Mr. Keightley (H. 122–24 Tales and Popular Fictions, a book now somewhat obselete) remarks, “There is nothing said about the bridle in the account of the sale (_infra_), but I am sure that in the original tale, Badr’s misfortunes must have been owing to his having parted with it. In Chaucer’s Squier’s Tale the bridle would also appear to have been of some importance.” He quotes a story from the Notti Piacevoli of Straparola, the Milanese, published at Venice in 1550. And there is a popular story of the kind in Germany.
Here, for the first time we find the name of the mother who has often been mentioned in the story. Faráshah is the fem. or singular form of “Farásh,” a butterfly, a moth. Lane notes that his Shaykh gives it the very unusual sense of “a locust.”
Punning upon Jauharah = “a jewel” a name which has an Hibernian smack.
In the old version “All the lovers of the Magic Queen resumed their pristine forms as soon as she ceased to live;” moreover, they were all sons of kings, princes, or persons of high degree.
KING MOHAMMED BIN SABAIK AND THE MERCHANT HASAN.
There was once, in days of yore and in ages and times long gone before, a King of the Kings of the Persians, by name Mohammed bin Sabáik, who ruled over Khorásán-land and used every year to go on razzia into the countries of the Miscreants in Hind and Sind and China and the lands of Máwarannahr beyond the Oxus and other regions of the barbarians and what not else. He was a just King, a valiant and a generous, and loved table-talk[349] and tales and verses and anecdotes and histories and entertaining stories and legends of the ancients. Whoso knew a rare recital and related it to him in such fashion as to please him he would bestow on him a sumptuous robe of honour and clothe him from head to foot and give him a thousand dinars, and mount him on a horse saddled and bridled besides other great gifts; and the man would take all this and wend his way. Now it chanced that one day there came an old man before him and related to him a rare story, which pleased the King and made him marvel, so he ordered him a magnificent present, amongst other things a thousand dinars of Khorasan and a horse with its housings and trappings. After this, the bruit of the King’s munificence was blazed abroad in all countries and there heard of him a man, Hasan the Merchant hight, who was generous, open-handed and learned, a scholar and an accomplished poet. Now that King had an envious Wazir, a multum-in-parvo of ill, loving no man, rich nor poor, and whoso came before the King and he gave him aught he envied him and said, “Verily, this fashion annihilateth wealth and ruineth the land; and such is the custom of the King.” But this was naught save envy and despite in that Minister. Presently the King heard talk of Hasan the Merchant and sending for him, said to him as soon as he came into the presence, “O Merchant Hasan, this Wazir of mine vexeth and thwarteth me concerning the money I give to poets and boon-companions and story-tellers and glee-men, and I would have thee tell me a goodly history and a rare story, such as I have never before heard. An it please me, I will give thee lands galore, with their forts, in free tenure, in addition to thy fiefs and untaxed lands; besides which I will put my whole kingdom in thy hands and make thee my Chief Wazir; so shalt thou sit on my right hand and rule my subjects. But, an thou bring me not that which I bid thee, I will take all that is in thy hand and banish thee my realm.” Replied Hasan, “Hearkening and obedience to our lord the King! But thy slave beseecheth thee to have patience with him a year; than will he tell thee a tale, such as thou hast never in thy life heard, neither hath other than thou heard its like, not to say a better than it.” Quoth the King, “I grant thee a whole year’s delay.” And he called for a costly robe of honour wherein he robed Hasan, saying, “Keep thy house and mount not horse, neither go nor come for a year’s time, till thou bring me that I seek of thee. An thou bring it, especial favour awaiteth thee and thou mayst count upon that which I have promised thee; but, an thou bring it not, thou art not of us nor are we of thee.”——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.