In the state in which I was, I could not get on very fast. During the day, I concealed myself in unfrequented and secret places, and travelled by night as far as my strength would permit me. At length I arrived in the country belonging to the king, my uncle; and I proceeded directly to the capital.
I gave a long detail of the dreadful cause of my return, and of the miserable state in which he saw me. “Alas!” cried he, “was it not sufficient to lose my son; but must I now learn the death of a brother whom I dearly loved; and find you in the deplorable state to which you are reduced?” He informed me of the distress he had suffered from not being able to learn any tidings of his son, in spite of all the inquiries he had made, and all the diligence he had used. The tears ran from the eyes of this unfortunate father in giving me this account; and he appeared to me so much afflicted, that I could not resist his grief; nor could I keep the oath I had pledged to my cousin. I then related to the king every thing that had formerly passed.
He listened to me with some sort of consolation, and when I had finished, he said, “The recital, my dear nephew, you have given me, affords me some little hope. I well know that my son built such a tomb, and I know very nearly on what spot. With the recollection also, which you may have, I flatter myself we may discover it. But since he has done all this so secretly, and required you also to keep it unknown, I am of opinion that we two only should make the search, in order to avoid its being generally known and talked of. He had also another reason which he did not inform me of, for wishing to keep this a secret. This reason, as the conclusion of my history will show, was a very important one.
We each of us disguised ourselves and went out by a garden gate which opened into the fields. We were fortunate enough very soon to discover the object of our search. I immediately recognised the tomb, and was the more rejoiced as I had before searched for it so long to no purpose. We entered, and found the iron trap-door shut down upon the opening to the stairs. We had great difficulty in lifting it up, because the prince had cemented it down with the lime and the water which I mentioned his having carried: at last, however, we got it up. My uncle was the first who descended; and I followed. We went down about fifty steps, when we found ourselves at the bottom of the stairs in a sort of anti-room, which was full of a thick smoke, very unpleasant to the smell, and which obscured the light thrown from a very brilliant lustre.
From this anti-chamber we passed on to one much larger, the roof of which was supported by large columns, and illuminated by many lustres. In the middle there was a cistern, and on each side we observed various sorts of provisions. We were much surprised at not seeing any one. Opposite to us, there was a raised sofa, to which they ascended by some steps, and beyond this there appeared a very large bed, the curtains of which were drawn. The king went up, and undrawing them, discovered the prince, his son, and the lady in bed together, but burnt and changed into a coal, as if they had been thrown on to an immense fire, and had been taken off before they were consumed. What surprised me even more than this sight itself was, that my uncle did not evince any sorrow or regret at seeing his son in this horrid state. He spit in his face, and said in an enraged manner, “See what is the punishment of this world, but that of the next will be eternal.” Not satisfied with saying this, he pulled off his slipper and gave his son a great blow on his cheek.
I cannot express the astonishment I felt at seeing the king, my uncle, treat his son in that manner after his death. “Sire,” said I to him, “however violent my grief may be at seeing so heart-rending an object, yet I cannot yield to it without first inquiring of your majesty, what crime the prince, my cousin, can have committed to deserve such treatment of his lifeless corpse.” The king thus replied: “Nephew, I must inform you that my son, unworthy such a title, loved his sister from his earliest years, and was equally beloved by her. I rather encouraged their rising friendship, because I did not foresee the danger that was to ensue. And who could have foreseen it? This affection increased with their years, and reached to such a pitch, that I dreaded the consequences. I applied the only remedy then in my power. I severely reprimanded my son for his conduct, and represented to him the horrors that would arise if he persisted in it; and the eternal shame that would tarnish our family, if he indulged himself in so criminal a passion.
“I talked to his sister in the same terms, and confined her, that she should have no further communication with her brother. But the unhappy girl had tasted of the poison, and all the obstacles that my prudence suggested, only irritated their passion.
“My son, well persuaded that his sister continued to love him, prepared this subterraneous asylum, under pretence of building a tomb, hoping some day to find an opportunity of getting access to the object of his flame, and concealing her in this place. He chose the moment of my absence, to force the retreat of his sister, which is a circumstance that my honour will not allow me to publish. After this criminal deed, he shut himself up with her in this building, which he furnished, as you perceive, with all sorts of provisions, to be able to enjoy for a length of time his detestable amours; which must create horror in all who hear of them. But God would not suffer such an abominable crime; and has justly punished each of them.” He wept bitterly on finishing these words, and I mingled my tears with his.
Some time after, he cast his eyes on me; “But, dear nephew,” resumed he, embracing me, “if I lose an unworthy son, I may find in you a happy reparation of my loss.” The reflections which arose on the untimely end of the prince and the princess, his daughter, again drew tears from us both.
We ascended the same staircase, and quitted this dismal abode. We put the iron trap-door in its place, and covered it with earth and the rubbish of the building, to conceal, as much as possible, so dreadful an example of the anger of God.