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Of the Breslau and Calcutta (1814-18) editions of
The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night
not occurring in the other printed texts of the work,
Now first done into English
By John Payne
In Three Volumes:
1901
Delhi Edition
Contents of The Third Volume.
Breslau Text.
16. Noureddin Ali of Damascus and the Damsel Sitt El Milah17. El Abbas and the King's Daughter of Baghdad18. The Two Kings and the Vizier's Daughters19. The Favourite and Her Lover20. The Merchant of Cairo and the Favourite of the Khalif El Mamoun El Hakim Bi Amrillah Conclusion
Calcutta (1814-18) Text.
21. Story of Sindbad the Sailor and Hindbad the Porter a. The Sixth Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor b. The Seventh Voyage of Sindbad the SailorNoteTable of Contents of the Calcutta (1839-42) and Boulac EditionsTable of Contents of the Breslau EditionTable of Contents of the Calcutta EditionAlphabetical Table of the First Lines of the Verse in the "Talesfrom the Arabic"Index to the Names of the "Tales from the Arabic"
Breslau Text.
There was once, of old days and in bygone ages and times, amerchant of the merchants of Damascus, by name Aboulhusn, who hadmoney and riches and slaves and slave-girls and lands and housesand baths; but he was not blessed with a child and indeed hisyears waxed great; wherefore he addressed himself to supplicateGod the Most High in private and in public and in his incliningand his prostration and at the season of the call to prayer,beseeching Him to vouchsafe him, before his admittance [to Hismercy], a son who should inherit his wealth and possessions; andGod answered his prayer. So his wife conceived and the days ofher pregnancy were accomplished and her months and her nights andthe pangs of her travail came upon her and she gave birth to amale child, as he were a piece of the moon. He had not his matchfor beauty and he put to shame the sun and the resplendent moon;for he had a shining face and black eyes of Babylonianwitchery[FN#2] and aquiline nose and ruby lips; brief, he wasperfect of attributes, the loveliest of the folk of his time,without doubt or gainsaying.
His father rejoiced in him with the utmost joy and his heart wassolaced and he was glad; and he made banquets to the folk andclad the poor and the widows. He named the boy Sidi[FN#3]Noureddin Ali and reared him in fondness and delight among theslaves and servants. When he came to seven years of age, hisfather put him to school, where he learned the sublime Koran andthe arts of writing and reckoning: and when he reached his tenthyear, he learned horsemanship and archery and to occupy himselfwith arts and scien