In a town of no inconsiderable importance, there were two men, who lived next door to each other. One of them was so excessively envious of the other, that the latter resolved to change his abode, and go and reside at some distance from him; supposing, that nearness of residence alone was the cause of his neighbour’s animosity; for although he was continually doing him some friendly office, he perceived that he was not the less hated. He therefore sold his house, and the small estate he had there, and went to the capital of the kingdom, which was at no great distance: and bought a small piece of ground about half a league from the town, on which there stood a very convenient house. He had also a good garden, and a moderate court, in which there was a deep cistern, that was not now used.
The good man having made this purchase, put on the habit of a dervise, in order to pass his life more quietly; and made also many cells in his house, where he soon established a small community of dervises. The report of his virtue was soon more generally spread abroad, and failed not to attract the attention and visits of great numbers of the principal inhabitants, as well as common people. At length he became honoured and noticed by almost every one. They came from a great distance to request him to offer up his prayers for them; and all, who remained in retirement with him, published an account of the blessings they thought they received from Heaven through his means.
The great reputation of this man at length reached the town from whence he came; and the envious man was so vexed, that he left his house and all his affairs, with the determination to go and destroy him. For this purpose, he went to the convent of dervises, whose chief, his former neighbour, received him with every possible mark of friendship. The envious man told him, that he was come for the express design of communicating an affair of great importance to him, and which he could only inform him of in private. “In short,” said he, “in order that no one may hear us, let us, I beg of you, walk in your court; and when night comes on, order all the dervises to their cells.” The chief of the dervises did as he requested.
When the envious man found himself alone with the good man, he began to relate to him whatever came into his thoughts, while they walked from one end of the court to the other, till observing they were just at the edge of the well, he gave him a push, and threw him into it; without there being any witness of so wicked an act. Having done this, he directly went away, got to the gate of the house, passed out unseen, returned home well satisfied with his journey, and highly pleased that the object of his envy was at length no more. In this, however, he was deceived.
It was a most fortunate thing for the dervise, that this well was inhabited by fairies and genii, who were ready to assist him. They both caught and supported him in their arms in such a way, that he received not the least injury. He naturally supposed there was something very extraordinary in having had such a fall, as ought to have cost him his life; and yet he could neither see nor perceive any thing. He soon after, however, heard a voice say, “Do you know any thing of this man, to whom we have been so serviceable?” when some other voices answered, “No.” The first then replied, “I will inform you. This man, with the most charitable and benevolent intentions in the world, left the town where he lived, and came to fix himself in this place, with the hopes of being able to cure one of his neighbours of the envy and hatred he had conceived against him. He soon became so universally esteemed, that the envious man could not endure it, and determined, therefore, to put an end to his existence. This design he would have executed, had it not been for the assistance we afforded this good man, whose reputation is so great, that the sultan, who resides in the neighbouring town, was coming to visit him to-morrow, in order to recommend the princess, his daughter, to his prayers.”
Another voice then asked what occasion the princess had for the prayers of the dervise, to which the first answered; “Are you ignorant then, that she is possessed by the power of the Genius Maimoun, the son of Dimdim, who has fallen in love with her? But I know how this good dervise can cure her. The thing is by no means difficult, as I will inform you. In his monastery there is a black cat, which has a white spot at the end of her tail, about the size of a small piece of money. Let him only pull out seven hairs from this while spot, and burn them; and then with the smoke perfume the head of the princess. From that moment she will be so thoroughly cured, and free from Maimoun, the son of Dimdim, that he will never again be able to come near her.”
The chief of the dervises did not lose a single syllable of this conversation between the Fairies and Genii, who, from this time, remained silent the whole night. The next morning, as soon as the day began to break, and the different objects became discernible, the dervise perceived, as the wall was decayed in many places, a hole, by which he could get out without any difficulty.
The other dervises, who were seeking after him, were delighted at his appearance. He related to them, in a few words, the cunning and wickedness of the guest he had entertained the day before, and then retired to his cell. It was not long before the black cat, which had been mentioned in the discourse of the Fairies and Genii, came to him to be taken notice of as usual. He then took it up, and plucked out seven hairs from the white spot in its tail, and put them aside, in order to make use of whenever he should have occasion for them.
The sun had not long risen above the horizon, when the sultan, who wished to neglect nothing, from which he thought there was any chance of curing the princess, arrived at the gate. He ordered his guards to stop, and went in with the principal officers who accompanied him. The dervises received him with the greatest respect. The sultan directly took the chief aside, and said to him, “Worthy sheik, you are perhaps already acquainted with the cause of my visit.”—“If, Sire,” the dervise modestly answered, “I do not deceive myself, it is the malady of the princess that has been the occasion of my seeing you; an honour of which I am unworthy.”—“It is so,” replied the sultan, “and you will restore almost my life to me, if, by means of your prayers, I shall obtain the re-establishment of my daughter’s health.”—“If your majesty,” answered the worthy man, “will have the goodness to suffer her to come here, I flatter myself, that with the help and favor of God she shall return in perfect health.”
The prince, transported with joy, immediately sent for his daughter, who soon appeared, accompanied by a numerous train of females and eunuchs; and veiled in such a manner, that her face could not be seen. The chief of the dervises made them hold a shovel over the head of the princess; and he no sooner threw the seven white hairs upon some burning coals, which he had ordered to be brought in it, than the Genius Maimoun, the son of Dimdim, uttered a violent scream, and left the princess quite at liberty. In the mean time nothing at all could be seen. The first thing she did was to put her hand to the veil, which covered her face, and lift it up to see where she was. “Where am I?” she cried; “Who has brought me here?” At these words the sultan could not conceal his joy; he embraced his daughter; he kissed her eyes: and then took the hand of the dervise and kissed that. “Give me,” said he to his officers, “your opinion; what return does he deserve, who has cured my daughter.”—They all answered that he was worthy of her hand.—“This is the very thing I was meditating,” he cried, “and from this moment I claim him for my son-in-law.”