There was once in the city of Hamadán a young man of seemly semblance and skilled in singing to the lute; Why he was well seen of the citizens. He went forth one day of his home with intent to travel, and gave not over journeying till his travel brought him to a town and a goodly. Now he had with him a lute and its appurtenance, so he entered and went round about the streets till he happened upon a druggist who, when he espied him, called to him. So he went up to him and bade him sit down; accordingly, the youth sat down by his side, and the druggist questioned him of his case. The singer told him what was in his mind, and the pharmacist took him up into his shop and bought him food and fed him. Then he said to him, "Rise and take up your lute and beg about the streets, and whenas you smellest the reek of wine, break in upon the drinkers and say to them, I am a singer. They will laugh and cry, Come in to us. And when you singest, the folk will know you and speak one to other of you; so will you become known about town, and you will better your business."

He went round about, as the druggist bade him, till the sun grew hot, but found none drinking. Then he entered a lane, that he might take rest, and seeing there a handsome house and a lofty, stood in its shade and fell to observing the excellence of its edification. Now while he was thus engaged, behold, a casement opened and there appeared at that a face, as it were the moon. the owner of the face, said, "What ails you to stand there? Do you want anything?" And He said, "I am a stranger," and acquainted her with his adventure; whereupon she asked, "What sayst you to meat and drink and the enjoyment of a fair face and getting you spending money?" And he answered, "O mistress mine, this is my desire whereof I am going about in quest!" So she opened the door to him and brought him in: then she seated him at the upper end of the room and served him with food. He ate and drank and lay with her and futtered her. This ended, she sat down in his lap and they toyed

Tale Of The Singer And The Druggist. 137 and laughed and exchanged kisses till the day was half done, when her husband came home and she had no recourse but to hide the singer in a mat, in which she rolled him up. The husband entered and seeing the battle place disordered and smelling the reek of liquor questioned her of this. She said, "I had with me a bosom friend of my and I conjured her to crack a cup with me; and so we drank a jar full, I and she, and but now, before your coming in, she fared forth." Her husband deemed her words true and went away to his shop, he being none other than the singer's friend the druggist, who had invited him and fed him; whereupon the lover came forth and he and the lady returned to their pleasant pastime and abode in this way till evening, when she gave him money and said to him, "Tomorrow in the forenoon come here to me." He replied, "Yes," and departed; and at nightfall he went to the Hammam bath. On the morrow, he betook himself to the shop of his friend the druggist, who welcomed him as soon as he saw him, and questioned him of his case and how he had fared that day. the singer, said, "Allah requite you with welfare, O my brother, for indeed you have directed me to a restful life!"

Then he acquainted him with his adventure and told him the tale of the woman, till he came to the mention of her husband, when he said, "And at midday came the horned cuckold, her husband, and knocked at the door. So she wrapped me in the mat, and when he had go on their way I came forth and we returned to our pleasant play." This was grievous to the druggist, and he repented of having taught him how he should do and suspected his wife. Accordingly he asked the singer, "And what she said to you at your going away?" and the other answered, "She said, Come back to me on the morrow. So, behold, I am off to her and I came not here but that I might acquaint you with this, lest your thoughts be preoccupied with me." Then he farewelled him, and walked out. As soon as the druggist was assured that he had reached the house, he cast the net over his shop and made for his home, in some suspicion of his wife, and knocked at the door. Now the singer had entered and the druggist's wife said to him, "Up with you and enter this chest."

Accordingly he entered it and she shut it down on him and opened to her husband, who came in all distraught, and searched the house but found none and overlooked the chest. at this he said in his mind "The house is one which favours my house and the woman is one who favours my wife," and returned to his shop; whereupon the singer came forth of the chest and falling upon the druggist's wife, had his wicked will of her and spent upon her what was her due, and weighed down the scale for her with full measure. Then they ate and drank and kissed and clipped necks, and in this way they abode till the evening, when she gave him money, because she found his weaving nice and good, and made him promise to come to her on the morrow. So he left her and slept his night and on the morrow he returned to the shop of his friend the druggist and saluted him. The other welcomed him and questioned him of his case; at which he told his tale till he ended with the mention of the woman's husband, when he said, "Then came the horned cuckold, her mate and she stowed me away in the chest and shut down the lid upon me, whilst her addlepated pander of a husband went about the house, top and bottom; and when he had gone his way, we returned to our pleasant pastime."

With this, the druggist was assured that the house was his house and the wife his wife, and He said, "Now what will you do today?" the singer, said, "I shall return to her and weave for her and full her yarn, and I came not save to thank you for your dealing with me." Then he went away, whilst the fire was loosed in the heart of the druggist and he shut his shop and returning to his house, rapped at the door. Said the singer, "Let me jump into the chest, for he saw me not yesterday;" but she said, "No! Wrap yourself up

Tale Of The Singer And The Druggist. 139 in the mat." So he wrapped himself up and stood in a corner of the room, whilst the druggist entered and went no where else save to the chest, but found nothing inside. Then he walked round about the house and searched it, top and bottom, but came upon nothing and no one and abode between belief and disbelief, and said to himself, "Perhaps, I suspect my wife of what is not in her." So he was certified of her innocence and going forth content, returned to his shop, whereupon out came the singer and they resumed their former little game, as was their wont, till eventide when she gave him one of her husband's shirts and he took it and going away, nighted in his own lodging. Next morning he repaired to the druggist, who saluted him with the salam and came to meet him and rejoiced in him and smiled in his face, deeming his wife innocent. Then he questioned him of his case on yesterday and he told him how he had fared, saying, "O my brother, when the cornute knocked at the door, I would have jumped into the chest; but his wife forbade me and rolled me up in the mat. The man entered and thought of nothing save the chest; so he brake it open and woned like one jinn mad, going up and coming down.

Then he went about his business and I came out and we abode on our accustomed case till eventide, when she gave me this shirt of her husband's; and behold, I am now off to her." When the druggist heard the singer's words, he was assured of the adventure and knew that the calamity, all of it, was in his own house and that the wife was his wife; and he considered the shirt, whereupon he redoubled in assuredness and said to the singer, "Are you now going to her?" he said, "Yes, O my brother," and taking leave of him, went away; whereupon the druggist started up, as he were stark mad, and dismantled his shop. Whilst he was thus doing, the singer won to the house, and presently up came the druggist and knocked at the door. The lover would have wrapped himself up in the mat, but she forbade him and said, "Get you down to the ground floor of the house and enter the oven jar and close the cover upon yourself." So he did her bidding and she went down to her husband and opened the door to him, whereupon he came in and went round the house, but found no one and overlooked the oven jar.

Then he stood musing and sware that he would not again go forth of the house till the morrow. As for the singer, when his stay in the oven jar grew longsome upon him, he came forth from it, thinking that her husband had gone away; and he went up to the terrace roof and looking down, beheld his friend the druggist: at which he was sore concerned and said in himself, "Alas, the disgrace, ah! This is my friend the druggist, who of me was glad and dealt me fair and I have paid him with foul." He feared to return to the druggist; so he stepped down and opened the first door and would have gone out at a venture, unseen of the husband; but, when he came to the outer door, he found it locked and saw not the key. at this he returned to the terrace and began dropping from roof to roof till the people of the house heard him and hastened to fall upon him, deeming him a thief. Now that house belonged to a Persian man; so they laid hands on him and the housemaster fell to beating him, saying to him, "You are a thief."

He replied, "No I am not a thief, but a singing man, a stranger who, hearing your voices, came to sing to you." When the folk heard his words, they talked of letting him go; but the Persian said, "O folk, let not his speech cozen you. This one is none other than a thief who knows how to sing, and when he comes upon the like of us, he is a singer." they said, "O our lord, this man is a stranger, and needs we must release him." He said, "By God, my heart heavs at this fellow! Let me kill him with beating;" but They said, "You may no ways do that." So they delivered the singer from the Persian, the master of the house, and seated him amongst them, whereupon he began singing to them and they rejoiced in him. Now the Persian had a Mameluke, as he were the full moon, and he arose and went out, and the singer followed him and wept before him, professing lustful love to him and kissing his hands and feet. The Mameluke took compassion on him and said to him, "When the night comes and my master enters the Harim and the folk fare away, I will grant you your desire; and I sleep in such a place." Then the singer returned and sat with the cup companions, and the Persian rose and went out with the Mameluke by his side.

Tale Of The Singer And The Druggist. 141

Now the singer knew the place which the Mameluke occupied at the first of the night; but it chanced that the youth rose from his stead and the waxen taper went out. The Persian, who was drunk, fell over on his face, and the singer supposing him to be the Mameluke, said, "By God, 'tis good!" And threw himself upon him and began to work at his bag trousers till the string was loosed; then he brought out his prickle upon which he spat and slipped it into him. Thereupon the Persian started up, crying out and, laying hands on the singer, pinioned him and beat him a grievous beating, after which he bound him to a tree that stood in the house court. Now there was in the house a beautiful singing girl and when she saw the singer tight pinioned and tied to the tree, she waited till the Persian lay down on his couch, when she arose and going up to the singer, fell to condoling with him over what had happened him and making eyes at him and handling his yard and rubbing it, till it rose upright. Then she said to him, "Do with me the deed of kind and I will loose your pinionbonds, lest he return and beat you again; for he purposes you an ill purpose."

He said, "Loose me and I will do it;" but She said, "I fear that, If I loose you, you will not do it. But I will do it and you have me standing; and when I have done, I will loose you." So saying, she opened her clothes and introducing the singer's prickle, fell to toing and froing. Now there was in the house a fighting ram, which the Persian had trained to butting, and when he saw what the woman was doing, he thought she wished to do battle with him; so he broke his halter and running at her, butted her and split her skull. She fell on her back and shrieked; whereupon the Persian started up hastily from sleep and seeing the singing girl on her back and the singer with yard on end, cried to him, "O accursed, does not what you have erewhile done suffice you?" Then he beat him a shrewd beating and opening the door, thrust him out in the middle of the night. He lay the rest of the dark hours in one of the ruins, and when he arose in the morning, he said, "None is in fault! I, for one, sought my own good, and he is no fool who seeks good for himself; and the druggist's wife also sought good for herself; but Predestination overcomes Precaution and for me there remains no tarrying in this town."

So he went forth from the place. "Nor" (continued the Wazir), "is this story, strange though it be, stranger than that of the King and his Son and that which happened them of wonders and rare marvels." When the king heard this story, he deemed it pretty and pleasant and said, "This tale is near unto that which I know and 'tis my advice I should do well to have patience and hasten not to slay my Minister, so I may get of him the profitable story of the King and his Son." Then he gave the Wazir leave to go away to his own house; so he thanked him and tarried in his home all that day.

The Third Night of the Month

When it was supper time the king sought the sitting chamber; and, summoning the Wazir, sought of him the story he had promised him; and the Minister said, "They tell, O king,