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Title: The Arabian Nights Entertainments Volume 1

Author: Anonymous

Release Date: May, 2004 [EBook #5612] [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on July 21, 2002]

Edition: 10

Language: English

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, THE ARABIAN NIGHTS ENTERTAINMENTS VOLUME 1 ***

Text scanned by JC Byers and proof read by the volunteers of the Distributed Proofreaders site: http://charlz.dns2go.com/gutenberg/

                       The Arabian Nights
                        Entertainments;

Consisting of

                  One Thousand and One Stories,
              Told by The Sultaness of the Indies,

 To Divert the sultan from the execution of a bloody vow he had
   made to marry a Lady every day, and have her cut off next
   morning, to avenge himself of the disloyalty of his first
                         sultaness, &c.

Containing

An accurate account of the customs, manners, and religion, of the
                        Eastern nations.

                        In Two Volumes.
                            Vol. I.

1813

Contents of Volume I.

The story of the genius and the lady shut up in a glass box
The fable of the ass, the ox, and the labourer
The fable of the dog and the cock
The story of the merchant and genius
The history of the first old man and the bitch
The story of the second old man and the two black dogs
The story of the fisherman
The story of the Grecian king, and the physician Douban
The story of the husband and parrot
The story of the vizier that was punished
The history of the young king of the black isles
The story of the three calenders, sons of kings; and of the five
     ladies of Bagdad
The history of the first calender, a king's son
The history of the second calender, a king's son
The story of the envious man, and of him whom he envied
The history of the third calender, a king's son
The story of Zobeide The story of Amine
The story of Sindbad the sailor
     His first voyage
     His second voyage
     His third voyage
     His fourth voyage
     His fifth voyage
     His sixth voyage
     His seventh and last voyage
The story of the three apples
The story of the young lady that was murdered, and of the young
     man her husband
The story of Nourreddin Ali and Bedreddin Hassan
The story of the little hunch-back
The story told by the Christian merchant
The story told by the sultan of Casgar's purveyor
The story told by the Jewish physician
The story told by the tailor
The story of the barber
The story of the barber's eldest brother
     Of the second
     Of the third
     Of the fourth
     Of the fifth
     Of the sixth
The history of Aboulhassan All Ebn Becar and Schemselnihar,
     favourite of caliph Haroun Alraschid
The story of the amours of Camaralzaman, prince of the isles of
     the children of Khaledan, and of Badoura, princess of China
The history of the princess of China
The story of Marzavan, with the sequel of that of the prince
     Camaralzaman
The story of the princess Badoura, after her separation from
     prince Camaralzaman
The story of the princes, Amgrad and Assad
The story of prince Amgrad and a lady of the city of the
     magicians
The sequel of the story of prince Assad
The story of Nourreddin aad the fair Persian

Epistle Dedicatory,

                               To
            The Right Hon. The Lady Marchioness D'o,
           Lady of Honour to the Duchess of Burgundy.

Madam,

The great kindnesses I received from M. de Guilleragus, your illustrious father, during my abode at Constantinople some years ago, are too fresh in my mind for me to neglect any opportunity of publishing what I owe to his memory. Were he still alive, for the welfare of France, and my particular advantage, I would take the liberty to dedicate this work to him, not only as my benefactor, but as a person most capable of judging what is fine, and inspiring others with the like sentiments. Every one remembers the wonderful exactness of his judgment;—the meanest of his thoughts had something in them that was shining, and his lowest expressions were always exact and nice, which made every one admire him; for never had any man so much wit and so much solidity. I have seen him, at a time when he was so much taken up with the affairs of his master, that nobody could expect any thing from him but what related to his ministry, and his profound capacity to manage the most knotty negotiations; yet all the weight of his employment diminished nothing of his inimitable pleasantness, which charmed his friends, and was agreeable even to those barbarous nations with whom that great man did treat. After the loss of him, which to me is irreparable, I could not address myself to any other person than yourself, Madam, since you alone can supply the want of him to me; therefore it is that I take the boldness to beg of you the same protection for this book that you was pleased to grant to the French translation of the seven Arabian stories that I had the honour to present you.

You may perhaps wonder, Madam, that I have not since that time presented them to you in print; but the reason of it is, that when I was about putting them to the press, I was informed that those seven stories were taken out of a prodigious collection of stories of the like sort, entitled "One thousand and one nights." This discovery obliged me to suspend the printing of them, and to use my endeavours to get that collection. I was forced to send for it from Syria; and have translated into French this first volume being one of the four that were sent me. These stories will certainly divert you, Madam, much more than those you have already seen. They are new to you, and more in number; you will also perceive, with pleasure, the ingenious design of this anonymous Arabian, who has given us these stories after the manner of his country, fabulous indeed, but very diverting.

I beg, Madam, your acceptance of this small present which I have the honour to make you; it is a public testimony of my acknowledgment of the profound respect with which I am, and shall for ever be,

Madam,

Your most humble and most obedient servant,

Galland.

Preface

There is no occasion to prepossess the reader with an opinion of the merit and beauty of the following work. There needs no more but to read it to satisfy any man, that hitherto nothing so fine of this nature has appeared in any language.

What can be more ingenious than to compose such a prodigious quantity of pleasant stories, whose variety is surprising, and whose connexion is so wonderful? We know not the name of the author of so great a work; but probably it is not all done by one hand; for how can we suppose that one man alone could have invention enough to make so many fine things?

If stories of this sort be pleasant and diverting, because of the wonders they usually contain, these have certainly the advantage above all that have yet been published; because they are full of surprising events, which engage our attention, and show how much the Arabians surpass other nations in compositions of this sort.

They must also be pleasing, because of the account they give of the customs and manners of the eastern nations, and of the ceremonies of their religion, as well Pagan as Mahometan, which are better described here than in any author that has written of them, or in the relation of travellers. All the eastern nations, Persians, Tartars, and Indians, are here distinguished, and appear such as they are, from the sovereign to the meanest subject; so that, without the fatigue of going to see those people in their respective countries, the reader has here the pleasure to see them act, and hear them speak. Care has been taken to preserve their characters, and to keep their sense; nor have we varied from the text, but when modesty obliged us to it. The translator flatters himself, that those who understand Arabic, and will be at the pains to compare the original with the translation, must agree that he has showed the Arabians to the French with all the circumspection that the niceness of the French tongue and of the times require; and if those who read these stories have any inclination to profit by the example of virtue and vice which they will here find exhibited, they may reap an advantage by it that is not to be reaped in other stories, which are more fit to corrupt than to reform our manners.

Approbation.

I have read, by order of my Lord Chancellor, this manuscript, and find nothing in it that should hinder its being printed.

(Signed)
Fontenelle.

Paris, October 4. 1706.

Arabian Nights Entertainments.

The chronicles of the Susanians, the ancient kings of Persia, who extended their empire into the Indies, over all the islands thereunto belonging, a great way beyond the Ganges, and as far as China, acquaint us, that there was formerly a king of that potent family, the most excellent prince of his time; he was as much beloved by his subjects for his wisdom and prudence, as he was dreaded by his neighbours because of his valour, and his warlike and well-disciplined troops. He had two sons; the eldest Schahriar, the worthy heir of his father, and endowed with all his virtues. The youngest, Schahzenan, was likewise a prince of incomparable merit.

After a long and glorious reign, the king died; and Schahriar mounted his throne. Schahzenan being excluded from all share of the government by the laws of the empire, and obliged to live a private life, was so far from envying the happiness of his brother, that he made it his whole business to please him, and effected it without much difficulty. Schahriar, who had naturally a great affection for that prince, was so charmed with his complaisance, that, out of an excess of friendship, he would needs divide his dominions with him, and gave him the kingdom of Great Tartary: Schahzenan went immediately and took possession of it, and fixed the seat of his government at Samarcande, the metropolis of the country,

After they had been separated ten years, Schahriar, having a passionate desire to see his brother, resolved to send an embassador to invite him to his court. He made choice of his prime vizier for the embassy, sent him to Tartary with a retinue answerable to his dignity, and he made all possible haste to Samarcande. When he came near the city, Schahzenan had notice of it, and went to meet him with the principal lords of his court; who, to put the more honour on the sultan's minister, appeared in magnificent apparel. The king of Tartary received the embassador with the greatest