Ahmed and tlie Péri Parihanon. Arabian Xi «z ht s. vol. jv.
p. 243.
P. 105. Eblìs: [Iorbolot supposes this tifle to bave heen a
corruption of Am0^oç, ft wim the, appellation eonlerred in
the Arabians upon the Prince of the Apostate Autels, w hom
tliey ivpresont an exihd to the in serin»! régions for reíusinír f"
worshîp Adam, at the com ma ud of the Suprême.
Cornpi nsfite i'nr thy impies ifs h// an exemplar// sise, ft îs an
CBtahlished article of tlie Musulman ereed, tliat the actions of
mankind are ail wc%hed in a vans nnerrin^ balance, and the
future condition of the a&vnts determined accord ing to the
prepomh rance oi" c*v il or ^uud. Thi.-j iietîoii, whkh soems to
have bec n borrowed srom the Jews, had probnbly its ori^in in
the figurative Linguale of Scriptsjrc; thus Psalm Ixiî, 9,
"Surely nie n oí* low degree are vanity, and m en of higli de-
gree are a lie: to be laid ín the balance, tbey are altogethcr
1%
MOTES,
lighter than vanity." And in Daniel, the sentence against the
king of Babylon inscribed on she wall: "Thou art weighed in
the balance, and found wanting."
P. 107. Balkis, This was the Arabian name of the Queen
of Shcha, who went i'r«»ni the south to hear the wisdom and
admire the glow of Solomon: the Koran represents her as a
worshipper of fire, Solomon is said not only to have enter-
tained her with the greatest magnificence, hut also to have
raised her to his bed and his throne. M Koran, ch. xxvii. and
Sale's notes; TIerbelot, p, 182.
P, 108. Of an architecture unknown in the records of the
cars h—an immense palace, whose walls were embossed with
various figuresSec. Thus Peliegrino Gaudenzi, in his descrip-
tion of the palace of sin;
Enorms jmndo al mioIo. imm.;usa molt?
I)' aspri mueigni in tenta e negri marmi
Per ciií serpeggiaii tlí sanguigua tinta
Lngubn vcm:: l*ath*rito sgnurdo
Muto s'erresta snip altera fronte
Ch' entro le nubi si sospingf. e s' alza
Huperbuiwnte a minaeeifir le stelle.
Sot to grand* ari-hi su marmoree basi
Faîi di fct"- mostra ^imiilacri nrrendi
Che in fan-ia ud essa i Demon fsibbri alzaro.
L" N-rscita di Crista^ c. i.
77/." chief of the eunuchs, trembling with fear, besought
Yathck thai a lire, might be kindled, strop w&y\cwra.i. s he very
heart of Bababalouk is congealed with apprehension. Where can
a more exquisite trait, both of nature and character, be found
than this request of the eunuch presents?
P, 109, They seemed not walking, hut falling, A similar
kind of progression is described by Milton:
By the band he took me rais'd;
And over fields and waters, as in air.
Smooth-sliding without- fetep last led me,
P. 110. The parement, strewed over with saffron. There are
several circumstances in the story of the Third Calender that
resemble those here mentioned, particularly a pavement strewed
with saffron and the horning of ambergris and aloes wood.
A throng of genii and other fantastic spirits, danced, êçc. A

y OTE s.
185
fiance os the sa nie kîncl, and hv siinilar po r forme r s, occurs in
tlie Historv of Ahmed and the Péri Parihanon.
F. 111. Lvt as ìidstc fiììd premiif yoa to Khi h. If ou r
author's description <>í" tlie Areli-Apostat^ ho oxarnined ìty the
eritorion os Arahian faith, and in référence to tho eireumHtances
of the story, there fan ho 110 diíiìenìty in ,'ippredíttîiì<í its merit;
Uaudenzi, in the poein alreadv eit^d, liatli deserihod tlie ap-
pearanee of Satan provimis to íhe hirtli of Christ, in a manner
thar denerve.s to lie notices!, tliongli the poem jtselfwere km
searee:
Fr a ijnesto orror da sue radad seosso
Tréma repente íì suoln, e ail' Oriente
Ardu a nifiiitapua con riinbomho estremo
K'apre per mezm: immeusa fore fleura
Mu^ishia d al foiìdo, e su m o, e íiamino, e lampi
Sbítccaiio a un trafic»; i sfracellati massì
llotaado «rdenti net .«itlíureo flutto
Ptainpau la piaggia di profonda traeeia.
1)aî neri írorirhi de! dolente regiio
('on i'ni'ihuHfîi/ orribile. iuu^if0
Itirnonta p<-i- l'upertu anipia vorago
L'Antriol d*abi>so a fmiestar la terra.
Come fiel!' océan min tiramia
Seoti'-ìa 13 al en a per gli ondosi eampi
M ove animosa, e eoll' énorme petto
L'atnpia spezzando rîmupphiante massa
Alzasi al giorno, e nel Uirbato foiìdo
II 11 ut f 0 «nneitto di sua môle adomhra;
Taie Sus au pcr vusto mar di íìainme
Ergesi a tiunto; immense ali protese
Alto flagellait von .«onorn serosein
L'on d a infernal, ehe in rosseggianti ri g h o
Sbalza stridente, e il eiel Tente di foeo.
Sotto grand* arelií di v H lu te. eiglia,
Quasi mincte sanguinn>e errant i
Per tenebrnse vie, di rabliía pregni
Volvonsì gli fH'fdii, e in cavernoso speco
Orrida *'apre i'i u fi a m ma ta boeea
Aiire spirante di veleuo infette.*
* Ht-ver al expressions in this passage appear to hâve been imitated
i'rom the fol lowing of Tasso:
Orrida maestà nel fera aspetto
Terrore aerresce, e píù superbo il rende;
Ilossegian gli oeehj. e di veneno iufetto,
Corne intausta eometa, il guardo spJeude;
Cil' in volve il mentn, e su í'irsuto petto
Ispida e fol ta la gran barba seende:
K i» guisa di Toragine profouda,
S'apre la bocea d'utro sangue i m m on da.
La Gents, c. iv. st» 7.
i86
NOTES.
Eglí s'nvanza, e il ma] ^untando e il etelo.
Impatiente con Je nègre braccia
Le r 11 pi affera, e d'un immeuso slancio
15 al/h al fOHÍîn délia frapposta arena.
Mille ûeì suo Infor «egmod Hpirti
€h* erungli sotto prr gl' iguítì porgliî.
Sfilaiïgi dietro, e e<dP íiiívrito sgnardo
In loi rivoltt gli si ikinio ai lianeo.
In sua possansîa «Iferarnente fjbra
Stuswi Poste (V À ver n o, e adombra il piano,
Sieeome mille e mille aimose qtierae
Che a' piè d'un' nlta serra ginea rnpe
Aride e nègre aì eielo ergwi le teste.
S'addopian Pnnibre délia notte, e sola
AI íolgorttr degl' ínfeinaií sguardí
Arde da lungi la solínga piaggia.
Corne spvzmtu da tune>te vaiupe
Massa dt iieiwbî,
Ov.ranahad. Tliîs nions fer îs represonted as a sierce flyíng
bydra, and belongs to tlie sa me eiass wîtli tlie Rakshe, w h ose
ordinary food was serpents and dragons» tlie Soham wliich liad
tlie lien d «f a. hors© wîtli four eyes and tlie body of a flame-
eoìoured dragon, tlie Syl, a basilisk wîtli a face resembling tlie
bnman, but eo tremondous f lmt no mort al conld bear to bebold
if, tlie Ejder and otbers. See tliese respective titles in Rich-
ard son'8 Dietionary, Fersian, Arabie, and Knglish.
P. 112. She e.vpccted to have seen some stupendous giant.
Such ia tlie représentation wbieh Dante bat b given of tbis in-
fernal sovereign;
L<> 'mperador dtd doloro«o repno
Da niezzo '1 petto use m fuor délia ghiaccia:
E piû con «n gigante i* mi eonvegno,
Che í gigantí non fan con le ruie braccia.
It ís more than probable (tliougli ífc hm nofc been notíced) that
Bon Quixote's mistake of tlie windmilla for gîants was sng-
gested to Cervantes by the following si n u le, ín wbich tlie tre-
mendous personage above mentioned ís so cornpared:
Però dinanzi mira,
Disse '1 maestro mi o, se tu '1 discerni.
Corne qnando una grossa nebbia spîra,
O quando P emisperio nostro annotta
Par da lungi un raulin che '1 vent o gira,
Veder mi parve on tal difîcio allotta.

W bat confirais tbis conjecture ís the repïy to Sancho's question,
NOTES
What siíuiís? n tride bv Don (luìxofi-, tri rofcronco ío iìw
tïïo laBt lines nf thc procedinii citation;
"-And U'-íiffi* Io ;i giiiin'* is rtty mk<>
TIìsmi tíhiìiN sov wlifîi (n liis an n» «"ninpKr'd.'*
Those thon st-est \onder, wit!î íbeir \a-t anns, and hoihc of
them there are tljíif n a eh nearlv two l'-a^iu•>•.'" iíoti Quixote,
parte print. eapit, vìii. p. .12; Dante *!t îl* Inferne, omf. xxxiv.
it n»ay lie addod tìiat a ri<ìwj wtnd Ls mentionod in both.
í >íY//?/rr,v os riais, JVothino t-i hiIíÌ hâve been more nppositely
imauinod than this comp- llatinn. Eblirf had Htiíiered a dégrada-
tion trot» his prititeud ra nie, and was eonMijjfncd to tìu-fiv relions
for linving refiised to worshíp Adam, in obédience fo the su-
prême eommand; íille<.;iiij,r in j'isliíieafion os his refusai, thaï
himsolf had been formed of ethoreal lire, wliìlnt Adam w as only
a erraîtire ol elay. AI Koran, e, Ô ô, tVc.
Th cjori n-s.s ils Ahcrman, In flic iiiytliology of f he Kasterns,
Ahernian was ueeountod the Démon of Discord. The aneient
I Vrsian romances nbomid in descriptions of this íortress» in
winch the iitíerior denions assemble to reeeive the bchesN of
thcir ÍVinee, and from whom thov procced to exercise tlieîr
malice in ovcrv part of the world. Ilerholot, p, 7 L
Thc luills of Anjonk. The halls us this iniglity díve» who
rei^ned in the înonntains of Kaf, eonfained the statues of the
>eventv-í \vo HoliniaiiH, and the port rai f s of the varions créatures
subjeet to them, net ono of whieh hure the slíyhtost similitude
to man; some had many ìieads, oihern many a r m h, and some
eonskted of many l)odi< s; their ht ads. \ver<* ail verv extraoi-
dìnary, .«orne rexemblinj: the éléphant'*, the buffalo's. and the
boa r's, wliilst otliers were stíìì more mon-trons. I lorhelot, p.
H2ÍK Ariosto, wlio owch more to Anibiait fable than his com-
moutators hâve hitherto <uppo«ed, secins to have heen no
strang-er to the halls of Ar-enk wheîi he deseriheíl the foun-
tain o f Merlin:
Era un:i iMìe í>,nti di Mt-rlino
Delle quaitj-o di F ranci h da lui faste;
il'iiiíorijo rhiía di hf-l marnio ííiìo,
Liu'ido, e tei>o, e bianeo jm'i vhe latte,
Qnîvj d'iiitag-lio con iavnr rlívêio
Avííe Merìino munitgim i itratte.
m
NOTES.
Direste che spiravano, e se prive
Non fossero di voce, eh' erari vive.
Quivi una Bestia uscir della foresta
Purea di enidel vi>tu, odiosa, e brutta.
Che avea le orecchie d'asino, e la test»
Di lupo, e î denti, e per grati fame asciutta;
Branche avea dì ìeon; l'altro, che resta,
Tutto era volpe.
P. 113, Holding his tight stand motionless mi his heari.
Sandys observes tliat the application of the ri gli t band to the
lieart is the* eustomary mode of eastern salutation; but the per-
sévérance of the vo tari es of Ehlia in this attitude was intencletl
to express their dévotion to hi in both ìieart and band.
F. 114. In my lift tìnte I sdì ed y Ssc. This recital agrées
with tho.se in the Koran and other Arabian lee;onds.
An unrelenting sire prci/s on- my heari» 1 lari ri, to convey
the most ibrcible idea of extrême anxiety, represents the heait
as tormented by fierce burniog coals; this for m of specoli it
is observed îs proverbial, but do we noi see wbence the proverb
arose *? Chappelow's Sîx Assembliez, p. 106.
P, 115. In the aìmde of re m séance and despais, Tini*
Da n te's description over the gate of beli:
Per me si va nella città dolente:
Per me si va nelP eterno dolore;
Per mesi va tra Ja perduta gente.
Giustizia mosse '1 mio alto fattore:
Feeemi 1» divina potestate,
La somma sapienza, e '1 primo amore.
Dinanzi a ine non sur eose create.
Se non eterne, ed io eterno duro:
Lasciate ogni speranza, voi che 'ntrate.
Canio 3.
Through me y ou pass to Mourning's dark domain;
Through me to scènes where Urief must e ver pine;
Through me, to Misery's devoted train,
J astice and power in my Great Fon rider join,
And love and wisdom ali his fabrics rear;
Wisdom above control, and love divine!
Before ine Nature saw no works anpear,
Bave works eternai; sueh vas i ordained.
Quit every h ope, ali ve wlìo enter here.
IIow itiueh bave the public to regret, after the specimen given,
that Mr, Hayley dici not complete the Inferno Î

NOTES.
P, 117. Curiiilus on (lie l><tvk of an a f ris. The expédition
«»f tlie afrít in frt'*í)inur Carat h is in eharat.-terisfir <>f tliís onlet
oï dîves. We read in lin* Koran íhat another of the í'raternit v
offerecî to l>rîtio- Hic Qneen of Raba's throne to Salomon belbre
he cou Kl ris*» froni Iiis place, eh. 27»
P. 118. Brotlu rhootl. Thère beinnf a lacune in Lis trnnscript
os tlie original, lite translater lias rétif nred to insert 111ïm wo rd,
as the ûïìly ono he eouîd BiiWtìtute to a^nv wîtl» tlie confexf.
P. 120. (tlf!/)i't d off in a it'hìrl tìxit roui* rt d her iinisiliìr.
ït wîib not îll eoneeived ro punislt íjarathis by a rite of íhn.t
science in wliícli she Hiipremely delighted, and wliîch was the
priniary cause oï lier o w n and Vathck'a perdition. À dériva-
tive of the ver h heíbre rendered to wliîrl in a inamical manner
(see note, p, 180), FΫxïiífìeB in the Koran tlie g'Jíriiïtieriiìg" o f
twîlig*ht, a sensé dedneibìe l'rom the shapeless glimpses of oh-
jeets ivlieu hurried round wîtli tlie veìodty liere deseríhed,
TUey ut once f ost the mont precimts of the gif in ofhearen—
íìope. It is a Foofliing" rehVetion to tlie hnlk of mankind that
tlie cornmonness of any liìeHRtng* is tlie true test of ifs vaine;
h en ce h ope is jiistly stvìed the nmst precious of the gifts of
heaven," becatise, as Thaïes long mnee obsened—cíç aXXo jur,hf«
avrn rrapi-nv—it abides wítlì tliose who are destítnte of every
oîÌm r.
THE END.
CHISWiCK, FBESS:—FIUNTED HV VHITTl.NiillAM AND WILK1XS,
TDOK'S < (>l HT, CHÁJVCEKY LAN K.

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