Merchant Hasan.

There was once, long ago and in ages and times long gone before, a King of the Kings of the Persians, by name Mohammed bin Sabáik, who ruled over Khorásán land and used every year to go on razzia into the countries of the Miscreants in Hind and Sind and China and the lands of Máwarannahr beyond the Oxus and other regions of the barbarians and what not else. He was a just King, a valiant and a generous,

Mohammed Bin Sabaik and the Merchant. 309 and loved table talk and tales and verses and anecdotes and histories and entertaining stories and legends of the ancients. whoever knew a rare recital and related it to him in such fashion as to please him he would bestow on him a sumptuous robe of honour and clothe him from head to foot and give him a thousand dinars, and mount him on a horse saddled and bridled besides other great gifts; and the man would take all this and go on their way. Now it chanced that one day there came an old man before him and related to him a rare story, which pleased the King and made him marvel, so he ordered him a magnificent present, amongst other things a thousand dinars of Khorasan and a horse with its housings and trappings. After this, the bruit of the King's munificence was blazed abroad in all countries and there heard of him a man, Hasan the Merchant called, who was generous, open handed and learned, a scholar and an accomplished poet. Now the King had an envious Wazir, a multum in parvo of ill, loving no man, rich nor poor, and whoever came before the King and he gave him anything he envied him and said, "truly, this fashion annihilats wealth and ruins the land; and such is the custom of the King."

But this was nothing save envy and despite in that Minister. Presently, the King heard talk of Hasan the Merchant and sending for him, said to him as soon as he came into the presence, "O Merchant Hasan, this Wazir of mine vexes and thwarts me concerning the money I give to poets and boon companions and story tellers and glee men, and I would have you tell me a goodly history and a rare story, such as I have never before heard. If it please me, I will give you lands galore, with their forts, in free tenure, in addition to your fiefs and untaxed lands; besides which I will put my whole kingdom in your hands and make you my Chief Wazir; so will your sit on my right hand and rule my subjects. But, If you bring me not that which I bid you, I will take all that is in your hand and banish you my realm." Replied Hasan, "I hear and I obey to our lord the King! But your slave beseeches you to have patience with him a year; then will he tell you a tale, such as you have never in your life heard, neither has other than you heard its like, not to say a better than it." the King said, "I grant you a whole year's delay." And he called for a costly robe of honour in which he robed Hasan, saying, "Keep your house and mount not horse, neither go nor come for a year's time, till you bring me that I seek of you. If you bring it, especial favour awaits you and you may count upon that which I have promised you; but, If you bring it not, you are not of us nor are we of you." —

When it was the Seven Hundred and Fifty seventh night

Hasan kissed ground before the King and went out from the presence. Then he chose five of the best of his Mamelukes, who could all write and read and were learned, intelligent, accomplished; and he gave each of them five thousand dinars, saying, "I reared you not save for the like of this day; so do you help me to further the King's desire and deliver me from his hand." They said, "What will you have us do? Our lives be your ransom!" He said, "I wish you to go each to a different country and seek out diligently the learned and erudite and literate and the tellers of wondrous stories and marvellous histories and do your endeavour to procure me the story of Sayf al-Muluk. If you find it with any one, pay him what price soever he asks for it although he demand a thousand dinars; give him what you may and promise him the rest and bring me the story; for whoever happens on it and brings it to me, I will bestow on him a costly robe of honour and largesse galore, and there shall be to me none more worshipped than he." Then he said to one of them, "Hie you to al-Hind and al-Sind and all their provinces and dependencies." To another, "Hie you to the home of the Persians and to China and her climates." To the third, "Hie you to the land of Khorasan with its districts." To the fourth, "Hie you to Mauritania and all its regions, districts, provinces and quarters." And to the fifth, "Hie you to Syria and Egypt and their outliers." Moreover, he chose

Mohammed Bin Sabaik and the Merchant. 311 them out an auspicious day and said to them, "Pare you forth this day and be diligent in the accomplishment of my need and be not slothful, though the case cost you your lives." So they farewelled him and departed, each taking the direction prescribed to him. Now, four of them were absent four months, and searched but found nothing; so they returned and told their master, whose breast was straitened, that they had ransacked towns and cities and countries for the thing he sought, but had happened upon nothing of it. Meanwhile, the fifth servant journeyed till he came to the land of Syria and entered Damascus, which he found a pleasant city and a secure, abounding in trees and rills, leas and fruiteries and birds chanting the praises of Allah the One, the All powerful of sway, Creator of Night and Day. Here he tarried some time, asking for his master's desire, but none answered him, Why he was on the point of departing thence to another place, when he met a young man running and stumbling over his skirts. So he asked of him, "Why runnest you in such eagerness and where do you press?"

And he answered, "There is an elder here, a man of learning, who every day at this time takes his seat on a stool and relats tales and stories and delectable anecdotes, whereof never heard any the like; and I am running to get me a place near him and fear I shall find no room, because of the much folk." the Mameluke said, "Take me with you;" and the youth said, "Make haste in your walking." So he shut his door and hastened with him to the place of recitation, where he saw an old man of bright favour seated on a stool holding forth to the folk. He sat down near him and addressed himself to hear his story, till the going down of the sun, when the old man made an end of his tale and the people, having heard it all, dispersed from about him; whereupon the Mameluke accosted him and saluted him, and he returned his salam and greeted him with the utmost worship and courtesy. Then said the messenger to him, "O my lord Shaykh, you are a comely and reverend man, and your discourse is goodly; but I would glad ask you of somewhat." Replied the old man, "Ask of what you will!" Then said the Mameluke, "Have you the story of Sayf al-Muluk and Badí'aa al-Jamál?" Rejoined the elder,

"And who told you of this story and informed you of it?" Answered the messenger, "None told me of it, but I am come from a far country, in quest of this tale, and I will pay you whatever you ask for its price if you have it and will, of your bounty and charity, impart it to me and make it an alms to me, of the generosity of your nature for, had I my life in my hand and lavished it upon you for this thing, yet were it pleasing to my heart." Replied the old man, "Be of good cheer and keep yours eye cool and clear: you will have it; but this is no story that one tells in the beaten highway, nor do I give it to every one." Cried the other, "By God, O my lord, do not grudge it me, but ask of me what price you will." And the old man, "If you wish for the history give me an hundred dinars and you will have it; but upon five conditions."

Now when the Mameluke knew that the old man had the story and was willing to sell it to him, he joyed with exceeding joy and said, "I will give you the hundred dinars by way of price and ten to boot as a gratuity and take it on the conditions of which you speak." Said the old man, "Then go and fetch the gold pieces, and take that you seek." So the messenger kissed his hands and joyful and happy returned to his lodging, where he laid an hundred and ten dinars in a purse he had by him. As soon as morning morrowed, he donned his clothes and taking the dinars, repaired to the storyteller, whom he found seated at the door of his house. So he saluted him and the other returned his salam. Then he gave him the gold and the old man took it and carrying the messenger into his house made him sit down in a convenient place, when he set before him ink case and reed pen and paper and giving him a book, said to him, "Write out what you seek of the night story of Sayf al-Muluk from this book." Accordingly the Mameluke fell to work and wrote till he had made an end of his copy, when he read it to the old man, and he corrected it and presently said to him, "Know, O my son, that my five conditions are as follows; firstly, that you tell not this story in the beaten high road nor before women and slave girls nor to black slaves nor feather heads; nor again to boys; but read it only before Kings and Emirs and Wazirs and men of learning, such as expounders of the Koran and others."

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Thereupon the messenger accepted the conditions and kissing the old man's hand, took leave of him, and fared forth. —

When it was the Seven Hundred and Fifty eighth night

(Now of the term appointed between Hasan and the King there wanted but ten days.) Then, after taking rest in his own quarters he himself went in to the Merchant and told him all that had befallen him and gave him the book containing the story of Sayf al-Muluk and Badi'a al-Jamal, when Hasan joyed with exceeding joy at the sight and bestowed on him all the clothes he had on and gave him ten thoroughbred horses and the like number of camels and mules and three negro chattels and two white slaves. Then Hasan took the book and copied out the story plainly in his own hand: after which he presented himself before the King and said to him, "O you auspicious King, I have brought you a night story and a rarely pleasant relation, whose like none ever heard at all." When these words reached the King's ear, he sent directly for all the Emirs, who were men of understanding, and all the learned doctors and folk of erudition and culture and poets and wits; and Hasan sat down and read the history before the King, who marvelled at that and approved it, as did all who were present, and they showered gold and silver and jewels upon the Merchant. Moreover, the King bestowed on him a costly robe of honour of the richest of his raiment and gave him a great city with its castles and outliers; and he appointed him one of his Chief Wazirs and seated him on his right hand. Then he caused the scribes write the story in letters of gold and lay it up in his privy treasures; and whenever his breast was straitened, he would summon Hasan and he would read him the story, which was as follows: