“ Immediately the form of the Genius began to change into smoke, and extended itself as before over both the shore and the sea; and then, collecting itself, began to enter the vase, and continued to do so in a slow and equal manner, till nothing remained without. A voice immediately issued forth, saying, “Now then, thou credulous fisherman, dost thou believe me now I am in the vase?” But instead of answering the Genius, he immediately took the leaden cover, and put it on the vase. “Genius,” he cried, “it is now your turn to ask pardon, and choose what sort of death is most agreeable to you. ”

“ Saying this he burst into tears, then beginning again his lamentations, “No,” continued he, “no one was ever treated so unjustly and so rigorously. Is it possible that they should deprive a man of life, for not having put pepper in a cheesecake? Cursed be all cheesecakes, as well as the hour in which I was born! would to God I had died at that instant!”
The unhappy Bedreddin did not cease his complaints, and when the stake was brought, and the nails to fasten him to it, he uttered dreadful cries at so horrid a spectacle: “Oh God!” ”

“ At these words the frightened groom fell on the floor, and covering his head with his robe to avoid seeing this horrible beast, he replied, trembling: “Sovereign prince of the buffaloes, what do you require of me?”—“Ill befal thee!” replied the Genius, “thou hast the temerity to dare to marry my mistress?”—“Ah, sir,” cried the hunchback, “I entreat you to pardon me; if I am criminal, it is through ignorance alone. I did not know that the lady had a buffalo for her lover; command me in whatever you please, I swear I am ready to obey.”—“By death!” ”

“ The whole of these transactions, which passed under his own eyes, caused many reflections in the king’s mind. “How absurd,” said he, “to think, that my misfortune is singular and uncommon! It is the inevitable destiny of all husbands, since even the sultan, my brother, the sovereign of so many states, the greatest monarch in the world, cannot avoid it. What weakness then in me to be thus affected at my own lot, and remain a prey to melancholy: it shall be so no longer. The recollection of a misfortune so common to all men, shall vex me no more, nor disturb my repose.” ”

“ One evening, on the morrow of which the eldest brother was to be of the sultan’s hunting-party, they were talking after supper on different subjects, when Schemseddin Mohammed said to Noureddin, “Brother, as we are not yet married, and live in such harmony, a thought has occurred to me. Let us both marry on the same day, and to two sisters, whom we will choose out of some family, whose rank is equal to our own. What think you of this proposal?”—“I think, brother,” replied Noureddin Ali, “that it is worthy of the friendship that unites us. ”

“ Is it not a sufficient reason that he is accused of attempting your life to authorise you to take away his? When the life of a king is in question, a bare suspicion ought to be equal to a certainty; and it is better to sacrifice the innocent than save the guilty. But this, Sire, by no means rests on an uncertainty. The physician Douban positively wishes to assassinate you. It is not envy that makes me hostile to him, it is the interest alone that I take in your majesty’s preservation; it is my zeal, which induces me to give my advice on so important an occasion. ”

“ The merchant, in the mean time, bathed in tears, protested his innocence, and lamenting his wife and children, tried the most persuasive means to avert his fate. The genius, still holding up the sabre, waited, however, till he had ended his complaints; though it altered not his purpose. “All thy lamentations are vain,” he cried; “were thy eyes to weep blood, it should not prevent my killing thee, as thou hast slain my son.”—“Can nothing then,” replied the merchant, “soften you? Must you shed the blood of a poor innocent being?”—“Yes,” he added, “I am resolved.” ”

“ Entirely desolate, and deprived of every succour, I had recourse to my dear sister Zobeidè, who has already related her history to your majesty; and I informed her of my misfortune. She received me with her accustomed goodness, and exhorted me to bear my afflictions with patience. “Such is the world,” she said: “it generally deprives us either of our fortunes, our friends, or our lovers, and sometimes even of all.” To prove, at the same time, the truth of what she said to me, she gave me an account of the death of the young prince, which was occasioned by her two sisters’ jealousy. ”

“ Isaac pursuing his way to the city, and Bedreddin Hassan that which led to the tomb of his father, Noureddin Ali. When he had reached it, he prostrated himself with his face towards the earth; and, bathed in tears, began to lament his miserable fate. “Alas!” said he, “unfortunate Bedreddin, what will become of thee? Where will thou go to seek an asylum from the unjust prince who persecutes thee? Was it not affliction enough to lose a father so dear? Why would fortune add another grief to those thou hast already suffered?” ”

“ I replied, “I see very well that it is the dread you have of the Genius, which makes you hold this language. As for myself, I fear him so little, that I am determined to break his talisman in pieces, with the magic spell that is inscribed upon it. Let him then come; I will wait for him; and however brave, however formidable, he may be, I will make him feel the weight of my arm. I have taken an oath to exterminate all the Genii in the world, and he shall be the first.” The princess, who knew the consequence of this conduct, conjured me not to touch the talisman. ”

“ These one-eyed calenders are the cause of this misfortune; there is not even a city that would not be ruined by men of such ill-favoured countenances. I entreat you, madam, not to confound the first with the last; and remember, it is much more commendable to pardon a miserable wretch like me, deprived of all assistance, than to overwhelm him with your power, and sacrifice him to your resentment.”
Zobeidè, in spite of her anger, could not help laughing inwardly at the lamentations of the porter. ”

“ The unfortunate Schahzenan retired to his couch; but if the presence of the sultan had for a while suspended his grief, it now returned with redoubled force. Instead of enjoying that rest he was so much in want of, the most agonizing reflection dwelt upon his mind. Every circumstance of his queen’s infidelity presented itself to his imagination with such violence, that it almost deprived him of his reason. Not being able to sleep, he arose, and giving way to these afflicting thoughts, they made such a deep impression of sorrow on his countenance, that the sultan could not fail of remarking it. ”

“ The caliph was surprised at this solemn oath, which he was inclined to believe, as the old man made no reply. Therefore, turning to the youth, “Unhappy wretch,” cried he, “for what reason hast thou committed this detestable crime? and what motive canst thou have for coming to offer thyself for execution!” “Commander of the Faithful,” returned he, “if all that has passed between this lady and myself could be written, it would form a history, which might be serviceable to mankind.”—“Relate it then,” replied the caliph, “I command you to do it.” ”

“ He scarcely tasted the sweets of repose, when a Genius, who had chosen this cemetery as his retreat during the day, preparing to begin his nightly excursions, perceived this young man in the tomb of Noureddin Ali. He entered, and as Bedreddin lay on his back he was struck with admiration of his beauty, and having examined him attentively for some time, he said to himself, “To judge of this creature by his countenance, it can only be an angel sent by God from the terrestrial paradise, to inflame the world with his beauty.” ”

“ The elephants of our forest destroy annually an infinite number of slaves, whom we send in search of ivory. Whatever advice we give them, they are sure, sooner or later, to lose their lives by the wiles of these animals. God has delivered you from their fury, and has conferred this mercy on you alone. It is a sign that he cherishes you, and that he wants you in the world to be of use to mankind. You have procured me a surprising advantage: we have not hitherto been able to get ivory without risking the lives of our slaves, and now our whole city will be enriched by your means. ”

“ At this discourse the daughter of the vizier, who had entered the nuptial chamber more dead than alive, changed countenance, and assumed an air of gaiety, which added so much to her beauty, that Bedreddin was quite charmed with her. “I did not expect,” said she, “so agreeable a surprise, I considered myself as condemned to pass the rest of my days in misery, but my happiness is so much greater, as I am going to be united to a man so worthy of my affection.” ”

“ The most enchanting spots cannot afford delight, when we are there against our wills. Is it possible, you have never heard any one speak of the great Epitimarus, king of the Ebony Isle, a place so called from the great quantity of that precious wood, which it produces. I am the princess, his daughter.
“The king, my father, had chosen for my husband a prince, who was my cousin; but on the very night of our nuptials, in the midst of the rejoicings of the court and capital of the Isle of Ebony, and before I had been given to my husband, a Genius took me away. ”

“ The king, thinking how agreeably the queen, of whose affection he had no doubt, would be surprised at his unexpected return, entered the chamber without making any noise. Conceive, then, his astonishment at seeing, by the lights which are always hung in the royal apartments, another man in her arms. He stood for an instant motionless, almost doubting his own eyes. Being, however, too certain of the truth. “Have I then,” said he to himself, “scarcely left my palace, or gone from under the walls of Samarcand, before they dare thus to disgrace me? Wretch! your crime shall not go unrequited. ”

“ The sultan, still imitating the language of the blacks, answered in rather a sharp tone, “What you have yet done is not sufficient for my cure. You have destroyed only a part of the evil: but you must strike at the root.”—“What do you mean by the root, my amiable black?” answered she.—“What can I mean,” he cried, “but the city and its inhabitants, and the four isles, which you have destroyed by your magic? Every day towards midnight the fish constantly raise their heads out of the pond, and call for vengeance against us both. ”

“ While the king is on his march, the officer, who sits before him on the elephant, from time to time cries with a loud voice, ‘This is the great monarch, the powerful and tremendous sultan of the Indies, whose palace is covered with a hundred thousand rubies, and who possesses twenty thousand diamond crowns. ”

“ I was preparing to thank the princess, but she did not give me time before she said to the sultan, her father, “I have gained, sire, the victory over the Genius, as your majesty may see, but it is a victory which has cost me dear. I have but a few moments to live, and you will not have the satisfaction of completing the marriage you intended. The fire in this dreadful combat has penetrated my body, and I feel that it will soon consume me. This would not have happened if I had perceived the last seed of the pomegranate when I was in the shape of a cock, and had swallowed it as I did the others. ”

“ The sultan of Egypt was extremely irritated by the refusal of Schemseddin Mohammed, and said to him, in a transport of anger, which he could not suppress, ‘Is it thus you return the goodness with which I condescended to propose my alliance with your family; I shall know how to revenge myself for the preference you have the assurance to show to another; and I swear to you, that your daughter shall have no other husband than the lowest and most ill-looking of my slaves.’ In saying this he dismissed the vizier, who returned home, full of confusion, and much mortified. ”

“ Till then Noureddin Ali had only sought to make him study, and had not brought him out into the world. He now took him to the palace, in order to have the honour of introducing him to the sultan, who received him very favourably. The people in the streets, who saw him as he went along, were so struck with his beauty, that they uttered a thousand benedictions and exclamations of surprise. ”

“ I had already taken off the habit, which she had made me put on, and resumed my own, which I had carried to the stair-case the day before, after I had been in the bath. I proceeded therefore up the stairs, as I was the more penetrated with grief and compassion on account of having been the cause of such a misfortune: and as I should become the most criminal and ungrateful of men in thus sacrificing the most beautiful princess on earth to the barbarity of an implacable Genius. ”

“ I am called Agib, and am the son of a king, whose name was Cassib. After his death I took possession of his throne, and established my residence in the same city which he had made his capital. This city, which is situated on the sea-coast, has a remarkable handsome and safe harbour, with an arsenal sufficiently extensive to supply an armament of a hundred and fifty vessels of war always lying ready for service on any occasion; and to equip fifty merchant-men, and as many sloops and yachts for the purpose of amusement and pleasure on the water. ”

“ This prince, as well as all his court, the inhabitants of this city, and also all his other subjects, were of the religion of Magi, idolaters of fire, and of Nardoun, the ancient king of the giants, who rebelled against God.
“Although both my father and mother were idolaters, I had in my infancy the good fortune to have a governess, or nurse, who was of the true religion: she was thoroughly acquainted with the koran, could repeat it by art, and explain it perfectly well. “My prince,” she would often say to me, “there is only one true God; take care how you acknowledge and adore any other.” ”

“ The fairy examined Bedreddin attentively, then turning towards the Genius, “I confess,” replied she, “that he is very well made, but I have just seen at Cairo, an object still more wonderful; and will tell you something concerning it, if you will attend to me.”—“That I will with pleasure,” replied the genius.—“You must know then,” resumed the fairy, “for I shall begin from an early date, that the sultan of Egypt has a vizier, named Schemseddin Mohammed, and he has a daughter about twenty years of age. She is the most beautiful and perfect creature that was ever beheld. ”

“ This is the great cause of our affliction. Before we go, we will give you the keys of every thing; and particularly of the hundred doors, within which you will find ample room to gratify your curiosity and amuse your solitude during our absence. But for your own sake, and for our particular interest, we entreat you to refrain from opening the golden door. If you do open it, we shall never see you again; and the fear we are in lest you should, increases our sorrow. We hope you will profit by the advice we have given you. ”

“ I hope that will not be the case, and that I shall enjoy your friendship for many years.”—“I wish, with all my heart,” said he, “that your life may be of long duration: as for me, the die is cast, and this day I shall be buried with my wife: such is the custom which our ancestors have established in this island, and which is still inviolably observed; the husband is interred alive with his deceased wife, the wife with the husband, in the same way: nothing can save me, and every one submits to this law.” ”