(Quoth Ibrahim), When I heard these lines, I was filled with huge delight and marvelled with exceeding marvel. Then I slept and awoke not till past nightfall, when I washed my face, with a mind full of the high worth of this barber-surgeon and his passing courtesy; after which I wakened him and, taking out a purse I had by me containing a number of gold pieces, threw it to him, saying, “I commend thee to Allah, for I am about to go forth from thee, and pray thee to expend what is in this purse on thine requirements; and thou shalt have an abounding reward of me, when I am quit of my fear.” (Quoth Ibrahim), But he returned the bag to me, saying, “O my lord, paupers like myself are of no value in thine eyes; but how, with due respect to my own generosity, can I take a price for the boon which fortune hath vouchsafed me of thy favour and thy visit to my poor abode? Nay, if thou repeat thy words and throw the purse to me again I will slay myself.” So I put in my sleeve[[152]] the purse whose weight was irksome to me.——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

Now when it was the Two Hundred and Seventy-fourth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Ibrahim son of Al-Mahdi continued:—So I put in my sleeve the purse whose weight was irksome to me; and turned to depart, but when I came to the house-door he said, “O my lord, of a truth this is a safer hiding-place for thee than any other, and thy keep is no burden to me; so do thou abide with me, till Allah be pleased to grant thee relief.” Accordingly, I turned back, saying, “On condition that thou spend of the money in this purse.” He made me think that he consented to this arrangement, and I abode with him some days in the utmost comfort; but, perceiving that he spent none of the contents of the purse, I revolted at the idea of abiding at his charge and thought it shame to be a burthen on him; so I left the house disguised in women’s apparel, donning short yellow walking-boots[[153]] and veil. Now as soon as I found myself in the street, I was seized with excessive fear, and going to pass the bridge behold, I came to a place sprinkled with water,[[154]] where a trooper, who had been in my service, looked at me and knowing me, cried out, saying, “This is he whom Al-Maamun wanteth.” Then he laid hold of me but the love of sweet life lent me strength and I gave him and his horse a push which threw them down in that slippery place, so that he became an example to those who will take example; and the folk hastened to him. Meanwhile, I hurried my pace over the bridge and entered a main street, where I saw the door of a house open and a woman standing upon the threshold. So I said to her, “O my lady, have pity on me and save my life; for I am a man in fear.” Quoth she, “Enter and welcome;” and carried me into an upper dining-room, where she spread me a bed and brought me food, saying, “Calm thy fear, for not a soul shall know of thee.” As she spoke, lo! there came a loud knocking at the door; so she went and opened, and suddenly, my friend, whom I had thrown down on the bridge, appeared with his head bound up, the blood running down upon his clothes and without his horse. She asked, “O so and so, what accident hath befallen thee?”; and he answered, “I made prize of the young man whom the Caliph seeketh and he escaped from me;” whereupon he told her the whole story. So she brought out tinder[[155]] and, putting it into a piece of rag bandaged his head; after which she spread him a bed and he lay sick. Then she came up to me and said, “Methinks thou art the man in question?” “Even so,” answered I, and she said, “Fear not: no harm shall befal thee,” and redoubled in kindness to me. So I tarried with her three days, at the end of which time she said to me, “I am in fear for thee, lest yonder man happen upon thee and betray thee to what thou dreadest; so save thyself by flight.” I besought her to let me stay till nightfall, and she said, “There is no harm in that.” So, when the night came, I put on my woman’s gear and betook me to the house of a freed-woman who had once been our slave. When she saw me she wept and made a show of affliction and praised Almighty Allah for my safety. Then she went forth, as if she would go to market intent on hospitable thoughts, and I fancied all was right; but, ere long, suddenly I espied Ibrahim al-Mosili[[156]] making for the house amongst his troopers and servants, and led by a woman on foot; and looking narrowly at her behold, she was the freed-woman, the mistress of the house, wherein I had taken refuge. So she delivered me into their hands, and I saw death face to face. They carried me, in my woman’s attire, to Al-Maamun who called a general council and had me brought before him. When I entered I saluted him by the title of Caliph, saying, “Peace be on thee, O Commander of the Faithful!” and he replied, “Allah give thee neither peace nor long life.” I rejoined, “According to thy good pleasure, O Commander of the Faithful!; it is for the claimant of blood-revenge[[157]] to decree punishment or pardon; but mercy is nigher to piety; and Allah hath set thy pardon above all other pardon, even as He made my sin to excel all other sin. So, if thou punish, it is of thine equity, and if thou pardon, it is of thy bounty.” And I repeated these couplets:—

My sin to thee is great, ✿ But greater thy degree:

So take revenge, or else ✿ Remit in clemency:

An I in deeds have not ✿ Been generous, generous be!

(Quoth Ibrahim), At this Al-Maamun raised his head to me an I hastened to add these two couplets:—

I’ve sinned enormous sin, ✿ But pardon in thee lies:

If pardon thou, ‘tis grace; ✿ Justice an thou chastise!

Then Al-Maamun bowed his head and repeated:—