The Commander of the Faithful, Harun al-Rashid, was exceedingly restless one night; so he said to his Wazir Ja'afar, "I am sleepless to night and my breast is straitened and I know not what to do." Now his castrato Masrur was standing before him, and he laughed; whereupon the Caliph said, "At whom laughest you? is it to make mock of me or has madness seized you?" Answered Masrur, "Nay, By God, O Commander of the Faith —

When it was the Four Hundredth night

Answered Masrur, "Nay, By God, O Commander of the Faithful, I swear by your kinship to the Prince of Apostles, I did it not of my free will; but I went out yesterday to walk within sight of the palace and, coming to the bank of the Tigris, saw there the folk collected; so I stopped and found a man, Ibn al-Karibi called, who was making them laugh; but just now I recalled what he said, and laughter got the better of me; and I crave pardon of you, O Commander of the Faithful!" The Caliph, said, "Bring him to me directly;" so Masrur repaired in all haste to Ibn al-Karibi and said to him, "Answer the summons of the Commander of the Faithful," whereto he replied, "I hear and obey" "But on condition," added Masrur, "that, if he give you anything, you will have a quarter and the rest shall be mine." Replied the droll, "Nay, you will have half and I half" Rejoined Masrur, "Not so, I will have three quarters." Lastly said Ibn al-Karibi, "You will have two thirds and I the other third;" to which Masrur agreed, after much higgling and haggling, and they returned to the palace together.

Now when Ibn al-Karibi came into the Caliph's presence he saluted him as men greet the Caliphate, and stood before him; whereupon said Al-Rashid to him, "If you do not make me laugh, I will give you three blows with this bag." Ibn al-Karibi in his mind, said, "And a small matter were blows with that bag, seeing that beating with whips hurts me not;" for he thought the bag was empty. Then he began to deal out his drolleries, such as would make the dismallest jemmy guffaw, and gave vent to all manner of buffooneries; but the Caliph laughed not neither smiled, at which Ibn al-Karibi marvelled and was chagrined and affrighted. Then said the Commander of the Faithful, "Now have you earned the beating," and gave him a blow with the bag, in which were four pebbles each two rotols in weight. The blow fell on his neck and he gave a great cry, then calling to mind his compact with Masrur, said, "Pardon, O Commander of the Faithful! Hear two words from me." the Caliph, said, "Say on," and Ibn al-Karibi, said, "Masrur made it a condition with me and I a covenant with him, that whatever largesse might come to me of the bounties of the Commander of the Faithful, one third of it should be my and the rest his; nor did he agree to leave me so much as one third, save after much higgling and haggling. Now you have bestowed on me nothing but beating; I have had my share and here stands he, ready to receive his portion; so pay him the two other blows."

Now when the Caliph heard this, he laughed till he fell on his back; then calling Masrur, he gave him a blow, at which he cried out and said, "O Commander of the Faithful, the one third suffics me: give him the two thirds."—

When it was the Four Hundred and First night

So the Caliph laughed at them and ordered them a thousand dinars each, and they went away, rejoicing at the largesse. And of the tales they tell is one of

The Devotee Prince. 111