The most important of the older works of this class were published in French in the “Cabinet des Fées” (Amsterdam and Geneva, 1785–1793; 41 vols.); in English in “Tales of the East: comprising the most popular Romances of Oriental origin, and the best imitations by European authors, with new translations and additional tales never before published, to which is prefixed an introductory dissertation, containing an account of each work and of its author or translator. By Henry Weber, Esq.” (Edinburgh, 1812, 3 vols.); and in German in “Tausend und ein Tag. Morgenländische Erzählungen aus dem Persisch, Turkisch und Arabisch, nach Petis de la Croix, Galland, Cardonne, Chavis und Cazotte, dem Grafen Caylus, und Anderer. Übersetzt von F. H. von der Hagen” (Prenzlau, 1827–1837, 11 vols.) In the “Cabinet des Fées” I find a reference to an older collection of tales (partly Oriental) called the “Bibliothèque des Fées et des Génies,” by the Abbé de la Porte, which I have not seen, but which is, in part, incorporated in the “Cabinet.” It formed only 2 vols. 12mo, and was published in 1765.
The examination of these tales is difficult, for they comprise several classes, not always clearly defined:—
1. Satires on The Nights themselves (e.g. the Tales of the Count of Hamilton.)
2. Satires in an Oriental garb (e.g. Beckford’s Vathek).
3. Moral tales in an Oriental garb (e.g. Mrs. Sheridan’s Nourjahad).
4. Fantastic tales with nothing Oriental about them but the name (e.g. Stevenson’s New Arabian Nights).
5. Imitations pure and simple (e.g. G. Meredith’s Shaving of Shagpat).
6. Imitations more or less founded on genuine Oriental sources (e.g. the Tales of the Comte de Caylus).
7. Genuine Oriental Tales (e.g. Mille et une Jours, translated by Petis de la Croix).
Most of the tales belonging to Class 7 and some of those belonging to Class 6 have been treated of in previous sections. The remaining tales and imitations will generally need only a very brief notice; sometimes only the title and the indication of the class to which they belong. We will begin with an enumeration of the Oriental contents of the Cabinet des Fées, adding W. i. ii. and iii. to show which are included in Weber’s “Tales of the East”:—