My lady, your sister there, called me this morning at the place where I plied as a porter to see if anybody would employ me, that I might get my bread; I followed her to a vintner's, then to an herb-woman's, then to one that sold oranges, lemons, and citrons, then to a grocer's, next to a confectioner's and a druggist's, with my basket upon my head, as full as I was able to carry it; then I came hither, where you had the goodness to suffer me to continue till now; a favour that I shall never forget. This, Madam, is my history.
When the porter had done, Zobeide says to him, Go, march; let us see you no more here. Madam, replies the porter, I beg you to let me stay; it would be just, after the rest have had the pleasure to hear my history, that I should also have the satisfaction to hear theirs. And having spoken thus, he sat him down at the end of the sofa, glad to the heart to have escaped the danger that had frightened him so much. After him, one of the three calenders, directing his speech to Zobeide, as the principal of the three ladies, and the person that commanded him to speak, began his history thus;
THE HISTORY OF THE FIRST CALENDER, A KING'S SON
Madam, in order to inform you how I lost my right eye, and why I was obliged to put myself into a calender's habit, I must tell you that I am king's son born; the king my father had a brother that reigned, as he did, over a neighbouring kingdom; and the prince his son and I were almost of one age.
After I had learned my exercises, and that the king my father granted me such liberty as suited my dignity, I went regularly every year to see my uncle, at whose court I diverted myself during a month or two, and then returned again to my father's. These several journies gave occasion of contracting a very firm and particular friendship between the prince my cousin and myself. The last time I saw him, he received me with greater demonstrations of tenderness than he had done at any time before; and resolving one day to give me a treat, he made great preparations for that purpose. We continued a long time at table, and after we had both supped very well, Cousin, says he, you will hardly be able to guess how I have been employed since your last departure from hence, now about a year past. I have had a great many men at work to perfect a design I have had in my mind; I have caused an edifice to be built, which is now finished so well as one may dwell in it: You will not be displeased if I show'it you. But first you are to promise me, upon oath, that you will keep my secret, according to the confidence I repose in you.
The love and familiarity existing between us would not allow me to refuse him any thing. I very readily took the oath required of me: Upon which he says to me, Stay here till I return; I will be with you in a moment: and accordingly he came with a lady in his hand, of singular beauty, and magnificently apparrelled. He did not discover who she was, neither did I think it was polite in me to make inquiry. We sat down again with this lady at table, where we continued some time entertaining ourselves with discourses upon indifferent subjects; and now and then a full glass to drink one another's health. After which the prince said, Cousin, we must lose no time, therefore pray oblige me to take this lady along with you, and conduct her to such a place, where you will see a tomb newly built in the form of a dome; you will easily know it; the gate is open; go in there together, and tarry till I come, which will be very speedily.
Being true to my oath, I made no further inquiry, but took the lady by the hand, and by the directions which the prince my cousin had given me, I brought her to the place, by the light of the moon, without losing one step of the way. We were scarcely got thither, when we saw the prince following after, carrying a little pitcher with water, a hatchet, and a little bag with plaister.
The hatchet served him to break down the empty sepulchre in the middle of the tomb; he took away the stones one after another, and laid them in a corner. When all this was taken away, he digged up the ground, where I saw a trap-door under the sepulchre, which he lifted up, and underneath perceived the head of a staircase leading into a vault. Then my cousin, speaking to the lady, said, Madam, it is by this way that we are to go to the place I told you of. Upon which the lady drew nigh and went down, and the prince began to follow after, but, turning first to me, said, My dear cousin, I am infinitely obliged to you for the trouble you have been at; I thank you: Adieu. I cried, Dear cousin, what is the meaning of this? Be content, replied he; you may return back the same way you came.
Madam, said the calender to Zobeide, I could get nothing further from him, but was obliged to take leave of him; as I returned to my uncle's palace, the vapours of the wine got up into my head; however, I got to my apartment, and went to bed. Next morning, when I awaked, I began to reflect upon what befel me the night before, and, after recollecting all the circumstances of such a singular adventure, I fancied it was nothing but a dream. Being full of these thoughts, I sent to see if the prince my cousin was ready to receive a visit from me; but when they brought back word that he did not lie in his own lodgings that night, they knew not what was become of him, and were in much trouble about it, I conceived that the strange event of the tomb was but too true. I was sensibly afflicted at it, and, stealing away privately from my people, I went to the public burying-place, where there was a vast number of tombs like that which I had seen. I spent the day in viewing them one after another, but could not find that I sought for; and thus I spent four days successively in vain.
You must know all this while the king my uncle was absent, and had been a-hunting for several days. I grew weary of staying for him, and having prayed his ministers to make my apology to him at his return, I left his palace, and set towards my father's court, from which I had never been so long absent before. I left the ministers of the king my uncle in great trouble to think what had become of the prince my cousin; but, because of the oath I had made to keep his secret, I durst not tell them any thing of what I had seen or knew, in order to make them easy.
I arrived at my father's capital, the usual place of his residence, where, contrary to custom, I found a great guard at the gate of the palace, who surrounded me as I entered. I asked the reason, and the commanding officer replied, Prince, the army proclaimed the grand vizier king instead of your father, who is dead; and I take you prisoner in the name of the new king. At these words the guards laid hold of me, and carried me before the tyrant. I leave you to judge, madam, how much I was surprised and grieved.
The rebel vizier had entertained a mortal hatred against me for a long time upon this occasion: When,I was a stripling, I loved to shoot with a cross-bow; and being one day upon the terrace of the palace with my bow, a bird happened to come by; I shot, but missed him, and the ball by misfortune hit the vizier, who was taking the air upon the terrace of his own house, and put out one of his eyes. As soon as I understood it, I not only sent to make my excuse to him, but did it in person; yet he always resented it, and, as opportunity offered, made me sensible of it. But now, madam, that he had me in his power, he expressed his resentment in a very barbarous manner; for he came to me like a madman as soon as ever he saw me, and, thrusting his finger into my right eye, pulled it out himself; and so, madam, I became blind of one eye.
But the usurper's cruelty did not stop here; he ordered me to be shut up in a box, and commanded the executioner to carry me into the country to cut off my head, and leave me to be devoured by the birds of prey. The hangman and another carried me, thus shut up on horseback, into the country, in order to execute the usurper's barbarous sentence; but by my prayers and tears I moved the executioner's compassion. Go, says he, get you speedily out of the kingdom, and take heed of ever returning to it, otherwise you will certainly meet with your own ruin and be the cause of mine. I thanked him for the favour he did me; and as soon as I was left alone, I comforted myself for the loss of my eye, by considering that I had very narrowly escaped a much greater danger.
Being in such a condition, I could not travel far at a time. I retired to remote places while it was day, and travelled as far by night as my strength would allow me. At last I arrived in the dominions of the king my uncle, and came to his capital.
I gave him a long detail of the tragical cause of my return, and of the sad condition he saw me in. Alas! cried he, was it not enough for me to have lost my son; but must I have also news of the death of a brother I loved so dearly, and see you also reduced to this deplorable condition? He
