one of the kings of balsora proved unfortunate in the choice of his queen, whose temper was as disgustful and displeasing as her person was lovely and beautiful. discontented with every one around her, she made her own life miserable, and did all she could to interrupt the happiness of others.
they had an only son, and his father began very early to turn his thoughts, in what manner he should secure the young prince, when he came of age, from forming a connection in matrimony so disagreeable as his own. "if it should please heaven," said he, "to spare my life till my son shall attain the years of discretion, i then shall be able properly to direct him in the search of a prudent wife; but, as there is no certainty in human life, and as i may be taken from him in his early days, before he can be capable of comprehending my admonitions, i will leave proper instructions with my executors, who, i hope, will fulfil my requests, when i shall be at rest in my peaceful grave."
in consequence of this resolution, the king took every precaution he thought necessary in so important a business; and scarcely had he finished his regulations, when the unrelenting decree of death summoned him from this world to take up his eternal abode in the ever-blooming regions of felicity.
no sooner was the king dead than his will was examined. by this it was directed, that his son achmet should be instructed in all the principles of rigid virtue, and in every scientific accomplishment necessary to form the mind of a wise and good prince. it was also directed, that at the age of eighteen years he should be put in possession of all his wealth, which was deposited in spacious vaults under the palace. the will, however, strongly directed that these vaults were not to be opened, under any pretence whatever, before the appointed time, on pain of achmet losing the whole contents of them.
it may easily be supposed what were the anxieties of a youthful mind, while he waited with impatience for the arrival of that day, which was to make him master of so many hidden treasures. at length the day arrived, the vaults were opened, and the heart of achmet leaped within his bosom at the sight of such unbounded riches.
amidst all this glare of profuse wealth, in one particular apartment of the vault, the eye of achmet was caught by the dazzling view of nine pedestals of massy gold, on eight of which stood as many beautiful adamantine statues.
achmet could not help expressing his astonishment, where his father could collect such uncommon and valuable curiosities. the ninth pedestal, however, increased his surprise, and he could not conceive why that alone should be without a statue on it. on going nearer to it, he found it covered with a piece of satin, upon which were written these words: "my dear achmet, the acquisition of these statues has cost your father much; yet, beautiful as they are, you see there is one wanting, which is far more brilliant than either of those which now present themselves to your view. this, however, must be sought for in a remote quarter of the world, and, if you wish to be possessed of it, you must depart for cairo, in the kingdom of egypt. you will there find one alibeg, formerly one of my slaves. inform him who you are, and what is144 your business. he will properly direct your pursuits after this incomparable statue, the possession of which will make you one of the happiest and greatest monarchs of the east."
as soon as achmet had appointed proper persons to govern his kingdom in his absence, he set out in quest of this grand object. he pursued his journey without any thing particular happening; and, on his arrival at cairo, he soon found out the house of alibeg, who was supposed to be one of the richest persons in that city.
as alibeg knew the time was nearly advanced, in which he was to expect a visit from achmet, the arrival of the latter at cairo did not at all surprise him. however, he appeared ignorant of the business; enquired of him what brought him to that city, his name, and his profession. to all these questions achmet gave the most satisfactory answers; and informed him, that it was a statue he was engaged in the pursuit of.
this declaration of achmet seemed at once to convince alibeg, that he was talking with the son of the late king; and he blessed the great prophet for permitting him so honourable an interview. "my dear and honoured prince," said alibeg, "your father bought me as a slave, and never made me free; consequently i am a slave still, and all my property is yours."—"from this moment," replied achmet, "you are a free145 man, and i for ever renounce any future claim on your person or possessions."
alibeg then assured the young king, that he would do every thing in his power to procure him the ninth statue he was so ardent in the pursuit of; but advised him, after so fatiguing a journey, to take a few weeks rest. the next day, however, the king told alibeg, that he was sufficiently rested; that he came not there for pleasure, and therefore wished immediately to enter on the pursuit of his grand object.
alibeg told him, that he should certainly obtain his wish; but reminded him, that he must encounter much toil and fatigue before he could accomplish that desirable end. "i fear neither toils nor fatigues," replied the young king, "i am equal to the task, and by the blessing of the great prophet i will undertake any thing, however difficult it may appear. i entreat you only to let me know what part i am to act."
alibeg, after a short pause, thus addressed his youthful sovereign: "you must swear to me by the holy prophet, that, when you set out from hence, you will immediately return to your own dominions. as soon as you arrive on the borders of it, you will immediately proceed on the search of what i am going to direct you to. your search must be to find out a youthful female, whose age must not exceed sixteen years, nor be less than fifteen. she must be the offspring146 of virtuous parents, and who has never been the dupe to a previous passion of love. she must be as lovely as venus, as chaste as diana, and a native of your own kingdom. you must, therefore, traverse every part of your extensive dominions; and as soon as you shall be so fortunate to find one who corresponds with this description, you must bring her to me, and i will soon after put you in possession of the statue you sigh for. remember, however, that should your pursuits be attended with success, you must have the most rigorous command over your passions while you are conducting the fair one hither, and not have even the least conversation with her. if this last condition be not punctually fulfilled, you will lose all claim to what you are now in pursuit of. consider within yourself, whether the possession of the statue has so many charms in it, as to enable you to surmount all these obstacles, so difficult to one of your age."
the young king, with an ardour natural to a youth of his years, was going to reply, when alibeg, stopped him, by saying, that he had not yet done, but had still something further to say on the subject.
"you may idly imagine," continued alibeg, "that should you be fortunate enough to find such a maiden as i have described to you, and your youthful ideas should lead you astray, you147 may imagine they will not be discovered; but herein you will be mistaken, for the great prophet will reveal your deceit, and you will thereby infallibly lose all pretensions to the statue. i must tell you still further, that, in order to give a sanction to your search for so virtuous a maiden, you must cause it to be reported, that you mean to make her the lawful partner of your throne."
achmet listened with attention to every word that dropt from the mouth of alibeg, and in proportion as difficulties were mentioned to him, the more did his youthful bosom burn to show how much he was above them. he eagerly took the oath prescribed to him, grew more and more impatient to become possessed of the statue, and thought every hour an age that retarded his departure in pursuit of his favourite object.
the next morning, alibeg, being unwilling to abate the ardour of the young prince, presented him with a looking-glass. "i here give you," said he to achmet, "an invaluable present. in the course of your pursuit, you will meet with many beautiful damsels, fair to external appearance as aurora herself; but outward forms may deceive you, and what your eye may applaud, your heart, on a more intimate acquaintance, may despise. believe me, royal youth, the beauties of the person and those of the mind are very different. a degenerate and wicked heart may be concealed under the most lovely external appearances. whenever, therefore, you meet with a beautiful female, whose charms may dazzle your eye, tell her to breathe upon this mirror. if she be chaste, her breath will not long remain upon the glass; but, if her pretensions are not founded in truth, her breath will long remain on the mirror, as a testimony of the falsehood she has advanced."
these useful lessons, which alibeg gave his royal pupil, were not the result of thoughts of his own, but were the consequence of the wise plan the late king of balsora had prescribed for his son. he well knew that little artifices of this nature seldom failed of succeeding with youthful minds naturally fond of mystery.
the young prince took an affectionate leave of alibeg, promised to be punctual to all his instructions, and then, taking up his miraculous glass, took the direct road from egypt to balsora. his intention was to commence his enquiries as soon as he reached the borders of his dominions; but a thought struck him, that it would be mean in him to seek the wished-for damsel among shepherds and peasants, when his own court furnished such a display of beauties.
as soon as he arrived in his own dominions, he proclaimed the resolution he had taken concerning marriage. he invited every maiden of fifteen years of age, who was born of virtuous149 parents, and had never experienced the passion of love, to repair to his court, out of which he proposed to chuse the fortunate partner of his crown and empire.
this proclamation soon surrounded his palace with the first beauties of the kingdom; but as soon as the king presented to them the mirror, which was to be the touchstone of their prudence, they all shrunk back from the trying ordeal, conscious that they could not, with safety to their characters, run the hazard of such a trial.
here it seems necessary to say a few words by way of explanation, lest the youthful part of my readers should be led into an error. the properties which alibeg ascribed to this looking-glass were merely fabulous, and calculated only to strike a terror on the minds of youthful females, who, from the apprehensions of being discovered in their attempt to deceive an eastern monarch, refused to breathe on the glass. so that the young prince could not find, in any part of his capital, a maiden of fifteen perfectly answerable to the terms proposed by alibeg.
achmet, being thus disappointed in his capital, traversed every part of his dominions, and visited even the most sequestered villages; but he every where found the morals of the people so very corrupt, that no maiden could be found who would venture to look on the mirror, which they apprehended would reveal their most trifling defects. achmet, therefore, began to be disheartened, and feared he should at last be disappointed in the grand object of his pursuit, and never be able to obtain the statue he so ardently sighed for.
as he was one evening reposing himself in a mean habitation, situated in a lonely and recluse village, an iman came to pay him a visit, having previously learned what was the cause of the king's journey. "i must confess," said he to the king, "that your majesty is engaged in a very difficult pursuit; and i should be led to believe, that all your researches would be in vain, did i not know of a beautiful damsel, who perfectly answers to the description of your wants. her father was formerly a vizier of balsora; but he has now left the court, and leads a private and recluse life, solely occupied in the education of his daughter. if it is your pleasure, royal sir, i will to-morrow attend you to the habitation of this lovely damsel. her father will undoubtedly be exceedingly happy to have the king of balsora for his son-in-law."
achmet very prudently replied, "i cannot think of promising to marry the beauty you mention till i have seen her, and have put her to those trials which none have yet been able to withstand. i am satisfied with your account of her beauty, but i must have proof of her virtue and prudence." the king then told him of the glass he had in his possession, and which had hitherto so far terrified every damsel, that none had dared to look into it.
the iman, however, still persisted in every thing he had advanced concerning this beautiful female; and, in consequence, they went the next morning to see her and her father. as soon as the old gentleman was acquainted with the real character and business of his royal visitor, he ordered his daughter elvira to attend unveiled. the king was struck with wonder and astonishment, when he beheld in this beautiful damsel such perfections as his court could not equal. after gazing on her some time with inexpressible astonishment, he pulled out his glass, and acquainted the lovely elvira with the severe trial she would be put to on looking into that mirror of truth. her conscious innocence derided all fear, she breathed on the glass without the least apprehension, when the high-polished surface rejected the breath thrown on it, and soon recovered its usual brightness.
as achmet was now in possession of the person he had so long wished for, he asked her father to give him his permission to marry her; to which he readily consented, and the marriage ceremony was performed with all the decency a country village would admit of.
achmet, however, could not help feeling the impressions which the charms of elvira had made152 on his mind; and, though he hastened the preparations for his departure, yet it was with evident marks of reluctance. the vizier, who attended him in the pursuit of this fair one, plainly perceived it, and enquired the cause of it.
it seemed very singular to achmet, that the vizier should ask him such a question. "can there be any creature," said he, "more lovely than the angel i have married? can you be any ways surprised, should i be tempted to dispute the instructions of alibeg, and place her as the partner of my throne?"
"be cautious what you do," said the vizier. "it will not be becoming of a prince like you, to lose the statue after you have done so much to obtain it." this rebuke roused him, and he determined not to lose it; but he desired the vizier to keep her from his sight, as he feared he had seen her too much already.
as soon as every thing was ready, achmet set out for cairo, and on his arrival there was introduced to alibeg. the fair bride had performed the journey in a litter, and had not seen the prince since she was married. she enquired where she was, and whether that was her husband's palace.
"it is time, madam," said alibeg, "to undeceive you. prince achmet only aimed at getting you from your father as a present to our sultan, who wishes to have in his possession such a beautiful living picture as you are." at these words elvira shed a torrent of tears, which greatly affected both achmet and alibeg. as soon as her grief would permit her to speak, "how can you," said she, "be so treacherous to a stranger! surely the great prophet will call you to an account for this act of perfidy!"
however, her tears and arguments were in vain. achmet, indeed, seemed to feel for her situation, which alibeg viewed with pleasure. "you have now performed your promise," said he to achmet, "by bringing hither this beautiful virgin. the sultan will undoubtedly reward you, by putting you in possession of the statue you seek after. i will immediately send a person to balsora to fetch the pedestal; and, within the compass of nine days, you may expect to see it and the statue in one of the apartments of my palace; for surely you only are worthy of such a precious possession."
elvira was immediately separated from achmet; she made the bitterest bewailings, and wished for death to hide her sorrows and disgrace. notwithstanding the fond desire of achmet to be in possession of the statue, he could not reconcile his mind to the hard fate of elvira. he reproached himself with having taken her from an indulgent father, to throw her into the arms of a tyrant. he would sometimes say with a sigh, "o beautiful damsel, cruel indeed is your condition!"
at the expiration of the nine days, which had passed between hope and sorrow, achmet was conducted into an apartment of the palace, in order to be put in possession of the inestimable statue. but it is impossible to express his astonishment and surprise, when, instead of such a figure as he expected, he beheld the beautiful maiden he had seduced from her father.
"achmet," said the lovely virgin, "i doubt not but your expectations are sadly disappointed, in finding me here, instead of the inestimable statue you expected, and to obtain which you have taken so much pains." as soon as achmet had recovered from his surprise, "the great prophet can bear me witness," said he, "that i was frequently tempted to break the oath i had solemnly taken to alibeg, and to sacrifice the idea of every statue in the world to you. i love my dear, beautiful elvira more than all the world besides!"
"prince achmet," said alibeg, "this is the ninth statue, which you have so long been in pursuit of, and which was the intentions of your father, who had contrived this method, in order to procure you a queen with whom you might be happy. love her tenderly, be faithful to her, and in proportion as you endeavour to procure her happiness so will she yours."
achmet, enraptured with the lovely countenance and virtuous dispositions of his dear elvira,155 that day proclaimed her queen of balsora, and thereby amply made her amends for the short disquietude he had occasioned her.
we may from hence draw this conclusion, that merit is not every where to be found; but, like diamonds of the first lustre, take up much toil and time in the pursuit. what we gain too easily, we are apt to think too little of; and we are accustomed to estimate the value of every thing in proportion to the care and pains it costs us. this the wise father of achmet well knew, and therefore devised those means which were most likely to enable him to discover the woman of beauty, virtue, and prudence, without leaving him any hopes of finding it in the lap of pride, indolence, and luxury.
