2a. The Young King of Thibet.—Two imposters obtain magic rings by which they can assume the shapes of other persons.
2a, b. The Vazir Cavercha.—This is one of Scott’s stories (No. 223 of our Table). It goes back at least as far as the Ring of Polycrates. It is the 8th Vezir’s Story in Mr. Gibbs’ Forty Vezirs (pp. 200–205.)
4. Prince Calaf.—This story is well known, and is sometimes played as a comedy. The Princess Turandot puts riddles to her suitors, and beheads them if they fail to answer.
5b. Story of Prince Seyf-el-Molouk.—This story is perhaps an older version than that which appears in The Nights (No. 154a.) It is placed long after the time of Solomon; Saad is devoured by ants; and when Seyf enters the palace of Malika (= Daulet Khatoon), the jinni surprises them, and is overpowered by Seyf’s ring. He then informs him of the death of Saad; and that Bedy al-Jemal was one of the mistresses of Solomon; and has also long been dead.
5b. Malek and Chirine.—Resembles No. 264; Malek passes himself off as the Prophet Mohammed; burns his box (not chair) with fireworks on his wedding-day, and is thus prevented from ever returning to the Princess.
5f. Adventures of Aboulfawaris.—Romantic travels, resembling Nos. 132a and 133.
2. Antar.—This is the most famous of the Badawi romances. It resembles No. 137, in several particulars, but is destitute of supernaturalism. An English abridgment in 4 vols. was published in 1820; and the substance of vol. 1 had appeared, as a fragment, in the previous year, under the title of “Antar, a Bedoueen Romance translated from the Arabic by Terrick Hamilton, Esq., Oriental Secretary to the British Embassy at Constantinople.” I have also seen vol. 1 of a French translation, published about 1862, and extending to the death of Shas.
Lane (Modern Egyptians, ch. 21–23) describes several other Arab romances, which have not yet been translated; viz. Aboo-Zeyd; Ez-Zahir, and Delhemeh.
3. Glaive-des-Couronnes (Seif el-Tidjân) التچان التچبان Roman traduit de l’Arabe. Par M. le Dr. Perron (Paris, 1862).
A romantic story of Arab chivalry, less overloaded with supernaturalism than No. 137; but more supernatural than Antar. The hero marries (among other wives) two jinniyahs of the posterity of Iblis. In ch. 21 we have an account of a magical city much resembling the City of Brass (No. 134) and defended by similar talismans.