The Arabian Nights, Volume 3 (of 4)

ILLUSTRATED WITH ENGRAVINGS, FROM DESIGNS BY R. WESTALL, R.A.
IN FOUR VOLUMES. VOL. III.
LONDON; Printed for Rodwell & Martin; and the other Proprietors. 1819.
PRINTED FOR C. AND J. RIVINGTON; J. BOOKER; LONGMAN, HURST, REES, ORME, AND CO.; BALDWIN, CRADOCK, AND JOY; RODWELL AND MARTIN; G. B. WHITTAKER; SIMPKIN AND MARSHALL; AND HURST, ROBINSON, AND CO.
1825.
PRINTED BY THOMAS DAVIDSON, WHITEFRIARS.
VOL. III.
Balsora was for many years the capital of a kingdom tributary to the caliphs of Arabia. The king who governed it in the days of caliph Haroun Alraschid was named Zinchi. They were both cousins, the sons of two brothers. Zinchi not thinking it proper to commit the administration of his affairs to one single vizier, made choice of two, Khacan and Saouy.
Khacan was of a sweet, generous, and affable temper, and took a wonderful pride in obliging those with whom he had any concern, to the utmost of his power, without the least hinderance or prejudice to justice, whenever it was demanded of him; so that he was universally respected both at court, in the city, and throughout the whole kingdom; and every body’s mouth was full of the praises he so highly deserved.
Saouy was of a quite different character: he was always sullen and morose, and treated every body after a disrespectful manner, without any regard to their rank or quality; instead of making himself beloved and admired for his riches, he was so perfect a miser, as to deny himself the necessaries of life. In short, nobody could endure him; and if ever any thing was said of him, to be sure it was something of ill. But what increased the people’s hatred against him the more was his implacable aversion for Khacan; always interpreting in the worst sense the actions of that worthy minister, and endeavouring to do him all the ill offices imaginable with the king.
One day, after council, the king of Balsora diverted himself with his two viziers, and some other members of the council: they fell into discourse about the women slaves, that with us are daily bought and sold, and are almost reckoned in the same rank with our wives. Some were of opinion, that it was enough if the slave that one bought was beautiful and well shaped, to make us amends for the wives, which, very often, upon the account of alliance or interest in families, we are forced to marry, who are not always the greatest beauties, nor mistresses of any perfection, either of mind or body. Others maintained, and amongst the rest Khacan, that neither beauty, nor a thousand other charming perfections of the body, were the only things to be coveted in a mistress; but they ought to be accompanied with a great deal of wit, prudence, modesty, and agreeableness; and, if possible, abundance of sense and penetration. The reason they gave for it was, that nothing in the world could be more agreeable to persons on whom the management of important affairs depend, than, after having spent the day in that fatiguing employment, to have a companion in their retirement whose conversation is not only agreeable, but useful and diverting; for, in short, continued they, there is but little difference between brutes and those men who keep a mistress only to look upon her, and gratify a passion that we have in common with them.