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Presented to the
LIBRARY of the

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

THE ESTATE OF THE LATE
■I S. MORGAN

VATHEK

III.

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Printed in Great Britain by Whitehead Brothers (Wolverhampton) Ltd.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

To face page
These the Genii brought up in nests

still higher than the clouds ... Frontispiece

Was sufficient of itself to prevent him

from sleeping ii

The Young Nouronihar, daughter of

the Emir 91

Supported on her knees the perfumed

head of Gulchenrouz 105

The Emir suddenly bursting in 116

Caused them to be carried to the brink

of a small lake 123

** Fishes ... I conjure you by your

glittering scales*' 151

Eblis stood forth to her view 186

VII.

INTRODUCTION.

William Beckford, who was born in 1759, came of an old
Gloucestershire stock established for many years at the village
of Beckford, near Tewkesbury. The family appears to have fallen
upon evil times after the Battle of Bosworth where in support of
Richard III. the Beckford of the day lost his life and the family
their fortune. A period of two hundred and seventeen years
elapsed before the name re-appeared in history in the person of
Peter Beckford, a Jamaica planter of some substance who in
1702 was appointed Lieutenant Governor of the colony and who
subsequently died in a fit of passion, induced by the opposition
of the House of Representatives. His grandson was William
Beckford, father of the author of Vathek, alderman and twice
Lord Mayor of London.

The Jamaican properties had appreciated so enormously in
value that Alderman Beckford was one of the wealthiest men
in England. He was noted for the simplicity of his private life
and the sumptuousness of his public entertainments; and in
politics for his courageous support of John Wilkes. It is
recorded that on one occasion, when heading a deputation to
George III., he astonished and enraged his Majesty by reading
him a stiff lecture on his constitutional shortcomings. Of this
affair Horace Walpole, writing to Sir Horace Mann in 1770,
avers that it reduced the King to the alternative of sitting silent,
or tucking up his train, jumping from the throne, and taking
sanctuary in the royal closet. The alderman's political activities

IX.

brought him not only notoriety but the friendship of the great
Earl of Chatham, to whom on his death he entrusted the task
of supervising the education of his young son, William.

The latter inherited from his father property to the value
of a million pounds and an income of £100,000 a year, a fortune
which would be large in any age but which in the late i8th
century was considered fabulous.

Of William's boyhood not very much is known. He was
privately educated and was much in the company of the Pitts.
He must thus have formed an early intimacy both with William
Pitt the younger and with his sister Lady Hester Stanhope, the
storv of whose residence at Lebanon has so often been told. Lord
Chatham was greatly impressed with young Beckford, whose
oratorical facility he extolled to his own sons and whom he once,
we are told, warned against reading The Arabian Nights, a
piece of advice which we may be quite sure was not followed.

In his seventeenth year Beckford wrote A History of
Extraordinary Painters, a clever skit which, if it failed to
attract much contemporary attention, at least gave promise for
the literary future of its author. In 1781 or 1782, after making
the Grand Tour, an education almost obligatory on the monied
youth of the day, he wrote Vathek in French and, as he claimed,
in a single sitting of three days and two nights. An English
edition, translated and annotated by the Rev. Samuel Henley,
was published without authority in 1784, to the delight of his
contemporaries and to the indignation of the author who admitted,
however, that the work " was tolerably well done."

In 1783 Beckford wrote a short Arabian tale Al Raoui, and
married Lady Margaret Gordon who died in 1786 after giving
birth to her second daughter.

The years that followed were filled with rather fruitless
activities. He was never goaded to his work by the spur of
poverty; had he been a poor man the tale of his achievements
would probably have been vastly different. As it was he
travelled a great deal; he sat in Parliament; he wrote a series
of valuable and interesting letters from Italy and Portugal; he
began to form his marvellous collections.

After 1796, when he finally returned to England, his
eccentricities became more marked and his literary work
dwindled away. During the remainder of his life he published
nothing of any significance except his foreign letters and two
burlesques on contemporary sentimental novels.

In 1796 he began his curious architectural experiments at
Fonthill, the Wiltshire property which he had inherited from
his father. He surrounded it with a wall twelve feet high and
crowned with checaux-de-frise, designed to exclude alike the
inquisitive intruder and the local sportsman. He pulled down
and rebuilt the mansion which his father had built in 1775, then
pulled it down and built it up again yet more sumptuously. A
tower, three hundred feet high, was erected by gangs of men
working day and night in shifts. So eccentric was its design that
it collapsed shortly after its completion; and so eccentric was the
builder that he promptly re-erected it! The foundations even of
this new tower were so negligently or fraudulently laid that it

XI.

too fell in ruins not long after Beckford had left Fonthill. In this
amazing palace he shut himself up with a doctor, a priest and a
major-domo, collecting new and discarding old treasures of
furniture and of art, rarely admitting either neighbour or visitor.
In 1822 his extravagance and neglect, the depreciation of his
West Indian properties and a series of unfortunate law suits had
so embarrassed his finances that he was compelled to sell the
estate, on which he admitted having spent a quarter of a million
in sixteen years. At the same time he was driven to dispose of
the bulk of his collections. Hazlitt, visiting Fonthill while the
sale was in progress, wrote: ' It is a desert of magnificence, a
glittering waste of laborious idleness, a cathedral turned into a
toyshop, an immense museum of all that is most curious and
costly and at the same time most worthless in the productions of
art and nature.' He added that ' the only proof of taste he
(Beckford) has shown in this collection is his getting rid of it.'

From Wiltshire Beckford retired with his choicest
treasures to Bath. Here he created a miniature Fonthill on
Lansdowne Terrace, planted a wood and built the inevitable
tower, and continued to blend, though less ambitiously, the
solitude of a hermit with the splendours of a Caliph.

Cyrus Redding who aspired, without a great deal of success,
to act Boswell to his Johnson, has left on record the following
description of him: —

In person he was not much above the middle height, well
formed, and rather slender than full, with features indicating
intellectual power, and small gray eyes of wonderful acuteness.

XII.

His dress was almost uniformly a green coat with clnth buttons,
a buff waistcoat striped, breeches of the same colour as the coat,
and brown topped boots, the fine cotton stockings appearing
over them. His apprehension was quick and his enunciation
rapid. His voice was agreeable, his gesture energetic, especially
when excited in conversation. When silent or examining any-
thing he placed his freckled fingers over his mouth. . . . He
seldom sat down, even when conversing, especially if particularly
earnest. His manner was courteous and gentlemanly.'

' No one,' Redding tells us elsewhere, ' was so inaccessible
to strangers, or so difficult to become acquainted with unless they
were connected with literature or art.' He hated cruelty to
animals and, though kind and generous to his friends, had a
' withering power of sarcasm ' which he did not hesitate to
employ when he thought the occasion demanded it.

Beckford died in 1844, leaving ;^8o,ooo, a few unpublished
manuscripts, a reputation for eccentricity almost unmatched in
the West of England, and one master-piece, Vathek.

Vathek must remain to us, as to the author's contemporaries,
something of a mystery. It might be the mature work of an elderly
cynic, and was in fact almost the earliest literary effort of a boy
scarcely out of his teens. It is a magnificent piece of English
prose, and was first written in French. It is filled with the
atmosphere and colour of the East, yet the author never went
out of Europe.

Lord Byron wrote: ' For correctness of costume, beauty
of description and power of imagination, it far surpasses all

XIII.

European imitations; and bears such marks of originality that
those who have visited the East will find some difficulty in
believing it to be more than a translation.'

It is hard to determine with any degree of satisfaction the
literary parentage of the book. Its cynicism and what a writer in
the Quarterly Review described as its ' diabolical levity ' may
perhaps be attributed to the influence of Voltaire, whom
Beckford met in Switzerland; while the style recalls the
majesty of Gibbon, whom he certainly admired and whose
library he subsequently bought. But the key to the mystery will
be found at Fonthill. Beckford not only created the Caliph
Vathek; for a season and in a sense he was the Caliph himself. As
the splendours of the palace of Alkoremmi, erected by Motassem,
were insufficient for his successor, so the mansion at Fonthill
could not satisfy the son of the alderman; and a Palace of the
Five Senses was reared in a corner of the Wiltshire Downs.
As Vathek aspired to build a tower that would reach to Heaven,
Beckford erected the monumental folly which twice crashed to
earth. And while Vathek received the supernatural assistance
of Genii, Beckford was compelled to content himself with a
night shift of workmen. The vividness of Vathek is a reflection
of its vividness to the man who wrote it. The spirit of an Arabian
Night has been captured so completely because the world in
which Beckford strove to live was an Arabian Night. There is a
voluptuousness about the story which is as true to the East as
are the fatalism and the contempt for mankind which start from
its pages. Beckford was an Oriental, born out of due time and

XIV.

/' ■ ■ -

•■ /' I

place, a Caliph condemned not to the tortures of Eblis but to the
dull limitations of the Eng^lish country-side.

The tower has fallen, the collections are scattered, the
palace has been demolished. Yet in Vathek there remains a
monument more durable than bronze or stone, which will
survive when its author's follies are forgotten and his name has
ceased even to be a legend in the county where he lived.

J. G. L.

XV.

THE CALIPH VATHEK.

•

ATHEK, ninth Caliph of the race of the
Abassides, was the son of Motassem, and
the grandson of Haroun Al Raschid.
From an early accession to the throne,
and the talents he possessed to adorn it, his subjects
were induced to expect that his reign would be long
and happy. His figure was pleasing and majestic ; but
when he was angry one of his eyes became so terrible
that no person could bear to behold it, and the wretch
upon whom it was fixed instantly fell backward,
and sometimes expired. For fear, however, of
depopulating his dominions and making his palace
desolate, he but rarely gave w^ay to his anger.

Being much addicted to women and the pleasures
of the table, he sought by his afifability to procure
agreeable companions; and he succeeded the better
as his generosity was unbounded and his indulgences
unrestrained, for he was by no means scrupulous,
nor did he think with the Caliph Omar Ben Abdalaziz
that it was necessary to make a hell of this world to
enjoy Paradise in the next.

He surpassed in magnificence all his predecessors.
The palace of Alkoremmi, which his father Motassem
had erected on the hill of Pied Horses and which
commanded the whole city of Samarah, was in his
idea far too scanty ; he added therefore five wings, or
rather other palaces, which he designed for the
particular gratification of each of his senses.

In the first of these were tables continually
covered with the most exquisite dainties, which were
supplied both by night and by day according to their
constant consumption, whilst the most delicious wines
and the choicest cordials flowed forth from a hundred
fountains that were never exhausted. This palace
was called 'The Eternal or Unsatiating Banquet.'

The second was styled * The Temple of Melody,
or The Nectar of the Soul.' It was inhabited by the
most skilful musicians and admired poets of the time,
who not only displayed their talents within but,
dispersing in bands without, caused every surround-
ing scene to reverberate their songs, which were
continually varied in the most delightful succession.

The palace named * The Delight of the Eyes, or
The Support of Memory * was one entire enchant-

ment. Rarities collected from every corner of the
earth were there found in such profusion as to dazzle
and confound, but for the order in which they were
arranged. One gallery exhibited the pictures of the
celebrated Mani, and statues that seemed to be alive.
Here a well-managed perspective attracted the sight,
there the magic of optics agreeably deceived it ; whilst
the naturalist on his part exhibited, in their several
classes, the various gifts that Heaven had bestowed
on our globe. In a word, Vathek omitted nothing in
this palace that might gratify the curiosity of those
who resorted to it, although he was not able to satisfy
his own, for he was of all men the most curious.

* The Palace of Perfumes,' which was termed
likewise * The Incentive to Pleasure,' consisted of
various halls where the different perfumes which the
earth produces were kept perpetually burning in
censers of gold. Flambeaux and aromatic lamps were
here lighted in open day. But the too powerful effects
of this agreeable delirium might be avoided by
descending into an immense garden, where an
assemblage of every fragrant flower diffused through
the air the purest odours.

The fifth palace, denominated * The Retreat of
Joy, or The Dangerous,^ was frequented by troops of
young females beautiful as the houris and not less
seducing, who never failed to receive with caresses
all whom the Caliph allowed to approach them; for
he was by no means disposed to be jealous, as his own
women were secluded within the palace he inhabited
himself.

Notwithstanding the sensuality in which Vathek
indulged, he experienced no abatement in the love
of his people, who thought that a sovereign immersed
in pleasure was not less tolerable to his subjects than
one that employed himself in creating them foes.
But the unquiet and impetuous disposition of the
Caliph would not allow him to rest there ; he had
studied so much for his amusement in the lifetime
of his father as to acquire a great deal of knowledge,
though not a sufficiency to satisfy himself; for he
wished to know everything, even sciences that did
not exist. He was fond of engaging in disputes
with the learned, but liked them not to push their
opposition with warmth; he stopped the mouths of
those with presents whose mouths could be stopped,

whilst others, whom his liberality was unable to
subdue, he sent to prison to cool their blood ; a remedy
that often succeeded.

Vathek discovered also a predilection for
theological controversy, but it was not with the
orthodox that he usually held. By this means he
induced the zealots to oppose him, and then perse-
cuted them in return ; for he resolved at any rate to
have reason on his side.

The great prophet Mahomet, w^hose vicars the
caliphs are, beheld w4th indignation from his abode
in the seventh heaven the irreligious conduct of such
a vicegerent.

^' Let us leave him to himself," said he to the
Genii, who are always ready to receive his commands ;
** let us see to what lengths his folly and impiety will
carry him ; if he run into excess we shall know how to
chastise him. Assist him, therefore, to complete the
tower which in imitation of Nimrod he hath begun,
not like that great vrarrior to escape being drowned,
but from the insolent curiosity of penetrating the
secrets of Heaven; he w^ill not divine the fate that
awaits him."

The Genii obeyed, and when the workmen had
raised their structure a cubit in the daytime, two
cubits more were added in the night. The expedition
with which the fabric arose was not a little flattering
to the vanity of Vathek. He fancied that even
insensible matter showed a forwardness to subserve
his designs, not considering that the successes of the
foolish and wicked form the first rod of their chastise-
ment.

His pride arrived at its height when, having
ascended for the first time the eleven thousand stairs
of his tower, he cast his eyes below and beheld men
not larger than pismires, mountains than shells, and
cities than bee-hives.

The idea which such an elevation inspired of his
own grandeur completely bewildered him; he was
almost ready to adore himself, till, lifting his eyes
upward, he saw the stars as high above him as they
appeared when he stood on the surface of the earth.
He consoled himself, however, for this transient
perception of his littleness with the thought of being
great in the eyes of others, and flattered himself that
the light of his mind would extend beyond the reach

A . Z.

of his sight, and transfer to the stars the decrees of
his destiny.

With this view the inquisitive Prince passed most
of his nights on the summit of his tower, till he
became an adept in the mysteries of astrology, and
imagined that the planets had disclosed to him the
most marvellous adventures, which were to be
accomplished by an extraordinary personage from a
country altogether unknow^n.

Prompted by motives of curiosity he had always
been courteous to strangers, but from this instant he
redoubled his attention and ordered it to be announced
by sound of trumpet through all the streets of
Samarah that no one of his subjects, on peril of
displeasure, should either lodge or detain a traveller,
but forthwith bring him to the palace.

Not long after this proclamation there arrived
in his metropolis a man so hideous that the very
guards w^ho arrested him were forced to shut their
eyes as they led him along. The Caliph himself
appeared startled at so horrible a visage, but joy
succeeded to this emotion of terror when the stranger
displayed to his view such rarities as he had never

before seen, and of which he had no conception.

In reality nothing was ever so extraordinary as
the merchandise this stranger produced ; most of his
curiosities, which were not less admirable for their
workmanship than splendour, had besides their
several virtues described on a parchment fastened to
each. There were slippers which enabled the feet to
walk ; knives that cut without the motion of a hand ;
sabres which dealt the blow at the person they were
wished to strike, and the whole enriched with gems
that were hitherto unknown.

The sabres, whose blades emitted a dazzling
radiance, fixed more than all the Caliph's attention,
who promised himself to decipher at his leisure the
uncouth characters engraven on their sides. Without,
therefore, demanding their price he ordered all the
coined gold to be brought from his treasury, and
commanded the merchant to take what he pleased.
The stranger complied with modesty and silence.

Vathek, imagining that the merchant's taciturnity
was occasioned by the awe which his presence
inspired, encouraged him to advance, and asked him
with an air of condescension who he was, whence

he came, and where he obtained such beautiful
commodities.

The man, or rather monster, instead of making
a reply thrice rubbed his forehead which, as well as
his body, was blacker than ebony ; four times clapped
his paunch, the projection of which was enormous ;
opened wide his huge eyes, which glowed like
firebrands ; began to laugh with a hideous noise, and
discovered his long amber-coloured teeth bestreaked
with green.

The Caliph, though a little startled, renewed his
inquiries, but without being able to procure a reply ;
at which, beginning to be ruffled, he exclaimed :

** Knowest thou, varlet, who I am and at whom
thou art aiming thy gibes? " Then, addressing his
guards : " Have ye heard him speak ? Is he dumb ? "

** He hath spoken," they replied, ** though but
little."

'* Let him speak again, then," said Vathek, "and
tell me who he is, whence he came, and where he
procured these singular curiosities, or I swear by
the ass of Balaam that I w^ill make him rue his
pertinacity."

The menace was accompanied by the Caliph with
one of his angry and perilous glances, which the
stranger sustained without the slightest emotion,
although his eyes were fixed on the terrible eye of
the Prince.

No words can describe the amazement of the
courtiers when they beheld this rude merchant
withstand the encounter unshocked. They all fell
prostrate with their faces on the ground to avoid the
risk of their lives, and continued in the same abject
posture till the Caliph exclaimed in a furious tone :

*^ Up, cowards ! Seize the miscreant ! See that he
be committed to prison and guarded by the best of
my soldiers ! Let him, however, retain the money I
gave him; it is not my intent to take from him his
property, I only want him to speak.**

No sooner had he uttered these words than
the stranger was surrounded, pinioned with strong
fetters, and hurried away to the prison of the great
tower, which was encompassed by seven empalements
of iron bars and armed with spikes in every direction
longer and sharper than spits.

The Caliph, nevertheless, remained in the most

. . \\';i- >ulti(iriit ot it>t'll to prevent liiiii hoin >lt'epiii<'-.

violent agitation ; he sat down indeed to eat, but of the
three hundred covers that were daily placed before
him could taste of no more than thirty-two. A diet to
w^hich he had been so little accustomed w^as sufficient
of itself to prevent him from sleeping; what then
must be its effect when joined to the anxiety that
preyed upon his spirits ? At the first glimpse of dawn
he hastened to the prison, again to importune this
intractable stranger ; but the rage of Vathek exceeded
all bounds on finding the prison empty, the gates
burst asunder, and his guards lying lifeless around
him. In the paroxysm of his passion he fell furiously
on the poor carcases, and kicked them till evening
without intermission. His courtiers and vizirs exerted
their efforts to soothe his extravagance, but finding
every expedient ineffectual they all united in one
vociferation :

'* The Caliph is gone mad ! The Caliph is out of
his senses ! *'

This outcry, which soon resounded through the
streets of Samarah, at length reaching the ears of
Carathis, his mother ; she flew in the utmost con-
sternation to try her ascendency on the mind of her

son. Her tears and caresses called off his attention,
and he was prevailed upon by her entreaties to be
brought back to the palace.

Carathis, apprehensive of leaving Vathek to
himself, caused him to be put to bed, and seating
herself by him endeavoured by her conversation to
heal and compose him. Nor could anyone have
attempted it with better success, for the Caliph not
only loved her as a mother but respected her as a
person of superior genius ; it was she who had induced
him, being a Greek herself, to adopt all the sciences
and systems of her country, which good Mussulmans
hold in such thorough abhorrence. Judicial astrology
was one of those systems in which Carathis was a
perfect adept; she began, therefore, with reminding
her son of the promise which the stars had made him,
and intimated an intention of consulting them again.

** Alas ! " sighed the Caliph, as soon as he could
speak, *' what a fool have I been ! Not for the kicks
bestowed on my guards who so tamely submitted to
death, but for never considering that this extra-
ordinary man was the same the planets had fore-
told, whom, instead of ill-treating, I should have

conciliated by all the arts of persuasion/'

** The past/' said Carathis, " cannot be recalled,
but it behoves us to think of the future ; perhaps you
may again see the object you so much regret; it is
possible the inscriptions on the vSabres will afford
information. Eat, therefore, and take thy repose, my
dear son ; we will consider to-morrow in what manner
to act."

Vathek yielded to her counsel as well as he could,
and arose in the morning with a mind more at ease.
The sabres he commanded to be instantly brought,
and poring upon them through a green glass, that
their glittering might not dazzle, he set himself in
earnest to decipher the inscriptions. But his reiterated
attempts were all of them nugatory ; in vain did he
beat his head and bite his nails, not a letter of
the whole was he able to ascertain. So unlucky a
disappointment would have undone him again had
not Carathis by good fortune entered the apartment.
'' Have patience, son ! " said she. *' You certainly
are possessed of every important science, but the
knowledge of languages is a trifle at best, and the
accomplishment of none but a pedant. Issue forth a

proclamation that you will confer such rewards as
become your greatness upon anyone that shall
interpret what you do not understand and what it is
beneath you to learn ; you will soon find your curiosity
gratified/'

*' That may be/' said the Caliph; ** but in the
meantime I shall be horribly disgusted by a crowd
of smatterers, who will come to the trial as much for
the pleasure of retailing their jargon as from the hope
of gaining the reward. To avoid this evil it will be
proper to add that I will put every candidate to death
who shall fail to give satisfaction ; for, thank heaven !
I have skill enough to distinguish between one that
translates and one that invents/'

*' Of that I have no doubt," replied Carathis;
** but to put the ignorant to death is somewhat severe,
and may be productive of dangerous effects ; content
younself with commanding their beards to be burnt —
beards in a state are not quite so essential as men."

The Caliph submitted to the reasons of his
mother, and sending for Morakanabad, his prime
vizir, said :

** Let the common criers proclaim, not only in

Samarah but throughout every city in my empire,
that whosoever will repair hither and decipher certain
characters which appear to be inexplicable shall
experience the liberality for which I am renowned ;
but that all who fail upon trial shall have their beards
burnt off to the last hair. Let them add also that I
will bestow fifty beautiful slaves and as many jars of
apricots from the isle of Kirmith upon any man that
shall bring me intelligence of the stranger.'*

The subjects of the Caliph, like their sovereign,
being great admirers of women and apricots from
Kirmith, felt their mouths water at these promises,
but were totally unable to gratify their hankering,
for no one knew which way the stranger had gone.

As to the Caliph's other requisition, the result
was different. The learned, the half-learned, and those
who were neither but fancied themselves equal to
both, came boldly to hazard their beards, and all
shamefully lost them.

The exaction of these forfeitures, which found
sufficient employment for the eunuchs, gave them
such a smell of singed hair as greatly to disgust the
ladies of the seraglio and make it neceSvSary that this

new occupation of their guardians should be trans-
ferred into other hands.

At length, however, an old man presented
himself whose beard was a cubit and a half longer
than any that had appeared before him. The officers
of the palace whispered to each other as they ushered
him in, '* What a pity such a beard should be
burnt ! '* Even the Caliph, when he saw it, con-
curred with them in opinion; but his concern was
entirely needless. This venerable personage read the
characters with facility, and explained them verbatim
as follows :

We were made where everything good is made;
we are the least of the wonders of a place where all
is wonderful, and deserving the sight of the first
potentate on earth.

** You translate admirably ! ** cried Vathek ; *' I
know to what these marvellous characters allude.
Let him receive as many robes of honour and
thousands of sequins of gold as he hath spoken words.
I am in some measure relieved from the perplexity
that embarrassed me ! ^*

Vathek invited the old man to dine, and even to

remain some days in the palace. Unluckily for him
he accepted the offer, for the Caliph, having ordered
him next morning to be called, said :

** Read again to me what you have read already;
I cannot hear too often the promivSe that is made me,
the completion of which 1 languish to obtain."

The old man forthwith put on his green
spectacles, but they instantly dropped from his nose
on perceiving that the characters he had read the
day preceding had given place to others of different
import.

** What ails you ? '* asked the Caliph ; *' and why
these symptoms of wonder?"

** Sovereign of the world," replied the old man,
'* these sabres hold another language to-day from
that they yesterday held."

'* How say you?" returned Vathek. ''But it
matters not ! Tell me, if you can, what they mean."

'* It is this, my Lord," rejoined the old man :

Woe to the rash mortal who seeks to know that
of which he should remain ignorant, and to undertake
that which siirpasseth his power!

'* And woe to thee ! " cried the Caliph, in a burst

of indignation; *' to-day thou art void of under-
standing ; begone from my presence ; they shall burn
but the half of thy beard because thou wert yesterday
fortunate in guessing; my gifts I never resume/'

The old man, wise enough to perceive he had
luckily escaped, considering the folly of disclosing so
disgusting a truth, immediately withdrew, and
appeared not again.

But it was not long before Vathek discovered
abundant reason to regret his precipitation; for
though he could not decipher the characters himself,
yet by constantly poring upon them he plainly
perceived that every day they changed, and unfortu-
nately no other candidate offered to explain them.

This perplexing occupation inflamed his blood,
dazzled his sight, and brought on a giddiness and
debility that he could not support. He failed not,
however, though in so reduced a condition, to be often
carried to his tower, as he flattered himself that he
might there read in the stars which he went to consult
something more congenial to his wishes; but in this
his hopes were deluded, for his eyes, dimmed by the
vapours of his head, began to subserve his curiosity

so 111 that he beheld nothing but a thick dun cloud,
which he took for the most direful of omens.

Agitated with so much anxiety Vathek entirely
lost all firmness; a fever seized him, and his appetite
failed. Instead of being one of the greatest eaters he
became as distinguished for drinking. So insatiable
was the thirst which tormented him that his mouth,
like a funnel, was always open to receive the various
liquors that might be poured into it, and especially
cold water, which calmed him more than every other.

This unhappy prince, being thus incapacitated
for the enjoyment of any pleasure, commanded the
Palaces of the Five vSenses to be shut up ; forbore to
appear in public, either to display his magnificence
or administer justice, and retired to the inmost apart-
ment of his harem. As he had ever been an indulgent
husband his wives, overwhelmed with grief at his
deplorable situation, incessantly offered their prayers
for his health and unremittingly supplied him with
water.

In the meantime the Princess Carathis, whose
affliction no words can describe, instead of restraining
herself to sobbing and tears was closeted daily

with the Vizir Morakanabad, to find out some cure
or mitigation of the Caliph's disease. Under the
persuasion that it was caused by enchantment the3^
turned over together, leaf by leaf, all the books of
magic that might point out a remedy, and caused
the horrible stranger, whom they accused as the
enchanter, to be everywhere sought for with the
strictest diligence.

At the distance of a few miles from Samarah
stood a high mountain whose sides were swarded with
wild thyme and basil, and its summit overspread
with so delightful a plain that it might be taken for
the paradise destined for the faithful. Upon it grew
a hundred thickets of eglantine and other fragrant
shrubs, a hundred arbours of roses, jessamine and
honeysuckle, as many clumps of orange trees, cedar
and citron, whose branches, interwoven with the
palm, the pomegranate, and the vine, presented every
luxury that could regale the eye or the taste. The
ground was strewed with violets, hare-bells, and
pansies, in the midst of which sprung forth tufts of
jonquils, hyacinths, and carnations, with every other
perfume that impregnates the air. Four fountains, not

less clear than deep, and so abundant as to slake the
thirst of ten armies, seemed profusely placed here to
make the scene more resemble the garden of Eden,
which was watered by the four sacred rivers.

Here the nightingale sang the birth of the rose,
her well-beloved, and at the same time lamented its
short-lived beauty ; whilst the turtle deplored the loss
of more substantial pleasures, and the wakeful lark
hailed the rising light that reanimates the whole
creation. Here more than anywhere the mingled
melodies of birds expressed the various passions they
inspired, as if the exquisite fruits which they pecked
at pleasure had given them a double energy.

To this mountain Vathek was sometimes brought
for the sake of breathing a purer air, and especially
to drink at will of the four fountains, which were
reputed in the highest degree salubrious and sacred
to himself. His attendants were his mother, his
wives, and some eunuchs, who assiduously employed
themselves in filling capacious bowls of rock crystal
and emulously presenting them to him ; but it
frequently happened that his avidity exceeded their
zeal, insomuch that he would prostrate himself upon

the ground to lap up the water, of which he could
never have enough.

One day, when this unhappy prince had been
long lying in so debasing a posture, a voice, hoarse
but strong, thus addressed him :

** Why assumest thou the function of a dog,
O Caliph, so proud of thy dignity and power? **

At this apostrophe he raised his head and beheld
the stranger that had caused him so much affliction.
Inflamed with anger at the sight, he exclaimed :

'^Accursed Giaour ! What comest thou hither to
do? Is it not enough to have transformed a prince
remarkable for his agility into one of those leather
barrels which the Bedouin Arabs carry on their
camels when they traverse the deserts? Perceivest
thou not that I may perish by drinking to excess no
less than by a total abstinence? "

'* Drink, then, this draught," said the stranger,
as he presented to him a phial of a red and yellow
mixture ; ** and to satiate the thirst of thy soul as well
as of thy body know that I am an Indian, but from
a region of India which is wholly unknown."

The Caliph, delighted to see his desires

accomplished in part and flattering himself with the
hope of obtaining their entire fulfilment, without
a moment's hesitation swallowed the potion and
instantaneously found his health restored, his thirst
appeased, and his limbs as agile as ever.

In the transports of his joy Vathek leaped upon
the neck of the frightful Indian and kissed his horrid
mouth and hollow cheeks as though they had been
the coral lips and the lilies and roses of his most
beautiful wives ; whilst they, less terrified than jealous
at the sight, dropped their veils to hide the blush of
mortification that suffused their foreheads. Nor w^ould
the scene have closed here had not Carathis, with all
the art of insinuation, a little repressed the raptures
of her son. Having prevailed upon him to return to
Samarah she caused a herald to precede him, whom
she commanded to proclaim as loudly as possible :
" The wonderful stranger hath appeared again, he
hath healed the Caliph, he hath spoken ! He hath
spoken ! "

Forthwith all the inhabitants of this vast city
quitted their habitations and ran together in crowds
to see the procession of Vathek and the Indian,

whom they now blessed as much as they had before
execrated, incessantly shouting :

** He hath healed our sovereign. He hath spoken !
He hath spoken ! '* Nor were these words forgotten
in the public festivals, which were celebrated the
same evening, to testify the general joy ; for the poets
applied them as a chorus to all the songs they
composed.

The Caliph in the meanwhile caused the Palaces
of the Senses to be again set open ; and as he found
himself prompted to visit that of Taste in preference
to the rest, immediately ordered a splendid enter-
tainment, to which his great ofhcers and favourite
courtiers were all invited. The Indian, who was placed
near the Prince, seemed to think that as a proper
acknowledgment of so distinguished a privilege he
could neither eat, drink, nor talk too much. The
various dainties were no sooner served up than they
vanished, to the great mortification of Vathek, who
piqued himself on being the greatest eater alive, and
at this time in particular had an excellent appetite.

The rest of the company looked round at each
other in amazement ; but the Indian, without appear-

ing to observe it, quaffed large bumpers to the
health of each of them, sung in a style altogether
extravagant, related stories at which he laughed
immoderately, and poured forth extemporaneous
verses which would not have been thought bad but
for the strange grimaces with which they were
uttered. In a word, his loquacity was equal to that of
a hundred astrologers, he ate as much as a hundred
porters, and caroused in proportion.

The Caliph, notwithstanding the table had been
thirty times covered, found himself incommoded by
the voraciousness of his guest, who was now con-
siderably declined in the Prince's esteem. Vathek,
how^ever, being unwilling to betray the chagrin
he could hardly disguise, said in a whisper to
Bababalouk, the chief of his eunuchs, " You see how
enormous his performances in every way are ; what
would be the consequence should he get at my wives !
Go ! redouble your vigilance, and be sure look well
to my Circassians, who would be more to his taste
than all of the rest.'*

The bird of the morning had thrice renewed his
song when the hour of the Divan sounded. Vathek,

in gratitude to his subjects having promised to attend,
immediately rose from the table and repaired thither,
leaning upon his vizir, who could scarcely support
him, so disordered was the poor Prince by the wine
he had drunk and still more by the extravagant
vagaries of his boisterous guest.

The vizirs, the officers of the crown and of the
law arranged themselves in a semi-circle about their
sovereign and preserved a respectful silence, whilst
the Indian, who looked as cool as if come from a fast,
sat down without ceremony on the step of the
throne, laughing in his sleeve at the indignation with
which his temerity had filled the spectators.

The Caliph, however, whose ideas were confused
and his head embarrassed, went on administering
justice at haphazard, till at length the prime vizir,
perceiving his situation, hit upon a sudden expedient
to interrupt the audience and rescue the honour of
his master, to whom he said in a whisper :

** My Lord, the Princess Carathis, who hath
passed the night in consulting the planets, informs
you that they portend you evil, and the danger is
urgent. Beware lest this stranger, whom you have so

lavishly recompensed for his magical gewgaws,
should make some attempt on your life ; his liquor,
which at first had the appearance of effecting your
cure, may be no more than a poison of a sudden
operation. Slight not this surmise, ask him at least
of what it was compounded, whence he procured it,
and mention the sabres which you seem to have
forgotten.'*

Vathek, to whom the insolent airs of the stranger
became every moment less supportable, intimated to
his vizir by a wink of acquiescence that he w^ould
adopt his advice, and at once turning towards the
Indian said :

'^ Get up, and declare in full Divan of w^hat drugs
the liquor was compounded you enjoined me to take,
for it is suspected to be poison ; add also the explana-
tion I have so earnestly desired concerning the sabres
you sold me, and thus show your gratitude for the
favours heaped on you.'*

Having pronounced these w^ords in as moderate a
tone as a caliph well could, he waited in silent
expectation for an answer. But the Indian, still
keeping his seat, began to renew his loud shouts of

laughter and exhibit the same horrid grimaces he had
shown them before, without vouchsafing a word in
reply.

Vathek, no longer able to brook such insolence,
immediately kicked him from the steps; instantly
descending, repeated his blow; and persisted with
such assiduity as incited all who were present to
follow his example. Every foot was aimed at the
Indian, and no sooner had anyone given him a kick
than he felt himself constrained to reiterate the
stroke.

The stranger afforded them no small entertain-
ment; for being both short and plump he collected
himself into a ball, and rolled round on all sides at the
blows of his assailants, who pressed after him wher-
ever he turned with an eagerness beyond conception,
whilst their numbers were every moment increasing.
The ball indeed, in passing from one apartment to
another drew every person after it that came in its
way, insomuch that the whole palace was thrown into
confusion and resounded with a tremendous clamour.
The women of the harem, amazed at the uproar, flew
to their blinds to discover the cause; but no sooner

did they catch a glimpse of the ball than, feeling
themselves unable to refrain, they broke from the
clutches of their eunuchs, who to stop their flight
pinched them till they bled, but in vain ; whilst them-
selves, though trembling with terror at the escape
of their charges, were as incapable of resisting the
attraction.

The Indian, after having traversed the halls,
galleries, chambers, kitchens, gardens, and stables
of the palace, at last took his course through the
courts; whilst the Caliph, pursuing him closer than
the rest, bestowed as many kicks as he possibly could,
yet not without receiving now and then one which his
competitors in their eagerness designed for the ball.

Carathis, Morakanabad, and two or three old
vizirs, whose wisdom had hitherto withstood the
attraction, wishing to prevent Vathek from exposing
himself in the presence of his subjects, fell down in
his way to impede the pursuit ; but he, regardless of
their obstruction, leaped over their heads and went
on as before. They then ordered the Muezzins to call
the people to prayers, both for the sake of getting
them out of the way and of endeavouring by their

petitions to avert the calamity ; but neither of these
expedients was a whit more successful ; the sight of
this fatal ball was alone sufficient to draw after it
every beholder. The Muezzins themselves, though
they saw it but at a distance, hastened down from
their minarets and mixed with the crowd, which
continued to increase in so surprising a manner that
scarce an inhabitant was left in Samarah except the
aged, the sick confined to their beds, and infants at
the breast, whose nurses could run more nimbly
without them. Even Carathis, Morakanabad, and the
rest were all become of the party.

The shrill screams of the females who had broken
from their apartments and were unable to extricate
themselves from the pressure of the crowd, together
with those of the eunuchs jostling after them, terrified
IcvSt their charges should escape from their vsight,
increased by the execrations of husbands urging
forward and menacing both, kicks given and received,
stumblings and overthrows at every step ; in a word,
the confusion that universally prevailed rendered
Samarah like a city taken by storm and devoted to
absolute plunder.

At last the cursed Indian, who still preserved
his rotundity of figure, after passing through all the
streets and public places and leaving them empty,
rolled onwards to the plain of Catoul and traversed
the valley at the foot of the mountain of the Four
Fountains.

As a continual fall of water had excavated an
immense gulf in the valley, whose opposite side was
closed in by a steep acclivity, the Caliph and his
attendants were apprehensive lest the ball should
bound into the chasm, and to prevent it redoubled
their efforts, but in vain. The Indian persevered in
his onward direction, and, as had been apprehended,
glancing from the precipice with the rapidity of
lightning, was lost in the gulf below.

Vathek would have followed the perfidious Giaour
had not an invisible agency arrested his progress. The
multitude that pressed after him were at once checked
in the same manner, and a calm instantaneously
ensued. They all gazed at each other with an air of
astonishment, and notwithstanding that the loss of
veils and turbans, together with torn habits and dust
blended with sweat, prCvSented a most laughable

spectacle, there was not one smile to be seen ; on the
contrary all, with looks of confusion and sadness,
returned in silence to Samarah and retired to their
inmost apartments without ever reflecting that they
had been impelled by an invisible power into the
extravagance for which they reproached themselves ;
for it is but just that men who so often arrogate to
their own merit the good of which they are but
instruments should attribute to themselves the
absurdities which they could not prevent.

The Caliph was the only person that refused to
leave the valley. He commanded his tents to be
pitched there, and stationed himself on the very
edge of the precipice, in spite of the representations
of Carathis and Morakanabad, who pointed out the
hazard of its brink giving way and the vicinity to
the Magician that had so severely tormented him.
Vathek derided all their remonstrances, and having
ordered a thousand flambeaux to be lighted, and
directed his attendants to proceed in lighting more,
lay down on the slippery margin and attempted by
help of this artificial splendour to look through that
gloom which all the fires of the empyrean had been

insufficient to pervade. One while he fancied to him-
self voices arising from the depth of the gulf ; at
another he seemed to distinguish the accents of the
Indian, but all was no more than the hollow murmur
of waters and the din of the cataracts that rushed from
steep to steep down the sides of the mountain.

Having passed the night in this cruel perturbation
the Caliph at daybreak retired to his tent, where,
without taking the least sustenance, he continued to
doze till the dusk of evening began again to come on.
He then resumed his vigils as before, and persevered
in observing them for many nights together. At
length, fatigued with so successless an employment,
he sought relief in change. To this end he sometimes
paced with hasty strides across the plain, and as he
wildly gazed at the stars reproached them with having
deceived him ; but lo ! on a sudden the clear, blue
sky appeared streaked over with streams of blood
which reached from the valley even to the city of
Samarah. As this awful phenomenon seemed to touch
his tower Vathek at first thought of repairing thither
to view^ it more distinctly, but feeling himself unable
to advance, and being overcome with apprehension,

he muffled up his face in his robe. Terrifying as these
prodigies were this impression upon him was no more
than momentary, and served only to stimulate his
love of the marvellous. Instead therefore of returning
to his palace he persisted in the resolution of abiding
where the Indian vanished from his view. One night,
however, while he was walking as usual on the plain
the moon and the stars at once were eclipsed, and a
total darkness ensued ; the earth trembled beneath
him, and a voice came forth, the voice of the Giaour,
who in accents more sonorous than thunder thus
addressed him :

*^ Wouldest thou devote thyself to me? Adore
then the terrestrial influences, and abjure Mahomet.
On these conditions I will bring thee to the palace
of subterranean fire ; there shalt thou behold in
immense depositories the treasures which the stars
have promised thee, and which will be conferred by
those Intelligences whom thou shalt thus render
propitious. It was thence I brought my sabres, and it
is there that Soliman Ben Daoud reposes, surrounded
by the talivSmans that control the world.'*

The astonished Caliph trembled as he answered,

yet in a style that showed him to be no novice in
preternatural adventures :

** Where art thou? Re present to my eyes;
dissipate the gloom that perplexes me, and of which
I deem thee the cause ; after the many flambeaux T
have burnt to discover thee thou mayest at least grant
a glimpse of thy horrible visage.*'

** Abjure, then, Mahomet," replied the Indian,
*' and promise me full proofs of thy sincerity, other-
wise thou shalt never behold me again."

The unhappy Caliph, instigated by insatiable
curiosity, lavished his promises in the utmost
profusion. The sky immediately brightened and by
the light of the planets, which seemed almost to blaze,
Vathek beheld the earth open and at the extremity
of a vast black chasm a portal of ebony, before which
stood the Indian, still blacker, holding in his hand a
golden key that caused the lock to resound.

"How," cried \'athek, *' can 1 descend to thee
without the certainty of breaking my neck ? Come,
take me, and instantly open the portal."

** Not so fast," replied the Indian, '' impatient
Caliph ! Know that I am parched with thirst and

cannot open this door till my thirst be thoroughly
appeased. I require the blood of fifty of the most
beautiful sons of thy vizirs and great men, or neither
can my thirst nor thy curiosity be satisfied. Return
to Samarah, procure for me this necessary libation,
come back hither, throw it thyself into this chasm,
and then shalt thou see ! *'

Having thus spoken the Indian turned his back
on the Caliph who, incited by the suggestion of
demons, resolved on the direful sacrifice. He now
pretended to have regained his tranquillity and set
out for Samarah amidst the acclamations of a people
who still loved him and forbore not to rejoice when
they believed him to have recovered his reason. So
successfully did he conceal the emotion of his heart
that even Carathis and Morakanabad were equally
deceived with the rest. Nothing was heard of but
festivals and rejoicings; the ball, which no tongue
had hitherto ventured to mention, was again brought
on the tapis; a general laugh went round, though
many, still smarting under the hands of the surgeon
from the hurts received in that memorable adventure,
had no great reason for mirth.

The prevalence of this gay humour was not a
little grateful to \'athek, as perceiving how much it
conduced to his project. He put on the appearance
of affability to everyone, but especially to his vizirs
and the grandees of his court, whom he failed not to
regale with a sumptuous banquet, during which he
insensibly inclined the conversation to the children
of his guests. Having asked with a good-natured air
who of them were blessed with the handsomest boys,
every father at once asserted the pretensions of his
own, and the contest imperceptibly grew so warm
that nothing could have withheld them from coming
to blows but their profound reverence for the person
of the Caliph. Under the pretence therefore of
reconciling the disputants Vathek took upon him to
decide, and with this view commanded the boys to be
brought.

It was not long before a troop of these poor
children made their appearance, all equipped by their
fond mothers with such ornaments as might give the
greatest relief to their beauty or most advantageously
display the graces of their age. But w^hilst this
brilliant assemblage attracted the eyes and hearts of

everyone besides, the Caliph scrutinized each in
his turn with a malignant avidity that passed for
attention, and selected from their number the fifty
whom he judged the Giaour would prefer.

With an equal show of kindness as before he
proposed to celebrate a festival on the plain for the
entertainment of his young favourites, who, he said,
ought to rejoice still more than all at the restoration
of his health on account of the favours he intended for
them.

The Caliph's proposal was received with the
greatest delight and soon published through
Samarah ; litters, camels, and horses were prepared.
Women and children, old men and young, everyone
placed himself in the station he chose. The cavalcade
set forward attended by all the confectioners in the
city and its precincts ; the populace following on foot
composed an amazing crowd and occasioned no little
noise ; all was joy, nor did anyone call to mind what
most of them had suffered when they first travelled
the road they were now passing so gaily.

The evening was serene, the air refreshing, the
sky clear, and the flowers exhaled their fragrance;

the beams of the declining sun, whose mild splendour
reposed on the summit of the mountain, shed a glow
of ruddy light over its green declivity and the white
flocks sporting upon it ; no sounds were audible vSave
the murmurs of the Four Fountains and the reeds
and voices of shepherds calling to each other from
different eminences.

The lovely innocents proceeding to the destined
sacrifice added not a little to the hilarity of the
scene ; they approached the plain full of sportiveness,
some coursing butterflies, others culling flowers, or
picking up the shining little pebbles that attracted
their notice. At intervals they nimbly started from
each other, for the sake of being caught again and
mutually imparting a thousand caresses.

The dreadful chasm at whose bottom the portal
of ebony was placed began to appear at a distance;
it looked like a black streak that divided the plain.
Morakanabad and his companions took it for some
work which the Caliph had ordered; unhapi)y men !
little did they surmise for what it was destined.

Vathek, not liking they should examine it too
nearly, stopped the procession and ordered a spacious

circle to be formed on this side, at some distance
from the accursed chasm. The body-guard of eunuchs
was detached to measure out the lists intended for the
games and prepare ringles for the lines to keep off
the crowd. The fifty competitors were soon stripped
and presented to the admiration of the spectators the
suppleness and grace of their delicate limbs; their
eyes sparkled with a joy which those of their fond
parents reflected. Everyone offered wishes for the
little candidate nearest his heart, and doubted not of
his being victorious; a breathless suspense awaited
the contest of these amiable and innocent victims.

The Caliph, availing himself of the first moment
to retire from the crowd, advanced towards the chasm
and there heard, yet not without shuddering, the
voice of the Indian who, gnashing his teeth, eagerly
demanded, ** Where are they? Where are they?
Perceivest thou not how my mouth waters? ''

** Relentless Giaour!*' answered Vathek with
emotion. '^ Can nothing content thee but the massacre
of these lovely victims ? Ah ! wert thou to behold
their beauty it must certainly move thy compassion.*'

** Perdition on thy compassion, babbler! '' cried

the Indian. ** Give them me, instantly give them, or
my portal shall be closed against thee for ever! "

** Not so loudly," replied the Caliph, blushing.

'* I understand thee," returned the Giaour with
the grin of an ogre; " thou wantest to summon up
more presence of mind ; I will for a moment forbear."

During this exquisite dialogue the games went
forward with all alacrity, and at length concluded
just as the twilight began to overcast the mountains.
Vathek, who was still standing on the edge of the
chasm, called out with all his might :

*' Let my fifty little favourites approach me
separately, and let them come in the order of their
success. To the first I will give my diamond bracelet,
to the second my collar of emeralds, to the third my
aigret of rubies, to the fourth my girdle of topazes,
and to the rest each a part of my dress, even down to
my slippers."

This declaration was received with reiterated
acclamations, and all extolled the liberality of a Prince
who would thus strip himself for the amusement of
his subjects and the encouragement of the rising
generation.

The Caliph in the meanwhile undrevSsed himself
by degrees, and raising his arm as high as he was able
made each of the prizes glitter in the air ; but whilst
he delivered it with one hand to the child who sprung
forward to receive it, he with the other pushed the
poor innocent into the gulf, where the Giaour with
a sullen muttering incessantly repeated, ** More !
more ! *'

This dreadful device was executed with so much
dexterity that the boy who was approaching him
remained unconscious of the fate of his forerunner;
and as to the spectators, the shades of evening,
together with their distance, precluded them from
perceiving any object distinctly. Vathek having in
this manner thrown in the last of the fifty and
expecting that the Giaour on receiving them would
have presented the key, already fancied himself as
great as Soliman and consequently above being
amenable for what he had done : when, to his utter
amazement, the chasm closed, and the ground became
as entire as the rest of the plain.

No language could express his rage and despair.
He execrated the perfidy of the Indian, loaded him

with the most infamous invectives, and stamped with
his foot as resolving to be heard ; he persisted in this
demeanour till his strength failed him, and then fell
on the earth like one void of sense. His vizirs and
grandees, who were nearer than the rest, supposed
him at hrst to be sitting on the grass at play with their
amiable children; but at length, prompted by doubt,
they advanced towards the spot and found the Caliph
alone, who wildly demanded what they wanted ?

'* Our children ! our children ! " cried they.

** It is assuredly pleasant," said he, '' to make
me accountable for accidents ; your children while at
play fell from the precipice that was here, and I
should have experienced their fate had I not been
saved by a sudden start back."

At these words the fathers of the fifty boys cried
out aloud, the mothers repeated their exclamations
an octave higher, whilst the rest, without knowing
the cause, soon drowned the voices of both with still
louder lamentations of their own.

** Our Caliph," said they, and the report soon
circulated, ** Our Caliph has played us this trick to
gratify his accursed Giaour. Let us punish him for his

perfidy ! Let us avenge ourselves ! Let us avenge the
blood of the innocent ! Let us throw this cruel Prince
into the gulf that is near, and let his name be
mentioned no more ! **

At this rumour and these menaces Carathis, full of
consternation, hastened to Morakanabad and said,
*' Vizir, 3^ou have lost two beautiful boys and must
necessarily be the most afflicted of fathers, but you
are virtuous : save your master."

'' I will brave every hazard," replied the vizir,
'* to rescue him from his present danger, but after-
wards will abandon him to his fate. Bababalouk,"
continued he, *' put yourself at the head of your
eunuchs; disperse the mob, and, if possible, bring
back this unhappy Prince to his palace." Bababalouk
and his fraternity, felicitating each other in a low
voice on their disability of ever being fathers, obeyed
the mandate of the vizir; who seconding their
exertions to the utmost of his power, at length
accomplished his generous enterprise and retired as
he resolved to lament at his leisure.

No sooner had the Caliph re-entered his palace
than Carathis commanded the doors to be fastened;

but perceiving the tumult to be still violent, and
hearing the imprecations which resounded from all
quarters, she said to her son :

** Whether the populace be right or wrong it
behoves you to provide for your safety ; let us retire
to your own apartment, and thence through the
subterranean passage, known only to ourselves, into
your tower ; there with the assistance of the mutes
w^ho never leave it, we may be able to make some
resistance. Bababalouk, supposing us to be still in
the palace, will guard its avenues for his own sake ;
and we shall soon find, without the counsels of that
blubberer Morakanabad, what expedient may be the
best to adopt."

Vathek, without making the least reply,
acquiesced in his mother's proposal, and repeated as
he w^ent : ** Nefarious Giaour! Where art thou?
Hast thou not yet devoured those poor children ?
Where are thy sabres, thy golden key, thy
talismans? '*

Carathis, who guCvSsed from these interrogations
a part of the truth, had no difficulty to apprehend in
getting at the whole as soon as he should be a little

composed in his tower. This Princess was so far from
being influenced by scruples that she was as wicked
as woman could be, which is not saying a little, for
the sex pique themselves on their superiority in
every competition. The recital of the Caliph, there-
fore, occasioned neither terror nor surprise to his
mother ; she felt no emotion but from the promises of
the Giaour, and said to her son :

'^ This Giaour, it must be confessed, is somewhat
sanguinary in his taste, but the terrestrial powers are
always terrible ; nevertheless what the one hath
promised and the others can confer will prove a
sufficient indemnification ; no crime should be thought
too dear for such a reward ; forbear then to revile the
Indian, you have not fulfilled the conditions to which
his services are annexed ; for instance, is not a
sacrifice to the subterranean Genii required? and
should we not be prepared to offer it as soon as the
tumult is subsided ? This charge I will take on myself
and have no doubt of succeeding by means of your
treasures, which, as there are now so many others
in store, may without fear be exhausted.'*

Accordingly the Princess, who possessed the

most consuiiiniate skill in the art of persuasion,
went immediately back through the subterranean
passage ; and presenting herself to the populace from
a window of the palace began to harangue them
with all the address of which she was mistress, whilst
Bababalouk showered money from both hands
amongst the crowd, who by these united means were
soon appeased ; every person retired to his home, and
Carathis returned to the tower.

Prayer at break of day was announced, when
Carathis and \"athek ascended the steps which led to
the summit of the tower, where they remained for
some time, though the weather was lowering and
wet. This impending gloom corresponded with their
malignant dispositions; but when the sun began to
break through the clouds they ordered a pavilion to
be raised as a screen from the intrusion of his beams.
The Caliph, overcome with fatigue, sought refresh-
ment in repose, at the same time hoping that
significant dreams might attend on his slumbers;
whilst the indefatigable Carathis, followed by a party
of her mutes, descended to prepare whatever she
judged proper for the oblation of the approaching

night.
^ 47

By secret stairs, known only to herself and to her
son, she first repaired to the mysterious recesses in
which were deposited the mummies that had been
brought from the catacombs of the ancient Pharaohs ;
of these she ordered several to be taken. Thence she
resorted to a gallery where, under the guard of fifty
female negroes, mute and blind of the right eye, were
preserved the oil of the most venomous serpents,
rhinoceros' horns, and woods of a subtile and
penetrating odour procured from the interior of the
Indies, together with a thousand other horrible
rarities. This collection had been formed for a purpose
like the present by Carathis herself, from a presenti-
ment that she might one day enjoy some intercourse
with the infernal powers to whom she had ever been
passionately attached and to whose taste she was no
stranger.

To familiarize herself the better with the horrors
in view the Princess remained in the company of her
negresses, who squinted in the most amiable manner
from the onl^-^ eye they had and leered with exquisite
delight at the skulls and skeletons which Carathis
had drawn forth from her cabinets, whose key she

entrusted to no one, all of them making contortions
and uttering a frightful jargon but very amusing to
the Princess, till at last, being stunned by their
jibbering and suffocated b}- the potency of their
exhalations, she was forced to quit the gallery, after
stripping it of a part of its treasures.

Whilst she was thus occupied the Caliph, who
instead of the visions he expected had acquired in
these insubstantial regions a voracious appetite, was
greatly provoked at the negresses, for having totally
forgotten their deafness he had impatiently asked
them for food, and seeing them regardless of his
demand he began to cuff, pinch, and push them, till
Carathis arrived to terminate a scene so indecent — to
the great content of these miserable creatures who,
having been brought up by her, understood all her
signs and communicated in the same way their
thoughts in return.

** Son ! what means all this? " said she, panting
for breath. " I thought I heard as I came up the
shrieks of a thousand bats tearing from their crannies
in the recesses of a cavern, and it was the outcry only
of these poor mutes whom you were so unmercifully

abusing. In truth you but ill deserve the admirable
provision I have brought you.*'

*' Give it me instantly/* exclaimed the Caliph;
** I am perishing for hunger ! '*

*' As to that/* answered she, *' you must have an
excellent stomach if it can digest what I have been
preparing.'*

*' Be quick/* replied the Caliph; '* but, oh
heavens ! What horrors ! What do you intend? **

** Come, come,** returned Carathis, *' be not so
squeamish but help me to arrange everything
properly, and you shall see that what you reject with
such symptoms of disgust will soon complete 3^our
felicity. Let us get ready the pile for the sacrifice of
to-night, and think not of eating till that is performed ;
know you not that all solemn rites are preceded by a
rigorous abstinence?**

The Caliph, not daring to object, abandoned
himself to grief and the wind that ravaged his entrails,
whilst his mother went forward with the requisite
operations. Phials of serpents* oil, mummies and
bones were soon set in order on the balustrade of the
tower ; the pile began to rise, and in three hours was

as many cubits bigh. At length darkness approached,
and Carathis, having stripped herself to her inmost
garment, clapped her hands in an impulse of ecstasy
and struck light with all her force. The mutes
followed her example, but X'athek, extenuated with
hunger and impatience, was unable to support himself
and fell down in a swoon. The sparks had already
kindled the dry wood, the venomous oil burst into
a thousand blue flames, the mummies dissolving
emitted a thick dun vapour, and the rhinoceros' horns
beginning to consume, all together diffused such a
stench that the Caliph, recovering, started from his
trance and gazed wildly on the scene in full blaze
around him. The oil gushed forth in a plenitude of
streams, and the negresses, who supplied it without
intermission, united their cries to those of the
Princess. xA.t last the fire became so violent and the
flames reflected from the polished marble so dazzling
that the Caliph, unable to withstand the heat and the
blaze, effected his escape and clambered up the
imperial standard.

In the meantime the inhabitants of Samarah,
scared at the light which shone over the city, arose

in haste, ascended their roofs, beheld the tower on
fire, and hurried half naked to the square. Their love
for their Sovereign immediately awoke, and appre-
hending him in danger of perishing in his tower, their
whole thoughts were occupied with the means of his
safet3'\ Morakanabad flew from his retirement, wiped
away his tears, and cried out for water like the rest.
Bababalouk, whose olfactory nerves were more
familiarized to magical odours, readily conjecturing
that Carathis was engaged in her favourite amuse-
ments, strenuously exhorted them not to be alarmed.
Him, however, they treated as an old poltroon, and
forbore not to style him a rascally traitor. The camels
and dromedaries were advancing with water, but no
one knew by which way to enter the tower. Whilst
the populace was obstinate in forcing the doors a
violent east wind drove such a volume of flame
against them as at first forced them off, but after-
wards rekindled their zeal ; at the same time the
stench of the horns and mummies increasing most of
the crowd fell backward in a state of suffocation, those
that kept their feet mutually wondered at the cause
of the smell, and admonished each other to retire.

Morakanabad, more sick than the rest, remained
in a piteous condition ; holding his nose with one hand
he persisted in his efforts with the other to burst open
the doors and obtain admission. A hundred and
forty of the strongest and most resolute at length
accomplished their purpose ; having gained the stair-
case by their violent exertions they attained a great
height in a quarter of an hour.

Carathis, alarmed at the signs of her mutes,
advanced to the staircase, went down a few steps,
and heard several voices calling out from below :
" You shall have water in a moment ! " Being rather
alert, considering her age, she presently regained
the top of the tower and bade her son suspend the
sacrifice for some minutes, adding :

'* We shall soon be enabled to render it more
grateful ; certain dolts of your subjects, imagining
no doubt that we were on fire, have been rash enough
to break through those doors which had hitherto
remained inviolate for the sake of bringing up water;
they are very kind you must allow so soon to forget
the wrongs you have done them, but that is of little
moment. Let us offer them to the Giaour; let them

come up ; our mutes, who neither want strength nor
experience, will soon despatch them, exhausted as
they are with fatigue.'*

*' Be it so,*' answered the Caliph, ** provided we
finish and I dine/*

In fact, these good people, out of breath from
ascending eleven thousand stairs in such haste, and
chagrined at having spilt by the way the water they
had taken, were no sooner arrived at the top than the
blaze of the flames and the fumes of the mummies at
once overpowered their seUvSes. It was a pity, for they
beheld not the agreeable smile with which the mutes
and the negresses adjusted the cord to their necks;
these amiable personages rejoiced, however, no less
at the scene; never before had the ceremony of
strangling been performed with so much facility;
they all fell without the least resistance or struggle,
so that Vathek in the space of a few moments found
himself surrounded by the dead bodies of his faith-
fullest subjects, all which were thrown on the top of
the pile.

Carathis, whose presence of mind never forsook
her, perceiving that she had carcasses sufficient to

complete her oblation, commanded the chains to be
stretched across the staircase and the iron doors
barricaded, that no more might come up.

No sooner were these orders obeyed than the
tower shook, the dead bodies vanished in the flames,
w^hich at once changed from a swarthy crimson to a
bright rose colour; an ambient vapour emitted the
most exquisite fragrance, the marble columns rang
with harmonious sounds, and the liquefied horns
diffused a delicious perfume. Carathis, in transports,
anticipated the success of her enterprise, whilst her
mutes and negresses, to whom these sweets had given
the colic, retired to their cells grumbling.

Scarcely w^ere they gone when, instead of the
pile, horns, mummies, and ashes, the Caliph both
saw and felt, with a degree of pleasure which he
could not express, a table covered with the most
magnificent repast — flagons of wine and vases of
exquisite sherbet floating on snow. He availed him-
self without scruple of such an entertainment, and
had already laid hands on a lamb stuffed with
pistachios, whilst Carathis was privately drawing
from a filigree urn a parchment that seemed to be

endless and which had escaped the notice of her
son, totally occupied in gratifying an importunate
appetite ; he left her to peruse it without interruption,
which having finished she said to him in an
authoritative tone :

** Put an end to your gluttony and hear the
splendid promises with which you are favoured ! "
She then read as follows : ** Vathek, my well-beloved,
thou hast surpassed my hopes ; my nostrils have been
regaled by the savour of thy mummies, thy horns,
and still more by the lives devoted on the pile. At
the full of the moon cause the bands of thy musicians
and thy tymbals to be heard ; depart from thy palace
surrounded by all the pageants of majesty ; thy most
faithful slaves, thy best-beloved wives, thy most
magnificent litters, thy richest-laden camels, and
set forward on thy way to Istakhar; there await
I thy coming — that is the region of wonders;
there shalt thou receive the diadem of Djinn Ben
Djinn, the talismans of Soliman, and the treasures
of the pre-Adamite Sultans; there shalt thou
be solaced with all kinds of delight. But beware
how thou enterest any dwelling on thy route, or

thou shall feel the effects of my anger.'

The Caliph, who notwithstanding his habitual
luxury had never before dined with so much satis-
faction, gave full scope to the joy of these golden
tidings and betook himself to drinking anew.
Carathis, whose antipathy to wine was by no means
insuperable, failed not to supply a reason for every
bumper which they ironically quafled to the health
of Mahomet. This infernal liquor completed their
impious temerity and prompted them to utter a
profusion of blasphemies; they gave a loose to their
wit at the expense of the ass of Balaam, the dog of the
Seven Sleepers, and the other animals admitted into
the paradise of Mahomet. In this sprightly humour
they descended the eleven thousand stairs, diverting
themselves as they went at the anxious faces they saw
on the square through the oillets of the tower, and at
length arrived at the royal apartments by the sub-
terranean passage. Bababalouk was parading to and
fro, and issuing his mandates with great pomp to the
eunuchs, who were snuffing the lights and painting
the eyes of the Circassians. No sooner did he catch
sight of the Caliph and his mother than he exclaimed :

** Hah ! you have then, I perceive, escaped from
the flames; I was not, however, altogether out of
doubt/'

*' Of what moment is it to us what you
thought or think?'' cried Carathis. ** Go, speed,
tell Morakanabad that we immediately want him;
and take care how you stop by the way to make your
insipid reflections."

Morakanabad delayed not to obey the summons
and was received by Vathek and his mother with
great solemnity; they told him with an air of
composure and commiseration that the fire at the
top of the tower was extinguished; but that it had
cost the lives of the brave people who sought to
assist them.

'* Still more misfortunes ! " cried Morakanabad
with a sigh. "Ah, Commander of the Faithful, our
holy Prophet is certainly irritated against us ! It
behoves you to appease him."

** We will appease him hereafter ! " replied the
Caliph, with a smile that augured nothing of good.
" You will have leisure sufficient for your supplica-
tions during my absence ; for this country is the bane

of my health. I am disgusted with the mountain of
the Four Fountains and am resolved to go and drink
of the stream of Rocnabad ; I long to refresh myself
in the delightful valleys which it waters. Do you,
with the advice of my mother, govern my dominions,
and take care to supply whatever her experiments
may demand; for you well know that our tower
abounds in materials for the advancement of science.**

The tower but ill suited Morakanabad's taste.
Immense treasures had been lavished upon it ; and
nothing had he ever seen carried thither but female
negroes, mutes, and abominable drugs. Nor did he
know well what to think of Carathis, who, like a
cameleon, could assume all possible colours; her
cursed eloquence had often driven the poor Mussul-
man to his last shifts. He considered, how^ever, that
if she possessed but few good qualities her son had
still few^er, and that the alternative on the w^hole
would be in her favour. Consoled, therefore, with this
reflection, he wxnt in good spirits to soothe the
populace and make the proper arrangements for his
master^s journey.

X'athek, to conciliate the Spirits of the sub-

terranean palace, resolved that his expedition should
be uncommonly splendid. With this view he
confiscated on all sides the property of his subjects,
whilst his worthy mother stripped the seraglios she
visited of the gems they contained. She collected all
the sempstresses and embroiderers of Samarah and
other cities to the distance of sixty leagues, to prepare
pavilions, palanquins, sofas, canopies, and litters for
the train of the monarch. There was not left in
Masulipatam a single piece of chintz, and so much
muslin had been brought up to dress out Bababalouk
and the other black eunuchs that there remained not
an ell in the whole Irak of Babylon.

During these preparations Carathis, who never
lost sight of her great object, which was to obtain
favour with the Powers of darkness, made select
parties of the fairest and most delicate ladies of the
city ; but in the midst of their gaiety she contrived to
introduce serpents amongst them and to break pots
of scorpions under the table ; they all bit to a wonder ;
and Carathis would have left them to bite were it not
that to fill up the time she now and then amused
herself in curing their wounds with an excellent

anodyne of her own invention, for this \j^ood Princess
abhorred being indolent.

Vathek, who was not altogether so active as his
mother, devoted his time to the sole gratification
of his senses in the palaces which were severally
dedicated to them ; he disgusted himself no more with
the Divan or the Mosque. One half of Samarah
followed his example, whilst the other lamented the
progress of corruption.

In the midst of these transactions the embassy
returned w^hich had been sent in pious times to
Mecca. It consisted of the most reverend Mullahs,
who had fulfilled their commission and brought back
one of those precious besoms which are used to sw^eep
the sacred Kaaba ; a present truly worthy of the
greatest potentate on earth !

The Caliph happened at this instant to be
engaged in an apartment by no means adapted to the
reception of embassies though adorned with a certain
magnificence not only to render it agreeable but also
because he resorted to it frequently and stayed a
considerable time together. Whilst occupied in this
retreat he heard the voice of Bababalouk calling out

from between the door and the tapestry that hung
before it :

'' Here are the excellent Mahomet Ebn Edris al
vShafei and the seraphic Al Mouhadethin, who have
brought the besom from Mecca, and with tears of
joy intreat they may present it to your Majesty in
person.**

" Let them bring the besom hither ; it may be of
use," said Vathek, who was still employed, not
having quite racked off his wine.

** How ! " answered Bababalouk, half aloud and
amazed.

*'Obey," replied the Caliph, *' for it is my
sovereign will ; go instantly, vanish ; for here will I
receive the good folk who have thus filled thee with

joy."

The eunuch departed muttering and bade the
venerable train attend him. A sacred rapture was
diffused among these reverend old men. Though
fatigued with the length of their expedition they
followed Bababalouk with an alertness almost
miraculous and felt themselves highly/ flattered, as
they swept along the statel}^ porticoes, that the

Caliph would not receive them like ambassadors in
ordinary in his hall of audience. Soon reaching the
interior of the harem (where through blinds of persian
they perceived large soft eyes, dark and blue, that
went and came like lightning), penetrated with
respect and wonder, and full of their celestial
mission, they advanced in procession towards the
small corridors that appeared to terminate in nothing,
but nevertheless led to the cell where the Caliph
expected their coming.

" What ! Is the Commander of the Faithful
sick? " said Ebn Edris al Shafei in a low^ voice to
his companion.

** I rather think he is in his oratory," answered
Al Mouhadethin.

Vathek, who heard the dialogue, cried out :

''What imports it you how I am employed?
Approach without delay."

They advanced, and Bababalouk almost sunk
with confusion, whilst the Caliph, without showing
himself, put forth his hand from behind the tapestry
that hung before the door and demanded of them the
besom. Having prostrated themselves as well as the

corridor would permit, and even in a tolerable semi-
circle, the venerable Al Shafei, drawing forth the
besom from the embroidered and perfumed scarves
in which it had been enveloped and secured from the
profane gaze of vulgar eyes, arose from his associates
and advanced with an air of the most awful solemnity
towards the supposed oratory; but with what
astonishment, with what horror was he seized !
Vathek, bursting out into a villainous laugh, snatched
the besom from his trembling hand and, fixing upon
some cobwebs that hung sUvSpended from the ceiling,
gravely brushed away till not a single one remained.
The old men, overpowered with amazement, were
unable to lift their beards from the ground, for as
Vathek had carelessly left the tapestry between
them half drawn they were witnesses to the whole
transaction. Their tears gushed forth on the marble,
Al Mouhadethin swooned through mortification and
fatigue, whilst the Caliph, throwing himself back-
ward on his seat, shouted and clapped his hands
without mercy. At last, addressing himself to Baba-
balouk :

** My dear black,*' said he, *' go, regale these

pions poor souls with my good wine from Shiraz,
and as they can boast of having seen more of my
palace than anyone besides let them also visit my
ofhce courts, and lead them out by the back steps that
go to my stables." Having said this he threw the
besom in their faces and went to enjoy the laugh with
Carathis. Bababalouk did all in his powder to console
the ambassadors, but the two most infirm expired on
the spot; the rest were carried to their beds whence,
being heartbroken with sorrow and shame, they
never arose.

The succeeding night Yathek, attended by his
mother, ascended the tower to see if everything were
ready for his journey, for he had great faith in the
influence of the stars. The planets appeared in their
most favourable aspects. The Caliph, to enjoy so
flattering a sight, supped gaily on the roof and
fancied that he heard during his repast loud shouts
of laughter resound through the sky in a manner that
inspired the fullest assurance.

All w^as in motion at the palace ; lights were kept
burning through the whole of the night; the sound
of implements and of artisans finishing their work,

the voices of women and their guardians who sung
at their embroidery, all conspired to interrupt the
stillness of nature and infinitely delight the heart of
Vathek, who imagined himself going in triumph to
sit upon the throne of Soliman.

The people were not less satisfied than himself;
all assisted to accelerate the moment which should
rescue them from the wayward caprices of so
extravagant a master.

The day preceding the departure of this infatuated
Prince was employed by Carathis in repeating to him
the decrees of the mysterious parchment, which she
had thoroughly gotten by heart, and in recommend-
ing him not to enter the habitation of anyone by the
way.

*' For well thou knowest,'' added she, *' how
lickerish thy taste is after good dishes and young
damsels ; let me, therefore, enjoin thee to be content
with thy old cooks, who are the best in the world,
and not to forget that in thy ambulatory seraglio
there are three dozen pretty faces which Bababalouk
hath not yet unveiled. I myself have a great desire
to watch over thy conduct and visit the subterranean

palace which no doubt contains whatever can interest
persons like us; there is nothing so pleasing as
retiring to caverns; my taste for dead bodies and
everything mummy-like is decided, and I am con-
fident thou wilt sec the most exquisite of their kind.
Forget me not, then, but the moment thou art in
possession of the talismans which are to open to thee
the mineral kingdoms and the centre of the earth
itself fail not to despatch some trusty genius to take
me and my cabinet, for the oil of the serpents I have
pinched to death will be a pretty present to the
Giaour, who cannot but be charmed with such
dainties."

Scarcely had Carathis ended this edifying
discourse when the sun, setting behind the mountain
of the Four Fountains, gave place to the rising
moon ; this planet being that evening at full appeared
of unusual beauty and magnitude in the eyes of the
women, the eunuchs, and the pages, who were all
impatient to set forward. The city re-echoed with
shouts of joy and flourishing of trumpets; nothing
was visible but plumes nodding on pavilions, and
aigrets shining in the mild lustre of the moon; the

spacious square resembled an immense parterre,
variegated with the most stately tulips of the East.
Arrayed in the robes which were only worn at
the most distinguished ceremonials, and supported
by his vizir and Bababalouk, the Caliph descended
the grand staircase of the tower in the sight of all his
people ; he could not forbear pausing at intervals to
admire the superb appearance which everywhere
courted his view, whilst the whole multitude, even
to the camels with their sumptuous burdens, knelt
down before him. For some time a general stillness
prevailed which nothing happened to disturb but the
shrill screams of some eunuchs in the rear; thcvSe
vigilant guards, having remarked certain cages of
the ladies sagging somewhat awry, and discovered
that a few adventurous gallants had contrived to get
in, soon dislodged the enraptured culprits and
consigned them with good commendations to the
surgeons of the serail. The majesty of so magnificent
a spectacle was not, however, violated by incidents
like these. Vathek meanwhile saluted the moon with
an idolatrous air that neither pleased Morakanabad
nor the doctors of the law any more than the vizirs

and the grandees of his court, who were all assembled
to enjoy the last view of their Sovereign.

At length the clarions and trumpets from the top
of the tower announced the prelude of departure.
Though the instruments were in unison wath each
other yet a singular dissonance was blended wnth
their sounds ; this proceeded from Carathis, who was
singing her direful orisons to the Giaour, whilst the
negresses and mutes supplied thorough-bass without
articulating a word. The good Mussulmans fancied
that they heard the sullen hum of those nocturnal
insects which presage evil, and importuned Vathek
to beware how he ventured his sacred person.

On a given signal the great standard of the
Califat was displayed, tw^enty thousand lances shone
around it, and the Caliph, treading loyally on the
cloth of gold which had been spread for his feet,
ascended his litter amidst the general aw^e that
possessed his subjects.

The expedition commenced with the utmost order
and so entire a silence that even the locusts were
heard from the thickets on the plain of Catoul.
Gaiety and good humour prevailing, six good leagues

were past before the dawn ; and the morning star was
still glittering in the firmament when the whole of
this numerous train had halted on the banks of the
Tigris, where they encamped to repose for the rest of
the day.

The three days that followed were spent in the
same manner ; but on the fourth the heavens looked
angry, lightnings broke forth in frequent flashes,
re-echoing peals of thunder succeeded, and the
trembling Circassians clung with all their might to
their ugly guardians. The Caliph himself was greatly
inclined to take shelter in the large town of
Gulchissar, the governor of which came forth to
meet him and tendered every kind of refreshment
the place could supply ; but, having examined his
tablets, he suffered the rain to soak him almost to
the bone, notwithstanding the importunity of his
first favourites. Though he began to regret the
Palace of the Senses, yet he lost not sight of his
enterprise, and his sanguine expectations confirmed
his resolution. His geographers were ordered to
attend him, but the weather proved so terrible that
these poor people exhibited a lamentable appearance ;

and as no long journeys had been undertaken since

the time of Haroun al Raschid, their maps of the

different countries were in a still worse plight than

themselves. Everyone was ignorant which way to

turn ; for \^athek, though well versed in the course of

the heavens, no longer knew his situation on earth ;

he thundered even louder than the elements, and

muttered forth certain hints of the bow-string, which

were not very soothing to literary ears.

Disgusted at the toilsome weariness of the way,

he determined to cross over the craggy heights and

follow the guidance of a peasant, who undertook to

bring him in four days to Rocnabad. Remonstrances

were all to no purpose; his resolution was fixed, and

an invasion commenced on the province of the goats,

who sped away in large troops before them. It was

curious to view on these half-calcined rocks camels

richly caparisoned, and pavilions of gold and silk

waving on their summits, which till then had never

been covered but with sapless thistles and fern. The

females and eunuchs uttered shrill wailings at the

sight of the precipices below them, and the dreary

prospects that opened in the vast gorges of the

mountains.

Before they could reach the ascent of the
steepest rock night overtook them, and a boisterous
tempest arose which, having rent the awnings of the
palanquins and cages, exposed to the raw gusts the
poor ladies within, who had never before felt so
piercing a cold. The dark clouds that overcast the
face of the sky deepened the horrors of this disastrous
night, insomuch that nothing could be heard distinctly
but the mewling of pages and lamentations of
sultanas.

To increase the general misfortune the frightful
uproar of wild beasts resounded at a distance, and
there were soon perceived in the forest they were
skirting the glaring of eyes which could belong only
to devils or tigers. The pioneers, who as well as they
could had marked out a track, and a part of the
advanced guard were devoured before they had been
in the least apprised of their danger. The confusion
that prevailed was extreme ; w^olves, tigers, and other
carnivorous animals, invited by the howling of
their companions, flocked together from every
quarter; the crashing of bones was heard on all
sides, and a fearful rush of wings overhead, for

now vultures also began to be of the party.

The terror at length reached the main body of
the troops which surrounded the monarch and his
harem, at the distance of two leagues from the scene.
Vathek (voluptuously reposed in his capacious litter
upon cushions of silk, with two little pages beside
him of complexions more fair than the enamel of
Franguestan, who were occupied in keeping off
flies) was soundly asleep, and contemplating in his
dreams the treasures of Soliman. The shrieks, how-
ever, of his wives awoke him with a start, and instead
of the Giaour with his key of gold he beheld Baba-
balouk full of consternation.

** Sire,'* exclaimed this good servant of the most
potent of monarchs, ** misfortune is arrived at its
height ; wild beasts, who entertain no more reverence
for your sacred person than for that of a dead ass,
have beset your camels and their drivers; thirty of
the richest laden are already become their prey,
as well as your confectioners, your cooks, and
purveyors; and, unless our holy Prophet should
protect us, we all shall have eaten our last meal."

At the mention of eating the Caliph lost all

patience ; he began to bellow and even beat himself
(for there was no seeing in the dark). The rumour
every instant increased, and Bababalouk, finding no
good could be done with his master, stopped both his
ears against the hurly-burly of the harem, and called
out aloud :

*' Come, ladies and brothers ! All hands to work;
strike light in a moment ! Never shall it be said that
the Commander of the Faithful served to regale these
infidel brutes."

Though there wanted not in this bevy of beauties
a sufficient number capricious and wayward, yet on
the present occasion they were all compliance; fires
were visible in a twinkling in all their cages; ten
thousand torches were lighted at once. The Caliph
himself seized a large one of wax; every person
followed his example, and by kindling ropes' ends
dipped in oil and fastened on poles an amazing blaze
was spread. The rocks were covered with the
splendour of sunshine ; the trails of sparks wafted by
the wind communicated to the dry fern, of which
there was plenty. Serpents were observed to crawl
forth from their retreats with amazement and

hissings, whilst the horses snorted, stamped the
ground, tossed their noses in the air, and plunged
about without mercy.

One of the forests of cedar that bordered their
way took fire; and the branches that overhung the
path extending their flames to the muslins and
chintzes which covered the cages of the ladies,
obliged them to jump out at the peril of their necks.
Vathek, who vented on the occasion a thousand
blasphemies, was himself compelled to touch with
his sacred feet the naked earth.

Never had such an incident happened before.
Full of mortification, shame, and despondence, and
not knowing how to walk, the ladies fell into the dirt.
*' Must I go on foot ! " said one; ** Must I wet my
feet ! " cried another ; *' Must I soil my dress ! " asked
a third; ''Execrable Bababalouk ! " exclaimed all;
" Outcast of hell ! what hadst thou to do with torches ?
Better were it to be eaten by tigers than to fall into
our present condition ! We are for ever undone ! Not a
porter is there in the army, nor a currier of camels,
but hath seen some part of our bodies, and what is
worse, our very faces! " On saying this the most

bashful amongst them hid their foreheads on the
ground, whilst such as had more boldness flew at
Bababalouk; but he, well apprized of their humour
and not wanting in shrewdness, betook himself to his
heels along with his comrades, all dropping their
torches and striking their tymbals.

It was not less light than in the brightest of the
dog-days, and the weather was hot in proportion;
but how degrading was the spectacle to behold the
Caliph bespattered like an ordinary mortal. As the
exercise of his faculties seemed to be suspended, one
of his Ethiopian wives (for he delighted in variety)
clasped him in her arms, threw him upon her shoulder
like a sack of dates, and, finding that the fire was
hemming them in, set off with no small expedition,
considering the weight of her burden. The other
ladies, who had just learnt the use of their feet,
followed her; their guards galloped after, and the
camel-drivers brought up the rear as fast as their
charge would permit.

They soon reached the spot where the wild beasts
h^d commenced the carnage, which they had too
much spirit to leave, notwithstanding the approach-

ing tumult and the luxurious supper they had made.
Bababalouk, nevertheless, seized on a few of the
plumpest, which were unable to budgie from the
place, and began to slay them with admirable
adroitness. The cavalcade being got so far from the
conflagration as that the heat felt rather grateful than
violent, it was immediately resolved on to halt. The
tattered chintzes were picked up, the scraps left by
the wolves and tigers interred, and vengeance was
taken on some dozens of vultures that were too much
glutted to rise on the wing. The camels, which had
been left unmolested to make sal ammoniac, being
numbered, and the ladies once more enclosed in their
cages, the imperial tent was pitched on the levellest
ground they could find.

Vathek, reposing upon a mattress of down, and
tolerably recovered from the jolting of the Ethiopian,
who to his feelings seemed the roughest trotting jade
he had hitherto mounted, called out for something to
eat But alas! those delicate cakes which had been
baked in silver ovens for his royal mouth, those rich
manchets, amber comfits, flagons of Shiraz wine,
porcelain vases of snow, and grapes from the banks

of the Tigris, were all irremediably lost ! And nothing
had Bababalouk to present in their stead but a roasted
wolf, vultures a la daube, aromatic herbs of the most
acrid poignancy, rotten trufifles, boiled thistles, and
such other wild plants as must ulcerate the throat and
parch up the tongue. Nor was he better provided in
the article of drink, for he could procure nothing to
accompany these irritating viands but a few vials of
abominable brandy, which had been secreted by the
scullions in their slippers.

Vathek made wry faces at so savage a repast,
and Bababalouk answered them with shrugs and
contortions; the Caliph, however, ate with tolerable
appetite, and fell into a nap that lasted six hours.
The splendour of the sun, reflected from the white
cliffs of the mountains, in spite of the curtains that
enclosed him, at length disturbed his repose ; he
awoke terrified and stung to the quick by those
wormwood-colour flies, which emit from their wings
a suffocating stench. The miserable monarch was
perplexed how to act, though his wits were not idle
in seeking expedients, whilst Bababalouk lay snoring
amidst a swarm of those insects that busily thronged

to pay court to his nose. The little pages, famished
with hunger, had dropped their fans on the ground
and exerted their dying voices in bitter reproaches
against the Caliph, who now for the first time heard
the language of truth.

Thus stimulated, he renewed his imprecations
against the Giaour, and bestowed upon Mahomet
some soothing expressions.

"Where am I?" cried he. "What are these
dreadful rocks? these valleys of darkness? Are we
arrived at the horrible Kaf ? Is the Simurgh coming
to pluck out my eyes as a punishment for under-
taking this impious enterprise? "

Having said this he bellowed like a calf, and
turned himself towards an outlet in the side of his
pavilion ; but alas ! what objects occurred to his view !
On one side a plain of black sand that appeared to
be unbounded, and on the other perpendicular crags,
bristled over with those abominable thistles which
had so severely lacerated his tongue. He fancied,
however, that he perceived, amongst the brambles
and briars, some gigantic flowers, but was mistaken,
for these were only the dangling palampores and

variegated tatters of his gay retinue. As there were
several clefts in the rock whence water seemed to
have flowed, Vathek applied his ear with the hope
of catching the sound of some latent runnel, but could
only distinguish the low murmurs of his people, who
were repining at their journey, and complaining for
the want of water.

'* To what purpose," asked they, ** have we been
brought hither? Hath our Caliph another tower to
build ? Or have the relentless Afrits, whom Carathis
so much loves, fixed in this place their abode? "

At the name of Carathis Vathek recollected the
tablets he had received from his mother, who assured
him they were fraught with preternatural qualities,
and advised him to consult them as emergencies
might require. Whilst he was engaged in turning
them over he heard a shout of joy and a loud clapping
of hands ; the curtains of his pavilion were soon drawn
back, and he beheld Bababalouk, followed by a troop
of his favourites, conducting two dwarfs, each a cubit
high, who brought between them a large basket of
melons, oranges, and pomegranates. They were
singing in the sweetest tones the words that follow :

" We dwell on the top of these rocks in a cabin
of rushes and canes ; the eagles envy us our nest ; a
small spring supplies us with Abdest, and we daily
repeat prayers which the Prophet approves.

" We love you, O Commander of the Faithful !
Our master, the good Emir Fakreddin, loves you akso ;
he reveres in your person the vicegerent of Mahomet.

** Little as we are, in us he confides; he knows
our hearts to be good as our bodies are contemptible,
and hath placed us here to aid those who are
bewildered on these dreary mountains.

" Last night, w^hilst w^e were occupied within our
cell in reading the holy Koran, a sudden hurricane
blew out our lights and rocked our habitation ; for two
whole hours a palpable darkness prevailed, but we
heard sounds at a distance which we conjectured to
proceed from the bells of a cafila passing over the
rocks; our ears were soon filled w^ith deplorable
shrieks, frightful roarings, and the sound of tymbals.

'* Chilled wnth terror, we concluded that the
Deggial, with his exterminating angels, had sent
forth their plagues on the earth. In the midst of these
melancholy reflections we perceived flames of the

deepest red glow in the horizon, and found ourselves
in a few moments covered with flakes of fire. Amazed
at so strange an appearance, we took up the volume
dictated by the blessed Intelligence, and, kneeling
by the light of the fire that surrounded us, w^e recited
the verse which says :

'' Put no trust in anything hut the mercy of Heaven;
there is no help save in the holy Prophet; the
mountain of Kaf itself may tremble, it is the power
of Allah only that cannot he moved.

** After having pronounced these words we felt
consolation, and our minds were hushed into a
sacred repose; silence ensued, and our ears clearly
distinguished a voice in the air, saying :

''Servants of my faithful servant! Go down to
the happy valley of Fakreddin; tell him that an
illustrious opportunity now offers to satiate the thirst
of his hospitahle heart. The Commander of True
Believers is this day hewildered amongst these
mountains, and stands in need of thy aid. .

** We obeyed with joy the angelic miswsion, and
our master, filled with pious zeal, hath culled
with his own hands these melons, oranges, and

pomegranates. He is following us with a hundred
dromedaries laden with the purest waters of his
fountains, and is coming to kiss the fringe of your
consecrated robe, and implore you to enter his humble
habitation, which placed amidst these barren wilds,
resembles an emerald set in lead."

The dwarfs, having ended their address, remained
still standing, and, with hands crossed upon their
bosoms, preserved a respectful silence.

Vathek, in the midst of this curious harangue,
seized the basket, and long before it was finished the
fruits had dissolved in his mouth. As he continued to
eat his piety increased, and in the same breath w^hich
recited his prayers he called for the Koran and sugar.

vSuch was the state of his mind when the tablets,
which were thrown by at the approach of the dwarfs,
again attracted his eye. He took them up, but was
ready to drop on the ground when he beheld, in large,
red characters, these words inscribed by Carathis,
which were indeed enough to make him tremble :

** Beware of thy old doctors, and their puny
messengers of but one cubit high ; distrust their pious
frauds, and, instead of eating their melons, impale on

a spit the bearers of them. vShouldst thou be such a
fool as to visit them the portal of the subterranean
palace will be shut in thy face, and with such force as
shall shake thee asunder ; thy body shall be spit upon,
and bats w411 engender in thy belly.'*

'* To what tends this ominous rhapsody? ** cries
the Caliph ; ** And must I then perish in these deserts
with thirst, whilst I may refresh myself in the valley
of melons and cucumbers? Accursed be the Giaour,
with his portal of ebony ! He hath made me dance
attendance too long already. Besides, who shall
prescribe laws to me? I, forsooth, must not enter
anyone's habitation ! Be it so ; but what one can I enter
that is not my own ! '*

Bababalouk, who lost not a syllable of this
soliloquy, applauded it with all his heart, and the
ladies for the first time agreed with him in opinion.

The dwarfs were entertained, caressed, and seated
with great ceremony on little cushions of satin. The
symmetry of their persons was the subject of
criticism; not an inch of them was suffered to pass
unexamined ; knick-nacks and dainties were offered
in profusion, but all were declined with respectful

gravity. They clambered up the sides of the Caliph's
seat, and, placing themselves each on one of his
shoulders, began to whisper prayers in his ears ; their
tongues quivered like the leaves of a poplar, and the
patience of Vathek was almost exhausted, when the
acclamations of the troops announced the approach of
Fakreddin, who was come with a hundred old grey-
beards and as many Korans and dromedaries. They
instantly set about their ablutions, and began to
repeat the Bismillah. Vathek, to get rid of these
officious monitors, followed their example, for his
hands were burning. The good Emir, w^ho w^as punc-
tiliously religious and likewise a great dealer in com-
pliments, made an harangue five times more prolix
and insipid than his harbingers had already delivered.
The Caliph, unable any longer to refrain, exclaimed :

** For the love of Mahomet, my dear Fakreddin,
have done ! Let us proceed to your valley, and enjoy
the fruits that heaven hath vouchsafed you."

The hint of proceeding put all into motion. The
venerable attendants of the Emir set forward some-
what slowly, but \^athek, having ordered his little
pages in private to goad on the dromedaries, loud fits

of laughter broke forth from the cages, for the

unwieldy curveting of these poor beasts, and the

ridiculous distress of their superannuated riders,

afforded the ladies no small entertainment.

They descended, however, unhurt into the valley

by the large steps which the Emir had cut in the rock,

and already the murmuring of streams and the

rustling of leaves began to catch their attention.

The cavalcade soon entered a path which was skirted

by flowering shrubs, and extended to a vast wood of

palm trees, whose branches overspread a building of

hewn stone. This edifice was crowned with nine

domes, and adorned with as many portals of bronze,

on which was engraven the following inscription :
This is the asylum of pilgrims, the refuge of travellers,

and the depository of secrets for all parts of the world.

Nine pages, beautiful as the day, and clothed in
robes of Egyptian linen, very long and very modest,
were standing at each door. They received the whole
retinue with an easy and inviting air. Four of the
most amiable placed the Caliph on a magnificent
taktrevan ; four others, somewhat less graceful, took
charge of Bababalouk, who capered for joj^ at the

snu^ little cabin that fell to his share ; the pages that
remained waited on the rest of the train.

When everything masculine was gone out of sight
the gate of a large enclosure on the right turned on its
harmonious hinges, and a young female of a slender
form came forth. Her light brown hair floated in the
hazy breeze of the twilight ; a troop of young maidens,
like the Pleiades, attended her on tip-toe. They
hastened to the pavilions that contained the sultanas,
and the young lady, gracefully bending, said to them :

** Charming Princesses, everything is ready ; we
have prepared beds for your repose, and strewed your
apartments wnth jasmine ; no insects will keep off
slumber from visiting your eyelids, we will dispel
them with a thousand plumes; come then, amiable
ladies, refresh your delicate feet and your ivory limbs
in baths of rosew^ater; and, by the light of perfumed
lamps, your servants shall amuse you w^ith tales.*'

The sultanas accepted with pleasure these
obliging offers, and followed the young lady to the
Emir's harem, where we must for a moment leave
them and return to the Caliph.

Vathek found himself beneath a vast dome,

illuminated by a thousand lamps of rock crystal; as
many vases of the same material, filled with
excellent sherbet, sparkled on a large table, where a
profusion of viands was spread. Amongst others
were sweetbreads stewed in milk of almonds, saffron
soups, and lamb a la crime, of all which the Caliph
was amazingly fond. He took of each as much as he
was able, testified his sense of the Emir's friendship
by the gaiety of his heart, and made the dwarfs dance
against their will, for these little devotees durst not
refuse the Commander of the Faithful. At last he
spread himself on the sofa, and slept sounder than he
had ever slept before.

Beneath this dome a general silence prevailed,
for there was nothing to disturb it but the jaws of
Bababalouk, who had untrussed himself to eat with
greater advantage, being anxious to make amends
for his fast in the mountains. As his spirits were too
high to admit of his sleeping, and not loving to be idle,
he proposed to himself to visit the harem and repair
to his charge of the ladies, to examine if they had been
properly lubricated with the balm of Mecca, if their
eyebrows and tresses were in order, and, in a word,

to perform all the little offices they might need. He
sought for the harem a long time, but without being
able to find out the door ; he durst not speak aloud for
fear of disturbing the Caliph, and not a soul was
stirring in the precincts of the palace. He had almost
despaired of effecting his purpose, when a low
whispering just reached his ear. It came from the
dwarfs, who were returned to their old occupation,
and, for the nine hundred and ninety-ninth time in
their lives, were reading over the Koran. They very
politely invited Bababalouk to be of their party, but
his head was full of other concerns. The dwarfs,
though scandalised at his dissolute morals, directed
him to the apartments he w^anted to find. His way
thither lay through a hundred dark corridors, along
which he groped as he went, and at last began to
catch, from the extremity of a passage, the charming
gossiping of the w^omen, which not a little delighted
his heart.

** Ah, ha ! what, not yet asleep? " cried he; and,
taking long strides as he spoke, *' did you not suspect
me of abjuring my charge ? I stayed but to finish what
mv master had left."

Two of the black eunuchs, on hearing a voice so
loud, detached a party in haste, sabre in hand, to
discover the cause ; but presently was repeated on all
sides :

'' 'Tis only Bababalouk ! no one but Bababa-
louk ! "

This circumspect guardian, having gone up to a
thin veil of carnation-coloured silk that hung before
the doorway, distinguished, by means of the softened
splendour that shone through it, an oval bath of dark
porphyry, surrounded by curtains festooned in large
folds. Through the apertures between them, as they
were not drawn close, groups of young slaves were
visible, amongst whom Bababalouk perceived his
pupils, indulgingly expanding their arms, as if to
embrace the perfumed water and refresh themselves
after their fatigues. The looks of tender languor,
their confidential whispers, and the enchanting
smiles with which they were imparted, the exquisite
fragrance of the roses, all combined to inspire a
voluptuousness which even Bababalouk himself was
scarce able to withstand.

He summoned up, however, his usual solemnity,

'ihe youii<»' Xouioiiiluir. (hivif^litcr of the J'linir

and, in the peremptory tone of authority, commanded
the ladies instantly to leave the bath. Whilst he was
issuing these mandates the young Nouronihar,
daughter of the Emir, who was sprightly as an
antelope and full of wanton gaiety, beckoned one of
her slaves to let down the great swing which was
suspended from the ceiling by cords of silk, and
whilst this w^as being done winked to her companions
in the bath, who, chagrined to be forced from so
soothing a state of indolence, began to tw^ist it round
Bababalouk and teaze him with a thousand vagaries.

When Nouronihar perceived that he was
exhausted with fatigue she accosted him with an arch
air of respectful concern, and said :

** My lord ! it is not by any means decent that
the chief eunuch of the Caliph, our vSovereign, should
thus continue standing; deign but to recline your
graceful person upon this sofa, which wall burst with
vexation if it have not the honour to receive you."

Caught by these flattering accents, Bababalouk
gallantly replied :

*' Delight of the apple of my eye ! I accept the
invitation of thy honeyed lips; and, to say truth, my

senses are dazzled with the radiance that beams from
thy charms/'

** Repose, then, at your ease," replied the beauty,
and placed him on the pretended sofa, which, quicker
than lightning, gave way all at once. The rest of the
w^omen, having aptly conceived her design, sprang
naked from the bath, and plied the swing w^ith such
unmerciful jerks that it swept through the whole
compass of a very lofty dome, and took from the poor
victim all powder of respiration ; sometimes his feet
rased the surface of the water, and at others the
skylight almost flattened his nose. In vain did he
pierce the air w^ith the cries of a voice that resembled
the ringing of a cracked basin, for their peals of
laughter were still more predominant.

Nouronihar, in the inebriety of youthful spirits,
being used only to eunuchs of ordinary harems and
having never seen anything so royal and disgusting,
was far more diverted than all the rest. She began to
parody some Persian verses, and sung with an accent
most demurely piquant :

" O gentle white dove, as thou soar'st through the air,
Vouchsafe one kind glance on the mate of thy love;
Melodious Philomel, I am thy rose;
Warble some couplet to ravish my heart! "

The sultanas and their slaves, stimulated by these
pleasantries, persevered at the swing with such
unremitted assiduity that at length the cord which
had secured it snapt suddenly asunder, and Bababa-
louk fell floundering like a turtle to the bottom of the
bath. This accident occasioned a universal shout;
twelve little doors, till now unobserved, flew open at
once, and the ladies in an instant made their escape,
after throwing all the towels on his head, and putting
out the lights that remained.

The deplorable animal, in u-ater to the chin,
overwhelmed with darkness, and unable to extricate
himself from the wrap that embarrassed him, was still
doomed to hear for his further consolation the fresh
bursts of merriment his disaster occasioned. He
bustled, but in vain, to get from the bath, for the
margin was become so slippery with the oil spilt in
breaking the lamps that at every effort he slid back
with a plunge which resounded aloud through the
hollow of the dome. These cursed peals of laughter
at every relapse were redoubled ; and he, who thought
the place infested rather by devils than women,
resolved to cease groping and abide in the bath, where

he amused himself with soliloquies, interspensed with
imprecations, of which his malicious neighbours
reclining on down suffered not an accent to escape.
In this delectable plight the morning surprised him.
The Caliph, wondering at his absence, had caused
him to be sought for everywhere. At last he was drawn
forth, almost smothered from the wisp of linen, and
wet even to the marrow. Limping and chattering his
teeth, he appeared before his master, who inquired
what was the matter, and how he came to be soused in
so strange a pickle ?

**And why did you enter this cursed lodge?''
answered Bababalouk, gruffly. ** Ought a monarch
like you to visit with his harem the abode of a grey-
bearded Emir, who knows nothing of life ? And with
what gracious damsels doth the place, too, abound !
Fancy to yourself how they have soaked me like a
burnt crust, and made me dance like a jack-pudding
the live-long night through, on their damnable swing.
What an excellent lesson for your sultanas to follow,
into whom T have instilled such reserve and
decorum ! "

Vathek, comprehending not a syllable of all this

invective, obliged him to relate minutely the transac-
tion; but, instead of sympathizing with the miserable
sufferer, he laughed immoderately at the device of the
swing and the figure of Bababalouk mounting upon
it. The stung eunuch could scarcely preserve the
semblance of respect.

*'Ay, laugh, my lord, laugh," said he; "but I
wish this Nouronihar would play some trick on you,
she is too wicked to spare even majesty itself."

These words made for the present but a slight
impression on the Caliph ; but they recurred to his
mind not long after.

This conversation was cut short by Fakreddin,
who came to request that Vathek would join in the
prayers and ablutions to be solemnized on a spacious
meadow, watered by innumerable streams. The
Caliph found the waters refreshing, but the prayers
abominably irksome. He diverted himself, however,
with the multitude of Calenders, Santons, and
Dervishes, who were continually coming and going,
but especially with the Brahmins, Fakirs, and other
enthusiasts, who had travelled from the heart of
India and halted on their way with the Emir. These

latter had, each of them, some mummery peculiar to
himself. One dragged a huge chain wherever he went,
another an ourang-outang, whilst a third was furnished
with scourges, and all performed to a charm; some
clambered up trees, holding one foot in the air ; others
poised themselves over a fire, and without mercy
filliped their noses. There were some amongst them
that cherished vermin, which were not ungrateful in
requiting their caresses. These rambling fanatics
revolted the hearts of the Dervishes, the Calenders,
and Santons. However, the vehemence of their
aversion soon subsided, under the hope that the
presence of the Caliph would cure their folly and
convert them to the Mussulman faith. But alas ! how
great was their disappointment ! For Vathek, instead
of preaching to them, treated them as buffoons, bade
them present his compliments to Yisnu and Ixhora,
and discovered a predilection for a squat old man from
the isle of Serendib, who was more ridiculous than
any of the rest.

*' Come ! '* said he, ** for the love of your gods
bestow a few slaps on your chops to amuse me.''

The old fellow, offended at such an address, began

to weep loudly ; but as he betrayed a villainous
drivelling in his tears the Caliph turned his back and
listened to Bababalouk, who whispered, whilst he
held the umbrella over him :

*' Your Majesty should be cautious of this odd
assembly, which hath been collected I know not for
what. Is it necessary to exhibit such spectacles to a
mighty Potentate, with interludes of Talapoins more
mangy than dogs? Were I you I would command a
fire to be kindled, and at once purge the earth of the
Emir, his harem, and all his menagerie."

"Tush, dolt," answered Vathek ; "and know
that all this infinitely charms me ; nor shall I leave
the meadow till I have visited every hive of these pious
mendicants."

Wherever the Caliph directed his course objects
of pity were sure to swarm round him ; the blind, the
purblind, dwarfs without noses, damsels without ears,
each to extol the munificence of Fakreddin, who, as
well as his attendant greybeards, dealt about gratis
plasters and cataplasms to all that applied. At noon
a superb corps of cripples made its appearance, and
soon after advanced by platoons on the plain, the

completest association of invalids that had ever been
embodied till then. The blind went groping with the
blind, the lame limped on together, and the maimed
made gestures to each other w4th the onlj^ arm that
remained ; the sides of a considerable waterfall were
crowded by the deaf, amongst whom were some from
Pegu with ears uncommonly handsome and large,
but were still less able to hear than the rest ; nor were
there wanting others in abundance with hump-backs,
wenny necks, and even horns of an exquisite polish.
The Emir, to aggrandize the solemnity of the
festival in honour of his illustrious visitant, ordered
the turf to be spread on all sides with skins and
tablecloths, upon which were served up for the good
Mussulmans pilaus of every hue, with other orthodox
dishes; and, by the express order of Vathek, who
was shamefully tolerant, small plates of abominations
for regaling the rest. This Prince, on seeing so many
mouths put in motion, began to think it time for
employing his own. In spite, therefore, of every
remonstrance from the chief of his eunuchs, he
resolved to have a dinner dressed on the spot. The
complaisant Emir immediately gave orders for a table

to be placed in the shade of the willows. The first
service consisted of fish, which they drew from a
river flowing over sands of gold at the foot of a lofty
hill ; these were broiled as fast as taken, and served
lip with a sauce of vinegar and small herbs that grew
on Mount Sinai ; for everything with the Emir was
excellent and pious.

The dessert was not quite set on when the sound
of lutes from the hill w^as repeated by the echoes of
the neighbouring mountains. The Caliph, with an
emotion of pleasure and surprise, had no sooner raised
up his head than a handful of jasmine dropped on his
face. An abundance of tittering succeeded the frolic,
and instantly there appeared through the bushes the
elegant forms of several young females, skipping and
bounding like roes. The fragrance diffused from
their hair struck the sense of Vathek, who, in an
ecstasy, suspending his repast, said to Bababalouk :

**Are the Peris come down from their spheres?
Note her in particular whose form is so perfect,
venturously running on the brink of the precipice,
and turning back her head, as regardless of nothing
but the graceful flow of her robe ; with what

captivating impatience doth she contend with the
bushes for her veil ! Could it be she who threw the
jasmine at me? *'

** Ay ! she it was; and you too would she throw
from the top of the rock," answered Bababalouk,
'* for that is my good friend Nouronihar, who so
kindly lent me her swing. My dear lord and master,"
added he, twisting a twig that hung by the rind from
a willow, '' let me correct her for her want of respect ;
the Emir will have no reason to complain, since
(bating what I owe to his piety) he is much to be
censured for keeping a troop of girls on the
mountains, whose sharp air gives their blood too
brisk a circulation."

** Peace, blasphemer," said the Caliph; ''speak
not thus of her who over her mountains leads my
heart a willing captive ; contrive rather that my eyes
may be fixed upon hers, that I may respire her sweet
breath, as she bounds panting along these delightful
wilds!"

On saying these words Vathek extended his
arms towards the hill, and directing his eyes with an
anxiety unknown to him before, endeavoured to keep

100

within view the object that enthralled his soul ; but
her course was as difficult to follow as the flight of
one of those beautiful blue butterflies of Cashmere,
which are at once so volatile and rare.

The Caliph, not satisfied with seeing, wished also
to hear Nouronihar, and eagerly turned to catch the
sound of her voice; at last he distinguished her
whispering to one of her companions behind the
thicket whence she had thrown the jasmine :

**A Caliph, it must be owned, is a fine thing to
see, but my little Gulchenrouz is much more amiable ;
one lock of his hair is of more value to me than the
richest embroidery of the Indies ; I had rather that his
teeth should mischievously press my finger than the
richest ring of the Imperial treasure ; where have you
left him, Sutlememe, and w^hy is he not here now ? "

The agitated Caliph still wished to hear more,
but she immediately retired with all her attendants.
The fond monarch pursued her with his eyes till she
was gone out of sight, and then continued like a
bewildered and benighted traveller, from whom the
clouds had obscured the constellation that guided his
way : the curtain of night seemed dropped before

lOI

him; everything appeared discoloured; the falling
waters filled his soul with dejection, and his tears
trickled down the jasmines he had caught from
Nouronihar and placed in his inflamed bosom. He
snatched up a shining pebble, to remind him of the
scene where he felt the first tumults of love.

Two hours were elapsed and evening drew on
before he could resolve to depart from the place. He
often, but in vain, attempted to go; a soft languor
enervated the powers of his mind ; extending himself
on the brink of the stream he turned his e^^es towards
the blue summits of the mountain and exclaimed :

** What concealest thou behind thee? What is
passing in thy solitudes? Whither is she gone? O
heaven ! perhaps she is now wandering in thy
grottos, with her happy Gulchenrouz ! '*

In the meantime the damps began to descend, and
the Emir, solicitous for the health of the Caliph,
ordered the imperial litter to be brought. Vathek,
absorbed in his reveries, was imperceptibly removed
and conveyed back to the saloon that had received him
the evening before.

But let us leave the Caliph, immersed in his new

102

passion, and attend Nouronihar beyond the rocks,
where she had again joined her beloved Gulchenrouz.
This Gulchenrouz was the son of All Hassan, brother
to the Emir, and the most delicate and lovely creature
in the world. Ali Hassan, who had been absent ten
years on a voyage to the unknown seas, committed
at his departure this child, the only survivor of many,
to the care and protection of his brother. Gulchenrouz
could write in various characters with precision, and
paint upon vellum the most elegant arabesques that
fancy could devise ; his sweet voice accompanied the
lute in the most enchanting manner, and when he
sung the loves of Megnoun and Leileh, or some
unfortunate lovers of ancient days, tears insensibly
overflowed the cheeks of his auditors; the verses he
composed (for, like Megnoun, he too was a poet)
inspired that unresisting languor so frequently fatal
to the female heart; the women all doted upon him,
for though he had passed his thirteenth year they still
detained him in the harem ; his dancing was light as
the gossamer waved by the zephyrs of spring, but his
arms, which twined so gracefully with those of the
young girls in the dance, could neither dart the lance

103

in the chase nor curb the steeds that pastured his
uncle's domains. The bow, however, he drew with a
certain aim, and would have excelled his competitors
in the race could he have broken the ties that bound
him to Nouronihar.

The two brothers had mutually engaged their
children to each other, and Nouronihar loved her
cousin more than her eyes ; both had the same tastes
and amusements, the same long, languishing looks,
the same tresses, the same fair complexions, and when
Gulchenrouz appeared in the dress of his cousin he
seemed to be more feminine than even herself.
If at any time he left the harem to visit Fakreddin
it was with all the bashfulness of a fawn that
consciously ventures from the lair of its dam. He was,
however, wanton enough to mock the solemn old
greybeards to whom he was subject, though sure to
be rated without mercy in return; whenever this
happened he would plunge into the recesses of the
harem, and, sobbing, take refuge in the arms of
Nouronihar, who loved even his faults beyond the
virtues of others.

It fell out this evening that after leaving the

104

iSuppdi ti'il 1)11 licr kiu'es \\w peituiiH'd head nl ( nilclKMiioiiz.

Caliph in the meadow she ran with Gulchenrouz over
the green sward of the mountain that sheltered the
vale where Fakreddin had chosen to reside. The sun
was dilated on the edge of the horizon ; and the young
people, whose fancies were lively and inventive,
imagined they beheld in the gorgeous clouds of the
west the domes of Shadukiam and Ambreabad, where
the Peris have fixed their abode. Nouronihar, sitting
on the slope of the hill, supported on her knees the
perfumed head of Gulchenrouz ; the air was calm,
and no sound stirred but the voices of other young
girls, who were drawing cool water from the streams
below. The unexpected arrival of the Caliph and the
splendour that marked his appearance had already
filled with emotion the ardent soul of Nouronihar ; her
vanity irresistibly prompted her to pique the Prince's
attention, and this she took good care to effect whilst
he picked up the jasmine she had thrown upon him.
But when Gulchenrouz asked after the flowers he had
culled for her bosom Nouronihar was all in confusion ;
she hastily kissed his forehead, arose in a flutter, and
walked with unequal steps on the border of the
precipice. Night advanced, and the pure gold of

105

the setting sun had yielded to a sanguine red, the
glow of which, like the reflection of a burning
furnace, flushed Nouronihar's animated countenance.
Gulchenrouz, alarmed at the agitation of his cousin,
said to her with a supplicating accent :

" Let us be gone; the sky looks portentous, the
tamarisks tremble more than common, and the raw
wind chills my very heart. Come ! let us be gone, *tis
a melancholy night ! "

Then, taking hold of her hand, he drew it
towards the path he besought her to go. Nouronihar
unconsciously followed the attraction, for a thousand
strange imaginations occupied her spirit ; she passed
the large round of honeysuckles, her favourite resort,
without ever vouchsafing it a glance, yet Gulchenrouz
could not help snatching off a few shoots in his way,
though he ran as if a wild beast were behind.

The young females seeing him approach in such
haste, and according to custom expecting a dance,
instantly assembled in a circle and took each other
by the hand; but Gulchenrouz, coming up out of
breath, fell down at once on the grass. This accident
struck with consternation the whole of this frolicsome

106

party ; whilst Nouronihar, half distracted, and over-
come both by the violence ot her exercise and the
tumult of her thoughts, sunk feebly down at his side,
cherished his cold hands in her bosom, and chafed
his temples with a fragrant unguent. At length he
came to himself, and, wrapping up his head in the
robe of his cousin, entreated that she would not
return to the harem ; he was afraid of being snapped
at by Shaban, his tutor, a wrinkled old eunuch of a
surly disposition ; for, having interrupted the stated
walk of Nouronihar, he dreaded lest the churl should
take it amiss.

The whole of this sprightly group, sitting round
upon a mossy knoll, began to entertain themselves
w^ith various pastimes, whilst their superintendents
the eunuchs were gravely conversing at a distance.
The nurse of the Emir's daughter, observing her
pupil sit ruminating with her eyes on the ground,
endeavoured to amuse her with diverting tales, to
which Gulchenrouz, who had already forgotten his
inquietudes, listened with a breathless attention ; he
laughed, he clapped his hands, and passed a hundred
little tricks on the whole of the company, without

107

omitting the eunuchs, whom he provoked to run after
him, in spite of their age and decrepitude.

During these occurrences the moon arose, the
wind subsided, and the evening became so serene
and inviting that a resolution was taken to sup on
the spot. Sutlememe, who excelled in dressing a
salad, having filled large bowls of porcelain with eggs
of small birds, curds turned with citron juice, slices
of cucumber, and the inmost leaves of delicate herbs,
handed it round from one to another and gave each
their shares in a large spoon of Cocknos. Gulchenrouz,
nestling as usual in the bosom of Nouronihar, pouted
out his vermilion little lips against the offer of
Sutlememe, and would take it only from the hand of
his cousin, on whose mouth he hung like a bee
inebriated with the quintessence of flowers. One of
the eunuchs ran to fetch melons, whilst others were
employed in showering down almonds from the
branches that overhung this amiable party.

In the midst of this festive scene there appeared
a light on the top of the highest mountain which
attracted the notice of every eye ; this light was not
less bright than the moon when at full, and might

io8

have been taken for her had it not been that the moon
was already risen. The phenomenon occasioned a
general surprise, and no one could conjecture the
cause ; it could not be a fire, for the light was clear
and bluish, nor had meteors ever been seen of that
magnitude or splendour. This strange light faded for
a moment, and immediately renewed its brightness;
it first appeared motionless at the foot of the rock,
whence it darted in an instant to sparkle in a thicket
of palm trees; thence it glided along the torrent, and
at last fixed in a glen that was narrow and dark. The
moment it had taken its direction Gulchenrouz,
whose heart always trembled at anything sudden or
rare, drew Nouronihar by the robe, and anxiously
requested her to return to the harem. The women
were importunate in seconding the entreaty, but the
curiosity of the Emir's daughter prevailed; she not
only refused to go back but resolved at all hazards to
pursue the appearance. Whilst they were debating
what was best to be done the light shone forth so
dazzling a blaze that they all fled away shrieking.
Nouronihar followed them a few steps, but, coming
to the turn of a little by-path, stopped and went back

109

alone. As she ran with an alertness peculiar to herself
it was not long before she came to the place where
they had just been supping. The globe of fire now
appeared stationary in the glen, and burned in
majestic stillness. Nouronihar, compressing her hands
upon her bosom, hesitated for some moments to
advance; the solitude of her situation was new, the
silence of the night awful, and every object inspired
sensations which till then she never had felt; the
affright of Gulchenrouz recurred to her mind, and
she a thousand times turned to go back, but this
luminous appearance was always before her. Urged
on by an irresistible impulse she continued to
approach it, in defiance of every obstacle that opposed
her progress.

At length she arrived at the opening of the glen ;
but, instead of coming up to the light, she found
herself surrounded by darkness, excepting that at a
considerable distance a faint spark glimmered by fits.
She stopped a second time; the sound of waterfalls
mingling their murmurs, the hollow rustlings
amongst the palm branches, and the funereal screams
of the birds from their rifted trunks, all conspired to

fill her with terror ; she imagined every moment that
she trod on some venomous reptile. All the stories of
malignant Divas and dismal Ghoules thronged into
her memory ; but her curiosity was, notwithstanding,
more predominant than her fears. She therefore
firmly entered a winding track that led towards the
spark, but, being a stranger to the path, she had not
gone far when she began to repent of her rashness.

**Alas! " said she, ** that I were but in those
secure and illuminated apartments where my
evenings glided on with Gulchenrouz ! Dear child !
how would thy heart flutter with terror wert thou
wandering in these wild solitudes like me ! "

At the close of this apostrophe she regained her
road, and, coming to steps hewn out in the rock,
ascended them undismayed. The light, which was
now gradually enlarging, appeared above her on the
summit of the mountain. At length she distinguished
a plaintive and melodious union of voices, proceeding
from a sort of cavern, that resembled the dirges which
are sung over tombs; a sound likewise, like that
which arises from the filling of baths, at the same
time struck her ear. vShe continued ascending, and

III

discovered large wax torches in full blaze planted
here and there in the fissures of the rock. This
preparation filled her with fear, whilst the subtle and
potent odour which the torches exhaled caused her
to sink almost lifeless at the entrance of the grot.

Casting her eyes within in this kind of trance
she beheld a large cistern of gold, filled with a water
whose vapour distilled on her face a dew of the essence
of roses ; a soft symphony resounded through the grot.
On the sides of the cistern she noticed appendages of
royalty, diadems and feathers of the heron, all
sparkling with carbuncles. Whilst her attention was
fixed on this display of magnificence the music ceased,
and a voice instantly demanded :

** For what monarch were these torches kindled,
this bath prepared and these habiliments, which
belong not only to the sovereigns of the earth but
even to the Talismanic Powers? **

To which a second voice answered :

** They are for the charming daughter of the
Emir Fakreddin.''

'' What," replied the first, '' for that trifler, who
consumes her time with a giddy child immersed in

112

softness and who at best can make but an enervated
husband?"

** And can she," rejoined the other voice, ''be
amused at such empty trifles whilst the Caliph, the
Sovereign of the world, he who is destined to enjoy
the treasures of the pre-Adamitc vSultans, a prince six
feet high and whose eyes pervade the inmost soul of
a female, is inflamed with the love of her? No! she
will be wise enough to answer that passion alone that
can aggrandize her glory; no doubt she will, and
despise the puppet of her fancy. Then all the riches
this place contains as well as the carbuncle of
Jamshyd shall be hers."

** You judge right," returned the first voice,
** and I haste to Istakhar to prepare the palace of
subterranean fire for the reception of the bridal pair."

The voices ceased, the torches were extinguished,
the most entire darkness succeeded, and Nouronihar,
recovering with a start, found herself reclined on a
sofa in the harem of her father. She clapped her
hands, and immediately came together Gulchenrouz
and her women, who, in despair at having lost
her, had despatched eunuchs to vSeek her in every

113

direction. Shaban appeared with the rest, and began
to reprimand her with an air of consequence :

*' Little impertinent/' said he, ** whence got you
false keys? Or are you beloved of some Genie that
hath given you a pick-lock ? I will try the extent of
your power; come to your chamber through the
two skylights, and expect not the company of
Gulchenrouz ; be expeditious ! I will shut you up in
the double tower/*

At these menaces Nouronihar indignantly raised
her head, opened on Shaban her black eyes which
since the important dialogue of the enchanted grot
were considerably enlarged, and said :

** Go, speak thus to slaves, but learn to reverence
her who is born to give laws and subject all to her
power/'

She was proceeding in the same style but was
interrupted by a sudden exclamation of ** The
Caliph ! The Caliph ! *' The curtains at once were
thrown open, and the slaves prostrated in double
rows, whilst poor little Gulchenrouz hid himself
beneath the elevation of a sofa.

At first appeared a file of black eunuchs, trailing

114

after them long trains of muslin embroidered with
gold, and holding in their hands censers, which
dispensed as they passed the grateful perfume of the
wood of aloes; next marched Bababalouk with a
solemn strut, and tossing his head as not overpleased
at the visit ; Vathek came close after, superbly robed,
his gait was unembarrassed and noble, and his
presence would have engaged admiration though
he had not been Sovereign of the world. He
approached Nouronihar with a throbbing heart, and
seemed enraptured at the full effulgence of her
radiant eyes, of which he had before caught but a few
glimpses; but she instantly depressed them, and her
confusion augmented her beauty.

Bababalouk, who was a thorough adept in
coincidences of this nature, and knew that the worst
game should be played with the best face, immediately
made a signal for all to retire ; and no sooner did he
perceive beneath the sofa the little one's feet than he
drew him forth without ceremony, set him upon his
shoulders, and lavished on him as he went off a
thousand odious caresses. Gulchenrouz cried out and
resisted till his cheeks became the colour of the

115

blossom of the pomegranate, and the tears that started
into his eyes shot forth a gleam of indignation. He
cast a significant glance at Nouronihar, which the
Caliph, noticing, asked :

** Is that, then, your Gulchenrouz? '*

** Sovereign of the world ! *' answered she, '* spare
my cousin, whose innocence and gentleness deserve
not your anger ! '*

** Take comfort,'' said Vathek, with a smile,
*' he is in good hands ; Bababalouk is fond of children,
and never goes without sweetmeats and comfits."

The daughter of Fakreddin was abashed and
suffered Gulchenrouz to be borne away without
adding a word. The tumult of her bosom betrayed
her confusion; and Vathek, becoming still more
impassioned, gave a loose to his frenzy, which had
subdued all but the last faint strugglings of reluctance
when the Emir suddenly bursting in, threw his face
upon the ground at the feet of the Caliph, and said :

** Commander of the faithful ! Abase not yourself
to the meannCvSS of your slave.''

'* No, Emir," replied Vathek, ** I raise her to an
equality with myself ; I declare her my wife, and the

ii6

Tlu' I'iiiiir ■suddenly lnu>tiii<i- in .

glory of your race shall extend from one generation
to another."

" x\las ! my lord," said F'akrcddin, as he plucked
off the honours of his beard, *' cut short the days of
your faithful servant rather than force him to depart
from his word. Nouronihar, as her hands evince, is
solemnly promised to Gulchenrouz, the son of my
brother Ali Hassan ; they are united also in heart,
their faith is mutually plighted, and affiances so
sacred cannot be broken."

''What then!" replied the Caliph bluntly;
*' would you surrender this divine beauty to a husband
more womanish than herself? And can you imagine
that I will suffer her charms to decay in hands so
inefficient and nerveless? No ! She is destined to live
out her life within my embraces ; such is my will ;
retire and disturb not the night I devote to the
homage of her charms."

The irritated Emir drew forth his sabre, pre-
sented it to \^athek, and, stretching out his neck,
said in a firm tone of voice :

** Strike your unhappy host, my lord ! He has
lived long enough, since he hath seen the Prophet's

ii7

Vicegerent violate the rites of hospitality.*'

At his uttering these words Nouronihar, unable
to support any longer the conflict of her passions,
sunk down in a swoon. Vathek, both terrified for her
life and furious at an opposition to his will, bade
Fakreddin assist his daughter, and withdrew, darting
his terrible look at the unfortunate Emir, who
suddenly fell backward bathed in a sweat cold as the
damp of death.

Gulchenrouz, who had escaped from the hands of
Bababalouk and was that instant returned, called
out for help as loudly as he could, not having strength
to afford it himself. Pale and panting, the poor child
attempted to revive Nouronihar by caresses; and it
happened that the thrilling warmth of his lips restored
her to life. Fakreddin, beginning also to recover from
the look of the Caliph, with difficulty tottered to a
seat, and after warily casting round his eye to see if
this dangerous Prince were gone sent for Shaban and
Sutlememe, and said to them apart :

** My friends! violent evils require as violent
remedies. The Caliph has brought desolation and
horror into my family, and how shall we resist his

ii8

power? Another of his looks will send me to my
grave. Fetch, then, that narcotic powder which the
Dervish brought me from Aracan. A dose of it, the
effect of which will continue three days, must be
administered to each of these children. The Caliph
will believe them to be dead, for they will have all
the appearance of death. We shall go as if to inter
them in the cave of Meimoune, at the entrance of the
great desert of sand, and near the cabin of my dwarfs.
When all the spectators shall be withdrawn, you,
Shaban, and four select eunuchs shall convey them to
the lake, where provision shall be ready to support
them a month, for one day allotted to the surprise
this event will occasion, five to the tears, a fortnight
to reflection, and the rest to prepare for renewing his
progress, will, according to my calculation, fill up the
whole time that Yathek wnll tarry, and I shall then be
freed from his intrusion."

** Your plan," said Sutlememe, *' is a good one,
if it can but be effected. T have remarked that
Nouronihar is well able to support the glances of the
Caliph, and that he is far from being sparing of them
to her. Be assured, therefore, notwithstanding her

119

fondness for Gulchenrouz, she will never remain quiet
while she knows him to be here, unless we can
persuade her that both herself and Gulchenrouz are
really dead, and that they were corveyed to those
rocks for a limited season to expiate the little faults
of w^hich their love was the cause. We will add that
we killed ourselves in despair, and that your dwarfs,
whom they never yet saw, will preach to them
delectable sermons. I will engage that everything
shall succeed to the bent of your wishes."

** Be it so! " said Fakreddin, '' I approve your
proposal; let us lose not a moment to give it effect."

They forthwith hastened to seek for the powder,
which, being mixed in a sherbet, was immediately
drunk by Gulchenrouz and Nouronihar. Within the
space of an hour both were seized with violent
palpitations, and a general numbness gradually
ensued. They arose from the floor, where they had
remained ever since the Caliph's departure, and,
ascending to the sofa, reclined themselves at full
length upon it, clasped in each other's embraces.

** Cherish me, my dear Nouronihar ! " said
Gulchenrouz; ** put thy hand upon my heart, for it

120

feels as if it were frozen. Alas ! thou art as cold as
myself ! Hath the Caliph murdered us both with his
terrible look? "

** I am d^'ing ! " cried she in a faltering voice.
" Press me closer, I am ready to expire ! "

'* Let us die then together," answered the little
Gulchenrouz, whilst his breast laboured with a
convulsive sigh; '' let me at least breathe forth my
soul upon thy lips ! '*

They spoke no more, and became as dead.

Immediately the most piercing cries were heard
through the harem, w^hilst Shaban and Sutlememe
personated with great adroitness the parts of persons
in despair. The Emir, who was sufticiently mortified
to be forced into such untoward expedients and had
now for the first time made a trial of his pow^der,
was under no necessity of counterfeiting grief. The
slaves, w^ho had flocked together from all quarters,
stood motionless at the spectacle before them ; all
lights were extinguished save two lamps, which shed
a wan glimmering over the faces of these lovely
flowers that seemed to be faded in the spring-time of
life; funeral vestments were prepared, their bodies

121

were washed with rose-water, their beautiful tresses
were braided and incensed, and they were wrapped
in simars whiter than alabaster. At the moment that
their attendants were placing two wreaths of their
favourite jasmines on their brows the Caliph, who
had just heard of the tragical catastrophe, arrived. He
looked not less pale and haggard than the Ghoules
that wander at night among graves. Forgetful of
himself and everyone else he broke through the midst
of the slaves, fell prostrate at the foot of the sofa, beat
his bosom, called himself '* atrocious murderer ! "
and invoked upon his head a thousand imprecations.
With a trembling hand he raised the veil that
covered the countenance of Nouronihar, and, uttering
a loud shriek, fell lifeless on the floor. The chief of
the eunuchs dragged him off with horrible grimaces,
and repeated as he went :

** Ay, I foresaw she would play you some
ungracious turn ! '*

No sooner was the Caliph gone than the Emir
commanded biers to be brought, and forbad that
anyone should enter the harem. Every window was
fastened, all instruments of music were broken, and

122

(Jaused tliciii to l)t' cai ricd lo tlie l)iiiik nt a >iiiall lake

the Imans began to recite their prayers. Towards the
close of this melancholy day \'athek sobbed in silence,
for they had been forced to compose with anodynes
his convulsions of rage and desperation.

At the dawn of the succeeding morning the wide
folding doors of the palace were set open, and the
funeral procession moved forw^ard for the mountain.
The wailful cries of ** La illaha ill' Allah ! " reached
to the Caliph, who was eager to cicatrise himself and
attend the ceremonial ; nor could he have been
dissuaded had not his excessive weakness disabled
him from walking. At the first few steps he fell on
the ground, and his people w^ere obliged to lay him
on a bed, where he remained many days in such a state
of insensibility as excited compassion in the Emir
himself.

When the procession w^as arrived at the grot of
Meimoune, Shaban and Sutlememe dismissed the
whole of the train, excepting the four confidential
eunuchs who were appointed to remain. After resting
some moments near the biers, which had been left in
the open air, they caused them to be carried to the
brink of a small lake whose banks were overgrown

123

with a hoary moss ; this was the great resort of herons
and storks, which preyed continually on the little blue
fishes. The dwarfs, instructed by the Emir, soon
repaired thither, and, with the help of the eunuchs,
began to construct cabins of rushes and reeds, a work
in which they had admirable skill; a magazine also
was contrived for provisions, with a small oratory for
themselves, and a pyramid of wood, neatly piled, to
furnish the necessary fuel, for the air was bleak in the
hollows of the mountains.

At evening two fires were kindled on the brink of
the lake, and the two lovely bodies, taken from their
biers, were carefully deposited upon a bed of dried
leaves within the same cabin. The dwarfs began to
recite the Koran with their clear, shrill voices, and
Shaban and vSutlememe stood at some distance,
anxiously waiting the effects of the powder.

At length Nouronihar and Gulchenrouz faintly
stretched out their arms, and gradually opening their
eyes began to survey with looks of increasing
amazement every object around them; they even
attempted to rise, but for want of strength fell
back again. Sutlememe on this administered a

124

cordial, which the Emir had taken care to provide.

Gtilchenrotiz, thorotighly aroUvSed, sneezed out
aloud, and raising himself with an effort that
expressed his surprise left the cabin and inhaled the
fresh air with the greatest avidity.

*' Yes," said he, '* I breathe again ! Again do I
exist ! I hear sounds ! I behold a firmament spangled
over with stars ! "

Nouronihar, catching these beloved accents,
extricated herself from the leaves and ran to clasp
Gulchenrouz to her bosom. The first objects she
remarked were their long simars, their garlands of
flowers, and their naked feet ; she hid her face in her
hands to reflect. The vision of the enchanted bath, the
despair of her father, and, more vividly than both,
the majestic figure of Vathek recurred to her memory.
She recollected also that herself and Gulchenrouz
had been sick and dying, but all these images
bewildered her mind.

Not knowing where she was she turned her eyes
on all sides, as if to recognise the surrounding scene.
This singular lake, those flames reflected from its
glassy surface, the pale hues of its banks, the romantic

125

cabins, the bulrushes that sadly waved their drooping
heads, the storks whose melancholy cries blended
with the shrill voices of the dwarfs, everything
conspired to persuade them that the Angel of Death
had opened the portal of some other world.

Gulchenrouz, on his part, lost in wonder, clung
to the neck of his cousin ; he believed himself in the
region of phantoms, and was terrified at the silence
she preserved. At length, addressing her :

** vSpeak,*' said he, " where are we? Do you not
see those spectres that are stirring the burning coals ?
Are they Monker and Nakir, come to throw us into
them? Does the fatal bridge cross this lake, whose
solemn stillness perhaps conceals from us an abyss,
in which for whole ages we shall be doomed
incessantly to sink ? * '

*' No, my children!" said Sutlememe, going
towards them. *' Take comfort! The exterminating
Angel, who conducted our souls hither after yours,
hath assured us that the chastisement of your indolent
and voluptuous life shall be restricted to a certain
series of years, which you must pass in this dreary
abode, where the sun is scarcely visible and where

126

the soil yields neither fruits nor iloAvers. These,"
continued she, pointing to the dwarfs, *' will provide
for our wants, for souls so mundane as ours retain
too strong a tincture of their earthly extraction;
instead of meats your food will be nothing but rice,
and your bread shall be moistened in the fogs that
brood over the surface of the lake."

At this desolating prospect the poor children
burst into tears and prostrated themselves before the
dwarfs, who perfectly supported their characters and
delivered an excellent discourse of a customary length
upon the sacred camel, which after a thousand years
was to convey them to the paradise of the faithful.

The sermon being ended, and ablutions per-
formed, they praised Allah and the prophet, supped
very indifferently, and retired to their withered
leaves. Nouronihar and her little cousin consoled
themselves on finding that though dead they yet lay
in one cabin. Having slept well before, the remainder
of the night was spent in conversation on what had
befallen them, and both, from a dread of apparitions,
betook themselves for protection to one another's
arms.

127

In the morning, which was lowering and rainy,
the dwarfs mounted high poles like minarets and
called them to prayers. The whole congregation,
which consisted of vSutlememe, Shaban, the four
eunuchs and some storks, were already assembled.
The two children came forth from their cabin with a
slow and dejected pace. As their minds were in a
tender and melancholy mood their devotions were
performed with fervour. No sooner were they finished
than Gulchenrouz demanded of Sutlememe and the
rest, '* how they happened to die so opportunely for
his cousin and himself? ''

"We killed ourselves,'* returned Sutlememe,
" in despair at your death.''

On this said Nouronihar, who, notwithstanding
what was past, had not yet forgotten her vision :

*' And the Caliph ! is he also dead of his grief?
And will he likewise come hither? "

The dwarfs, who were prepared with an answer,
most demurely replied :

Vathek is damned beyond all redemption ! "
I readily believe so," said Gulchenrouz, ** and
am glad from my heart to hear it, for I am convinced

128

((

( <

it was his horrible look that sent us hither to listen to
sermons and mess upon rice."

One week passed away on the side of the lake
unmarked by any variety ; Nouronihar ruminating on
the grandeur of which death had deprived her, and
Gulchenrouz applying to prayers and to panniers,
along with the dwarfs, who infinitely pleased him.

\"\^hilst this scene of innocence was exhibiting in
the mountains, the Caliph presented himself to the
Emir in a new light. The instant he recovered the use
of his senses, with a voice that made Bababalouk
quake, he thundered out :

** Perfidious Giaour ! I renounce thee for ever !
It is thou who hast slain my beloved Nouronihar !
And I supplicate the pardon of Mahomet, who would
have preserved her to me had I been more wise. Let
water be brought to perform my ablutions, and let the
pious Fakreddin be called to offer up his prayers with
mine, and reconcile me to him ; afterwards we will go
together and visit the sepulchre of the unfortunate
Nouronihar. I am resolved to become a hermit and
consume the residue of my days on this mountain, in
hope of expiating my crimes."

129

Nouronihar was not altogether so content, for
though she felt a fondness for Gulchenrouz, who, to
augment the attachment, had been left at full liberty
with her, yet she still regarded him as but a bauble
that bore no competition with the carbuncle of
Jamshyd. At times she indulged doubts on the mode
of her being, and scarcely could believe that the dead
had all the wants and the whims of the living. To gain
satisfaction, however, on so perplexing a topic she
arose one morning whilst all were asleep, with a
breathless caution, from the side of Gulchenrouz,
and, after having given him a soft kiss, began to
follow the windings of the lake till it terminated with
a rock, whose top was accessible though lofty; this
she clambered up with considerable toil, and, having
reached the summit, set forward in a run, like a doe
that unwittingly follows her hunter. Though she
skipped along with the alertness of an antelope, yet
at intervals she was forced to desist and rest beneath
the tamarisks to recover her breath. Whilst she, thus
reclined, was occupied with her little reflections on
the apprehension that she had some knowledge of the
place, Vathek, who finding himself that morning but

130

ill at ease had pfone forth before the dawn, presented
himself on a sudden to her view. Motionless with
surprise he durst not approach the figure before him,
which lay shrouded up in a simar, extended on the
ground, trembling and pale, but yet lovely to behold.
At length Nouronihar, with a mixture of pleasure and
affliction, raising her fine eyes to him, vSaid :

'* My lord, are you come hither to eat rice and hear
sermons with me? "

** Beloved phantom ! " cried Vathek. '* Dost thou
speak ? Hast thou the same graceful form, the same
radiant features? Art thou palpable likewise? " And,
eagerly embracing her, added, *' Here are limbs and
a bosom animated with a gentle warmth ! What can
such a prodigy mean? "

Nouronihar with dif&dence answered :

** You know, my lord, that I died on the night
you honoured me with your visit. My cousin
maintains it was from one of your glances, but I
cannot believe him, for to me they seem not so
dreadful. Gulchenrouz died with me, and we were
both brought into a region of dcvSolation, where we are
fed with a wretched diet. If you be dead also, and are

131

come hither to join us, I pity your lot, for you will be
stunned with the noise of the dwarfs and the storks.
Besides, it is mortifying in the extreme that you, as
well as myself, should have lost the treasures of the
subterranean palace.'*

At the mention of the subterranean palace the
Caliph suspended his caresses (which, indeed, had
proceeded pretty far) to seek from Nouronihar an
explanation of her meaning. She then recapitulated
her vision, what immediately followed, and the
history of her pretended death, adding also a
description of the place of expiation whence she had
fled, and all in a manner that would have extorted his
laughter had not the thoughts of Vathek been too
deeply engaged. No sooner, however, had she ended
than he again clasped her to his bosom and said :

*' Light of my eyes ! The m^^stery is unravelled;
we both are alive ! Your father is a cheat who, for the
sake of dividing, hath deluded us both. And the
Giaour, whose design, as far as I can discover, is that
we shall proceed together, seems scarce a whit better ;
it vshall be some time at least before he find us in
his palace of fire. Your lovely little person in, my

132

estimation is far more precious than all the treasures
of the pre-Adamite Sultans, and I wish to possess it
at pleasure, and in open day, for many a moon, before
I go to burrow underground like a mole. Forget this
little trifler, Gulchenrouz, and "

'' Ah ! my lord," interposed Nouronihar, '* let me
entreat that you do him no evil."

" No, no ! " replied Vathek, *' I have already bid
you forbear to alarm yourself for him. He has been
brought up too much on milk and sugar to stimulate
my jealousy. We will leave him with the dwarfs, w^ho,
by-the-by, are my old acquaintances; their company
w411 suit him far better than yours. As to other
matters, I will return no more to your father's. I want
not to have my ears dinned by him and his dotards
w^ith the violation of the rites of hospitality, as if it
were less an honour for you to espouse the Sovereign
of the w^orld than a girl dressed up like a boy ! "

Nouronihar could find nothing to oppose in a
discourse so eloquent ; she only wished the amorous
monarch had discovered more ardour for the
carbuncle of Jamshyd, but flattered herself it w^ould
gradually increase, and therefore yielded to his will

133

with the most bewitching submission. When the
Caliph judged it proper he called for Bababalouk,
who was asleep in the cave of Meimoune and
dreaming that the phantom of Nouronihar, having
mounted him once more on her swing, had just
given him such a jerk that he one moment soared
above the mountains and the next sunk into the abyss.
Starting from his sleep at the voice of his master, he
ran gasping for breath, and had nearly fallen back-
ward at the sight, as he believed, of the spectre by
whom he had so lately been haunted in his dream.

*' Ah ! my lord,*' cried he, recoiling ten steps, and
covering his eyes with both hands, ** do you then
perform the ofhce of a ghoul ? 'Tis true you have dug
up the dead, yet hope not to make her your prey, for
after all she hath caused me to suffer she is even
wicked enough to prey upon you.*'

'' Cease thy folly," said Vathek, '' and thou shalt
soon be convinced that it is Nouronihar herself, alive
and well, whom I clasp to my breast. Go only and pitch
my tents in the neighbouring valley ; there will I fix
my abode with this beautiful tulip, whose colours I
soon shall restore ; there exert thy best endeavours to

i34

procure whatever can augment the enjoyments of life,
till I shall disclose to thee more of my will."

The news of so unlucky an event soon reached the
ears of the Emir, who abandoned himself to grief and
despair, and began, as did all his old greybeards, to
begrime his visage wnth ashes. A total supineness
ensued, travellers were no longer entertained, no
more plasters were spread, and instead of the
charitable activity that had distinguished this asylum
the whole of its inhabitants exhibited only faces of a
half-cubit long, and uttered groans that accorded with
their forlorn situation.

Though Fakreddin bewailed his daughter as lost
to him for ever, yet Gulchenrouz was not forgotten.
He despatched immediate instructions to Sutlememe,
vShaban, and the dw^arfs, enjoining them not to
undeceive the child in respect to his state, but under
some pretence to convey him far from the lofty rock
at the extremity of the lake to a place which he should
appoint as safer from danger, for he suspected that
\'athek intended him evil.

Gulchenrouz in the meanwhile w^as filled with
amazement at not finding his cousin, nor were the

135

dwarfs at all less surprised ; but Sutlememe, who had
more penetration, immediately guessed what had
happened. Gulchenrouz was amused with the delusive
hope of once more embracing Nouronihar in the
interior recesses of the mountains, where the ground,
strewed over with orange blossoms and jasmines,
offered beds much more inviting than the withered
leaves in their cabin, where they might accompany
with their voices the sounds of their lutes, and chase
butterflies in concert. Sutlememe was far gone in
this sort of description when one of the four eunuchs
beckoned her aside to apprise her of the arrival of a
messenger from their fraternity, who had explained
the secret of the flight of Nouronihar and brought the
commands of the Emir. A council with Shaban and the
dwarfs was immediately held. Their baggage being
stowed in consequence of it, they embarked in a
shallop and quietly sailed with the little one, who
acquiesced in all their proposals. Their voyage pro-
ceeded in the same manner till they came to the
place where the lake sinks beneath the hollow of the
rocks; but as soon as the bark had entered it and
Gulchenrouz found himself surrounded with dark-

136

ness, he was seized with a dreadful consternation and
incessantly uttered the most piercing outcries, tor he
now was persuaded he should actually be damned for
having taken too many little freedoms in his lifetime
with his cousin.

But let us return to the Caliph and her who ruled
over his heart. Bababalouk had pitched the tents
and closed up the extremities of the valley with
magnificent screens of India cloth, which were
guarded by Ethiopian slaves with their drawn
sabres. To preserve the verdure of this beautiful
enclosure in its natural freshness the white eunuchs
went continually round it with their red water vessels.
The waving of fans was heard near the imperial
pavilion, where, by the voluptuous light that glowed
through the muslins, the Caliph enjoyed at full view
all the attractions of Nouronihar. Inebriated with
delight he was all ear to her charming voice which
accompanied the lute, while she was not less
captivated with his descriptions of vSamarah and the
tower full of wonders, but especially with his relation
of the adventure of the ball, and the chasm of the
Giaour with its ebony portal.

137

In this manner they conversed for a daj^ and a
night ; they bathed together in a basin of black marble,
which admirably relieved the fairness of Nouronihar.
Bababalouk, whose good graces this beauty had
regained, spared no attention that their repasts
might be served up with the minutest exactness ; some
exquisite rarity was ever placed before them ; and he
sent even to Shiraz for that fragrant and delicious
wine which had been hoarded up in bottles prior to
the birth of Mahomet. He had excavated little ovens
in the rock to bake the nice manchets which were
prepared by the hands of Nouronihar, whence they
had derived a flavour so grateful to Vathek that he
regarded the ragouts of his other wives as entirely
mawkish ; whilst they would have died at the Emir's
of chagrin at finding themselves so neglected if
Fakreddin, notwithstanding his resentment, had not
taken pity upon them.

The Sultana Dilara, who till then had been the
favourite, took this dereliction of the Caliph to heart
with a vehemence natural to her character ; for during
her continuance in favour she had imbibed from
Vathek many of his extravagant fancies and was fired

138

with impatience to behold tlie superb tombs of
Istakhar and the Palace of Forty Cohimns; besides,
having been brought up amongst the Magi, she had
fondly cherished the idea of the Caliph's devoting
himself to the worship of fire ; thus his voluptuous and
desultory life with her rival was to her a double source
of affliction. The transient piety of Vathek had
occasioned her some serious alarms, but the present
was an evil of far greater magnitude. She resolved,
therefore, without hesitation to write to Carathis and
acquaint her that all things went ill ; that they had
eaten, slept, and revelled at an old Emir's whose
sanctity was very formidable, and that after all the
prospect of possessing the treasures of the pre-
Adamite Sultans was no less remote than before.
This letter was entrusted to the care of two woodmen
who were at work on one of the great forests of the
mountains, and, being acquainted with the shortest
cuts, arrived in ten days at Samarah.

The Princess Carathis was engaged at chess with
Morakanabad when the arrival of these wood-fellers
w^as announced. She, after some weeks of Vathek 's
absence, had forsaken the upper regions of her tower

139

because everything appeared in confusion among the
stars, which she consulted relative to the fate of her
son. In vain did she renew her fumigations and
extend herself on the roof to obtain mystic visions.
Nothing more could she see in her dreams than pieces
of brocade, nosegays of flowers, and other unmeaning
gewgaws.

These disappointments had thrown her into a
state of dejection which no drug in her power was
sufficient to remove. Her only resource was in
Morakanabad, who was a good man and endowed
with a decent share of confidence, yet whilst in her
company he never thought himself on roses. No
person knew aught of Vathek, and a thousand
ridiculous stories were propagated at his expense.
The eagerness of Carathis may be easily guessed at
receiving the letter, as well as her rage at reading the
dissolute conduct of her son.

*' Is it so? '* said she. *' Either I will perish or
Vathek shall enter the Palace of Fire. Let me expire
in flames, provided he may reign on the throne of
Soliman ! '*

Having said this, and whirled herself round in a

140

magical manner which struck Morakanabad with
such terror as caused him to recoil, she ordered her
great camel Alboufaki to be brought, and the hideous
Nerkes with the unrelenting Cafour to attend.

*' I require no other retinue,'* said she to
Morakanabad ; ** 1 am going on affairs of emergency,
a truce therefore to parade ! Take you care of the
people, fleece them well in my absence ; for we shall
expend large sums, and one knows not what may
betide."

The night was uncommonly dark, and a
pestilential blast ravaged the plain of Catoul that
w^ould have deterred any other traveller, however
urgent the call ; but Carathis enjoyed most whatever
filled others w4th dread. Nerkes concurred in opinion
w^ith her, and Cafour had a particular predilection
for a pestilence. In the morning this accomplished
caravan, with the wood-fellers who directed their
route, halted on the edge of an extensive marsh
whence so noxious a vapour arose as would have
destroyed any animal but Alboufaki, who naturally
inhaled these malignant fogs. The peasants entreated
their convoy not to sleep in this place.

141

*' To sleep ! " cried Carathis, '' what an excellent
thought ! I never sleep but for visions ; and as to my
attendants, their occupations are too many to close the
only eye they each have/*

The poor peasants, who were not overpleased with
their party, remained open-mouthed with surprise.

Carathis alighted, as well as her negresses, and
severally stripping off their outer garments they all
ran in their drawers to cull from those spots where the
sun shone fiercest the venomous plants that grew on
the marsh. This provision was made for the family of
the Emir and whoever might retard the expedition to
Istakhar. The woodmen were overcome with fear
when they beheld these three horrible phantoms run,
and, not much relishing the company of Alboufaki,
stood aghast at the command of Carathis to set
forward, notwithstanding it was noon and the heat
fierce enough to calcine even rocks. In spite, however,
of every remonstrance, they were forced implicitly to
submit.

Alboufaki, who delighted in solitude, constantly
snorted whenever he perceived himself near a habita-
tion ; and Carathis, who was apt to spoil him with

142

indulgence, as constantly turned hiui aside, so
that the peasants were precluded from procuring
subsistence ; for the milch goats and ewes, which
Providence had sent towards the district they
traversed to refresh travellers with their milk, all
fled at the sight of the hideous animal and his
strange riders. As to Carathis, she needed no common
aliment, for her invention had previously furnished
her with an opiate to stay her stomach, and some of
this she imparted to her mutes.

At the fall of night Alboufaki, making a sudden
stop, stamped wnth his foot, which to Carathis, who
understood his paces, was a certain indication that
she was near the confines of some cemetery. The
moon shed a bright light on the spot, which served to
discover a long wall with a large door in it standing
ajar, and so high that Alboufaki might easily enter.
The miserable guides, who perceived their end
approaching, humbly implored Carathis, as she had
now so good an opportunity, to inter them, and
immediately gave up the ghost. Nerkes and Cafour,
whose wit was of a style peculiar to themselves, were
by no means parsimonious of it on the folly of these

143

poor people, nor could anything have been found more
suited to their tastes than the site of the burying-
ground and the sepulchres which its precincts
contained. There were at least two thousand of them
on the declivity of a hill — some in the form of
pyramids, others like columns, and, in short, the
variety of their shapes was endless. Carathis was too
much immersed in her sublime contemplations to stop
at the view, charming as it appeared in her eyes.
Pondering the advantages that might accrue from her
present situation, she could not forbear to exclaim :

** So beautiful a cemetery must be haunted by
ghouls, and they want not for intelligence. Having
heedlessly suffered my guides to expire I will apply
for directions to them, and as an inducement will
invite them to regale on these fresh corpses.**

After this short soliloquy she beckoned to Nerkes
and Cafour, and made signs with her fingers, as much
as to say :

** Go, knock against the sides of the tombs, and
strike up your delightful warblings, that are so like
to those of the guests whose company I wish to
obtain.'*

144

The negresses, full of joy at the behests of their
mistress and promising themselves much pleasure
from the society of the ghouls, went with an air of
conquest, and began their knockings at the tombs.
As their strokes were repeated a hollow noise was
heard in the earth, the surface hove up into heaps,
and the ghouls on all sides protruded their noses, to
inhale the effluvia which the carcasses of the wood-
men began to emit.

They assembled before a sarcophagus of white
marble, where Carathis was seated between the
bodies of her miserable guides. The Princess received
her visitants with distinguished politeness, and, when
supper was ended, proceeded with them to business.
Having soon learnt from them everything she wished
to discover, it w^as her intention to set forward
forthwith on her journey, but her negresses, who
were forming tender connections with the ghouls,
importuned her with all their fingers to wait at least
till the dawn. Carathis, however being chastity in the
abstract and an implacable enemy to love and repose,
at once rejected their prayer, mounted Alboufaki, and
commanded them to take their seats in a moment.

145

Four days and four nights she continued her route,
without turning to the right hand or left; on the fifth
she traversed the mountains and half-burnt forests,
and arrived on the sixth before the beautiful screens
which concealed from all eyes the voluptuous wander-
ings of her son.

It was daybreak and the guards were snoring on
their posts in careless security when the rough trot
of Alboufaki aw^oke them in consternation. Imagining
that a group of spectres ascended from the abyss was
approaching, they all without ceremony took to their
heels. Vathek was at that instant with Nouronihar in
the bath, hearing tales and laughing at Bababalouk
who related them ; but no sooner did the outcry of his
guards reach him than he flounced from the water
like a carp, and as soon threw himself back at
the sight of Carathis, who, advancing with her
negresses upon Alboufaki, broke through the muslin
awnings and veils of the pavilion. At this sudden
apparition Nouronihar (for she was not at all times
free from remorse) fancied that the moment of
celestial vengeance was come, and clung about the
Caliph in amorous despondence.

146

Carathis, still seated on her camel, foamed with
indignation at the spectacle which obtruded itself on
her chaste view. She thundered forth without check
or mercy : " Thou double-headed and four-legged
monster ! What means all this winding and writhing?
Art thou not ashamed to be seen grasping this limber
sapling in preference to the sceptre of the pre-Adamite
Sultans ? Is it then for this paltry doxy that thou hast
violated the conditions in the parchment of our
Giaour ? Is it on her thou hast lavished thy precious
moments? Is this the fruit of the knowledge I have
taught thee ? Is this the end of thy journey ? Tear
thyself from the arms of this little simpleton, drown
her in the water before me, and instantly follow my
guidance.'*

In the first ebullition of his fury Vathek resolved
to make a skeleton of Alboufaki and to stuff the skins
of Carathis and her blacks ; but the ideas of the
Giaour, the palace of Istakhar, the sabres and the
talismans, flashing before his imagination with the
simultaneousness of lightning, he became more
moderate and said to his mother, in a civil but
decisive tone :

147

** Dread lady, you shall be obeyed, but I will not
drown Nouronihar; she is sweeter to me than a
Myrabolan comfit, and is enamoured of carbuncles,
especially that of Jamshyd, which hath also been
promised to be conferred upon her; she, therefore,
shall go along with us, for I intend to repose with her
beneath the canopies of Soliman. I can sleep no more
without her.'*

'* Be it so! " replied Carathis, alighting, and at
the same time committing Alboufaki to the charge of
her women.

Nouronihar, who had not yet quitted her hold,
began to take courage, and said with an accent of
fondness to the Caliph :

** Dear Sovereign of my soul ! I will follow thee,
if it be thy will, beyond the Kaf in the land of the
Afrits. I will not hesitate to climb for thee the nest of
the vSimurgh, who, this lady excepted, is the most
awful of created existences.**

** We have here then,** subjoined Carathis, ** a
girl both of courage and vScience ! *'

Nouronihar had certainly both ; but notwith-
standing all her firmness she could not help casting

148

back a look of regret upon the g^races of her little
Gulchenrouz and the days of tenderness she had
participated with him. She even dropped a few tears,
which Carathis observed, and inadvertently breathed
out with a sigh :

**Alas! my gentle cousin! what will become of
him?"

Vathek at this apostrophe knitted up his brows,
and Carathis inquired what it could mean ?

'* She is preposterously sighing after a stripling
with languishing eyes and soft hair who loves her,"
said the Caliph.

"Where is he?" asked Carathis. ** I must be
acquainted with this pretty child. For," added she,
lowering her voice, " I design before I depart to
regain the favour of the Giaour. There is nothing so
delicious in his estimation as the heart of a delicate
boy, palpitating with the first tumults of love."

Vathek, as he came from the bath, commanded
Bababalouk to collect the women and other movables
of his harem, embody his troops, and hold himself in
readiness to march in three days ; whilst Carathis
retired alone to a tent, where the Giaour solaced her

149

with encouraging visions. But at length waking, she
found at her feet Nerkes and Cafour, who informed
her by their signs that having led Alboufaki to the
borders of a lake to browse on some moss that looked
tolerably venomous, they had discovered certain blue
fishes of the same kind as those in the reservoir on the
top of the tower.

'* Ah ! ha ! '' said she, ** I will go thither to them.
These fish are past doubt of a species that by a small
operation I can render oracular; they may tell me
where this little Gulchenrouz is whom I am bent upon
sacrificing." Having thus spoken, she immediately
set out with her swarthy retinue.

It being but seldom that time is lost in the
accomplishment of a wicked enterprise, Carathis and
her negresses soon arrived at the lake, where, after
burning the magical drugs with which they were
always provided, and stripping themselves naked,
they waded to their chins. Nerkes and Cafour waved
torches around them, and Carathis pronounced her
barbarous incantations. The fishes with one accord
thrust forth their heads from the water, which was
violently rippled by the flutter of their fins, and at

150

tgr

'Vislies .... 1 I'oiiiuit' Mill li\ vduc ulitft'i-iii<^' ^<':iles

length finding themselves constrained by the potency
of the charm they opened their piteous mouths and
said :

*' From gills to tail we are yours, what seek ye
to know ? ' '

** Fishes," answered she, ** I conjure you by your
glittering scales tell me where now is Gulchenrouz ? "

** Beyond the rock," replied the shoal in full
chorus ; '' will this content you ? For we do not delight
in expanding our mouths."

** It will," returned the Princess; '^ I am aware
that you like not long conversations. I will leave you,
therefore, to repose, though I had other questions to
propound." The instant she had spoken the water
became smooth and the fishes at once disappeared.

Carathis, inflated with the venom of her projects,

strode hastily over the rock and found the amiable

Gulchenrouz asleep in an arbour, whilst the two

dwarfs were watching at his side and ruminating their

accustomed prayers. These diminutive personages

possessed the gift of divining whenever an enemy to

good Mussulmans approached ; thus they anticipated

the arrival of Carathis who, stopping short, said to

herself :

151

** How placidly doth he recline his lovely little
head ! How pale and languishing are his looks ! It is
just the very child of my wishes ! "

The dwarfs interrupted this delectable soliloquy
by leaping instantly upon her and scratching her face
with their utmost zeal. But Nerkes and Cafour,
betaking themselves to the succour of their mistress,
pinched the dwarfs so severely in return that they
both gave up the ghost, imploring Mahomet to inflict
his sorest vengeance upon this wicked woman and
all her household.

At the noise which this strange conflict occasioned
in the valley Gulchenrouz awoke, and bewildered
w^ith terror sprung impetuously upon an old fig tree
that rose against the acclivity of the rocks, thence
gained their summits, and ran for two hours without
once looking back. At last, exhausted with fatigue,
he fell as if dead into the arms of a good old Genie,
whose fondness for the company of children had made
it his sole occupation to protect them, and who, whilst
performing his wonted rounds through the air,
happening on the cruel Giaour at the instant of his
growling in the horrible chasm, rescued the fifty little

152

victims which the Impiety of \'athek had devoted to
his maw. These the Genie brought up in nests still
higher than the clouds, and himself fixed his abode
in a nest more capacious than the rest, from which he
had expelled the possessors that had built it.

These inviolable asylums were defended against
the Divas and the Afrits by waving streamers on
which were inscribed in characters of gold, that
flashed like lightning, the names of Allah and the
Prophet. It was there that Gulchenrouz, who as yet
remained undeceived with respect to his pretended
death, thought himself in the mansions of eternal
peace. He admitted without fear the congratulations
of his little friends, who were all assembled in the nest
of the venerable Genie and vied with each other in
kissing his serene forehead and beautiful eyelids. This
he found to be the state congenial to his soul ; remote
from the inquietudes of earth, the impertinence of
harems, the brutality of eunuchs, and the lubricity of
women. In this peaceable society his days, months,
and years glided on, nor w^as he less happy than the
rest of his companions, for the Genie, instead of
burthening his pupils with perishable riches and the

153

vain sciences of the world, conferred upon them the
boon of perpetual childhood.

Carathis, unaccustomed to the loss of her prey,
vented a thousand execrations on her negresses for
not seizing the child instead of amusing themselves
with pinching to death the dwarfs, from which they
could gain no advantage. She returned into the valley
murmuring, and finding that her son was not risen
from the arms of Nouronihar discharged her ill-
humour upon both. The idea, however, of departing
next day for Istakhar and cultivating through the
good offices of the Giaour an intimacy with Eblis
himself, at length consoled her chagrin. But fate had
ordained it otherwise.

In the evening, as Carathis was conversing with
Dilara, who through her contrivance had become of
the party and whose taste resembled her own, Bababa-
louk came to acquaint her '* that the sky towards
Samarah looked of a fiery red, and seemed to portend
some alarming disaster." Immediately recurring to
her astrolabes and instruments of magic she took
the altitude of the planets, and discovered by her
calculations, to her great mortification, that a

154

formidable revolt had taken place at vSamarah ; that
Motavakel, availiug himseli of the disgust which was
inveterate against his brother, had incited commo-
tions amongst the populace, made himself master of
the palace, and actually invested the great tow^er, to
which Morakanabad had retired, with a handful of
the few that still remained faithful to Vathek.

** What ! " exclaimed she; '* must I lose then my
tower, my mutes, my negresses, my mummies and,
w^orse than all, the laboratory in w^hich I have spent
so many a night, without knowing at least if my hair-
brained son wall complete his adventure ? No ! I will
not be the dupe ! Immediately will I speed to support
Morakanabad. By my formidable art the clouds shall
sleet hailstones in the faces of the assailants and shafts
of red-hot iron on their heads. I will spring mines of
serpents and torpedoes from beneath them, and w^e
shall soon see the stand they will make against such
an explosion ! "

Having thus spoken Carathis hastened to her
son, who was tranquilly banqueting with Nouronihar
in his superb carnation-coloured tent.

"Glutton that thou art! " cried she, ** were it

155

not for me thou wouldst soon find thyself the
commander only of pies. Thy faithful subjects have
abjured the faith they swore to thee; Motavakel thy
brother now reigns on the hill of pied horses, and
had I not some slight resources in the tower would
not be easily persuaded to abdicate. But in order that
time may not be lost I shall only add four words :
Strike tent to-night, set forward, and beware how
thou loiterest again by the way. Though thou hast
forfeited the conditions of the parchment I am not yet
without hope ; for it cannot be denied that thou hast
violated to admiration the laws of hospitality by
seducing the daughter of the Emir after having
partaken of his bread and his salt. Such a conduct
cannot but be delightful to the Giaour, and if on thy
march thou canst signalise thyself by an additional
crime all will still go well and thou shalt enter the
palace of Soliman in triumph. Adieu ! Alboufaki and
my negresses are waiting."

The Caliph had nothing to offer in reply; he
wished his mother a prosperous journey, and ate on
till he had finished his supper. At midnight the camp
broke up amidst the flourishing of trumpets and other

156

martial instruments ; but loud indeed must have been
the sound of the tymbals to overpower the blubbering
of the Emir and his long beards, who by an exeessive
profusion of tears had so far exhausted the radical
moisture that their eyes shrivelled up in their sockets
and their hairs dropped off by the roots. Nouronihar,
to whom such a symphony was painful, did not grieve
to get out of hearing; she accompanied the Caliph in
the imperial litter, where they amused themselves
with imagining the splendour which was soon to
surround them. The other women, overcome with
dejection, were dolefully rocked in their cages, whilst
Dilara consoled herself with anticipating the joy of
celebrating the rites of fire on the stately terraces of
Istakhar.

In four days they reached the spacious valley of
the Rocnabad. The season of spring was in all its
vigour, and the grotesque branches of the almond
trees in full blossom fantastically chequered the clear
blue sky; the earth, variegated with hyacinths and
jonquils, breathed forth a fragrance which diffused
through the soul a divine repose ; myriads of bees and
scarce fewer of Santons had there taken up their

157

abode ; on the banks of the stream hives and oratories
were alternately ranged, and their neatness and
whiteness were set off by the deep green of the
cypresses that spired up amongst them. These pious
personages amused themselves with cultivating little
gardens that abounded with flowers and fruits,
especially musk-melons of the best flavour that
Persia could boast; sometimes dispersed over the
meadow they entertained themselves with feeding
peacocks whiter than snow and turtles more blue
than the sapphire. In this manner were they occupied
when the harbingers of the imperial procession began
to proclaim :

'* Inhabitants of the Rocnabad ! Prostrate your-
selves on the brink of your pure waters, and tender
your thanksgivings to heaven that vouchsafeth to
show you a ray of its glory ; for lo ! the Commander
of the Faithful draws near."

The poor vSantons, filled with holy energy, having
bustled to light up wax torches in their oratories and
expand the Koran on their ebony desks, went forth
to meet the Caliph with baskets of honeycomb, dates,
and melons. But, whilst they were advancing in

158

solemn procession and with measured steps the
horses, camels, and p^uards wantoned over their tulips
and other flowers and made a terrible havoc amonp^st
them. The Santons could not help casting from one
eye a look of pity on the ravages committing around
them, whilst the other was fixed upon the Caliph and
heaven. Nouronihar, enraptured with the scenery of
a place which brought back to her remembrance the
pleasing solitudes where her infancy had passed,
entreated Vathek to stop; but he, suspecting that
each oratory might be deemed by the Giaour a distinct
habitation, commanded his pioneers to level them all.
The Santons stood motionless with horror at the
barbarous mandate and at last broke out into lamenta-
tions ; but these were uttered with so ill a grace that
Vathek bade his eunuchs to kick them from his
presence. He then dcvscended from the litter with
Nouronihar. They sauntered together in the meadow
and amused themselves with culling flowers and
passing a thousand pleasantries with each other. But
the bees, who were staunch Mussulmans, thinking it
their duty to revenge the insult on their dear masters
the Santons, assembled so zealously to do it with

159

effect that the Caliph and Nouronihar were glad to
find their tents prepared to receive them.

Bababalouk, who in the capacity of purveyor had
acquitted himself with applause as to peacocks and
turtles, lost no time in consigning some dozens to the
spit and as many more to be fricasseed. Whilst they
were feasting, laughing, carousing, and blaspheming
at pleasure on the banquet so liberally furnished, the
Moullahs, the Sheiks, the Cadis, and Imans of Shiraz
(who seemed not to have met the San tons) arrived,
leading by bridles of riband inscribed from the
Koran a train of asses which were loaded with
the choicest fruits the country could boast. Having
presented their offerings to the Caliph they petitioned
him to honour their city and mosques with his
presence.

** Fancy not," said Vathek, ** that you can detain
me ; your presents I condescend to accept, but beg you
will let me be quiet, for I am not over-fond of resisting
temptation. Retire then ; yet, as it is not decent for
personages so reverend to return on foot, and as you
have not the appearance of expert riders, my eunuchs
shall tie your asses, with the precaution that your

i6o

backs be not turned towards me, for they understand
etiquette."

In this deputation were some high-stomached
Sheiks who, taking \'athek for a fool, scrupled not to
speak their opinion. These Bababalouk girded with
double cords and, having well disciplined their
asses with nettles behind, thej' all started with
a preternatural alertness, plunging, kicking, and
running foul of each other in the most ludicrous
manner imaginable.

Nouronihar and the Caliph mutually contended
w^ho should most enjoy so degrading a sight. They
burst out in volleys of laughter to see the old men and
their asses fall into the stream ; the leg of one was
fractured, the shoulder of another dislocated, the
teeth of a third dashed out, and the rest suffered still
worse.

Two days more, undisturbed by fresh embassies,
having been devoted to the pleasures of the Rocnabad,
the expedition proceeded, leaving Shiraz on the right,
and verging towards a large plain, whence were
discernible on the edge of the horizon the dark
summits of the mountains of Istakhar.

t6t

At this prospect the Caliph and Nouronihar were
unable to repress their transports. They bounded from
their litter to the ground, and broke forth into such
wild exclamations as amazed all within hearing.
Interrogating each other they shouted, ** Are we not
approaching the radiant Palace of Light or gardens
more delightful than those of Sheddad? " Infatuated
mortals ! They thus indulged delusive conjecture,
unable to fathom the decrees of the Most High !

The good Genii, who had not totally relinquished
the superintendence of Vathek, repairing to Mahomet
in the seventh heaven, said :

'' Merciful Prophet ! Stretch forth thy propitious
arm towards thy Vicegerent, who is ready to fall
irretrievably into the snare which his enemies the
Divas have prepared to destroy him. The Giaour is
awaiting his arrival in the abominable Palace of Fire,
where if he once set his foot his perdition will be
inevitable.*'

Mahomet answered with an air of indignation :

'' He hath too well deserved to be resigned to
himself, but I permit you to try if one effort more will
be effectual to divert him from pursuing his ruin.*'

162

One of these beneficent Genii, assuming: without
delay the exterior of a shepherd more renowned for
his piety than all the Dervishes and Santons of the
rep^ion, took his station near a flock of white sheep
on the slope of a hill and began to pour forth from his
flute such airs of pathetic melody as subdued the very
soul and awakening remorse drove far from it every
frivolous fancy. At these energetic sounds the sun hid
himself beneath a gloomy cloud, and the waters of
two little lakes that were naturally clearer than crystal
became of a colour like blood. The whole of this
superb assembly was involuntarily drawm towards the
declivity of the hill. With downcast eyes they all stood
abashed, each upbraiding himself with the evil he
had done ; the heart of Dilara palpitated, and the chief
of the eunuchs with a sigh of contrition implored
pardon of the women, whom for his own satisfaction
he had so often tormented.

Vathek and Nouronihar turned pale in their
litter, and regarding each other with haggard looks
reproached themselves — the one with a thousand of
the blackest crimes, a thousand projects of impious
ambition — the other with the desolation of her

163

family and the perdition of the amiable Gulchenrouz.
Nouronihar persuaded herself that she heard in the
fatal music the groans of her dying father, and
Vathek the sobs of the fifty children he had
sacrificed to the Giaour. Amidst these complicated
pangs of anguish they perceived themselves impelled
towards the shepherd, whose countenance was so
commanding that Vathek for the first time felt
overawed, whilst Nouronihar concealed her face with
her hands.

The music paused, and the Genie, addressing the
Caliph, vSaid :

*' Deluded Prince, to whom Providence hath
confided the care of innumerable subjects, is it thus
that thou fulfillest thy mission? Thy crimes are
already completed, and art thou now hastening
towards thy punishment? Thou knowest that beyond
these mountains Eblis and his accursed Divas hold
their infernal empire; and seduced by a malignant
phantom thou art proceeding to surrender thyself to
them ! This moment is the last of grace allowed thee ;
abandon thy atrocious purpose; return; give back
Nouronihar to her father, who still retains a few

164

sparks of life ; destroy- thy tower with all its
abominations; drive Carathis from thy councils; be
just to thy subjects; respect the ministers of the
Prophet ; compensate for thy impieties by an
exemplary life ; and instead of squandering thy days
in voluptuous indulgence lament thy crimes on the
sepulchres of thy ancestors. Thou beholdest the
clouds that obscure the sun ; at the instant he
recovers his splendour, if thy heart be not changed,
the time of mercy assigned thee will be past for ever."

Vathek, depressed with fear, was on the point of
prostrating himself at the feet of the shepherd,
whom he perceived to be of a nature superior to man ;
but his pride prevailing, he audaciously lifted his
head, and, glancing at him one of his terrible looks
said :

** Whoever thou art, withhold thy useless
admonitions; thou wouldst either delude me or art
thyself deceived. If what I have done be so criminal
as thou pretendest there remains not for me a moment
of grace. I have traversed a sea of blood to acquire a
power which will make thy equals tremble ; deem
not that I shall retire when in view of the port or that

16:;

I will relinquish her who is dearer to me than either
my life or thy mercy. Let the sun appear ! Let him
illumine my career ! It matters not where it may end.'*

On uttering these words, which made even the
Genie shudder, Vathek threw himself into the arms
of Nouronihar and commanded that his horses should
be forced back to the road.

There was no difficulty in obeying these orders,
for the attraction had ceased. The sun shone forth in
all his glory, and the shepherd vanished with a
lamentable scream.

The fatal impression of the music of the Genie
remained notwithstanding in the heart of Vathek 's
attendants. They viewed each other with looks of
consternation. At the approach of night almost all of
them escaped, and of this numerous assemblage there
only remained the chief of the eunuchs, some
idolatrous slaves, Dilara and a few other women, who
like herself were votaries of the religion of the Magi.

The Caliph, fired with the ambition of prescribing
laws to the Intelligences of Darkness, was but little
embarrassed at this dereliction ; the impetuosity of
his blood prevented him from sleeping, nor did he

i66

encamp any more as before. Nouronihar, whose
impatience if possible exceeded his own, importuned
him to hasten his march and lavished on him a
thousand caresses to beguile all reflection. vShe
fancied herself already more potent than Balkis,
and pictured to her imagination the Genii falling
prostrate at the foot of her throne. In this manner
they advanced by moonlight till they came within
view of the two tow^ering rocks that form a kind of
portal to the valley, at whose extremity rose the vast
ruins of Istakhar Aloft on the mountain glimmered
the fronts of various royal mausoleums, the horror of
which was deepened by the shadow^s of night. They
passed through two villages almost deserted, the
only inhabitants remaining being a few feeble old
men who at the sight of horses and litters fell upon
their knees and cried out :

*' O heaven ! Is it then by these phantoms that
we have been for six months tormented ? Alas ! it
w^as from the terror of these spectres and the noise
beneath the mountains that our people have fled and
left us at the mercy of maleficent spirits ! '*

The Caliph, to whom these complaints were but

167

unpromising auguries, drove over the bodies of these
vi^retched old men and at length arrived at the foot of
the terrace of black marble. There he descended
from his litter, handing down Nouronihar. Both with
beating hearts stared wildly around them and
expected with an apprehensive shudder the approach
of the Giaour; but nothing as yet announced his
appearance.

A deathlike stillness reigned over the mountain
and through the air; the moon dilated on a vast
platform the shades of the lofty columns which
reached from the terrace almost to the clouds; the
gloomy watch-towers, whose numbers could not be
counted, were veiled by no roof, and their capitals, of
an architecture unknown in the records of the earth,
served as an asylum for the birds of darkness which,
alarmed at the approach of such visitants, fled away
croaking.

The chief of the eunuchs, trembling with fear,
besought Vathek that a fire might be kindled.

*^No! " replied he. *^ There is no time left to
think of such trifles. Abide where thou art, and
expect my commands."

i68

Having thus spoken he presented his hand to
Nouronihar, and ascending the steps of a vast stair-
case reached the terrace, which was flagged with
squares of marble and resembled a smooth expanse
of water upon whose surface not a leaf ever dared to
vegetate. On the right rose the watch-towers, ranged
before the ruins of an immense palace w^hose walls
were embossed with various figures. In front stood
forth the colossal forms of four creatures, composed
of the leopard and the griffin, w^hich though but of
stone inspired emotions of terror. Near these were
distinguished by the splendour of the moon which
streamed full on the place characters like those on
the sabres of the Giaour, that possessed the same
virtue of changing every moment. These, after
vacillating for some time, at last fixed in Arabic
letters, and prescribed to the Caliph the following
words :

** \"athek, thou hast violated the conditions of my
parchment and deservest to be sent back ; but in
favour to thy companion, and as the meed for what
thou hast done to obtain it, Eblis permitteth that
the portal of his palace shall be opened, and the

169

subterranean fire will receive thee into the number of
its adorers."

He scarcely had read these words before the
mountain against which the terrace was reared
trembled, and the watch-towers were ready to topple
headlong upon them. The rock yawned and disclosed
within it a staircase of polished marble that seemed to
approach the abyss. Upon each stair were planted two
large torches, like those Nouronihar had seen in her
vision, the camphorated vapour ascending from which
gathered into a cloud under the hollow of the vault.

This appearance instead of terrifying gave new
courage to the daughter of Fakreddin. Scarcely
deigning to bid adieu to the moon and the firmament
she abandoned without hesitation the pure atmos-
phere to plunge into these infernal exhalations. The
gait of those impious personages was haughty and
determined. As they descended by the effulgence of
the torches they gazed on each other with mutual
admiration, and both appeared so resplendent that
they already esteemed themselves spiritual Intelli-
gences; the only circumstance that perplexed them
was their not arriving at the bottom of the stairs.

170

On hastening their descent with an ardent
impetuosity they felt their steps accelerated to such
a degree that they seemed not walking but falling
from a precipice. Their progress, however, was at
length impeded by a vast portal of ebony, which the
Caliph without difficulty recognised. Here the Giaour
awaited them with the key in his hand.

** Ye are welcome," said he to them, with a
ghastly smile, *' in spite of Mahomet and all his
dependents. I will now^ admit you into that palace
where you have so highly merited a place."

Whilst he was uttering these words he touched
the enamelled lock with his key, and the doors at
once expanded with a noise still louder than the
thunder of mountains, and as suddenly recoiled the
moment they had entered.

The Caliph and Nouronihar beheld each other
with amazement at finding themselves in a place
which though roofed with a vaulted ceiling was so
spacious and lofty that at first they took it for an
immeasurable plain. But their eyes at length growing
familiar with the grandeur of the objects at hand
they extended their view to those at a distance and

171

discovered rows of columns and arcades, which
graduallj^ diminished till they terminated in a point,
radiant as the sun when he darts his last beams
athwart the ocean. The pavement, strewed over with
gold dust and saffron, exhaled so subtle an odour as
almost overpowered them. They, however, went on
and observed an infinity of censers in which ambergris
and the wood of aloes were continually burning.
Between the several columns were placed tables,
each spread with a profusion of viands and wines of
every species sparkling in vases of crystal. A throng
of Genii and other fantastic spirits of each sex danced
lasciviously in troops at the sound of music which
issued from beneath.

In the midst of this immense hall a vast multitude
was incessantly passing, who severally kept their
right hands on their hearts without once regarding
anything around them. They had all the livid paleness
of death ; their eyes, deep sunk in their sockets,
resembled those phosphoric meteors that glimmer by
night in places of interment. Some stalked slowly on,
absorbed in profound reverie ; some, shrieking with
agony, ran furiously about, like tigers wounded with

172

poisoned arrows; whilst others, grinding their teeth
in rag^e, foamed along, more frantic than the wildest
maniac. They all avoided each other, and though
surrounded by a multitude that no one could number
each wandered at random, unheedful of the rest, as
if alone on a desert which no foot had trodden.

Yathek and Nouronihar, frozen with terror at a
sight so baleful, demanded of the Giaour what these
appearances might mean, and why these ambulating
spectres never withdrew their hands from their
hearts.

** Perplex not yourselves," replied he bluntly,
*' with so much at once; you will soon be acquainted
with all; let us haste and present you to Eblis."

They continued their way through the multitude ;
but notwithstanding their confidence at first they were
not sufficiently composed to examine with attention
the various perspectives of halls and of galleries that
opened on the right hand and left, which were all
illuminated by torches and braziers whose flames rose
in pyramids to the centre of the vault. At length they
came to a place where long curtains brocaded with
crimson and gold fell from all parts in striking

173

confusion ; here the choirs and dances were heard no
longer, the light which glimmered came from afar.
After some time Vathek and Nouronihar per-
ceived a gleam brightening through the drapery, and
entered a vast tabernacle carpeted with the skins of
leopards. An infinity of elders with streaming beards
and Afrits in complete armour had prostrated them-
selves before the ascent of a lofty eminence, on the
top of which, upon a globe of fire, sat the formidable
Eblis. His person was that of a young man whose
noble and regular features seemed to have been
tarnished by malignant vapours; in his large eyes
appeared both pride and despair; his flowing hair
retained some resemblance to that of an angel of light ;
in his hand, which thunder had blasted, he swayed
the iron sceptre that causes the monster Ouranabad,
the Afrits, and all the powers of the abyss to tremble.
At his presence the heart of the Caliph sunk within
him, and for the first time he fell prostrate on his
face. Nouronihar, however, though greatly dismayed
could not help admiring the person of Eblis, for she
expected to have seen some stupendous Giant. Eblis,
with a voice more mild than might be imagined but

174

such as transfused throup^h the soul the deepest
melancholy, said :

'' Creatures of clay, I receive you into mine
empire ; ye are numbered amongst my adorers ; enjoy
whatever this palace affords : the treasures of the
pre-Adamite Sultans, their bickering sabres and
those talismans that compel the Divas to open the
subterranean expanses of the mountain of Kaf, which
communicate with these ; there, insatiable as your
curiosity may be, shall you find sufficient to gratify
it; you shall possess the exclusive privilege of
entering the fortress of Ahriman and the halls of
Argenk, where are pourtrayed all creatures endowed
with intelligence and the various animals that
inhabited the earth prior to the creation of that
contemptible being whom ye denominate the Father
of Mankind."

Vathek and Nouronihar, feeling themselves
revived and encouraged by this harangue, eagerly
said to the Giaour :

** Bring us instantly to the place which contains
these precious talismans."

Come ! " answered this wicked Diva, with his

175

((

malignant grin. '* Come, and possess all that my
Sovereign hath promised, and more."

He then conducted them into a long aisle adjoin-
ing the tabernacle, preceding them with hasty steps
and followed by his disciples with the utmost alacrity.
They reached at length a hall of great extent and
covered with a lofty dome, around which appeared
fifty portals of bronze, secured with as many
fastenings of iron. A funereal gloom prevailed over
the whole scene ; here upon two beds of incorruptible
cedar lay recumbent the fleshless forms of the pre-
Adamite^Kings who had been monarchs of the wRole^
earth. They still possessed enough of life to be
conscious of their deplorable condition; their eyes
retained a melancholy motion ; they regarded each
other with looks of the deepest dejection ; each holding
his right hand motionless on his heart ; at their feet
were inscribed the events of their several reigns,
theirjpower, their pride, and their crimes. Soliman
Raad, Soliman Daki, and Soliman Di Djinn ben
Djinn, who after having chained up the Divas in the
dark caverns of Kaf became so presumptuous as to
doubt of the vSupreme Power; all these maintained

176

great state, though not to be compared with the
eminence of Soliman Ben Daoud.

This king, so renowned for his wisdom, was on
the loftiest elevation and placed immediately under
the dome. He appeared to possess more animation
than the rest, though from time to time he laboured
with profound sighs and, like his companions, kept
his right hand on his heart ; yet his countenance was
more composed, and he seemed to be listening to the
sullen roar of a vast cataract, visible in part through
the grated portals. This was the only sound that
intruded on the silence of these doleful mansions. A
range of brazen vases surrounded the elevation.

** Remove the covers from these cabalistic
depositories," said the Giaour to Vathek, ** and avail
thyself of the talismans, which will break asunder all
these gates of bronze ; and not only render thee
master of the treasures contained within them but
also of the spirits by which they are guarded."

The Caliph, whom this ominous preliminary had
entirely disconcerted, approached the vases with
faltering footsteps and was ready to sink with terror
when he heard the groans of Soliman. As he pro-

ceeded a voice from the livid lips of the Prophet
articulated these words :

'' In my lifetime I filled a magnificent throne,
having on my right hand twelve thousand seats of
gold where the patriarchs and the prophets heard my
doctrines; on my left the sages and doctors, upon
as many thrones of silver, were present at all my
decisions.

** Whilst I thus administered justice to
innumerable multitudes the birds of the air librating
over me served as a canopy from the rays of the
sun ; my people flourished and my palace rose to the
clouds.

'' I erected a temple to the Most High, which was
the wonder of the universe; but I basely suffered
myself to be seduced by the love of women and a
curiosity that could not be restrained by sublunary
things. I listened to the counsels of Ahriman and the
daughter of Pharaoh, and adored fire and the hosts of
heaveu. I forsook the holy city and commanded the
Genii to rear the stupendous palace of Istakhar and
the terrace of the watch-towers, each of which was
consecrated to a star.

178

** There for a while I enjoyed myself in the zenith
of glory and pleasure ; not only men but supernatural
existences were subject also to my will.

** I began to think, as these unhappy monarchs
around had already thought, that the vengeance of
Heaven was asleep, when at once the thunder burst
my structures asunder and precipitated me hither;
where, however, I do not remain, like the other
inhabitants, totally destitute of hope, for an angel of
light hath revealed that in consideration of the piety
of my early youth my woes shall come to an end when
this cataract shall for ever cease to flow ; till then I
am in torments, ineffable torments ! An unrelenting
fire preys on my heart/*

Having uttered this exclamation Soliman raised
his hands towards Heaven in token of supplication,
and the Caliph discerned through his bosom, which
was transparent as crystal, his heart enveloped in
flames.

At a sight so full of horror Nouronihar fell back
like one petrified into the arms of Vathek, who cried
out with a convulsive sob :

'* O Giaour, whither hast thou brought us?

179

Allow us to depart and I will relinquish all thou hast
promised. O Mahomet, remains there no more
mercy? **

*' None ! none ! '' replied the malicious Diva.
*' Know, miserable Prince, thou art now in the abode
of vengeance and despair. Thy heart also will be
kindled like those of the other votaries of Eblis. A
few days are allotted thee previous to this fatal period.
Employ them as thou wilt ; recline on these heaps of
gold; command the Infernal Potentates; range at
thy pleasure through these immense subterranean
domains; no barrier shall be shut against thee. As
for me I have fulfilled my mission ; I now leave thee
to thyself.''

At these words he vanished.

The Caliph and Nouronihar remained in the most
abject affliction ; their tears unable to flow, scarcely
could they support themselves. At length taking
each other despondingly by the hand they went
faltering from this fatal hall, indifferent which way
they turned their steps. Every portal opened at their
approach ; the Divas fell prostrate before them ;
every reservoir of riches was disclosed to their view;

i8o

but they no longer felt the incentives of curiosity,
pride, or avarice. With like apathy they heard the
chorus of Genii and saw the stately banquets
prepared to regale them. They went wandering on
from chamber to chamber, hall to hall, and gallery
to gallery, all without bounds or limit, all
distinguishable by the same lowering gloom, all
adorned with the same awful grandeur, all traversed
by persons in search of repose and consolation but
who sought them in vain, for everyone carried within
him a heart tormented in flames.

Shunned by these various sufferers, who seemed
by their looks to be upbraiding the partners of their
gtiilt, they withdrew from them to wait in direful
suspense the moment which should render them to
each other the like objects of terror.

"What!" exclaimed Nouronihar. ''Will the
time come when I shall snatch my hand from thine ? "

** Ah ! " said \'athek ; *' and shall my eyes ever
cease to drink from thine long draughts of enjoy-
ment ! Shall the moments of our reciprocal ecstasies
be reflected on with horror ! It was not thou that
broughtest me hither. The principles by which

i8i

Carathis perverted my youth have been the sole cause
of my perdition ! '*

Having given vent to these painful expressions he
called to an Afrit, who was stirring up one of the
braziers, and bade him fetch the Princess Carathis
from the palace of Samarah.

After issuing these orders the Caliph and
Nouronihar continued walking amidst the silent
crowd till they heard voices at the end of the gallery.
Presuming them to proceed from some unhappy
beings who like themselves were awaiting their final
doom they followed the sound, and found it to
come from a small square chamber, where they
discovered sitting on sofas five young men of goodly
figure and a lovely female, who were all holding a
melancholy conversation by the glimmering of a
lonely lamp ; each had a gloomy and forlorn air, and
two of them were embracing each other with great
tenderness. On seeing the Caliph and the daughter
of Fakreddin enter they arose, saluted, and gave
them place. Then he who appeared the most con-
siderable of the group addressed himself thus to
Vathek :

182

** Strangers ! wlio doubtless arc in the same state
of suspense as ourselves, since you do not yet bear
your hand on your heart, if you are come hither to
pass the interval allotted previous to the infliction of
uur common punishment condescend to relate the
adventures that have brought you to this fatal place,
and we in return will acquaint you with ours, which
deserve but too well to be heard. We will trace
back our crimes to their source, though we are not
permitted to repent. This is the only employment
suited to wretches like us."

The Caliph and Nouronihar assented to the
proposal, and Vathek began, not without tears and
lamentations, a sincere recital of every circumstance
that had passed. When the afflicting narrative w^as
closed the young man entered on his own.* Each
person proceeded in order, and when the fourth
prince had reached the midst of his adventures a

* See note to the Author's Frenfh prefaces. Beokford pave the
titles of three stories supposed to be related in the Hall of Eblis but
never published them. They are long- and somewhat tedious, lacking
the vivacity which distinguishes Vathek. They were discovered among
the MSS. at Hamilton Palace and published by Mr. T^ewis Melville
in 1912.

1S3

sudden noise interrupted him, which caused the
vault to tremble and to open.

Immediately a cloud descended, which, gradually
dissipating, discovered Carathis on the back of an
Afrit, w^ho grievously complained of his burden.
She, instantly springing to the ground, advanced
towards her son and said :

'' What dost thou here in this little square
chamber? As the Divas are become subject to thy
beck I expected to have found thee on the throne
of the pre-Adamite Kings."

''Execrable woman!" answered the Caliph.
'' Cursed be the day thou gavest me birth ! Go,
follow this Afrit, let him conduct thee to the hall of
the Prophet Soliman. There thou wilt learn to what
these palaces are destined, and how much I ought
to abhor the impious knowledge thou hast taught

me."

'' The height of power to which thou art arrived
has certainly turned thy brain," answered Carathis;
*' but I ask no more than permission to show my
respect for the Prophet. It is, however, proper thou
shouldst know that (since the Afrit has informed me

184

neither of us shall return to Samarah) I requested his
permission to arrange my affairs, and he politely
consented. xA. vailing myself, therefore, of the few
moments allowed me I set iire to the tower and
consumed in it the mutes, negresses, and serpents
which have rendered me so much good service ; nor
should I have been less kind to Morakanabad had he
not prevented me by deserting at last to thy brother.
As for Bababalouk, who had the folly to return to
wSamarah, and all the good brotherhood who dared to
provide husbands for thy wives, I undoubtedly would
have put them to the torture could I but have allowed
them the time. Being, however, in a hurry I only
hung him, after having caught him in a snare with
thy wives, whilst them I buried alive by the help of
my negresses, who thus spent their last moments
greatly to their satisfaction. With respect to Dilara,
who ever stood high in my favour, she hath evinced
the greatness of her mind by fixing herself near in
the service of one of the Magi, and I think will soon
be our own."

Vathek, too much cast down to express the
indignation excited by such a discourse, ordered the

185

Afrit to remove Carathis from his presence, and
continued immersed in thought which his companions
durst not disturb.

Carathis, however, eagerly entered the dome of
Soliman, and without regarding in the least the
groans of the Prophet undauntedly removed the
covers of the vases and violently seized on the talis-
mans ; then with a voice more loud than had hitherto
been heard within these mansions she compelled the
Divas to disclose to her the most secret treasures, the
most profound stores, which the Afrit himself had
not seen; she passed by rapid descents known only
to Eblis and his most favoured potentates and thus
penetrated the very entrails of the earth, where
breathes the Sansar or icy wind of death ; nothing
appalled her dauntless soul ; she perceived, however,
in all the inmates who bore their hands on their heart
a little singularity not much to her taste. As she was
emerging from one of the abysses Eblis stood forth
to her view, but notwithstanding he displayed the full
effulgence of his infernal majesty she preserved her
countenance unaltered, and even paid her compli-
ments with considerable hrnmess.

i86

I!lilis stood foitli to lu'T view

This superb monarch thus answered :

" Princess, whose knowledge and whose crimes
have merited a conspicuous rank in my empire, thou
dost well to employ the leisure that remains, for the
flames and torments which are ready to seize on thy
heart will not fail to provide thee w-ith full employ-
ment."

He said this, and was lost in the curtains of his
tabernacle.

Carathis paused for a moment with surprise; but,
resolved to follow the advice of Eblis, she assembled
all the choirs of Genii and all the Divas to pay her
homage. Thus marched she in triumph through a
vapour of perfumes amidst the acclamations of all the
malignant spirits, wnth most of whom she had formed
a previous acquaintance ; she even attempted to
dethrone one of the Solimans for the purpose of
usurping his place, when a voice, proceeding from
the abyss of Death, proclaimed :

'* All is Accomplished!"

Instantaneously the haughty forehead of the
intrepid Princess w^as corrugated with agony ; she
uttered a tremendous yell and fixed, no more to be

187

withdrawn, her right hand upon her heart, which
was become a receptacle of eternal fire.

In this delirium, forgetting all ambitious projects
and her thirst for that knowledge which should ever
be hidden from mortals, she overturned the offerings
of the Genii, and having execrated the hour she was
begotten and the womb that had borne her glanced
off in a whirl that rendered her invisible, and con-
tinued to revolve without intermission.

At almost the same instant the same voice
announced to the Caliph, Nouronihar, the five
princes and the princess the awful and irrevocable
decree. Their hearts immediately took fire and they
a±^oiLCjeJi^st_the- most precious of the gifts of heaven —
_Hope. These unhappy beings recoiled with looks of
the most furious distraction. Vathek beheld in the
eyes of Nouronihar nothing but rage and vengeance,
nor could she discern aught in his but aversion and
despair. The two princes who were friends and till
that moment had preserved their attachment shrunk
back, gnashing their teeth with mutual and unchange-
able hatred. Kalilah and his sister made reciprocal
gestures of imprecation, whilst the two other princes

i88

testified their horror for eaeh other by the most
ghastly eonviilsions and sereams that eould not be
smothered. All severally plunged themselves into the
accursed multitude, there to wander in an eternity
of unabating anguish.

Such was, and such should be, the punishment
of unrestrained passions and atrocious actions ! Such
is, and such should be-, the chastisement of blind
ambition that woiild _transgress those bounds which
the Creator ha.th prescribed to human knowledge,
and by aiming at discoveries reserved for pure
Intelligence acquire that infatuated pride which
perceives not the condition appointed to man is to be
ignorant and humble.

Thus the Caliph Vathek, who for the sake of
empty pomp and forbidden power had sullied himself
with a thousand crimes, became a prey to grief with-
out end and remorse without mitigation, whilst the
humble and despised Gulchenrouz passed whole
ages in undisturbed tranquillity and the pure
happiness of childhood.

THE END.

189

NOTES.

Pap^e 1. Caliph. This title amongst the Mahometans comprehends
the concrete character oi" prophet, priest and king-, and is used to signify
the Vicar of God on earth. (Habesci's State of the Ottoman Empire,
p. 9; Herbelot, p. 98.5.)

P. 1. One of his eyes hecanm-e so terrible. The author of
Nifjhiaristan hath preserved a fact that supports this account; and there
is no histoiy of Vathek in which his terrible eye is not mentioned.

P. 1. Omur Ben Ahdalaziz. This caliph was eminent above all
others for temperance and self-denial, insomuch that he is believed to
have been raised to Mahomet's bosom, as a reward for his abstinence
in an age of cori-uption. (Herbelot, p. 690.)

P. 2. Savnarah. A city of the Babylonian Irak, supposed to have
stood on the site where Nimrod erected his tower. Khondomir relates in
his life of Motassem that this prince, to teraiinate the disputes which
were perpetually happening between the inhabitants of Bagdad and his
Turkish slaves, withdrew thence, and having fixed on a situation in the
plain of Catoul there founded Samarah. He is said to have had in his
stables of this city a hundred and thirty thousand pied horses, each of
which caiTied by his order a sack of earth to a place he had chosen; by
this accumulation an elevation was fonned that commanded a view of
all Samarah and served for the foundation of his magnificent palace.
(Herbelot, pp. 752, 808, 985; Anecdotes Arahes, p. 413.)

P. 2. In the most dAightful succession. The great men of the
East have been always fond of music. Though forbidden by the
Mahometan religion it commonly makes a pai-t of every entertainment ;
female slaves are generally kept to amuse them and the ladies of their
harems. The Persian Khanyagere seems nearly to have resembled our
old English minstrel, as he usually accompanied his barbut or lute with
heroic songs. Their musicians appear to have known the art. of moving
the passions and to have generally directed their music to the heart.
Al Farabi, a philosopher who died about the middle of the tenth
century, on his return from the pilgrimage of Mecca, introduced

191

liuuself, thoug-h a stiaiig-er, at the court of Seifeddoiila, sultan of
Syria. Musicians were accidentally perfoiining' and he joined them.
The prince admired him and wished to hear something- of his own; he
drew a composition from his pocket, and distributing the parts amongst
the band, the first movement threw the prince and his courtiers into
violent laug'hter, the next melted all into tears, and the last lulled even
the performers asleep. (Richardson's Dissertation on the hanguagcs etc.
of Eastern Nations^ p. 211.)

P. 3. Mani. This artist, whom Inatulla of Delhi styles the
far-famed, lived in the reigTi of Schabur or Sapor, the son of Ardshir
Babegan ; was founder of the sect of Manicheans and by profession a
painter and sculptor. His pretensions, supported by an uncommon
skill in mechanical contrivances, induced the ignorant to believe that
his powers were more than human. After having secluded himself from
his followers, under the pretence of passing a year in Heaven, he
produced a wonderful volume which he affirmed to have brought thence,
containing images and figures of a marvellous nature. (Herbelot, p. 548.)
It appears from the Arahi-an Nif/hts that Haroun al Raschid, Vathek's
grandfather, had adorned his palace and furnished his magnificent
pavilion with the most capital performances of the Persian artists.

P. 4. Ilovris. The Virgins of Paradise, called from their large
black eyes, Ihir al oyun. An intercourse with these, according to the
institution of Mahomet, is to constitute the principal felicity of the
faithful. Not formed of clay like mortal women, they are deemed in
the highest degree beautiful and are exempt from every inconvenience
incident to the sex. (Al Koran, passim.)

P. 5. Genii. Genii, in the Arabic signifies a Genius or Demon, a
being of a higher order and formed of a more subtile matter than man.
According to Oriental mythology, the Genii governed the world long
before the creation of Adam. The Mahometans regarded them as an
intermediate race between angels and men, and capable of salvation.

P. 5. Assist him to complete the tower. The genii, who were
styled by the Persians peri.? and diva.s, were famous for their
architectural skill; the pyramids of Egypt have been ascribed to them,
and we are told of a strange fortress which they constructed in the

192

lemote mountains of Spain, whose frontal presented the foHowing
inscription : —

' It is no light task to disclose the portal of this asylum
The bolt, rash passenger, is not of iron, but the tooth of a furious dragon :
Know thou, that no one can break this charm
Till Destiny shall have consign'd the key to his advent'rous hand.'

The Koran relates that the g'enii were employed by Solomon in the
erection of his mafruificent temple. [BaiUy sur V Atlantide, p. 14fi;
Herbelot, p. 8; Al Koran, ch. xxxiv.)

P. 15. Beards burnt off. The loss of the beard from the earliest
apes was accounted hig-hly disg-rareful ; an instance occurs in the Tales
of InatuUa of one being" sing-ed off as a mulct on the owner for having
failed to explain a question propounded, and in the Arabian Nujhts a
proclamation may be seen similar to this of Vathek. (Vol. i. p. 2G8,
vol. ii. p. 228.)

P. 21. To drink at wiU of the four fountains, which were reputed-
in the hifjhest degree salubrious, and sacred to himself, or literally, to
be of gold and sacred to himself. Agathocles (cited by Athenieus, 1. xi.
p. 515) relates that * there were certain fountains in these regions to the
number of seventy, whose waters were denominated golden and of
which it was death for anyone to drink save the king and his eldest son.'
In this number, as appears from our author's epithet, the four
fountains were formerly reckoned, whose waters, as Vathek had no son,
were sacred to his own use. The citation from Agathocles may likewise
explain the wish of King David * for water from the well of Bethlehem,'
unless we suppose it to have arisen from a predilection like that of the
Parthian monarchs for the water of Choaspes, which was carried with
them wherever they went, and from that circumstance styled by
Tibullus reffia lympha, and by Milton

' The drink of none but kings.'

P. 24. The Poets applied them as a chorus to all the songs they
composed. Sir John Chardin, describing a public entertainment and
rejoicing, observes that the most ingenious poets in Persia (as is related
of Homer) sung their own works, which for the most part are in praise
of the king, whom they fail not to extol, let him be never so worthy of
blame and oblivion. The songs of this day were adapted to the occasion

193

of the festival, which was the restoration of the prime minister to his
office. He adds, ' I saw one that abounded in fine and witty turns, the
burthen of which was this: —

" Him set aside, all men but equals are.
E'en Sol survey'd the spacious realms of air,
To see if he could find another star,
A star that like the polar star could reign,
And long he sought it, but he sought in vain.'"*

The ingenuity of the poet seems to consist in an allusion to the prime
minister's title, Ivon Medave, or the Pole of Persia.

P. 25. Bahdhdhnik , ihe chief of hia eunuchs. As it was the employ-
ment of the black eunuchs to wait upon and g'uard the sultanas, so the
g'eneral superintendence of the harem was particularly committed to
their chief. (Habesci's State of the Ottoman Empire, pp. 155-6.)

P 25. The Divan. This was both the supreme council and court
of justice, at which the caliphs of the race of the Abassides assisted in
person to redress the injuries of every appellant. (Herbelot, p. 298.)

P. 30. The Muezzins and- their minarets. Valid, the son of
Abdalmalek, was the first who erected a minaret or turret, and this he
placed on the gi*and Mosque at Damascus, for the muezzin or crier to
announce from it the hour of prayer. (Herbelot, p. 57G.)

P. 41. Bracelet. The bracelet in the East was an emblem of
royalty. (Herbelot, p. 541.) For want of a more proper term to
denominate the ornament serkhooj, the word aif/ret is here used.

P. 45. Mutes. It has been usual in Eastern courts from time
immemorial to retain a number of mutes; these are not only employed
to amuse the monarch, but also to instruct his paj^es in an art to us
little known, of communicating- everything- by signs, lest the sounds of
their voices should disturb the sovereign. (Habesci's State of the Ottoman
Empire, p. 164.) The mutes are also the secret instruments of his
private vengeance.

* See Lloyd's Introduction to a Collection of Voyages and Travels never before
published in English, p. 21.

194

p. 56. Istakhor. This eity was the ancient Pei-sepolis and capital
of Persia, under the kinp^s of the three first races. The author of
Lehtarikh writes that Kischtab there established his abode, erected
several temples to the element of fire, and hewed out for himself and his
successoi-s sepulchres in the rocks of the mountain contij^uous to the
citj'. The niins of columns and broken fi^'-ures which still remain,
defaced as they were by Alexander, and mutilated by time, plainly
evince that those ancient potentates had chosen it for the place of their
inteiTuent ; their monuments however must not be confounded with the
superb palace reared by (jueen Homai in the midst of Istakhar, which
the Persians disting-uish by the name of Tchihniiuiv or the forty watch-
towers. The orig-in of this city is ascribed by some to Jamshyd, and
others caiTy it higher; but the Pei*sian tradition is that it was built
by the peris or fairies when the world was g-overned by Djinn ben Djiun.
(Herbelot, p. 327.)

P. 50. Djinn hen Djinn. By this appellation was distinguished
the monarch of that species of beings whom the Arabians denominate
Djinn, that is f/enii, and the Tarikh Thabari, peris, feez or fairies. He
was renowned for his warlike expeditions and stupendous structures;
according to oriental writers the pyramids of Egypt were amongst the
monuments of his power. The buckler of this mighty sovereign, no
less famous than that of Achilles, was employed by three successive
Solimans to achieve their mar^•ellous exploits ; from them it descended
to Tahamurath, sumamed Divbend or Conqueror of the Giants. This
buckler was endowed with most wonderful qualities, having been
fabricated by talismanio art, and was alone sufficient to destroy all the
charms and enchantments of demons or giants, which on the contrary
were wrought by magic. Hence we are no longer at a loss for the
origin of the wonderful shield of Atlante. Tlie reign of Djinn ben Djinn
over the peris is said to have continued for two thousand years, after
which Eblis was sent bj' the Deity to exile them on account of their
disorders and confine them in the remotest region of the earth.
(Herbelot, p. 39(1; BaiUy svr V Atlantide, p. 147.)

P. 56. The tnli^mnns of Solim/m. Amongst the most famous
talismans of the p]ast and which could control even the arras and magic
of the divas or giants, was rnohur Soliwani, the seal or ring of Soliman

195

Jared, fifth monarch of the world after Adam; by means of it the
possessor had the entire command, not only of the elements, but also
of demons and every created being-. (Richardson's Dissertat, p. 272;
Herbelot, p. 820.)

P. 56. Pre-Adamite Sultans. These monarchs, which were
seventy-two in number, are said to have governed each a distinct
species of rational beings prior to the existence of Adam. Amongst the
most renowned of them were Soliman Raad, Soliman Daki and Soliman
Di Djinn ben Djinn. (Herbelot, p. 820.)

P. 57. The ass of Balaam., the dog of the seven sleepers, and the
other animMs admitted into the jyaradise of Mahomet. It was a tenet
of the Mussulman creed that all animals would be raised again, and
many of them honoured with admission to Paradise.

P. 59. Rocnabad. The stream thus denominated flows near the
city of Shiraz ; its waters are uncommonly pure and limpid and their
banks swarded with the finest verdure. Its praises are celebrated by
Hafez in an animated song, which Sir W. Jones has admirably
translated : — ■

' Boy, let yon liquid ruby flow.
And bid thy pensive heart be glad ;
Whate'er the frowning zealots say.
Tell them their Eden cannot show
A stream so clear as Rocnabad,
A bower so sweet as Mosellay.'

P. 61. Mullahs. Those amongst the Mahometans who were bred
to the law had this title; and from their order the judges of cities and
provinces were taken.

P. 61. The sacred Kaaha. That part of the Temple at Mecca
which is chiefly revered and indeed gives a sanctity to the rest, is a
s([uare stone building called the Kaaba, probably from its quadrangular
fonn ; the length of this edifice from north to south is twenty-four
cubits, and its breadth from east to west twenty-three; the door is on the
east side and stands about four cubits from the ground, the floor being
level with the threshold. The Kaaba has a double roof, supported
internally by three octangular pillars of aloes-wood, between which on
a bar of iron hangs a row of silver lamps ; the outside is covered with

196

rich black dunuisk, adorned with an embroidered band of j,^old ; this
hanging, which is changed eveiy year, was formerly sent by the caliphs.
(Sale's PreUmiiuiry Discourse, p. 152.)

P. t)4 — 05. Reyale these pious poor souls with in.y good wine from
Shiraz. The prohibition oi wine in the Koran is so rigidly observed
by the conscientious, especially if they have perfomied the pilgrimage
to Mecca, that they deem it sinful to press gi-apes for the purpose of
making it, and even to use the money arising from its sale. (Chardin,
Voy. de Perse, tom. ii. p. 212.) Shiraz was famous in the East for its
wines of ditt'erent soi-ts, but particularly for its red, which was esteemed
more highly than even the white wine of Kismische.

P. 08. Eunuchs in the rear. As the black eunuchs were the
inseparable attendants of the ladies, the rear was consequently their
post ; so in the argument to the poem of Amriolkais : ' One daj' when
her tribe had struck their tents and were changing their station, the
women as usual came behind the rest, with the servants and baggage
in caiTiages fixed on the backs of camels.'

P. G8. Certain car/es of the ladies. There are many passages of
the Moallakat in which these cages are fully described ; thus, in the
poem of Lebeid : * How were thy tender atfections raised when the
damsels of the tribe departed, when they hid themselves in carriages
of cotton like antelopes in their lair, and the tents as they were struck
gave a piercing sound ! They were concealed in vehicles whose sides were
well covered with awnings and carpets, with fine-spun curtains and
pictured veils.' Again Zohair: ' Look, my friend! dost thou not discern
a company of maidens seated on camels and advancing over the high
ground above the streams of Jortham? They leave on their right the
mountains and rocky plains of Kenaan. Oh ! how many of my bitter
foes and how many of my firai allies does Kenaan contain I They are
mounted in can-iages covered with costly awnings and with rose-coloured
veils, the lining of which have the hue of crimson Andemwood. They
now appear by the valley of Subaan, and now they pass through it ; the
trappings of all their camels are new and large. When they ascend from
the bosom of the vale they sit forward on the saddle-cloths with every
mark of a voluptuous gaiety. {MotiUakat, by Sir W. Jones. j)p. 40, -35;
see also Lady M. W. Montague, let. xxvi.)

iq:

p. 69. Those nocturnal insects which presage evil. It is observable
that in the 5th verse of the 91st Psalm, the terror by nig-ht is rendered
in the old Eng-lish version the bug-g-e by night. In the first settled parts
of North America, eveiy nocturnal fly of a noxious quality is still
generically named a bug, whence the tenn bug-bear signifies one that
canies terror wherever he goes. Beelzebub, or the Lord of flies, was an
Eastern apjiellative given to the Devil, and the nocturnal sound called
by the Arabians azif was believed to be the howling of demons.
Analogous to this, is a passage in Co7nus, as it stood in the original copy :

' But for that damned magician, let him be girl
With all the grisly legions that troop
Under the sooty flag of Acheron,
Harpies and Hydras, or all the monstrous buggs
'Twixt Africa and Inde, I'll find him out.'

P. 70. Halted on the hanks of the Tigris. It is a practice in the
East, and especially when large parties journey together, to halt if
possible in the vicinity of a stream ; thus Zohair : ' They rose at day-
break ; they proceeded at early dawn ; they are advancing towards the
valley of Kas directly and surely as the hand to the mouth. Now when
they have reached the brink of yon blue giishing rivulet they fix the
poles of their tents, like the Arab, in a settled mansion.'

P. 73. Vathek — with two little -pages. ' All the pages of the
seraglio are sons of Christians made slaves in time of war in their most
tender age. The incursions of robbers in the confines of Circassia afford
the means of supplying the seraglio, even in times of peace.' (Habesci's
StMe of the Ottoman Empire, p. 157.) That the pages here mentioned
were Circassians appears from the description of their complexion,
more fair than the enamel of Franguestan.

P. 75. Hath seen some part of our bodies and-, what i^ worse, our
very faces. ' I was infonned,' writes Dr. Cooke, * that the Persian
women in general would sooner expose to public view any part of their
bodies than their faces.' (Voyages and Travels, vol. ii. p. 443.)

P. 77. Cakes baked' iyi silver ovens for his royal mouth. Portable
ovens were a part of the furniture of Eastern travellers ; St. Jerome (on
Lament, v. 10) hath particularly described them. The Caliph's were
of the same kind, only substituting silver for brass. Dr. Pococke
mentions his having been entertained in an Arabian camp with cakes

198

baked tor him. In what the peculiarity of the royal bread consisted
it is not easy to determine, but in one of the Arabian tales a woman,
to g:ratify her utmost desire, wishes to become the wife of the Sultan's
baker, assig-ning- for the reason that she might have her fill of that
bread which is called the Sultan's. (Vol. iv. p. 2l>LI.)

1*. 79. Horrible Kaf. This mountain, which in reality is no other
than Caucasus, was supposed to surround the earth like a ring
encompassing a finger; the sun was believed to rise from one of its
eminences (as over Oeta, by the I^tin poets) and to set ou the opposite,
whence from Kaf to Kaf sig-nified from one extremity of the earth to
the other. The fabulous historians of the East afiinu that this
mountain was founded upon a stone called Sakhn/t, one grain of which
according to Lokman, would enable the possessor to work wonders; this
stone is fm-ther described as the pivot of the earth and said to be one
vast emerald, from the refraction of whose beams the heavens derive
their azure. It is added that whenever God would excite an eai-thquake
He commands the stone to move one of its fibres (which supply in it the
office of nei'\'es) and that being moved, the pai-t of the earth connected
with it quakes, is convulsed, and sometimes expands; such is the
philosophy of the Koran! The Tari'kh Tahari, written in Pei-sian,
analogous to the same tradition, relates that were it not for this emerald
the earth would be liable to perpetual commotions and unfit for the
abode of mankind. To arrive at the Kaf a vast region, far from the sun
and summer gale, must be travei'sed; over this dark and cheerless desert
the way is inextricable without the direction of supernatural guidance.
Heie the divas or giants were confined after their defeat by the first
heroes of the human race, and here also the j)eris or fairies are sui)i)osed
in ordinaiT to reside. Sukrag'e the g-iant was king of Kaf, and had Kucail,
one of the children c>f Adam, for his prime minister. The giant Aigenk
likewise, fiom the time that Tahamurah made war upon him, reigned
here, and reared a superb palace in the city of Ahriman, with galleries
on whose walls were painted the creatures that inhabited the world prior
to the foraiation of Adam. (Ilerbelot, p. 230, et(r.)

1*. 7!J. T/ir Siinvrf/Ii. This is that wonderful bird of the East
conceming which so many marvels are told ; it was not only endowed
with reason, but possessed also the knowle<lge of every language; hence

199

it may be concluded to have been a diva in a borrowed form. Tbis
creature relates of itself that it had seen the g-reat revolution of seven
thousand years twelve times commence and close ; and that in its
duration the world had been seven times void of inhabitants and as
often replenished. The Simurg-h is represented as a great friend to the
race of Adam and not less inimical to the divas. Tahamurath and
Ahriman were apprised by its predictions of all that was destined to
befall them, and from it they obtained the promise of assistance in
eveiy undei-laking. Araied with the buckler of Djinn ben Djinn,
Tahamurath was borne by it through the air over the dark desert to Kaf .
From its bosom his helmet was crested with plumes which the most
renowned waiTiors have ever since worn. In every conflict the Simurgh
was invulnerable, and the heroes it favoured never failed of success;
though possessed of power sufficient to exterminate its foes, yet the
exertion of that power was supposed to be forbidden. Sadi, a serious
author, g'ives it as an instance of the universality of Providence that
the Simurgh, notwithstanding its immense bulk, is at no loss for
sustenance on the mountain of Kaf. Inatulla hath described Getiafrose,
(jueen of the g'enii, as seated on a golden chariot, drawn by ten Simurghs,
whose wings extended wide as the earth-shading Bir or Banian tree,
and whose talons resembled the proboscis of mighty elephants ; but it
does not appear from any other writer that there ever was more than
one, which is frequently called the marvellous gryphon and said to be
like that imaginary monster. (Herbelot, pp. 1017, 810, etc. ; Tales of
Inatulla, vol. ii. pp. 71, 72.) As the magic shield of Atlante resembles
the buckler of Djinn ben Djinn, so his Ippogrif apparently came from
the Simurgh, notwithstanding the reference of Ariosto to the veridical
archbishop : — •

' Non ho veduto mai, ne letto altrove,
J'uor che in Turpin, d'un si fatto animale.'

P. 79. Palampores , etc. These elegant productions, which abound
in all parts of the East, were of very remote antiquity; not only are
rrn'Sovas ivai>6(t<;, finely flowered linens, noticed by Strabo, but
Herodotus relates that the nations of Caucasus adorned their garaients
with figures of various creatures by means of the sap of certain
vesretables, which, when macerated and diluted with water, communicate
colours that cannot be washed out and are no less permanent than the

200

textm-e itself. (Strabo, 1. xv. p. 709; Hercxlot, 1. i. p. 9(i.) The Arabian
tales repeatedly describe these ' fine linens of India, painted in the
most lively colours, and representing beasts, trees, flowers, etc.
(Arabian i\'i(jhts, vol. iv. p. 217, etc.)

P. 80. Afrits. These were a kind of Medusa or I^imia, supposed to
be the most terrible and cruel of all the ordei-s of the divas. (Herbelot,
p. 66.)

P. 80. Tablets fraxight with preternatural qualities. Mr. Tlifhard-
son observes, * that in the East men of rank in general caiTied with
them pocket astronomical tables which they consulted on every affair of
moment.' These tablets however were of the magical kind and such as
often occur in works of romance. Thus in Boiardo, Orlando receives from
the father of the youth he had rescued a book that would solve all
doubts; and in Ariosto, Logistilla bestows upon Astolpho a similar
Directory. The books which Carathis turned over with Morakanabad were
imagined to have possessed the like virtues.

P. 80. Dwarfs. Such unfortunate beings as are thus 'curtailed
of fair proportion,' have been for ages an appendage of Eastern
grandeur. One part of their office consists in the instruction of the
pages, but their principal duty is the amusement of their master. If a
dwarf happen to be a mute he is much esteemed, but if he be also a
eunuch he is regarded as a prodigj^ and no pains or expense is spared
to obtain him. (Habesci's State of the Ottovi-an Empire, p. 164, etc.)

P. 81. Reading the holy Koran. The Mahometans have a book of
stops or pauses in reading the Koran, which divides it into seventeen
sections and allows of no more. (Herbelot, p. 915.)

P. 81. The bells of a cafila. A cafila or caravan, according to Pitts,
is divided into distinct companies, at the head of which an officer or
person of distinction is carried in a kind of horse litter, and followed
by a sumpter camel loaded with his treasure ; this camel hath a bell
fastened to either side, the sound of which may be heard at a
considerable distance; others have bells im theii- necks and their legs to
solace them when drooping with heat and fatigue. InatuUa, also, in his
tales hath a similar reference : ' The bells of the cafila may be ining in
the thirsty desert.' (Vol. ii. p. 15.)

201

p. 81. Degf/ial. This word signifies properly a liar and imposter,
but is applied by Mahometan writers to their antichrist. He is described
as having- but one eye and eyebrow, and on his forehead the radicals of
cafer (or infidel) are said to be impressed. According- to the traditions of
the faithful, his first appearance will be between Irak and Syria,
mounted on an ass ; seventy thousand Jews from Ispahan are expected
to follow him. His continuance on earth is to be ioviy days. All places
are to be destroyed by him and his emissaries, except Mecca and
Medina, which will be protected by angels from the general overthrow;
at last, however, he will be slain by Jesus, who is to encounter him at
the gate of Lud. (Herbelot, p. 282 ; Sale's Prelvm. Disc. p. 106.)

P. 82. Dictated hy the blessed. Intelligence. That is, the angel
Gabriel. The Mahometans deny that the Koran was composed by their
prophet ; it being their g-eneral and orthodox belief that it is of Divine
origin, nay, even eternal and uncreated, remaining in the very essence
of God ; that the first transcript has been from everlasting by His
throne, written on a table of immense size called the preserved table,
on which are also recorded the Divine decrees, past and future; that a
copy was by the ministry of the angel Gabriel sent down to the lowest
heaven in the month of Ramadan, on the night or power; from whence
Gabriel revealed it to Mahomet by parcels, some at Mecca and some at
Medina. (Al Koran, ch. ii. etc. ; Sale's PrelinTh. Disc. p. 85.)

P. 85. The BisTJiillah. This word (which is prefixed to every
chapter of the Koran except the ninth) signifies ' In the name of the
most merciful God.' It did not become the initiatory fonnula of prayer
till the time of Moez the Fatimite. (Herbelot, p. 326.) Ablution is of
an origin long prior to Mahomet ; it is mentioned in Homer and alluded
to by the Psalmist : ' I will wash my hands in innocency, and so will I
compass thine altar, O I^ord.' Again: ' Verily have I cleansed my heart
in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.'

P. 86 — 87. A magnificent taktrevan. This kind of moving throne,
though more common at present than in the days of Vathek, is still
confined to persons of the highest rank.

P. 87. Baths of rose-water. The use of perfumed waters for the
202

purpose of bathinp: is of an. early origin in the East, where eveiy
odoriferous plant sheds a richer fragrance than is known to our more
humid climates. The rose which yields this lotion is, according to
Hasselquist, of a beautiful pale blush colour, double, large as a man's
fist, and more exquisite in scent than any other species. The quantities
of this water distilled annually at Fajhum and carried to distant
countries is immense. The mode of conveying it is in vessels of copper
coated with wax. (VoyiKj. p. 248.) Ben Jonson makes Volpone say to
Celia: —

' Their bath shall be the juyce of gilliflowora.
Spirit of roses and of violets.'

P. 88. Lavib d la creme. No dish amongst the Easterns was more
generally admired; the Caliph Abdolmelek, at a splendid entertainment
to which whoever came was welcome, asked Amrou the son of Hareth
what kind of meat he preferred to all othei-s ; the old man answered :
"An ass's neck, well seasoned and roasted." '* But what say you,"
replied the Caliph, ** to the leg or shoulder of a lamb a la creme'? "
And added :

" How sweetly we live if a shadow would last ? "

(MS. Laud, Numb. 101. A. Ockley's Hist, of the Saracens, vol. ii. p.
277.)

P. 89. The nine hundred and ninety-ninth time. The Mahometans
boast of a doctor who is reported to have read over the Koran not fewer
than twenty thousand times. (Herbelot, p. 75.)

P. 91. To let down the fjreat swing. The swing was an exercise
much used in the apartments of the Eastern ladies, and contributed not
only to their health but to their amusement. {Tales of Inatulla, vol. 1,
p. 2o9.)

P. 95. Calenders. These were a sort of men amongst the
Mahometans who abandoned father and mother, wife and children,
relations, and possessions, to wander through the world under a
pretence of religion, entirely subsisting on the fortuitous bounty of
those they had the address to dupe. (Herbelot, Suppl. p. 204.)

203

P, 95. Santons. A body of religionists who were also called Abdals
and pretended to be inspired with the most enthusiastic raptures of
divine love ; they were regarded by the vulgar as saints. (Olearius,
torn. i. p. 971 ; Herbelot, p. 5.)

P. 95. Dervises or Dervishes. The term Dervise signifies a poor
man and is the general appellation by which a religious amongst the
Mahometans is named. There are however discriminations that
distinguish this class from the others already mentioned; they are
bound by no vow of poverty, they abstained not from marriage, and,
whenever disposed, they may relinquish both their blue shirt and
profession. (Herbelot, Suppl. 214.)

P. 95. Brahmins. These constituted the principal caste of the
Indians, according to whose doctrine Brahma, from whom they are
called, is the first of the three created beings by whom the world was
made. This Brahma is said to have communicated to the Indians four
books, in which all the sciences and ceremonies of their religion are
comprised. The word Brahma in the Indian language signifies pervading
all things. The Brahmins lead a life of most rigid abstinence, refraining
not only from the use but even the touch of animal food, and are equally
exemplary for their contempt of pleasures and devotion to philosophy
and religion. (Herbelot, p. 212; Bruckeri Hist. Philosoph. torn. i. p.
194.)

P. 95. Fakirs. This sect were a kind of religious anchorites who
spent their whole lives in the severest austerities and mortification.
It is almost impossible for the imagination to form an extravagance
that has not been practised by some of them to torment themselves.
As their reputation for sanctity rises in proportion to their sufferings,
those amongst them are reverenced the most who are most ingenious in
the invention of tortures and persevering in enduring them; hence some
have persisted in sitting or standing for years together in one unvaried
posture, supporting an almost intolerable burden, dragging the most
cumbrous chains, exposing their naked bodies to the scoi-ching sun,
and hanging with head downward before the fiercest fires. (Reliff.
Cerem. vol. iii. p. 2G4, etc. ; White's Sermons, p. 504.)

204

p. 96. Tkn/iu and Jj-huru. Two deities of the East Indians
concerning whose histoiy and adventures more nonsense is related than
can be found in the whole compass of mythology besides. The traditions
of their votaries are no doubt allegorical, but without a key to disclose
their mystic import they are little better than senseless jargon.

1'. 97. Tiilopoins. This order, which abounds in Siam, Laos,
Pegu, and other countries, consists of different classes and both sexes,
but chiefly of men. {Relifj- Cereni. vol. iv. p. G2, etc.)

P. 98. Sm^iU plates of abominations. The Koran hath established
several distinctions relative to different kinds of food; and many
Mahometans are so scrupulous as not to touch the flesh of any animal
over which in the article of death the butcher had omitted to pronounce
the Bismillah. {Regis. Cerein. vol. vii. p. 110.)

P. 99. Peris. The word peri in the Pei*sian language signifies that
beautiful race of creatures which constitutes the link between angels
and men. The Arabians call them (/inn or genii, and we (from the
Persian, perhaps) fairies; at least the peris of the Pei"sian romance
correspond to that imaginaiy class of beings in our poetical system.
The Italians denominate them fata, in allusion to their power oi
charming and enchanting; thus the Manta fatidica of Virgil is rendered
in Orlando La fata Manto. The term ginn being common to both peris
and divas, some have erroneously fancied that the peris were female
divas; this appellation, however, served only to discriminate their
common nature from the angelic and human, without respect to their
qualities, moral or pei-sonal ; thus the divas are hideous and wicked,
whilst the peris are beautiful and good. Amongst the Pei-sian poets the
beauty of the peris is proverbial, insomuch that a woman superlatively
handsome is styled by them the offspring of a peri.

P. 103. Megnoun and Leileh. These personages are esteemed
amongst the Arabians as the most beautiful, chaste and impassioned
of lovers ; and their amoui^s have been celebrated with all the (-hanus
of verse in every Oriental language ; the Mahometans regard them and
the poetical records of their love in the same light as the Bridegroom
and Spouse, and the Song of Songs are regarded by the Jews.
(Herbelot, p. 573.)

205

p. 105. Shadukiarn and Amhreahad. These were two cities of the
Peris in the imaginary region of Djinnistan ; the former signifies
pleasure and desire, the latter tlie city of Amhergus. (Richardson's
Dissertatio ns , p. 169.)

P. 108. A spoon of Cocknos. The rocknos is a bird whose beak is
much esteemed for its beautiful polish, and sometimes used as a spoon ;
thus in the history of Ataimulck and Zelica Begum, it was employed
for a similar purpose : ' Zelica having- called for refreshment, six old
slaves instantly brought in and distributed Mahramas, and then served
about in a great basin of raartabam a salad made of herbs of various
kinds, citron juice and the pith of cucumbers. They served it first to
the princess in a cocknos' beak; she took a beak of the salad, eat it,
and gave another to the next slave that sat by her on her rig-ht hand,
which slave did as her mistress had done.'

P. 111. Ghoules. Ghoul or ghul in Arabic signifies any temfying
object which deprives people of the use of their senses ; hence it became
the appellative of that species of monster which was supposed to haunt
forests, cemeteries and other lonelj'^ places, and believed not only to
tear in pieces the living, but to dig up and devour the dead. That kind
of insanity called by the Arabians kut/nib (a word sig"nifying not only
a wolf, but likewise a male ghoul), which incites such as are afflicted
with it to roam howling- amidst those melancholy haunts, may cast some
light on the nature of the possession recorded by St. Mark, chap. v.
1, etc.

P. 113. The carhunclc of Jdinshyd. This mighty potentate was
the fourth sovereign of the dynasty of the Pischadians, and brother or
nephew to Tahamurath; his proper name was Jatn, and Shyd, which
ill the lang-uage of the ancient Persians denominated the sun, an
addition ascribed by some to the majesty of his person, and by others
to the splendour of his actions. One of the most magnificent monuments
of his reign was the city of Istakhar, of which Tahamurath had laid
the foundations. This city, known as Gihil- or Tchil-minar, from the
forty columns reared in it by Homai or (according to our author and
the g-reat authorities) Soliman Bon Daoud, was known to the Greeks
by the name of Persepolis ; and there is still extant in the East a

206

tradition that when Alexander burnt the edifices cif the Persian kinjjfs
seven stupendous stiiictures ut Jamshyd were consumed with his pahice.
This prince, after having- subjected to his empire seven vast provinces
of Upper Asia and enjoyed in peace a long reign (which some authoi-s
have protracted to seven hundred years), became intoxicated with his
greatness, and, foolishly fancying it would have no end, arrog-ated to
himself divine honoui-s; but the Almighty raised up, even in his own
house, a terrible insti-ument to abase his pride, by whom he was easily
overcome and driven into exile. The author of Giamie al Tavatikh
mentions the cup or concave mirror of Jamshyd, foraied of a gem
and called the cup of the sun. To this vessel the Persian poets often
refer, and allegorise it in different ways; they attribute to it the
property of exhibiting everything in the compass of Nature and even
some things that are preternatural. The gem it consisted of appears to
be the carbuncle or Oriental ruby, which, from its resemblance to a
burning coal and the splendour it was supposed to emit in the dark,
was called schehgerag or the torch of the night. According to Strabo
it obtained its high estimation among-st the Persians, who were
worshippers of fire, from its igneous qualities and perhaps those virtues
for which it hath been styled ' the first of stones.' Milton had a learned
retrospect to its fabulous powei*s in describing the Old Sei-pent :

' His head
Crested aloft, and carbuncle his eyes.'

(Herbelot, pp. .392, 395, 780, etc. ; Brighte on Melancholie, p. 321 ;
Paradise Lost, ix. 499.)

P. 117. As her haruls evince. When females in the East are
betrothed, their palms and fingers are tinged of a crimson colour with
the herb henna. This is called the crimson of consent. (Tales uf
InatuUa, vol. ii. p. 15.)

P. 118. Violate the rites of hospitality. So high an idea of these
rites prevails amongst the Arabians that a bread and salt traitor is the
most opprobrious invective with which one person can reproach another.
(Richardson's Dissert, p. 219; see also the story of Ali Baba and the
Forty Thieves in the Arabian Nights, vol. iv. p. IGG.)

207

p. 122. All instruTTients of music were broken. Thus in the Arabian
Nights : ' Haroiin Al Raschid wept over Schemselnihar, and before he
left the room ordered all the musical instruments to be broken,'
(Vol. ii. p. 196.)

P. 123. Imans began to recite their prayers. An Iman is the
principal priest of a mosque. It was the office of the Imans to precede
the bier, praving' as the procession moved on. {Relig. Cerem. vol. vii.
p. 117.)

P. 123. The wailful cries of " La illaha ill' Allah." This
exclamation, which contains the leading- principle of Mahometan
belief and sig-nifies there is no God but God, was commonly uttered
under some violent emotion of mind. The Spaniards adopted it from
their Moorish neighbours and Cervantes hath used it in Don Quixote :
' En esto llegaron coiTiendo con grita, lililies (literally professions of
faith in Alia) y alg-azara los de las libreas, adonde Don Quixote suspense
y atonito estava.' (Parte Segninda, cap. Ixi. torn. iv. p. 241.) The same
expression is sometimes written by the Spaniards lAlaila and Hila
hilahaila.

P. 12(). The angel of Death had opened the portal of some other
ivorld. The name of this exterminating angel is Azrael, and his office
is to conduct the dead to the abode assigned them, which is said by
some to be near the place of their interment.

P. 126. Monger and Nakir. These are two black angels of a
tremendous appearance who examine the departed on the subject of
his faith; by whom, if he give not a satisfactory account, he is sure to
be cudgelled with maces of red-hot iron and tonnented more variously
than words can describe.

P. 126. The fatal bridge. This bridge, called in Arabic al Sirat
and said to extend over the infernal gmlf, is represented as narrower
than a spider's web and sharper than the edge of a sword. Though the
attempt to cross it be

' More full of peril, and advent'rous spirit.
Than to o'erwalk a current, roaring loud.
On the unsteadfast footing of a spear ' ;

208

yet the paradise of Mahomet can be entered hy no other avenue. Those
indeed who have behaved well need not be alanned; mixed characters
will find it difficult, but the wicked soon miss their standing and plunge
headlong into the abyss. (Pocock in l*ort. Mns. ]>. 282, etc.) Milton
apparently copied from this well-known fiction, and not as Ur. Warton
conjectured from the Poet Sadi, his way

' Over the dark abyss, whose boiling gulf
Tamely endur'd a bridge of wond'rous length.
From hell continu'd, reaching the utmost orb
Of this frail world.'

P. 138. Wine hoarded up in bottles prior to the birth of Mahomet.
The prohibition of wine by the prophet materially diminished its
consumption within the limits of his own dominions; hence a resene
of it might be expected of the age here specified. The custom of
hoarding wine was not unknown to the Persians, though not so often
practised by them as by the Greeks and the Romans. * I purchase,'
says Lebeid, * the old liquor at a dear rate, in dark leathern bottles
long reposited, or in casks black with pitch, whose seals I break, and
then fill the cheerful goblet. {MoaUakat, p. 53.)

P. 141. Her great carnal Alboufaki. There is a singular and
laboured description of a camel in the Tarafa, but Alboufaki possessed
qualities appropriate to himself and which rendered him but little less
conspicuous than the defonued dun camel of Aad.

P. 150. Blue fishes. Fishes of the same colour are mentioned in
the Arabian IVir/hts, and like these were endowed with the gift of speech.

P. 153. Wavinff .streamers on which were inscribed the na.vxes nf
Alia and the Prophet. The position that ' there is no God but God, and
Mahomet is His prophet,' pervades even' part of the Mahometan
religion. Banners, like those here descri])ed, are preserved in the
several mosques, and on the death of extraordinary persons are Ijorne
before the bier in solemn state. (ReJig. Cerem. vol. vii. pp. 119-20.)

P. 154. Astrolabes, The mention of the Astrolabe may be deemed

209

incompatible at first view with chronological exactness, as there is no
instance of any being- constructed by a Mussulman till after the time
of Vathek. It may however be remarked, to go no higher, that Sinesius,
bishop of Ptolemais, invented one in the fifth century ; and that Carathis
was not only herself a Greek, but also cultivated those sciences which
the good Mussulmans of her time all held in abhorrence. (Bailly, Hist,
de V Astronom. moderne, tom. i. pp. 563, 573.)

P. 158. On the hanks of the stream hives and oratories. The bee
is an insect held in high veneration amongst the Mahometans, it being
pointed out in the Koran ' for a sign unto the people that understand,'
the Santons therefore who inhabit the fertile banks of Eocnabad are not
less famous for their hives than their oratories. (Herbelot, p. 717.)

P. IGO. Sheiks, Cadis. Sheiks are the chiefs of the societies of
Dei-vishes ; Cadis are the magistrates of a town or city.

P. 160. Asses in bridles of rihand inscribed from the Koran. As
the judges of Israel in ancient days rode on white asses, so amongst
the Mahometans those that affect an extraordinary sanctity use the
same animal in preference to the horse. Sir John Chardin observed in
various parts of the East that their reins, as here represented, were
of silk, with the name of God or other inscriptions upon them. (Ludeke,
Ea-pos. brevis, p. 49; Chardin's MS. cited by Harmer.)

P. 164. Ehli^. Herbelot supposes this title to have been a
corniption. It was the appellation conferred by the Arabians upon the
prince of the apostate angels, whom they represent as exiled to the
infenial regions for refusing to worship Adam at the command of the
Supreme.

P. 167. Balkis. This was the Arabian name of the Queen of
Sheba, who went from the south to hear the wisdom and admire the
glory of Solomon ; the Koran represents her as a worshipper of fire.
Solomon is said not only to have entertained her with the greatest
magnificence, but also to have raised her to his bed and his throne. (Al
Koran, ch. xxvii. and Sale's notes; Herbelot, p. 182.)

210

1*. 174. (hiranahad . This monster is represented iis ;i fierce flyinjj:
hydra and belong-s to the same class with the ni/islir, whose ordinary
food was serpents and dragons, the soham, which had the head of a horee
with four eyes and the body of a flame-coloured drajion, the si/l , a ])asilisk
with a face resembling^ the human, but so tremendous that no mortal
could bear to behold it, the ejder and others.

P. ITo. Creatures of clay. Nothing could have been more appo-
sitely imagined than this compellation. Eblis had suffered a degradation
from his primeval rank and was consig-ned to these regions for having
refused to worship Adam, in obedience to the supreme command;
alleging in justification of his refusal that himself had been fonned
of ethereal fire, whilst Adam was only a creature of clay. (Al Koran, c.
65, etc.)

P. 175. The fortress of Ahrlmdn. In the mythology of the
Easterns, Ahriman was accounted the Demon of Discord. The ancient
Persian romances abound in descriptions of tliis fortress, in which the
inferior demons assemble to receive the behests (jf their prince, and
from whom they proceed to exercise their malice in every part of the
world. (Herbelot, p. 71.)

P. 175. The halls of Arf/enk. The halls of this mighty diva, who
reigned in the mountains of Kaf, contained the statutes of the seventy-
two Solimans and the portraits of the various creatures subject to them,
not one of which bore the slightest similitude to man ; some had many
heads, others many arms, and some consisted of many bodies; their
heads were all very extraordinary, some resembling the elephant's the
buffalo's and the boar's, whilst othei*s were still more monstrous.

P. 170. Holdiuff his rif/ht hand m-otionless on his heart. Sandys
observes that the application of the right hand to the heart is the
customary mode of Eastern salutation; but the perseverance of the
votaries of Eblis in this attitude was intended to express their devotion
to him both heart and hand.

211

p. 184. Carathis on the back of an afrit. The expedition of the
afrit in fetching Carathis is characteristic of this order of divas. We
read in the Koran that another of the fraternity offered to bring the
Queen of Sheba's throne to Solomon before he could rise from his place.
(Ch. 27.)

212

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