I had passed more than a year in this mode of life, when having one day gone deeper into the forest than usual, I came to a very pleasant spot, where I began to cut my wood. In cutting up the root of a tree, I discovered an iron ring fastened to a trap-door of the same materials. I immediately cleared away the earth that covered it, and on lifting it up I perceived a stair-case, by which I descended with my hatchet in my hand. When I got to the bottom of the stairs I found myself in a vast palace, which struck me very much, by the great brilliancy with which it was illuminated; as much so indeed as if it had been built on the most open spot above ground. I went forward along a gallery supported on columns of jasper, the bases and capitals of which were of massive gold, but stopt suddenly on beholding a lady, who appeared to have so noble and graceful an air, and to possess such extraordinary beauty, that my attention was taken off from every other object, and my eyes fixed on her alone.
To prevent this beautiful lady from having the trouble of coming to me, I made haste towards her; and while I was making a most respectful reverence, she said to me, “Who are you; a man or a Genius?”—“I am a man, madam,” I answered, getting up, “nor have I any commerce with Genii.”—“By what adventure,” replied she, with a deep sigh, “have you come here? I have remained here more than twenty-five years, and during the whole of that time I have seen no other man than yourself.”
Her great beauty, which had already made a deep impression on me, together with the mildness and good humour with which she received me, made me bold enough to say: “Before, madam, I have the honour of satisfying your curiosity, permit me to tell you, that I feel highly delighted at this unexpected interview, which offers me the means, both of consoling myself under the affliction in which I am, and perhaps of making you happier than you now are.” I then faithfully related to her by what strange accident she saw in me the son of a king, why I appeared to her in that condition, and how accident had discovered to me the entrance into the magnificent prison in which I found her; and of which, from all appearance, she was heartily tired. “Alas, prince,” she replied, again sighing, “you may truly say this rich and superb prison is unpleasing and wearisome. The most enchanting spots cannot afford delight, when we are there against our wills. Is it possible, you have never heard any one speak of the great Epitimarus, king of the Ebony Isle, a place so called from the great quantity of that precious wood, which it produces. I am the princess, his daughter.
“The king, my father, had chosen for my husband a prince, who was my cousin; but on the very night of our nuptials, in the midst of the rejoicings of the court and capital of the Isle of Ebony, and before I had been given to my husband, a Genius took me away. I fainted almost the same moment, and lost all recollection: and when I recovered my senses, I found myself in this place. For a long time I was inconsolable; but habit and necessity have reconciled me to the sight and company of the Genius. Twenty-five years have passed, as I have already told you, since I first was brought to this place, in which I must own, that I have, even by wishing, not only every thing necessary for life, but whatever can satisfy a princess, who is fond of decoration and dress.
“Every ten days,” continued the princess, “the Genius comes and passes the night here; he never sleeps here oftener, and gives as a reason, that he is married to another, who would be jealous of the infidelity of which he was guilty, should it come to her knowledge. In the mean time, if I have any occasion for him, I have only to touch a talisman, which is placed at the entrance of my chamber, and he appears. It is now four days since he was here, and I have therefore to wait six days more before he again makes his appearance. You therefore may remain five with me, if it be agreeable to you, in order to keep me company; and I will endeavour to regale and entertain you equal to your merit and quality.”
I should have thought myself too happy to obtain so great a favour by asking it, not to accept it after so obliging an offer. The princess then conducted me to a bath, the most elegant, convenient, and at the same time sumptuous you can possibly imagine. When I came out, I found instead of my own dress, another very rich one, which I put on, less for its magnificence than to render myself more worthy of her notice.
We seated ourselves on a sofa, covered with superb drapery; the cushions of which were of the richest Indian brocade; she then set before me a variety of the most delicate and rare dishes. We eat together, and having passed the remainder of the day very agreeably, she received me at night in her chamber.
The next day, in order to devise every method of entertaining me, she produced, at dinner, a flask of very old wine, the finest I ever tasted; and to please me, she drank several glasses with me. I no sooner found my head rather heated with this agreeable liquor, than I said, “Beautiful princess, you have been buried here alive much too long; follow me, and go and enjoy the brightness of the genuine day, of which for so many years you have been deprived. Abandon this false though brilliant light you have here.”—“Let us talk no more, prince,” she answered, smiling, “on this subject. I value not the most beautiful day in the world, if you will pass nine with me here, and give up the tenth to the Genius.”—“Princess,” I replied, “I see very well that it is the dread you have of the Genius, which makes you hold this language. As for myself, I fear him so little, that I am determined to break his talisman in pieces, with the magic spell that is inscribed upon it. Let him then come; I will wait for him; and however brave, however formidable, he may be, I will make him feel the weight of my arm. I have taken an oath to exterminate all the Genii in the world, and he shall be the first.” The princess, who knew the consequence of this conduct, conjured me not to touch the talisman. “It will be the means,” she said, “of destroying both you and myself. I am better acquainted with the nature of Genii than you can be.” The wine I had drank, prevented me from acknowledging the propriety of her reasons, I kicked down the talisman, and broke it in pieces.
This was no sooner done than the whole palace shook, as if ready to fall to atoms, accompanied with a most dreadful noise like thunder, and flashes of lightning, which heightened still more the intermediate gloom. This formidable adventure in a moment dissipated the fumes of the wine, and made me own, though too late, the fault I had committed. “Princess,” I exclaimed, “what does all this mean?” Without thinking of her own misfortune, and alarmed only for me, she, in a fright, answered, “Alas, it is all over with you, unless you save yourself by flight.”
I followed her advice; and my fear was so great, that I forgot my hatchet and my cord. I had hardly gained the stair-case, by which I descended, than the enchanted palace opened to afford a passage to the Genius. “What has happened to you, and why have you called me?” he demanded of the princess, in an angry tone. “A violent pain,” replied the princess, “obliged me to search after the bottle which you see; I drank two or three glasses, and unfortunately making a false step I fell upon the talisman, which I thus broke. There is no other cause.” At this answer the Genius, in the utmost rage, exclaimed; “you are both impudent and deceitful, how came this hatchet and this cord here then?” “I have never seen them,” replied she, “till this instant. Perhaps, in the haste and impetuosity with which you came, you have taken them up in passing through some place, and have brought them here, without observing them.”