Arabian Nights Entertainments (1706)/Volume 5/The Fourth Brother

The Story of the Barber’s Fourth Brother.

ALcouz was the Name of my fourth Brother, who came to loſe one of his Eyes, upon an occaſion that I ſhall acquaint your Majeſty with by and by: He was a Butcher by Profeſſion, and had a particular way of teaching Rams to fight, by which he procured the Acquaintance and Friendſhip of the chief Lords of the Country, who loved that Sport; and for that End kept Rams about their Houſes: He had beſides a very good Trade, and had his Shop always full of the beft Meat, becauſe he was very rich, and ſpared no Coſt for the beſt of every Sort. One Day, when he was in his Shop, an old Man with a white long Beard came and bought fix Pound of Meat of him, gave him Money for it, and went his way. My Brother thought the Money ſo fine, ſo white, and ſo well coined, that he put it apart by it ſelf: The ſame old Man came every Day for five Months together, bought a like Quantity of Meat, and paid for it in the ſame ſort of Money, which my Brother continued to lay apart by it felt.

At the end of five Months, Alcouz having a mind to buy a parcel of Sheep, and to pay for them in this fine Money, opened his Trunk; but inſtead of finding his Money, was extreamly ſurpriz’d to ſee nothing but a Parcel of Leaves clipp’d round in the Place where he had laid it: He beat his Head, and cry’d out aloud; which preſently brought the Neighbours about him, who were as much ſurpriz’d as he when he told them the Story. O! cry’d my Brother, weeping, that this treacherous old Fellow would come now with his hypocritical Looks. He had ſcarce done ſpeaking, till he ſaw him coming at a diſtance, ran to him, and laid Hands on him; Muſſelmen, cries he, as loud as he could, Help! Hear what a Cheat this wicked Fellow has put upon me; and at the ſame time told a great Crowd of People, who came about him, what he had formerly told his, Neighbours. When he had done, the old Man, without any Paſſion, ſays to him very gravely, you would do well to let me go, and by that Means make Amends for the Affront you have put upon me before ſo many People, for fear I ſhould put a greater Affront upon you, which I am not willing to do. How, ſays my Brother, What have you to ſay againſt me? I am an honeſt Man in my Buſineſs, and fear not you, nor no Body. You would have me to ell it then, ſays the old Man; and turning to the People, lays to them; Know, good People, that this Fellow inſtead of ſelling Mutton, as he ought to do, he ſells Man’s Fleſh. You are a Cheat, ſays my Brother. No, no, ſays the old Man; good People, this very Minute that I am ſpeaking to him, there’s a Man with his Throat cut hung up in the Shop like a Sheep; do any of you go thither, and ſee if what I ſay be not true.

Before my Brother had opened his Trunk he had juſt killed a Sheep, dreſs’d it, and expoſed it in the Shop, according to Cuſtom; he proteſted, that what the old Man ſaid was falſe; and notwithſtanding all his Proteſtations, the Mob being prejudic’d againſt a Man accuſed of fuch a heinous Crime, would go to ſee whether the matter was true. They oblig’d my Brother to quit the old Man, laid hold of him, and run like mad Men to his Shop, where they ſaw a Man murdered and hung up, as the old Man had told them; for he was a Magician, and deceived the Eyes of all People, as he did my Brother, when he made him take Leaves inſtead of Money. At this Spectacle, one of thoſe who held Alcouz, gave him a great Blow with his Fiſt, and ſays to him, thou wicked Villain, doſt thou make us eat Man’s Fleſh inſtead of Mutton; and at the ſame time the old Man gave him another Blow, which beat out one of his Eyes, and every Body that could get near him beat him; and not content with that, they carried him before a Judge, with the pretended Carcaſe of the Man, to be Evidence againſt him. Sir, ſays the old Magician to the Judge, we brought you a Man, who is ſo barbarous as to murder People and to ſell their Fleſh inftead of Mutton. The Publick expects that you ſhou’d puniſh him in an exemplary manner: The Judge heard my Brother with Patience, but would believe nothing of the Story of the Money exchanged into Leaves, called my Brother a Cheat, told him he would believe his own Eyes, and ordered him to have 500 Blows. He afterwards made him tell where his Money was, took it all from him, and baniſhed him for ever, after having made him ride three Days through the Town upon a Came], expoſed to the Inſults of the People.

Scheherazade perceiving Day-light broke off, and next Night continued her Story as follows.

The Hundred and Seventy Fifth Night.

THE Barber went on thus: I was not at Bagdad when this Tragical Adventure befel my fourth Brother. He retir’d into a remote Place, where he lay conceal’d till he was cured of the Blows with which his Back was terribly maul’d. When he was able to walk, he went by Night to a certain Town, where no body knew him, and there he took a Lodging, from whence he ſeldom went out; but being weary of this Life, he went to walk in one of the Suburbs, where all of a ſudden he heard a great Noiſe of Horſemen coming behind him. He was then by chance near the Gate of a great Houſe, and fearing, after what had befallen him, that theſe Horſemen were purſuing him, he opened the Gate in order to hide himſelf, and after he ſhut it, came into a great Court, where immediately two Servants came and I0ok him by the Neck, and ſaid, Heaven be praiſed, that you have come of your own accord to ſurrender your ſelf to us; you have frigheten’d us ſo much theſe three laſt Nights, that we could not ſleep; nor would you have ſpared our Lives, if you could have come at us. You may very well imagine my Brother was much furprized at this Compliment: Good People, ſays he, I know not what you mean, you certainly take me for another. No, no, replied they, you and your Comrades are great Robbers: You were not content to rob our Maſter of all that he had, and to reduce him to Beggary, but you had a Mind to take his Life. Let us ſee a little, it you have not a Knife about you, which you had in your Hand when you purſued us laſt Night. And having ſaid thus they ſearched him, and found he had a Knife. Ho! ho! cry’d they, laying hold of him, and dare you ſay that you are not a Robber? Why, ſays my Brother, cannot a Man carry a Knife about him without being a Highway-man? If you will hearken to my Story, continues he, inſtead of having ſo bad an opinion of me, you will be touched with Compaſſion at my Misfortunes. But far from hearkening to him, they fell upon him, trod him under Foot, took away his Cloaths, and tore his Shirt. Then ſeeing the Scars on his Back. O Dog, ſay they, redoubling their Blows, would you have us to believe you to be an honeſt Man, when your Back ſhows us the contrary? Alas! ſays my Brother, my Faults muſt be very great, fince after having been abuſed already ſo unjuſtly, I am abuſed again a ſecond time without being more culpable.

The two Servants, no way moved with his Complaint, carry’d him before. the Judge, who asked him how he durſt be ſo bold as to go into their Houſe, and purſue them with a drawn Knife? Sir, reply’d poor Alcouz, I am the moſt innocent Man in the World, and am undone if you will not be pleaſed to hear me patiently: Nobody deſerves more compaſſion; Sir, replies one of the Domeſticks, will you liſten to a Robber who enters Peoples Houſes to plunder and murder ’em? If you won’t believe us, only, look upon his own Back; and when he ſaid ſo, he uncovered my Brother’s Back, and ſhewed it to the Judge, who without any other Information, commanded immediately to give him 100 Laſhes with a Bull’s Pizzle over the Shoulders, and made him afterwards be carry’d through the Town on a Camel, with one crying before him; Thus are ſuch Men puniſh’d as enter Peoples Houſes by Force. And after having treated him thus, they baniſ’d him the Town, and forbid him ever to return to it again. Some People, who met him after the ſecond Misfortune, brought me Word where he, was, and I went and fetch’d him to Bagdad privately, and gave him all the Affiſtance I could. The Califf, continu’d the Batber, did not laugh ſo much at this Story as at the other. He was pleaſed to bewail the unfortunate Alcouz, and ordered ſomething to be given me. But without giving his Servants Time to obey his Orders, I continued my Diſcourſe, and ſaid to him, My Sovereign Lord and Maſter, You ſee that I don’t ſpeak much: And fince your Majeſty. has been pleaſed to do me the Favour to liſten to me ſo far, I beg you would likewiſe hear the Adventures of my two other Brothers: I hope they will be as diverting as thoſe of the Former. You may make a compleat Hiſtory of them. that won’t be unworthy, your Library: I do my ſelf the Honour then to acquaint you, that the, fifth Brother waſ called Almaſor.

Here Scheherazade broke off, and left the reſt of the Story till next Morning, when ſhe continued it thus.