There lived at the Court of a certain King a man wherewith he was wont to jest and this droll was unmated. So one day of the days the Sultan said to him, "O Man, you are a bachelor, so suffer us to marry you," and said the buffoon, "No,; allow me to remain in single blessedness, for in womankind there is no rest and they work many a wile, and indeed I fear lest Perhaps we fall upon one who shall be of the fornicatresses, the adulteresses." the King said, "There is no help but that you wed;" and the Droll said, " 'Tis well,." Hereupon the Sultan sent to summon the Wazir and bade him betroth the man to a woman of righteous conduct and come of decent folk. Now the Minister had with him an old nurse, and he commanded her to find a match for the Sultan's Jester; whereupon she rose and went out from him and engaged for the man a beautiful woman. And presently the marriage tie was tied between these twain and he went in unto the bride and she tarried with him a while of time even half a year or may be seven months.

Now one day of the days the King's Jester went forth his house before the dawn prayer had been called on some business for the Sultan, intending to return before rise of sun. Such was the case with him; but as regards his wife, she had known when yet unmarried four men who to her were the liefest of her companions and who, during the earlier days of her wedding, had not been able to possess her. However, on the morning when her husband fared forth from her before the call to dawn prayers, each and every of these four favoured lovers made up their minds to visit their playmate. Now one of them was a Pieman and the second was an Herbalist, the third was a Flesher and the fourth was the Shaykh of the Pipers. When the Droll went forth from his wife behold, the Pieman came and rapped at the door, at which she opened to him and said, "You have come early," and he said, "I have minced the meat and I desired to work it up when I found that the hour was too early and that no one was in the market. So I said to myself, 'Up with you and go to Such and such a woman '" 'Tis well," She said; but when they desired to make merry together, of a sudden the door was knocked; so he said to her, "Who is this?" and she said to him, "I know not, but do you hie and hide you in that closet." He did her bidding, whereupon she went forth and threw open the door when behold, it was the Herbalist and she said to him, "This is a time early." He said, "By God, I was nighting in the garden and I have brought these sweet scented herbs, and as the hour was over early I said to myself, 'Go you to Such and such a woman and make merry, you and she, for a wee.' "

So she let him in; but hardly had he settled himself in his seat when suddenly the door was again rapped and he asked, "Who is this?" and she answered, "I know not, but do you hie and hide you in that closet."

So he went in and found the Pieman there seated and said to him, "What thing may you be?" and said the other, "I and you are each like other." Meanwhile the woman had gone forth and opened the door when behold, she was met by the Flesher whom she led within and then said to him, "This is a time early." he said, "By God, I arose from sleep and slaughtered a ram and prepared the flesh for selling when I found that the hour was over early and I said to myself, 'Take you a piece of mutton flesh and go you in to a certain person and enjoy yourselves, you and she, until the Bazar shall have opened.' " But hardly had he taken seat

CŒlebs and His Wife and Her Four Lovers. 219 when came a fourth knock at the door and as he heard this he was wonderstruck; so she said to him, "Fear not, but hie you and hide you within that closet." Accordingly he went in and found the Pieman and the Herbalist there sitting and he salam'd to the twain who returned his salute; then he asked them, "What has brought you here?" and they answered, "That which brought us brought also you." He took seat with them while the woman went and threw open the door and behold, she was met by her friend the Shaykh of the Pipers belonging to the Sultan, so she brought him in and said to him, "Indeed your time is early." He said, "Walláhi, I went forth my home intending to fare and prepare the band in the Royal Palace when I found the hour was over early, so I said to myself, 'Hie you to a certain person and make you merry, you and she, until the sun shall rise and you are bound to go palacewards.' " " 'Tis well," she and seated him and designed to take seat beside him when behold said came a rap at the door and he cried, "Who is that?" and she replied, "Allah only is Omniscient, but Perhaps 'tis my husband."

So he was startled and afeard, and when she whispered to him, "Up and enter that closet," he did her bidding and found a facing him within it the Pieman and the Herbalist and the Flesher to whom he said, "Peace be upon you," and when they returned his greeting he asked them, "You, who brought you?" They answered him saying, "That which brought us also brought you."

After this he sat beside them and the four remained seated in the closet and huddled together, whilst each addressed himself saying, "What now will you do?" Meanwhile the woman suddenly went forth and opened the door when behold, it was her mate the Droll who walked in and took seat; whereupon she asked him, "And you, why have you come at such an hour? 'tis not often your wont to return early from the King's presence. Perhaps you are unwell, for your custom is not to appear until near supper tide and now you have forestalled our meeting time and have returned a morn. I suspect that he has bespoken you concerning some matter of urgent matters that you come home at this hour; but Perhaps you will finish off such business and hie you back to the Sultan." he said, "By God, O Woman, when I fared forth hence and went to the King I found that he had many and important affairs to settle, so he said, 'Hie you to your home and abide within it, nor return to me till after the third day.' "

Then her sister Dunyazad said, "How sweet and tasteful is your tale, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" She said, "And where is this compared with what I would relate to you on the coming night if the Sovran permits me to survive?"

Now when it was the next night, and that was

The Seven Hundred and Fifty eighth Night

Dunyazad said to her, "In God's name, O my sister, If you be other than sleepy, finish for us your tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love and good will!" It has reached me, the director, the right guiding, lord of the counsel which is benefiting and of deeds fair seeming and worthy celebrating, that when the King's Jester went in to his wife she said, "You, Why have you come so early?" and he said, "By God, the Sultan has much and important business and said to me, 'Hie you home, and tarry there and return not to me save after the third day.' "

Now when the four men who were closeted together heard these words they were perplext as to their affair, and said one to other, "What shall we do? Indeed we are unable to sit out three days in this stead." Hereupon the Pieman said to them, "Nay, rather let us play a prank by which we may escape," and they said, "What may be the device you would devise?" he said, "whatever I do that do you look upon and then act in like guise," and so speaking he arose and taking his minced meat fell to sticking it upon his skin until he was like a leper covered with sores. Then he went forth the closet to the husband of the mistress, and cried, "The Peace be upon you!" The man returned his salute and asked him, "What are you?" to which he made answer "I am the Prophet Job the Ulcered, where is the way out of this?" "Here," cried the Jester, upon which Job passed out of the door and went about his business and on such wise made his

CŒlebs and His Wife and Her Four Lovers. 221 escape. Next the Herbalist stood up and opening his basket brought out fragrant herbs and fell to scattering them over his sconce and about it and over his ears, till such time as all his face was hidden in greens, after which he also went out and accosting the house master said, "The Peace be upon you!" And when the man returned the salam he asked him, "Has Job the Ulcered passed by you on this path?" "Indeed he has," said the other; "but what may you be?" "I am Al-Khizr, the Green Prophet" (upon whom be The Peace), and so saying he brushed by the Droll and passed through the door. Now when the second lover had gone forth and escaped, the Flesher arose and donning the ram's skin set its horns upon his head and began crawling out of the closet upon all fours, hands and knees, until he stood before the husband of his beloved, and said to him, "The Peace be upon you!" "And upon you be The Peace," returned the other, "What may you be?" "I am Iskandar, Lord of the Two Horns," cried the other; "say me, have there passed by you Job the Ulcered and Al-Khizr the Green Prophet (upon whom be The Peace)?" the house master said, "They went by this place and forewent you."

So the third lover passed through the doorway and escaped, and presently the Shaykh of the Pipers rose to his feet and applying the mouthpiece of his pipe to his lips went up to his mistress's mate and said, "The Peace be upon you!" And on the man returning his salam, asked him, "Has it so happened that Job the Ulcered and Al-Khizr the Green Prophet and Iskandar Lord of the Two Horns passed this way?" "They have," answered the other, "What are you?" he cried, "I am Isráfíl, and 'tis my design directly to blow the Last Trump." Hereupon the Droll At once arose and laid hands upon him crying, "Yállah, Yállah, O my brother, blow not at all until we shall have gone, I and you, to the Sultan."

So saying he took him by the hand and fared forth with him and did not stop faring until he had carried him into the presence, when the King asked, "Why have you arrested this man?" Answered he, ", this is our Lord Israfil and 'twas his intent to blow the Last Trump, so I forbade him from it until such time as I had brought him for you to look upon, lest Perhaps he might so have done without your knowledge, and I said to myself, 'By God, better set him before the Sultan before he sound his Trumpet.' Furthermore I do pray for your welfare, given that you have married me to this dame because I had fear of her lest she company with strange men. But I found her a saintly woman who admitted none of mankind save that today when I went forth from you at morning tide I turned me homewards and going into my house caught with her three Prophets and one Archangel and this is he who intended to blow the Last Trump." Hereupon the Sultan to him said, "O Man, are you Jinn mad? How can you have found with your spouse any of the Prophets as you say?"

And he said, "By God, whatever has befallen me that I have reported to you nor have I hidden from you anything." The King asked, "Which was he of the Prophets you found beside your wife?" and he answered, "The Prophet Job (on whom be The Peace) and after him came forth to me from a closet the Prophet Al-Khizr (on whom be the Peace!), and after him Iskandar Lord of the Two Horns (on whom be the Peace!) and lastly this the fourth is the Archangel Israfil." The Sultan marvelled at his words, and exclaimed, "Laud to the Lord! Truly this man whom you entitlest Israfil is nothing but the Shaykh of my Pipers." "I wist nothing, " said the other, "but I have related to you what has occurred and what I beheld and eyewitnessed." Hereupon the Sultan understood that the wife had friends who forgathered with her, and who had served her husband with such sleight, so he said to the musician, "O man, unless you tell me truly what happened I will cut off your head." Thereupon the Shaykh of the Pipers arose, and kissing ground before the Sultan, said to him, ", give me promise of immunity and I will relate to you all that befell." the King said, " 'Tis upon condition that you tell no lies;" and the other said, ", truly, I will shun leasing."

So the King gave him a pledge of safety, and the Shaykh described everything that had been done and kept nothing back, and when the King heard the story and the trick which had been wrought by

CŒlebs and His Wife and Her Four Lovers. 223 the woman's friends he marvelled at that and cried, "Allah kill all womankind, the fornicatresses, the adulteresses, the traitresses!"

After which he despatched a posse of the Chamberlains to bring into his presence the four persons. Then her sister Dunyazad said, "How sweet and tasteful is your tale, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" She said, "And where is this compared with what I would relate to you on the coming night if the Sovran permits me to survive?"

Now when it was the next night, and that was

The Seven Hundred and Sixties Night

Dunyazad said to her, "In God's name, O my sister, If you be other than sleepy, finish for us your tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love and good will!" It has reached me, the director, the right guiding, lord of the counsel which is benefiting and of deeds fair seeming and worthy celebrating, that the King despatched a posse of his Chamberlains to bring into his presence the four persons who were lovers to the Droll's wife, and he found the first to be a Pieman who had claimed the rank of our lord Job (on whom be The Peace!), and the second to be a Market Gardener who sold savoury herbs and all manner fragrant growths, and he had made himself out to be Al-Khizr (on whom be The Peace!), and the third to be a Butcher who had passed himself off as Iskandar, Lord of the Two Horns (on whom be The Peace!); whilst the fourth, whom the Jester had brought, and who declared that he was the Archangel Israfil, and was about to blow the Last Trump, proved to be the Shaykh of the Pipers. Now when the four were before the King he gave orders to castrate them all save the Shaykh this being the award of him who lewdly frequents the women of the royal household. Hereupon they gelded them, and each one who was made a eunuch died without hesitation and delay; and the Droll divorced his wife and sent her about her business. I have also by me (said Shahrazad) another tale concerning the wiles of womankind, and it is that of