Meanwhile I had not been idle. Three visits to Oxford in September and October had enabled me to reach the DIVth Night. But the laborious days and inclement evenings, combined with the unsanitary state of town and libraries—the Bodleian and the Rotunda—brought on a serious attack of “lithiasis” as it is now called, and prostrated me for two months, until it was time to leave England en route for my post.
Under these circumstances my design threatened to end in failure. As often befalls to men out of England, every move ventured by me menaced only check-mate. I began by seeking a copyist at Oxford, one who would imitate the text as an ignoramus might transcribe music: an undergraduate volunteered for the task and after a few days dropped it in dumb disgust. The attempt was presently repeated by a friend with the unsatisfactory result that three words out of four were legible. In London several Easterns were described as able and willing for the work; but they also were found wanting; one could not be trusted with the MS. and another was marriage-mad. Photography was lastly proposed, but considerations of cost seemed to render it unavailable. At last, when matters were at the worst, the proverbial amendment appeared. Mr. Chandler, whose energetic and conscientious opposition to all “Bodleian loans,” both of books and of manuscripts, had mainly caused the passing of the prohibitory statute, came forward in the most friendly and generous way: with no small trouble to himself he superintended the “sun-pictures,” each page of the original being reduced to half-size, and he insisted upon the work being done wholly and solely at his own expense. I know not how to express my gratitude.
The process was undertaken by Mr. Percy Notcutt, of Kingsbury and Notcutt, 45, St. George’s Place, Knightsbridge, and the four hundred and odd pages were reproduced in most satisfactory style.
Being relegated to a port-town which never possessed even an Arabic lexicon, I have found some difficulty with the Wortley Montague MS. as it contains a variety of local words unknown to the common dictionaries. But I have worked my best to surmount the obstacle by consulting many correspondents, amongst whom may be mentioned the name of my late lamented friend, the Reverend George Percy Badger; and, finally, by submitting my proofs to the corrections and additions of the lexicologist Dr. Steingass.
Appendix B will require no apology to the numerous admirers of Mr. E. J. W. Gibb’s honest and able work, “The History of the Forty Vezirs” (London, Redway, MDCCCLXXXVI). The writer in a book intended for the public was obliged to leave in their original Turkish, and distinguished only by italics, three “facetious” tales which, as usual, are some of the best in the book. These have been translated for me and I offer them to my readers on account of their curious analogies with many in The Nights.
RICHARD F. BURTON.
Trieste,
April 10th, 1888.
CONTENTS OF THE FOURTH VOLUME
| PAGE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. STORY OF THE SULTAN OF AL YAMAN AND HIS THREE SONS | [1] | ||
| (Scott: Story of the Sultan of Yemen and his Three Sons: Vol. VI. p. 1.) | |||
| 2. STORY OF THE THREE SHARPERS | [17] | ||
| (Scott: Story of the Three Sharpers and the Sultan. p. 7.) | |||
| a. The Sultan who fared forth in the habit of a Darwaysh | [35] | ||
| (Scott: The Adventures of the Abdicated Sultan. p. 18.) | |||
| b. History of Mohammed, Sultan of Cairo | [37] | ||
| (Scott: History of Mahummud, Sultan of Cairo. p. 20.) | |||
| c. Story of the First Lunatic | [49] | ||
| (Scott: Story of the First Lunatic. p. 31.) | |||
| d. Story of the Second Lunatic | [67] | ||
| (Scott: Story of the Second Lunatic. p. 45.) | |||
| e. Story of the Sage and the Scholar | [74] | ||
| (Scott: Story of the Retired Sage and his Pupil, related to the Sultan by the Second Lunatic. p. 52.) | |||
| f. The Night-Adventure of Sultan Mohammed of Cairo with the Three Foolish Schoolmasters | [90] | ||
| (Scott: Night-Adventure of the Sultan. p. 68.) | |||
| g. Story of the Broke-back Schoolmaster | [95] | ||
| (Scott: Story of the Broken-backed Schoolmaster. p. 72.) | |||
| h. Story of the Split-mouthed Schoolmaster | [97] | ||
| (Scott: Story of the wry-mouthed Schoolmaster. p. 74.) | |||
| i. Story of the Limping Schoolmaster | [101] | ||
| j. Story of the Three Sisters and their Mother the Sultanah | [109] | ||
| (Scott: The Sultan’s Second Visit to the Sisters, p. 76; and Story of the Sisters and the Sultana, their Mother. p. 82.) | |||
| 3. HISTORY OF THE KAZI WHO BARE A BABE | [167] | ||
| (Scott: Story of the Avaricious Cauzee and his Wife. p. 112.) | |||
| 4. TALE OF THE KAZI AND THE BHANG-EATER | [187] | ||
| (Scott: Story of the Bang-Eater and the Cauzee. p. 126.) | |||
| a. History of the Bhang-Eater and his Wife | [202] | ||
| (Scott: Story of the Bang-Eater and his Wife. p. 133.) | |||
| b. How Drummer Abu Kasim became a Kazi | [210] | ||
| c. Story of the Kazi and his Slipper (including the Tale of the Bhang-Eater who became the Just Wasir and who decided two difficult cases) | [212] | ||
| (Scott: Continuation of the Fisherman, or Bang-Eater’s Adventures. p. 138.) | |||
| d. Tale of Mahmud the Persian and the Kurd Sharper | [242] | ||
| (Scott: The Sultan and the Traveller Mhamood al-Hyjemmee. p. 154.) | |||
| e. Tale of the Sultan and the Poor Man who brought to him Fruit | [242] | ||
| (Scott: Story of the Husbandman. p. 157.) | |||
| f. The Fruit-Seller’s Tale | [244] | ||
| g. Tale of the Sultan and his Three Sons and the Enchanting Bird | [244] | ||
| (Scott: Story of the Three Princes and Enchanting Bird. p. 160.) | |||
| h. Adventure of the Fruit-seller and the Concubine | [256] | ||
| i. Story of the King of Al-Yaman and his Three Sons and the Enchanting Bird | [258] | ||
| (Scott: Story of a Sultan of Yemen and his Three Sons. p. 169.) | |||
| i. History of the First Larrikin | [281] | ||
| (Scott: Story of the First Sharper in the Cave. p. 185.) | |||
| k. History of the Second Larrikin | [290] | ||
| l. History of the Third Larrikin | [294] | ||
| m. Story of a Sultan of Al-Hind and his Son Mohammed (told by the First Larrikin) | [297] | ||
| (Scott: History of the Sultan of Hind. p. 194.) | |||
| n. Tale of the Fisherman and his Son (told by the Second Larrikin) | [314] | ||
| (Scott: Story of the Fisherman’s Son. p. 210.) | |||
| o. Tale of the Third Larrikin concerning himself | [329] | ||
| HISTORY OF ABU NIYYAH AND ABU NIYYATAYN | [334] | ||
| (Scott: Story of Abou Neeut and Abou Neeuteen; or, the Well-intentioned and the Double-minded. p. 215.) | |||
| ———— | |||
| APPENDIX A.—INEPTIÆ BODLEIANÆ | [355] | ||
| APPENDIX B.—THE THREE UNTRANSLATED TALES IN Mr. E. J. W. GIBB’S “FORTY VEZIRS” | [367] | ||