Vathek, ninth Caliph of the race of the
Abassides, was the son of Motassem, and the grandson
of Haroun Al Raschid. From an early accession to
the throne, and the talents he possessed to adorn
it, his subjects were induced to expect that his
reign would be long and happy. His figure was
pleasing and majestic; but when he was angry one of
his eyes became so terrible that no person could
bear to behold it, and the wretch upon whom it was
fixed instantly fell backward, and sometimes
expired. For fear, however, of depopulating his
dominions and making his palace desolate he but
rarely gave way to his anger.
Being much addicted to women and the pleasures of
the table, he sought by his affability to procure
agreeable companions; and he succeeded the better as
his generosity was unbounded, and his indulgences
unrestrained, for he was by no means scrupulous, nor
did he think with the Caliph Omar Ben Abdalaziz that
it was necessary to make a hell of this world to
enjoy Paradise in the next.
He surpassed in magnificence all his
predecessors. The palace of Alkoremmi, which his
father Motassem had erected on the hill of Pied
Horses, and which commanded the whole city of
Samarah, was in his idea far too scanty; he added
therefore five wings, or rather other palaces, which
he destined for the particular gratification of each
of his senses.
In the first of these were tables continually
covered with the most exquisite dainties, which were
supplied both by night and by day, according to
their constant consumption, whilst the most
delicious wines and the choicest cordials flowed
forth from a hundred fountains that were never
exhausted. This palace was called “The Eternal or
Unsatiating Banquet.”
The second was styled “The Temple of Melody, or
the Nectar of the Soul.” It was inhabited by the
most skilful musicians and admired poets of the
time, who not only displayed their talents within,
but, dispersing in bands without, caused every
surrounding scene to reverberate their songs, which
were continually varied in the most delightful
succession.
The palace named “The Delight of the Eyes, or the
Support of Memory,” was one entire enchantment.
Rarities collected from every corner of the earth
were there found in such profusion as to dazzle and
confound, but for the order in which they were
arranged. One gallery exhibited the pictures of the
celebrated Mani, and statues that seemed to be
alive. Here a well-managed perspective attracted
the sight; there the magic of optics agreeably
deceived it; whilst the naturalist on his part
exhibited, in their several classes, the various
gifts that Heaven had bestowed on our globe. In a
word, Vathek omitted nothing in this palace that
might gratify the curiosity of those who resorted to
it, although he was not able to satisfy his own, for
he was of all men the most curious.
“The Palace of Perfumes,” which was termed
likewise “The Incentive to Pleasure,” consisted of
various halls, where the different perfumes which
the earth produces were kept perpetually burning in
censers of gold. Flambeaux and aromatic lamps were
here lighted in open day. But the too powerful
effects of this agreeable delirium might be avoided
by descending into an immense garden, where an
assemblage of every fragrant flower diffused through
the air the purest odours.
The fifth palace, denominated “The Retreat of
Joy, or the Dangerous,” was frequented by troops of
young females beautiful as the houris, and not less
seducing, who never failed to receive with caresses
all whom the Caliph allowed to approach them; for he
was by no means disposed to be jealous, as his own
women were secluded within the palace he inhabited
himself.
Notwithstanding the sensuality in which Vathek
indulged, he experienced no abatement in the love of
his people, who thought that a sovereign immersed in
pleasure was not less tolerable to his subjects than
one that employed himself in creating them foes.
But the unquiet and impetuous disposition of the
Caliph would not allow him to rest there; he had
studied so much for his amusement in the life-time
of his father as to acquire a great deal of
knowledge, though not a sufficiency to satisfy
himself; for he wished to know everything, even
sciences that did not exist. He was fond of
engaging in disputes with the learned, but liked
them not to push their opposition with warmth; he
stopped the mouths of those with presents whose
mouths could be stopped, whilst others, whom his
liberality was unable to subdue, he sent to prison
to cool their blood: a remedy that often succeeded.
Vathek discovered also a predilection for
theological controversy, but it was not with the
orthodox that he usually held. By this means he
induced the zealots to oppose him, and then
persecuted them in return; for he resolved at any
rate to have reason on his side.
The great prophet Mahomet, whose vicars the
caliphs are, beheld with indignation from his abode
in the seventh heaven the irreligious conduct of
such a vicegerent. “Let us leave him to himself,”
said he to the genii, who are always ready to
receive his commands; “let us see to what lengths
his folly and impiety will carry him; if he run into
excess we shall know how to chastise him. Assist
him, therefore, to complete the tower which, in
imitation of Nimrod, he hath begun, not, like that
great warrior, to escape being drowned, but from the
insolent curiosity of penetrating the secrets of
Heaven; he will not divine the fate that awaits
him.”
The genii obeyed, and when the workmen had raised
their structure a cubit in the day-time, two cubits
more were added in the night. The expedition with
which the fabric arose was not a little flattering
to the vanity of Vathek. He fancied that even
insensible matter showed a forwardness to subserve
his designs, not considering that the successes of
the foolish and wicked form the first rod of their
chastisement.
His pride arrived at its height when, having
ascended for the first time the eleven thousand
stairs of his tower, he cast his eyes below, and
beheld men not larger than pismires, mountains than
shells, and cities than bee-hives. The idea which
such an elevation inspired of his own grandeur
completely bewildered him; he was almost ready to
adore himself, till, lifting his eyes upward, he saw
the stars as high above him as they appeared when he
stood on the surface of the earth. He consoled
himself, however, for this transient perception of
his littleness with the thought of being great in
the eyes of others, and flattered himself that the
light of his mind would extend beyond the reach of
his sight, and transfer to the stars the decrees of
his destiny.
With this view the inquisitive prince passed most
of his nights on the summit of his tower, till he
became an adept in the mysteries of astrology, and
imagined that the planets had disclosed to him the
most marvellous adventures, which were to be
accomplished by an extraordinary personage from a
country altogether unknown. Prompted by motives of
curiosity, he had always been courteous to
strangers, but from this instant he redoubled his
attention, and ordered it to be announced by sound
of trumpet, through all the streets of Samarah, that
no one of his subjects, on peril of displeasure,
should either lodge or detain a traveller, but
forthwith bring him to the palace.
Not long after this proclamation there arrived in
his metropolis a man so hideous that the very guards
who arrested him were forced to shut their eyes as
they led him along. The Caliph himself appeared
startled at so horrible a visage, but joy succeeded
to this emotion of terror when the stranger
displayed to his view such rarities as he had never
before seen, and of which he had no conception.
In reality, nothing was ever so extraordinary as
the merchandise this stranger produced; most of his
curiosities, which were not less admirable for their
workmanship than splendour, had, besides, their
several virtues described on a parchment fastened to
each. There were slippers which enabled the feet to
walk; knives that cut without the motion of a hand;
sabres which dealt the blow at the person they were
wished to strike; and the whole enriched with gems
that were hitherto unknown.
The sabres, whose blades emitted a dazzling
radiance, fixed more than all the Caliph’s
attention, who promised himself to decipher at his
leisure the uncouth characters engraven on their
sides. Without, therefore, demanding their price,
he ordered all the coined gold to be brought from
his treasury, and commanded the merchant to take
what he pleased; the stranger complied with modesty
and silence.
Vathek, imagining that the merchant’s taciturnity
was occasioned by the awe which his presence
inspired, encouraged him to advance, and asked him,
with an air of condescension, “Who he was? whence he
came? and where he obtained such beautiful
commodities?” The man, or rather monster, instead
of making a reply, thrice rubbed his forehead,
which, as well as his body, was blacker than ebony,
four times clapped his paunch, the projection of
which was enormous, opened wide his huge eyes, which
glowed like firebrands, began to laugh with a
hideous noise, and discovered his long
amber-coloured teeth bestreaked with green.
The Caliph, though a little startled, renewed his
inquiries, but without being able to procure a
reply; at which, beginning to be ruffled, he
exclaimed: “Knowest thou, varlet, who I am? and at
whom thou art aiming thy gibes?” Then, addressing
his guards, “Have ye heard him speak? is he dumb?”
“He hath spoken,” they replied, “though but
little.”
“Let him speak again, then,” said Vathek, “and
tell me who he is, from whence he came, and where he
procured these singular curiosities, or I swear by
the ass of Balaam that I will make him rue his
pertinacity.”
The menace was accompanied by the Caliph with one
of his angry and perilous glances, which the
stranger sustained without the slightest emotion,
although his eyes were fixed on the terrible eye of
the prince.
No words can describe the amazement of the
courtiers when they beheld this rude merchant
withstand the encounter unshocked. They all fell
prostrate with their faces on the ground to avoid
the risk of their lives, and continued in the same
abject posture till the Caliph exclaimed in a
furious tone, “Up, cowards! seize the miscreant! see
that he be committed to prison and guarded by the
best of my soldiers! Let him, however, retain the
money I gave him; it is not my intent to take from
him his property; I only want him to speak.”
No sooner had he uttered these words than the
stranger was surrounded, pinioned with strong
fetters, and hurried away to the prison of the great
tower, which was encompassed by seven empalements of
iron bars, and armed with spikes in every direction
longer and sharper than spits.
The Caliph, nevertheless, remained in the most
violent agitation; he sat down indeed to eat, but of
the three hundred covers that were daily placed
before him could taste of no more than thirty-two.
A diet to which he had been so little accustomed was
sufficient of itself to prevent him from sleeping;
what then must be its effect when joined to the
anxiety that preyed upon his spirits? At the first
glimpse of dawn he hastened to the prison, again to
importune this intractable stranger; but the rage of
Vathek exceeded all bounds on finding the prison
empty, the gates burst asunder, and his guards lying
lifeless around him. In the paroxysm of his passion
he fell furiously on the poor carcases, and kicked
them till evening without intermission. His
courtiers and vizirs exerted their efforts to soothe
his extravagance, but finding every expedient
ineffectual, they all united in one vociferation:
“The Caliph is gone mad! the Caliph is out of his
senses!”
This outcry, which soon resounded through the
streets of Samarah, at length reaching the ears of
Carathis, his mother, she flew in the utmost
consternation to try her ascendency on the mind of
her son. Her tears and caresses called off his
attention, and he was prevailed upon by her
entreaties to be brought back to the palace.
Carathis, apprehensive of leaving Vathek to
himself, caused him to be put to bed, and seating
herself by him, endeavoured by her conversation to
heal and compose him. Nor could any one have
attempted it with better success, for the Caliph not
only loved her as a mother, but respected her as a
person of superior genius; it was she who had
induced him, being a Greek herself, to adopt all the
sciences and systems of her country, which good
Mussulmans hold in such thorough abhorrence.
Judicial astrology was one of those systems in which
Carathis was a perfect adept; she began, therefore,
with reminding her son of the promise which the
stars had made him, and intimated an intention of
consulting them again.
“Alas!” sighed the Caliph, as soon as he could
speak, “what a fool have I been! not for the kicks
bestowed on my guards who so tamely submitted to
death, but for never considering that this
extraordinary man was the same the planets had
foretold, whom, instead of ill-treating, I should
have conciliated by all the arts of persuasion.”
“The past,” said Carathis, “cannot be recalled,
but it behoves us to think of the future; perhaps
you may again see the object you so much regret; it
is possible the inscriptions on the sabres will
afford information. Eat, therefore, and take thy
repose, my dear son; we will consider to-morrow in
what manner to act.”
Vathek yielded to her counsel as well as he
could, and arose in the morning with a mind more at
ease. The sabres he commanded to be instantly
brought, and poring upon them through a green glass,
that their glittering might not dazzle, he set
himself in earnest to decipher the inscriptions; but
his reiterated attempts were all of them nugatory;
in vain did he beat his head and bite his nails, not
a letter of the whole was he able to ascertain. So
unlucky a disappointment would have undone him again
had not Carathis by good fortune entered the
apartment.
“Have patience, son!” said she; “you certainly
are possessed of every important science, but the
knowledge of languages is a trifle at best, and the
accomplishment of none but a pedant. Issue forth a
proclamation that you will confer such rewards as
become your greatness upon any one that shall
interpret what you do not understand, and what it is
beneath you to learn; you will soon find your
curiosity gratified.”
“That may be,” said the Caliph; “but in the
meantime I shall be horribly disgusted by a crowd of
smatterers, who will come to the trial as much for
the pleasure of retailing their jargon as from the
hope of gaining the reward. To avoid this evil it
will be proper to add that I will put every
candidate to death who shall fail to give
satisfaction; for, thank Heaven! I have skill enough
to distinguish between one that translates and one
that invents.”
“Of that I have no doubt,” replied Carathis; “but
to put the ignorant to death is somewhat severe, and
may be productive of dangerous effects; content
yourself with commanding their beards to be
burnt—beards in a state are not quite so essential
as men.”
The Caliph submitted to the reasons of his
mother, and sending for Morakanabad, his prime
vizir, said: “Let the common criers proclaim, not
only in Samarah, but throughout every city in my
empire, that whosoever will repair hither, and
decipher certain characters which appear to be
inexplicable, shall experience the liberality for
which I am renowned; but that all who fail upon
trial shall have their beards burnt off to the last
hair. Let them add also that I will bestow fifty
beautiful slaves, and as many jars of apricots from
the Isle of Kirmith, upon any man that shall bring
me intelligence of the stranger.”
The subjects of the Caliph, like their Sovereign,
being great admirers of women and apricots from
Kirmith, felt their mouths water at these promises,
but were totally unable to gratify their hankering,
for no one knew which way the stranger had gone.
As to the Caliph’s other requisition, the result
was different. The learned, the half-learned, and
those who were neither, but fancied themselves equal
to both, came boldly to hazard their beards, and all
shamefully lost them.
The exaction of these forfeitures, which found
sufficient employment for the eunuchs, gave them
such a smell of singed hair as greatly to disgust
the ladies of the seraglio, and make it necessary
that this new occupation of their guardians should
be transferred into other hands.
At length, however, an old man presented himself
whose beard was a cubit and a half longer than any
that had appeared before him. The officers of the
palace whispered to each other, as they ushered him
in, “What a pity such a beard should be burnt!”
Even the Caliph, when he saw it, concurred with them
in opinion, but his concern was entirely needless.
This venerable personage read the characters with
facility, and explained them verbatim as follows:
“We were made where everything good is made; we are
the least of the wonders of a place where all is
wonderful, and deserving the sight of the first
potentate on earth.”
“You translate admirably!” cried Vathek; “I know
to what these marvellous characters allude. Let him
receive as many robes of honour and thousands of
sequins of gold as he hath spoken words. I am in
some measure relieved from the perplexity that
embarrassed me!”
Vathek invited the old main to dine, and even to
remain some days in the palace. Unluckily for him,
he accepted the offer; for the Caliph, having
ordered him next morning to be called, said: “Read
again to me what you have read already; I cannot
hear too often the promise that is made me, the
completion of which I languish to obtain.”
The old man forthwith put on his green
spectacles, but they instantly dropped from his nose
on perceiving that the characters he had read the
day preceding had given place to others of different
import.
“What ails you?” asked the Caliph; “and why these
symptoms of wonder?”
“Sovereign of the world,” replied the old man,
“these sabres hold another language to-day from that
they yesterday held.”
“How say you?” returned Vathek; “but it matters
not! tell me, if you can, what they mean.”
“It is this, my lord,” rejoined the old man: “Woe
to the rash mortal who seeks to know that of which
he should remain ignorant, and to undertake that
which surpasseth his power!”
“And woe to thee!” cried the Caliph, in a burst
of indignation; “to-day thou art void of
understanding. Begone from my presence; they shall
burn but the half of thy beard, because, thou wert
yesterday fortunate in guessing; my gifts I never
resume.”
The old man, wise enough to perceive he had
luckily escaped, considering the folly of disclosing
so disgusting a truth, immediately withdrew, and
appeared not again.
But it was not long before Vathek discovered
abundant reason to regret his precipitation; for
though he could not decipher the characters himself,
yet by constantly poring upon them he plainly
perceived that they every day changed, and
unfortunately no other candidate offered to explain
them. This perplexing occupation inflamed his
blood, dazzled his sight, and brought on a giddiness
and debility that he could not support. He failed
not, however, though in so reduced a condition, to
be often carried to his tower, as he flattered
himself that he might there read in the stars which
he went to consult something more congenial to his
wishes: but in this his hopes were deluded, for his
eyes, dimmed by the vapours of his head, began to
subserve his curiosity so ill, that he beheld
nothing but a thick dun cloud, which he took for the
most direful of omens.
Agitated with so much anxiety, Vathek entirely
lost all firmness; a fever seized him, and his
appetite failed. Instead of being one of the
greatest eaters, he became as distinguished for
drinking. So insatiable was the thirst which
tormented him that his mouth, like a funnel, was
always open to receive the various liquors that
might be poured into it, and especially cold water,
which calmed him more than every other.
This unhappy prince being thus incapacitated for
the enjoyment of any pleasure, commanded the palaces
of the five senses to be shut up, forbore to appear
in public, either to display his magnificence or
administer justice, and retired to the inmost
apartment of his harem. As he had ever been an
indulgent husband, his wives, overwhelmed with grief
at his deplorable situation, incessantly offered
their prayers for his health, and unremittingly
supplied him with water.
In the meantime the Princess Carathis, whose
affliction no words can describe, instead of
restraining herself to sobbing and tears, was
closeted daily with the Vizir Morakanabad, to find
out some cure or mitigation of the Caliph’s
disease. Under the persuasion that it was caused by
enchantment, they turned over together, leaf by
leaf, all the books of magic that might point out a
remedy, and caused the horrible stranger, whom they
accused as the enchanter, to be everywhere sought
for with the strictest diligence.
At the distance of a few miles from Samarah stood
a high mountain, whose sides were swarded with wild
thyme and basil, and its summit overspread with so
delightful a plain, that it might be taken for the
paradise destined for the faithful. Upon it grew a
hundred thickets of eglantine and other fragrant
shrubs, a hundred arbours of roses, jessamine, and
honeysuckle, as many clumps of orange trees, cedar,
and citron, whose branches, interwoven with the
palm, the pomegranate, and the vine, presented every
luxury that could regale the eye or the taste. The
ground was strewed with violets, hare-bells, and
pansies, in the midst of which sprang forth tufts of
jonquils, hyacinths, and carnations, with every
other perfume that impregnates the air. Four
fountains, not less clear than deep, and so abundant
as to slake the thirst of ten armies, seemed
profusely placed here to make the scene more
resemble the garden of Eden, which was watered by
the four sacred rivers. Here the nightingale sang
the birth of the rose, her well-beloved, and at the
same time lamented its short-lived beauty; whilst
the turtle deplored the loss of more substantial
pleasures, and the wakeful lark hailed the rising
light that re-animates the whole creation. Here
more than anywhere the mingled melodies of birds
expressed the various passions they inspired, as if
the exquisite fruits which they pecked at pleasure
had given them a double energy.
To this mountain Vathek was sometimes brought for
the sake of breathing a purer air, and especially to
drink at will of the four fountains, which were
reputed in the highest degree salubrious and sacred
to himself. His attendants were his mother, his
wives, and some eunuchs, who assiduously employed
themselves in filling capacious bowls of rock
crystal, and emulously presenting them to him; but
it frequently happened that his avidity exceeded
their zeal, insomuch that he would prostrate himself
upon the ground to lap up the water, of which he
could never have enough.
One day, when this unhappy prince had been long
lying in so debasing a posture, a voice, hoarse but
strong, thus addressed him: “Why assumest thou the
function of a dog, O Caliph, so proud of thy dignity
and power?”
At this apostrophe he raised his head, and beheld
the stranger that had caused him so much
affliction. Inflamed with anger at the sight, he
exclaimed—
“Accursed Giaour! what comest thou hither to do?
Is it not enough to have transformed a prince
remarkable for his agility into one of those leather
barrels which the Bedouin Arabs carry on their
camels when they traverse the deserts? Perceivest
thou not that I may perish by drinking to excess no
less than by a total abstinence?”
“Drink then this draught,” said the stranger, as
he presented to him a phial of a red and yellow
mixture; “and, to satiate the thirst of thy soul as
well as of thy body, know that I am an Indian, but
from a region of India which is wholly unknown.”
The Caliph delighted to see his desires
accomplished in part, and flattering himself with
the hope of obtaining their entire fulfilment,
without a moment’s hesitation swallowed the potion,
and instantaneously found his health restored, his
thirst appeased, and his limbs as agile as ever.
In the transports of his joy Vathek leaped upon
the neck of the frightful Indian, and kissed his
horrid mouth and hollow cheeks as though they had
been the coral lips and the lilies and roses of his
most beautiful wives; whilst they, less terrified
than jealous at the sight, dropped their veils to
hide the blush of mortification that suffused their
foreheads.
Nor would the scene have closed here, had not
Carathis, with all the art of insinuation, a little
repressed the raptures of her son. Having prevailed
upon him to return to Samarah, she caused a herald
to precede him, whom she commanded to proclaim as
loudly as possible: “The wonderful stranger hath
appeared again; he hath healed the Caliph; he hath
spoken! he hath spoken!”
Forthwith all the inhabitants of this vast city
quitted their habitations, and ran together in
crowds to see the procession of Vathek and the
Indian, whom they now blessed as much as they had
before execrated, incessantly shouting: “He hath
healed our sovereign; he hath spoken! he hath
spoken!” Nor were these words forgotten in the
public festivals which were celebrated the same
evening, to testify the general joy; for the poets
applied them as a chorus to all the songs they
composed.
The Caliph in the meanwhile caused the palaces of
the senses to be again set open; and, as he found
himself prompted to visit that of taste in
preference to the rest, immediately ordered a
splendid entertainment, to which his great officers
and favourite courtiers were all invited. The
Indian, who was placed near the prince, seemed to
think that as a proper acknowledgment of so
distinguished a privilege he could neither eat,
drink, nor talk too much. The various dainties were
no sooner served up than they vanished, to the great
mortification of Vathek, who piqued himself on being
the greatest eater alive, and at this time in
particular had an excellent appetite.
The rest of the company looked round at each
other in amazement; but the Indian, without
appearing to observe it, quaffed large bumpers to
the health of each of them, sung in a style
altogether extravagant, related stories at which he
laughed immoderately, and poured forth
extemporaneous verses, which would not have been
thought bad but for the strange grimaces with which
they were uttered. In a word, his loquacity was
equal to that of a hundred astrologers; he ate as
much as a hundred porters, and caroused in
proportion.
The Caliph, notwithstanding the table had been
thirty times covered, found himself incommoded by
the voraciousness of his guest, who was now
considerably declined in the prince’s esteem.
Vathek, however, being unwilling to betray the
chagrin he could hardly disguise, said in a whisper
to Bababalouk, the chief of his eunuchs: “You see
how enormous his performances in every way are; what
would be the consequence should he get at my wives?
Go! redouble your vigilance, and be sure look well
to my Circassians, who would be more to his taste
than all of the rest.”
The bird of the morning had thrice renewed his
song when the hour of the Divan sounded. Vathek, in
gratitude to his subjects, having promised to
attend, immediately rose from table and repaired
thither, leaning upon his vizir, who could scarcely
support him, so disordered was the poor prince by
the wine he had drunk, and still more by the
extravagant vagaries of his boisterous guest.
The vizirs, the officers of the crown and of the
law, arranged themselves in a semicircle about their
sovereign, and preserved a respectful silence,
whilst the Indian, who looked as cool as if come
from a fast, sat down without ceremony on the step
of the throne, laughing in his sleeve at the
indignation with which his temerity had filled the
spectators.
The Caliph, however, whose ideas were confused
and his head embarrassed, went on administering
justice at haphazard, till at length the prime
vizir, perceiving his situation, hit upon a sudden
expedient to interrupt the audience and rescue the
honour of his master, to whom he said in a whisper:
“My Lord, the Princess Carathis, who hath passed the
night in consulting the planets, informs you that
they portend you evil, and the danger is urgent.
Beware lest this stranger, whom you have so lavishly
recompensed for his magical gewgaws, should make
some attempt on your life; his liquor, which at
first had the appearance of effecting your cure, may
be no more than a poison of a sudden operation.
Slight not this surmise; ask him at least of what it
was compounded, whence he procured it, and mention
the sabres which you seem to have forgotten.”
Vathek, to whom the insolent airs of the stranger
became every moment less supportable, intimated to
his vizir by a wink of acquiescence that he would
adopt his advice, and at once turning towards the
Indian, said: “Get up and declare in full Divan of
what drugs the liquor was compounded you enjoined me
to take, for it is suspected to be poison; add also
the explanation I have so earnestly desired
concerning the sabres you sold me, and thus show
your gratitude for the favours heaped on you.”
Having pronounced these words in as moderate a
tone as a caliph well could, he waited in silent
expectation for an answer. But the Indian, still
keeping his seat, began to renew his loud shouts of
laughter, and exhibit the same horrid grimaces he
had shown them before, without vouchsafing a word in
reply. Vathek, no longer able to brook such
insolence, immediately kicked him from the steps;
instantly descending, repeated his blow, and
persisted with such assiduity as incited all who
were present to follow his example. Every foot was
aimed at the Indian, and no sooner had any one given
him a kick than he felt himself constrained to
reiterate the stroke.
The stranger afforded them no small
entertainment; for, being both short and plump, he
collected himself into a ball, and rolled round on
all sides at the blows of his assailants, who
pressed after him wherever he turned with an
eagerness beyond conception, whilst their numbers
were every moment increasing. The ball, indeed, in
passing from one apartment to another, drew every
person after it that came in its way, insomuch that
the whole palace was thrown into confusion, and
resounded with a tremendous clamour. The women of
the harem, amazed at the uproar, flew to their
blinds to discover the cause; but no sooner did they
catch a glimpse of the ball, than feeling themselves
unable to refrain, they broke from the clutches of
their eunuchs, who to stop their flight pinched them
till they bled, but in vain; whilst themselves,
though trembling with terror at the escape of their
charge, were as incapable of resisting the
attraction.
The Indian, after having traversed the halls,
galleries, chambers, kitchens, gardens, and stables
of the palace, at last took his course through the
courts; whilst the Caliph, pursuing him closer than
the rest, bestowed as many kicks as he possibly
could, yet not without receiving now and then one,
which his competitors in their eagerness designed
for the ball.
Carathis, Morakanabad, and two or three old
vizirs, whose wisdom had hitherto withstood the
attraction, wishing to prevent Vathek from exposing
himself in the presence of his subjects, fell down
in his way to impede the pursuit; but he, regardless
of their obstruction, leaped over their heads, and
went on as before. They then ordered the Muezzins
to call the people to prayers, both for the sake of
getting them out of the way and of endeavouring by
their petitions to avert the calamity; but neither
of these expedients was a whit more successful: the
sight of this fatal ball was alone sufficient to
draw after it every beholder. The Muezzins
themselves, though they saw it but at a distance,
hastened down from their minarets and mixed with the
crowd, which continued to increase in so surprising
a manner, that scarce an inhabitant was left in
Samarah, except the aged, the sick confined to their
beds, and infants at the breast, whose nurses could
run more nimbly without them. Even Carathis,
Morakanabad, and the rest were all become of the
party.
The shrill screams of the females, who had broken
from their apartments, and were unable to extricate
themselves from the pressure of the crowd, together
with those of the eunuchs jostling after them,
terrified lest their charge should escape from their
sight, increased by the execrations of husbands
urging forward and menacing both, kicks given and
received, stumblings and overthrows at every step;
in a word, the confusion that universally prevailed
rendered Samarah like a city taken by storm and
devoted to absolute plunder.
At last the cursed Indian, who still preserved
his rotundity of figure, after passing through all
the streets and public places, and leaving them
empty, rolled onwards to the plain of Catoul, and
traversed the valley at the foot of the mountain of
the Four Fountains.
As a continual fall of water had excavated an
immense gulf in the valley, whose opposite side was
closed in by a steep acclivity, the Caliph and his
attendants were apprehensive lest the ball should
bound into the chasm, and, to prevent it, redoubled
their efforts, but in vain. The Indian persevered
in his onward direction, and, as had been
apprehended, glancing from the precipice with the
rapidity of lightning, was lost in the gulf below.
Vathek would have followed the perfidious Giaour,
had not an invisible agency arrested his progress.
The multitude that pressed after him were at once
checked in the same manner, and a calm
instantaneously ensued. They all gazed at each
other with an air of astonishment; and,
notwithstanding that the loss of veils and turbans,
together with torn habits and dust blended with
sweat, presented a most laughable spectacle, there
was not one smile to be seen; on the contrary, all,
with looks of confusion and sadness, returned in
silence to Samarah, and retired to their inmost
apartments, without ever reflecting that they had
been impelled by an invisible power into the
extravagance for which they reproached themselves;
for it is but just that men, who so often arrogate
to their own merit the good of which they are but
instruments, should attribute to themselves the
absurdities which they could not prevent.
The Caliph was the only person that refused to
leave the valley. He commanded his tents to be
pitched there, and stationed himself on the very
edge of the precipice, in spite of the
representations of Carathis and Morakanabad, who
pointed out the hazard of its brink giving way, and
the vicinity to the magician that had so severely
tormented him. Vathek derided all their
remonstrances, and, having ordered a thousand
flambeaux to be lighted, and directed his attendants
to proceed in lighting more, lay down on the
slippery margin, and attempted, by help of this
artificial splendour, to look through that gloom
which all the fires of the empyrean had been
insufficient to pervade. One while he fancied to
himself voices arising from the depth of the gulf;
at another he seemed to distinguish the accents of
the Indian, but all was no more than the hollow
murmur of waters, and the din of the cataracts that
rushed from steep to steep down the sides of the
mountain.
Having passed the night in this cruel
perturbation, the Caliph at daybreak retired to his
tent, where, without taking the least sustenance, he
continued to doze till the dusk of evening began
again to come on. He then resumed his vigils as
before, and persevered in observing them for many
nights together. At length, fatigued with so
successless an employment, he sought relief from
change. To this end he sometimes paced with hasty
strides across the plain, and, as he wildly gazed at
the stars, reproached them with having deceived him;
but, lo! on a sudden the clear blue sky appeared
streaked over with streams of blood, which reached
from the valley even to the city of Samarah. As
this awful phenomenon seemed to touch his tower,
Vathek at first thought of re-pairing thither to
view it more distinctly, but feeling himself unable
to advance, and being overcome with apprehension, he
muffled up his face in his robe.
Terrifying as these prodigies were, this
impression upon him was no more than momentary, and
served only to stimulate his love of the
marvellous. Instead, therefore, of returning to his
palace, he persisted in the resolution of abiding
where the Indian vanished from his view. One night,
however, while he was walking as usual on the plain,
the moon and the stars at once were eclipsed, and a
total darkness ensued; the earth trembled beneath
him, and a voice came forth, the voice of the
Giaour, who, in accents more sonorous than thunder,
thus addressed him: “Wouldest thou devote thyself to
me? Adore then the terrestrial influences, and
abjure Mahomet. On these conditions I will bring
thee to the palace of subterranean fire; there shalt
thou behold in immense depositories the treasures
which the stars have promised thee, and which will
be conferred by those Intelligences whom thou shalt
thus render propitious. It was from thence I
brought my sabres, and it is there that Soliman Ben
Daoud reposes, surrounded by the talismans that
control the world.”
The astonished Caliph trembled as he answered,
yet in a style that showed him to be no novice in
preternatural adventures: “Where art thou? be
present to my eyes; dissipate the gloom that
perplexes me, and of which I deem thee the cause;
after the many flambeaux I have burnt to discover
thee, thou mayst at least grant a glimpse of thy
horrible visage.”
“Abjure, then, Mahomet,” replied the Indian, “and
promise me full proofs of thy sincerity, otherwise
thou shalt never behold me again.”
The unhappy Caliph, instigated by insatiable
curiosity, lavished his promises in the utmost
profusion. The sky immediately brightened; and by
the light of the planets, which seemed almost to
blaze, Vathek beheld the earth open, and at the
extremity of a vast black chasm, a portal of ebony,
before which stood the Indian, still blacker,
holding in his hand a golden key that caused the
lock to resound.
“How,” cried Vathek, “can I descend to thee
without the certainty of breaking my neck? come,
take me, and instantly open the portal.”
“Not so fast,” replied the Indian, “impatient
Caliph! Know that I am parched with thirst, and
cannot open this door till my thirst be thoroughly
appeased. I require the blood of fifty of the most
beautiful sons of thy vizirs and great men, or
neither can my thirst nor thy curiosity be
satisfied. Return to Samarah, procure for me this
necessary libation, come back hither, throw it
thyself into this chasm, and then shalt thou see!”
Having thus spoken, the Indian turned his back on
the Caliph, who, incited by the suggestion of
demons, resolved on the direful sacrifice. He now
pretended to have regained his tranquillity, and set
out for Samarah amidst the acclamations of a people
who still loved him, and forbore not to rejoice when
they believed him to have recovered his reason. So
successfully did he conceal the emotion of his
heart, that even Carathis and Morakanabad were
equally deceived with the rest. Nothing was heard
of but festivals and rejoicings; the ball, which no
tongue had hitherto ventured to mention, was again
brought on the tapis; a general laugh went round,
though many, still smarting under the hands of the
surgeon from the hurts received in that memorable
adventure, had no great reason for mirth.
The prevalence of this gay humour was not a
little grateful to Vathek, as perceiving how much it
conduced to his project. He put on the appearance
of affability to every one, but especially to his
vizirs and the grandees of his court, whom he failed
not to regale with a sumptuous banquet, during which
he insensibly inclined the conversation to the
children of his guests. Having asked with a
good-natured air who of them were blessed with the
handsomest boys, every father at once asserted the
pretensions of his own, and the contest
imperceptibly grew so warm that nothing could have
withholden them from coming to blows but their
profound reverence for the person of the Caliph.
Under the pretence, therefore, of reconciling the
disputants, Vathek took upon him to decide; and with
this view commanded the boys to be brought.
It was not long before a troop of these poor
children made their appearance, all equipped by
their fond mothers with such ornaments as might give
the greatest relief to their beauty or most
advantageously display the graces of their age. But
whilst this brilliant assemblage attracted the eyes
and hearts of every one besides, the Caliph
scrutinized each in his turn with a malignant
avidity that passed for attention, and selected from
their number the fifty whom he judged the Giaour
would prefer.
With an equal show of kindness as before, he
proposed to celebrate a festival on the plain for
the entertainment of his young favourites, who he
said ought to rejoice still more than all at the
restoration of his health, on account of the favours
he intended for them.
The Caliph’s proposal was received with the
greatest delight, and soon published through
Samarah; litters, camels, and horses were prepared.
Women and children, old men and young, every one
placed himself in the station he chose. The
cavalcade set forward, attended by all the
confectioners in the city and its precincts; the
populace following on foot composed an amazing
crowd, and occasioned no little noise; all was joy,
nor did any one call to mind what most of them had
suffered when they first travelled the road they
were now passing so gaily.
The evening was serene, the air refreshing, the
sky clear, and the flowers exhaled their fragrance;
the beams of the declining sun, whose mild splendour
reposed on the summit of the mountain, shed a glow
of ruddy light over its green declivity and the
white flocks sporting upon it; no sounds were
audible save the murmurs of the Four Fountains, and
the reeds and voices of shepherds calling to each
other from different eminences.
The lovely innocents proceeding to the destined
sacrifice added not a little to the hilarity of the
scene; they approached the plain full of
sportiveness, some coursing butterflies, others
culling flowers, or picking up the shining little
pebbles that attracted their notice. At intervals
they nimbly started from each other, for the sake of
being caught again, and mutually imparting a
thousand caresses.
The dreadful chasm at whose bottom the portal of
ebony was placed began to appear at a distance; it
looked like a black streak that divided the plain.
Morakanabad and his companions took it for some work
which the Caliph had ordered; unhappy men! little
did they surmise for what it was destined.
Vathek, not liking they should examine it too
nearly, stopped the procession, and ordered a
spacious circle to be formed on this side, at some
distance from the accursed chasm. The body-guard of
eunuchs was detached to measure out the lists
intended for the games, and prepare ringles for the
lines to keep off the crowd. The fifty competitors
were soon stripped, and presented to the admiration
of the spectators the suppleness and grace of their
delicate limbs; their eyes sparkled with a joy which
those of their fond parents reflected. Every one
offered wishes for the little candidate nearest his
heart, and doubted not of his being victorious; a
breathless suspense awaited the contest of these
amiable and innocent victims.
The Caliph, awaiting himself of the first moment
to retire from the crowd, advanced towards the
chasm, and there heard, yet not without shuddering,
the voice of the Indian, who, gnashing his teeth,
eagerly demanded: “Where are they? where are they?
perceivest thou not how my mouth waters?”
“Relentless Giaour!” answered Vathek, with
emotion, “can nothing content thee but the massacre
of these lovely victims! Ah! wert thou to behold
their beauty it must certainly move thy compassion.”
“Perdition on thy compassion, babbler!” cried the
Indian. “Give them me, instantly give them, or my
portal shall be closed against thee for ever!”
“Not so loudly,” replied the Caliph, blushing.
“I understand thee,” returned the Giaour, with
the grin of an ogre; “thou wantest to summon up more
presence of mind; I will for a moment forbear.”
During this exquisite dialogue the games went
forward with all alacrity, and at length concluded
just as the twilight began to overcast the
mountains. Vathek, who was still standing on the
edge of the chasm, called out, with all his might:
“Let my fifty little favourites approach me
separately, and let them come in the order of their
success. To the first I will give my diamond
bracelet, to the second my collar of emeralds, to
the third my aigret of rubies, to the fourth my
girdle of topazes, and to the rest each a part of my
dress, even down to my slippers.”
This declaration was received with reiterated
acclamations, and all extolled the liberality of a
prince who would thus strip himself for the
amusement of his subjects and the encouragement of
the rising generation.
The Caliph in the meantime undressed himself by
degrees, and, raising his arm as high as he was
able, made each of the prizes glitter in the air;
but whilst he delivered it with one hand to the
child, who sprang forward to receive it, he with the
other pushed the poor innocent into the gulf, where
the Giaour, with a sullen muttering, incessantly
repeated, “More! more!”
This dreadful device was executed with so much
dexterity that the boy who was approaching him
remained unconscious of the fate of his forerunner;
and as to the spectators, the shades of evening,
together with their distance, precluded them from
perceiving any object distinctly. Vathek, having in
this manner thrown in the last of the fifty, and
expecting that the Giaour on receiving them would
have presented the key, already fancied himself as
great as Soliman, and consequently above being
amenable for what he had done: when, to his utter
amazement, the chasm closed, and the around became
as entire as the rest of the plain.
No language could express his rage and despair.
He execrated the perfidy of the Indian, loaded him
with the most infamous invectives, and stamped with
his foot as resolving to be heard; he persisted in
this demeanour till his strength failed him, and
then fell on the earth like one void of sense. His
vizirs and grandees, who were nearer than the rest,
supposed him at first to be sitting on the grass at
play with their amiable children; but at length,
prompted by doubt, they advanced towards the spot,
and found the Caliph alone, who wildly demanded what
they wanted.
“Our children! our children!” cried they.
“It is assuredly pleasant,” said he, “to make me
accountable for accidents; your children while at
play fell from the precipice that was here, and I
should have experienced their fate had I not been
saved by a sudden start back.”
At these words the fathers of the fifty boys
cried out aloud, the mothers repeated their
exclamations an octave higher, whilst the rest,
without knowing the cause, soon drowned the voices
of both with still louder lamentations of their own.
“Our Caliph,” said they—and the report soon
circulated—“Our Caliph has played us this trick to
gratify his accursed Giaour. Let us punish him for
his perfidy! let us avenge ourselves! let us avenge
the blood of the innocent! let us throw this cruel
prince into the gulf that is near, and let his name
be mentioned no more!”
At this rumour and these menaces, Carathis, full
of consternation, hastened to Morakanabad, and said:
“Vizir, you have lost two beautiful boys, and must
necessarily be the most afflicted of fathers, but
you are virtuous; save your master.”
“I will brave every hazard,” replied the vizir,
“to rescue him from his present danger, but
afterwards will abandon him to his fate.
Bababalouk,” continued he, “put yourself at the head
of your eunuchs; disperse the mob, and, if possible,
bring back this unhappy prince to his palace.”
Bababalouk and his fraternity, felicitating each
other in a low voice on their disability of ever
being fathers, obeyed the mandate of the vizir; who,
seconding their exertions to the utmost of his
power, at length accomplished his generous
enterprise, and retired as he resolved, to lament at
his leisure.
No sooner had the Caliph re-entered his palace
than Carathis commanded the doors to be fastened;
but, perceiving the tumult to be still violent, and
hearing the imprecations which resounded from all
quarters, she said to her son: “Whether the populace
be right or wrong, it behoves you to provide for
your safety; let us retire to your own apartment,
and from thence through the subterranean passage,
known only to ourselves, into your tower; there,
with the assistance of the mutes who never leave it,
we may be able to make some resistance. Bababalouk,
supposing us to be still in the palace, will guard
its avenues for his own sake; and we shall soon
find, without the counsels of that blubberer
Morakanabad, what expedient may be the best to
adopt.”
Vathek, without making the least reply,
acquiesced in his mother’s proposal, and repeated as
he went: “Nefarious Giaour! where art thou! hast
thou not yet devoured those poor children? where are
thy sabres? thy golden key? thy talismans?”
Carathis, who guessed from these interrogations a
part of the truth, had no difficulty to apprehend in
getting at the whole, as soon as he should be a
little composed in his tower. This princess was so
far from being influenced by scruples that she was
as wicked as woman could be, which is not saying a
little, for the sex pique themselves on their
superiority in every competition. The recital of
the Caliph, therefore, occasioned neither terror nor
surprise to his mother; she felt no emotion but from
the promises of the Giaour, and said to her son:
“This Giaour, it must be confessed, is somewhat
sanguinary in his taste, but the terrestrial powers
are always terrible; nevertheless, what the one hath
promised and the others can confer will prove a
sufficient indemnification; no crimes should be
thought too dear for such a reward! forbear then to
revile the Indian; you have not fulfilled the
conditions to which his services are annexed; for
instance, is not a sacrifice to the subterranean
Genii required? and should we not be prepared to
offer it as soon as the tumult is subsided? This
charge I will take on myself, and have no doubt of
succeeding by means of your treasures, which, as
there are now so many others in store, may without
fear be exhausted.”
Accordingly the princess, who possessed the most
consummate skill in the art of persuasion, went
immediately back through the subterranean passage;
and presenting herself to the populace, from a
window of the palace, began to harangue them with
all the address of which she was mistress, whilst
Bababalouk showered money from both hands amongst
the crowd, who by these united means were soon
appeased; every person retired to his home, and
Carathis returned to the tower.
Prayer at break of day was announced, when
Carathis and Vathek ascended the steps which led to
the summit of the tower, where they remained for
some time, though the weather was lowering and wet.
This impending gloom corresponded with their
malignant dispositions; but when the sun began to
break through the clouds they ordered a pavilion to
be raised, as a screen from the intrusion of his
beams. The Caliph, overcome with fatigue, sought
refreshment from repose, at the same time hoping
that significant dreams might attend on his
slumbers; whilst the indefatigable Carathis,
followed by a party of her mutes, descended to
prepare whatever she judged proper for the oblation
of the approaching night.
By secret stairs, known only to herself and to
her son, she first repaired to the mysterious
recesses in which were deposited the mummies that
had been brought from the catacombs of the ancient
Pharaohs; of these she ordered several to be taken.
From thence she resorted to a gallery where, under
the guard of fifty female negroes, mute and blind of
the right eye, were preserved the oil of the most
venomous serpents, rhinoceros’ horns, and woods of a
subtle and penetrating odour procured from the
interior of the Indies, together with a thousand
other horrible rarities. This collection had been
formed for a purpose like the present by Carathis
herself, from a presentment that she might one day
enjoy some intercourse with the infernal powers to
whom she had ever been passionately attached, and to
whose taste she was no stranger.
To familiarise herself the better with the
horrors in view, the princess remained in the
company of her negresses, who squinted in the most
amiable manner from the only eye they had, and
leered with exquisite delight at the skulls and
skeletons which Carathis had drawn forth from her
cabinets, whose key she entrusted to no one; all of
them making contortions, and uttering a frightful
jargon, but very amusing to the princess; till at
last, being stunned by their gibbering, and
suffocated by the potency of their exhalations, she
was forced to quit the gallery, after stripping it
of a part of its treasures.
Whilst she was thus occupied, the Caliph, who,
instead of the visions he expected, had acquired in
these insubstantial regions a voracious appetite,
was greatly provoked at the negresses; for, having
totally forgotten their deafness, he had impatiently
asked them for food, and seeing them regardless of
his demand, he began to cuff, pinch, and push them,
till Carathis arrived to terminate a scene so
indecent, to the great content of these miserable
creatures, who, having been brought up by her,
understood all her signs, and communicated in the
same way their thoughts in return.
“Son! what means all this?” said she, panting for
breath. “I thought I heard as I came up the shrieks
of a thousand bats tearing from their crannies in
the recesses of a cavern; and it was the outcry only
of these poor mutes, whom you were so unmercifully
abusing. In truth you but ill deserve the admirable
provision I have brought you.”
“Give it me instantly,” exclaimed the Caliph; “I
am perishing for hunger!”
“As to that,” answered she, “you must have an
excellent stomach if it can digest what I have been
preparing.”
“Be quick,” replied the Caliph; “but, oh,
heavens! what horrors! what do you intend?”
“Come, come,” returned Carathis, “be not so
squeamish, but help me to arrange everything
properly, and you shall see that what you reject
with such symptoms of disgust will soon complete
your felicity. Let us get ready the pile for the
sacrifice of to-night, and think not of eating till
that is performed; know you not that all solemn
rites are preceded by a rigorous abstinence?”
The Caliph, not daring to object, abandoned
himself to grief and the wind that ravaged his
entrails, whilst his mother went forward with the
requisite operations. Phials of serpents’ oil,
mummies, and bones were soon set in order on the
balustrade of the tower; the pile began to rise, and
in three hours was as many cubits high. At length
darkness approached, and Carathis, having stripped
herself to her inmost garment, clapped her hands in
an impulse of ecstasy and struck light with all her
force. The mutes followed her example; but Vathek,
extenuated with hunger and impatience, was unable to
support himself, and fell down in a swoon. The
sparks had already kindled the dry wood, the
venomous oil burst into a thousand blue flames, the
mummies dissolving emitted a thick dun vapour, and
the rhinoceros’ horns beginning to consume, all
together diffused such a stench, that the Caliph,
recovering, started from his trance, and gazed
wildly on the scene in full blaze around him. The
oil gushed forth in a plenitude of streams; and the
negresses, who supplied it without intermission,
united their cries to those of the princess. At
last the fire became so violent, and the flames
reflected from the polished marble so dazzling, that
the Caliph, unable to withstand the heat and the
blaze, effected his escape, and clambered up the
imperial standard.
In the meantime the inhabitants of Samarah,
scared at the light which shone over the city, arose
in haste, ascended their roofs, beheld the tower on
fire, and hurried half naked to the square. Their
love to their sovereign immediately awoke; and,
apprehending him in danger of perishing in his
tower, their whole thoughts were occupied with the
means of his safety. Morakanabad flew from his
retirement, wiped away his tears, and cried out for
water like the rest. Bababalouk, whose olfactory
nerves were more familiarised to magical odours,
readily conjecturing that Carathis was engaged in
her favourite amusements, strenuously exhorted them
not to be alarmed. Him, however, they treated as an
old poltroon, and forbore not to style him a
rascally traitor. The camels and dromedaries were
advancing with water, but no one knew by which way
to enter the tower. Whilst the populace was
obstinate in forcing the doors a violent east wind
drove such a volume of flame against them, as at
first forced them off, but afterwards re-kindled
their zeal; at the same time the stench of the horns
and mummies increasing, most of the crowd fell
backward in a state of suffocation; those that kept
their feet mutually wondered at the cause of the
smell, and admonished each other to retire.
Morakanabad, more sick than the rest, remained in a
piteous condition; holding his nose with one hand,
he persisted in his efforts with the other to burst
open the doors and obtain admission. A hundred and
forty of the strongest and most resolute at length
accomplished their purpose; having gained the
staircase by their violent exertions, they attained
a great height in a quarter of an hour.
Carathis, alarmed at the signs of her mutes,
advanced to the staircase, went down a few steps,
and heard several voices calling out from below:
“You shall in a moment have water!” Being rather
alert, considering her age, she presently regained
the top of the tower, and bade her son suspend the
sacrifice for some minutes, adding: “We shall soon
be enabled to render it more grateful; certain dolts
of your subjects, imagining no doubt that we were on
fire, have been rash enough to break through those
doors which had hitherto remained inviolate, for the
sake of bringing up water; they are very kind, you
must allow, so soon to forget the wrongs you have
done them, but that is of little moment. Let us
offer them to the Giaour; let them come up; our
mutes, who neither want strength nor experience,
will soon despatch them, exhausted as they are with
fatigue.”
“Be it so,” answered the Caliph, “provided we
finish and I dine.”
In fact, these good people, out of breath from
ascending eleven thousand stairs in such haste, and
chagrined at having spilt by the way the water they
had taken, were no sooner arrived at the top than
the blaze of the flames and the fumes of the mummies
at once overpowered their senses. It was a pity;
for they beheld not the agreeable smile with which
the mutes and the negresses adjusted the cord to
their necks; these amiable personages rejoiced,
however, no less at the scene; never before had the
ceremony of strangling been performed with so much
facility; they all fell without the least resistance
or struggle, so that Vathek in the space of a few
moments found himself surrounded by the dead bodies
of his faithfullest subjects, all which were thrown
on the top of the pile.
Carathis, whose presence of mind never forsook
her, perceiving that she had carcases sufficient to
complete her oblation, commanded the chains to be
stretched across the staircase, and the iron doors
barricaded, that no more might come up.
No sooner were these orders obeyed than the tower
shook, the dead bodies vanished in the flames, which
at once changed from a swarthy crimson to a bright
rose colour; an ambient vapour emitted the most
exquisite fragrance, the marble columns rang with
harmonious sounds, and the liquefied horns diffused
a delicious perfume. Carathis, in transports,
anticipated the success of her enterprise, whilst
her mutes and negresses, to whom these sweets had
given the colic, retired to their cells grumbling.
Scarcely were they gone when, instead of the
pile, horns, mummies, and ashes, the Caliph both saw
and felt, with a degree of pleasure which he could
not express, a table covered with the most
magnificent repast; flagons of wine and vases of
exquisite sherbet floating on snow. He availed
himself without scruple of such an entertainment and
had already laid hands on a lamb stuffed with
pistachios, whilst Carathis was privately drawing
from a filigree urn a parchment that seemed to be
endless, and which had escaped the notice of her
son; totally occupied in gratifying an importunate
appetite he left her to peruse it without
interruption, which, having finished, she said to
him in an authoritative tone, “Put an end to your
gluttony, and hear the splendid promises with which
you are favoured!” She then read as follows:
“Vathek, my well-beloved, thou hast surpassed my
hopes; my nostrils have been regaled by the savour
of thy mummies, thy horns, and still more by the
lives devoted on the pile. At the full of the moon
cause the bands of thy musicians and thy tymbals to
be heard; depart from thy palace surrounded by all
the pageants of majesty; thy most faithful slaves,
thy best beloved wives, thy most magnificent
litters, thy richest leaden camels, and set forward
on thy way to Istakhar; there await I thy coming;
that is the region of wonders; there shalt thou
receive the diadem of Gian Ben Gian, the talismans
of Soliman, and the treasures of the Pre-Adamite
Sultans; there shalt thou be solaced with all kinds
of delight. But beware how thou enterest any
dwelling on thy route, or thou shalt feel the
effects of my anger.”
The Caliph, who, notwithstanding his habitual
luxury, had never before dined with so much
satisfaction, gave full scope to the joy of these
golden tidings, and betook himself to drinking
anew. Carathis, whose antipathy to wine was by no
means insuperable, failed not to supply a reason for
every bumper, which they ironically quaffed to the
health of Mahomet. This infernal liquor completed
their impious temerity, and prompted them to utter a
profusion of blasphemies; they gave a loose to their
wit at the expense of the ass of Balaam, the dog of
the seven sleepers, and the other animals admitted
into the paradise of Mahomet. In this sprightly
humour they descended the eleven thousand stairs,
diverting themselves as they went at the anxious
faces they saw on the square through the oilets of
the tower, and at length arrived at the royal
apartments by the subterranean passage. Bababalouk
was parading to and fro, and issuing his mandates
with great pomp to the eunuchs, who were snuffing
the lights and painting the eyes of the
Circassians. No sooner did he catch sight of the
Caliph and his mother than he exclaimed, “Hah! you
have then, I perceive, escaped from the flames; I
was not, however, altogether out of doubt.”
“Of what moment is it to us what you thought, or
think?” cried Carathis; “go, speed, tell Morakanabad
that we immediately want him; and take care how you
stop by the way to make your insipid reflections.”
Morakanabad delayed not to obey the summons, and
was received by Vathek and his mother with great
solemnity; they told him, with an air of composure
and commiseration, that the fire at the top of the
tower was extinguished; but that it had cost the
lives of the brave people who sought to assist them.
“Still more misfortunes,” cried Morakanabad, with
a sigh. “Ah, Commander of the Faithful, our holy
Prophet is certainly irritated against us! it
behoves you to appease him.”
“We will appease him hereafter!” replied the
Caliph, with a smile that augured nothing of good.
“You will have leisure sufficient for your
supplications during my absence; for this country is
the bane of my health; I am disgusted with the
mountain of the Four Fountains, and am resolved to
go and drink of the stream of Rocnabad; I long to
refresh myself in the delightful valleys which it
waters. Do you, with the advice of my mother,
govern my dominions, and take care to supply
whatever her experiments may demand; for you well
know that our tower abounds in materials for the
advancement of science.”
The tower but ill suited Morakanabad’s taste.
Immense treasures had been lavished upon it; and
nothing had he ever seen carried thither but female
negroes, mutes, and abominable drugs. Nor did he
know well what to think of Carathis, who, like a
chameleon, could assume all possible colours; her
cursed eloquence had often driven the poor Mussulman
to his last shifts. He considered, however, that if
she possessed but few good qualities, her son had
still fewer; and that the alternative on the whole
would be in her favour. Consoled, therefore, with
this reflection, he went in good spirits to soothe
the populace, and make the proper arrangements for
his master’s journey.
Vathek, to conciliate the Spirits of the
subterranean palace, resolved that his expedition
should be uncommonly splendid. With this view he
confiscated on all sides the property of his
subjects, whilst his worthy mother stripped the
seraglios she visited of the gems they contained.
She collected all the sempstresses and embroiderers
of Samarah and other cities to the distance of sixty
leagues, to prepare pavilions, palanquins, sofas,
canopies, and litters for the train of the monarch.
There was not left in Masulipatam a single piece of
chintz, and so much muslin had been bought up to
dress out Bababalouk and the other black eunuchs,
that there remained not an ell in the whole Irak of
Babylon.
During these preparations Carathis, who never
lost sight of her great object, which was to obtain
favour with the Powers of Darkness, made select
parties of the fairest and most delicate ladies of
the city; but in the midst of their gaiety she
contrived to introduce serpents amongst them, and to
break pots of scorpions under the table; they all
bit to a wonder; and Carathis would have left them
to bite, were it not that, to fill up the time, she
now and then amused herself in curing their wounds
with an excellent anodyne of her own invention, for
this good princess abhorred being indolent.
Vathek, who was not altogether so active as his
mother, devoted his time to the sole gratification
of his senses, in the palaces which were severally
dedicated to them; he disgusted himself no more with
the Divan or the Mosque. One half of Samarah
followed his example, whilst the other lamented the
progress of corruption.
In the midst of these transactions the embassy
returned which had been sent in pious times to
Mecca. It consisted of the most reverend Moullahs,
who had fulfilled their commission and brought back
one of those precious besoms which are used to sweep
the sacred Caaba: a present truly worthy of the
greatest potentate on earth!
The Caliph happened at this instant to be engaged
in an apartment by no means adapted to the reception
of embassies, though adorned with a certain
magnificence, not only to render it agreeable, but
also because he resorted to it frequently, and
stayed a considerable time together. Whilst
occupied in this retreat he heard the voice of
Bababalouk calling out from between the door and the
tapestry that hung before it: “Here are the
excellent Mahomet Ebn Edris al Shafei, and the
seraphic Al Mouhadethin, who have brought the besom
from Mecca, and with tears of joy intreat they may
present it to your majesty in person.”
“Let them bring the besom hither; it may be of
use,” said Vathek, who was still employed, not
having quite racked off his wine.
“How!” said Bababalouk, half aloud and amazed.
“Obey,” replied the Caliph, “for it is my
sovereign will; go instantly, vanish; for here will
I receive the good folk, who have thus filled thee
with joy.”
The eunuch departed muttering, and bade the
venerable train attend him. A sacred rapture was
diffused amongst these reverend old men. Though
fatigued with the length of their expedition, they
followed Bababalouk with an alertness almost
miraculous, and felt themselves highly flattered, as
they swept along the stately porticoes, that the
Caliph would not receive them like ambassadors in
ordinary in his hall of audience. Soon reaching the
interior of the harem (where, through blinds of
Persian, they perceived large soft eyes, dark and
blue, that went and came like lightning), penetrated
with respect and wonder, and full of their celestial
mission, they advanced in procession towards the
small corridors that appeared to terminate in
nothing, but nevertheless led to the cell where the
Caliph expected their coming.
“What! is the Commander of the Faithful sick?”
said Ebn Edris al Shafei in a low voice to his
companion.
“I rather think he is in his oratory,” answered
Al Mouhadethin.
Vathek, who heard the dialogue, cried out: “What
imports it you how I am employed? approach without
delay.”
They advanced, and Bababalouk almost sunk with
confusion, whilst the Caliph, without showing
himself, put forth his hand from behind the tapestry
that hung before the door, and demanded of them the
besom. Having prostrated themselves as well as the
corridor would permit, and even in a tolerable
semicircle, the venerable Al Shafei, drawing forth
the besom from the embroidered and perfumed scarves
in which it had been enveloped, and secured from the
profane gaze of vulgar eyes, arose from his
associates, and advanced, with an air of the most
awful solemnity, towards the supposed oratory; but
with what astonishment! with what horror was he
seized! Vathek, bursting out into a villainous
laugh, snatched the besom from his trembling hand,
and, fixing upon some cobwebs that hung suspended
from the ceiling, gravely brushed away till not a
single one remained. The old men, overpowered with
amazement, were unable to lift their heards from the
ground; for, as Vathek had carelessly left the
tapestry between them half drawn, they were
witnesses to the whole transaction; their tears
gushed forth on the marble; Al Mouhadethin swooned
through mortification and fatigue; whilst the
Caliph, throwing himself backward on his seat,
shouted and clapped his hands without mercy. At
last, addressing himself to Bababalouk: “My dear
black,” said he, “go, regale these pious poor souls
with my good wine from Shiraz; and, as they can
boast of having seen more of my palace than any one
besides, let them also visit my office courts, and
lead them out by the back steps that go to my
stables.” Having said this, he threw the besom in
their face, and went to enjoy the laugh with
Carathis. Bababalouk did all in his power to
console the ambassadors, but the two most infirm
expired on the spot; the rest were carried to their
beds, from whence, being heart-broken with sorrow
and shame, they never arose.
The succeeding night Vathek, attended by his
mother, ascended the tower to see if everything were
ready for his journey; for he had great faith in the
influence of the stars. The planets appeared in
their most favourable aspects. The Caliph, to enjoy
so flattering a sight, supped gaily on the roof, and
fancied that he heard during his repast loud shouts
of laughter resound through the sky, in a manner
that inspired the fullest assurance.
All was in motion at the palace; lights were kept
burning through the whole of the night; the sound of
implements and of artisans finishing their work, the
voices of women and their guardians who sung at
their embroidery, all conspired to interrupt the
stillness of nature and infinitely delight the heart
of Vathek, who imagined himself going in triumph to
sit upon the throne of Soliman.
The people were not less satisfied than himself;
all assisted to accelerate the moment which should
rescue them from the wayward caprices of so
extravagant a master.
The day preceding the departure of this
infatuated prince was employed by Carathis in
repeating to him the decrees of the mysterious
parchment, which she had thoroughly gotten by heart,
and in recommending him not to enter the habitation
of any one by the way; “for well thou knowest,”
added she, “how liquorish thy taste is after good
dishes and young damsels; let me, therefore, enjoin
thee to be content with thy old cooks, who are the
best in the world, and not to forget that in thy
ambulatory seraglio there are three dozen pretty
faces, which Bababalouk hath not yet unveiled. I
myself have a great desire to watch over thy
conduct, and visit the subterranean palace, which no
doubt contains whatever can interest persons like
us; there is nothing so pleasing as retiring to
caverns; my taste for dead bodies and everything
like mummy is decided; and I am confident thou wilt
see the most exquisite of their kind. Forget me
not, then, but the moment thou art in possession of
the talismans which are to open to thee the mineral
kingdoms and the centre of the earth itself, fail
not to despatch some trusty genius to take me and my
cabinet, for the oil of the serpents I have pinched
to death will be a pretty present to the Giaour, who
cannot but be charmed with such dainties.”
Scarcely had Carathis ended this edifying
discourse when the sun, setting behind the mountain
of the Four Fountains, gave place to the rising
moon; this planet, being that evening at full,
appeared of unusual beauty and magnitude in the eyes
of the women, the eunuchs, and the pages, who were
all impatient to set forward. The city re-echoed
with shouts of joy and flourishing of trumpets;
nothing was visible but plumes nodding on pavilions,
and aigrets shining in the mild lustre of the moon;
the spacious square resembled an immense parterre,
variegated with the most stately tulips of the East.
Arrayed in the robes which were only worn it the
most distinguished ceremonials, and supported by his
Vizir and Bababalouk, the Caliph descended the grand
staircase of the tower in the sight of all his
people; he could not forbear pausing at intervals to
admire the superb appearance which everywhere
courted his view, whilst the whole multitude, even
to the camels with their sumptuous burdens, knelt
down before him. For some time a general stillness
prevailed, which nothing happened to disturb but the
shrill screams of some eunuchs in the rear; these
vigilant guards, having remarked certain cages of
the ladies swagging somewhat awry, and discovered
that a few adventurous gallants had contrived to get
in, soon dislodged the enraptured culprits. The
majesty of so magnificent a spectacle was not,
however, violated by incidents like these. Vathek
meanwhile saluted the moon with an idolatrous air,
that neither pleased Morakanabad nor the Doctors of
the Law, any more than the vizirs and the grandees
of his court, who were all assembled to enjoy the
last view of their sovereign.
At length the clarions and trumpets from the top
of the tower announced the prelude of departure;
though the instruments were in unison with each
other, yet a singular dissonance was blended with
their sounds; this proceeded from Carathis, who was
singing her direful orisons to the Giaour, whilst
the negresses and mutes supplied thorough-base
without articulating a word. The good Mussulmans
fancied that they heard the sullen hum of those
nocturnal insects which presage evil, and importuned
Vathek to beware how he ventured his sacred person.
On a given signal the great standard of the
Califat was displayed, twenty thousand lances shone
around it, and the Caliph, treading loyally on the
cloth of gold which had been spread for his feet,
ascended his litter amidst the general awe that
possessed his subjects.
The expedition commenced with the utmost order
and so entire a silence, that even the locusts were
heard from the thickets on the plain of Catoul.
Gaiety and good-humour prevailing, six good leagues
were past before the dawn; and the morning star was
still glittering in the firmament when the whole of
this numerous train had halted on the banks of the
Tigris, where they encamped to repose for the rest
of the day.
The three days that followed were spent in the
same manner; but on the fourth the heavens looked
angry, lightnings broke forth in frequent flashes,
re-echoing peals of thunder succeeded, and the
trembling Circassians clung with all their might to
their ugly guardians. The Caliph himself was
greatly inclined to take shelter in the large town
of Gulchissar, the governor of which came forth to
meet him, and tendered every kind of refreshment the
place could supply; but, having examined his
tablets, he suffered the rain to soak him almost to
the bone, notwithstanding the importunity of his
first favourites. Though he began to regret the
palace of the senses, yet he lost not sight of his
enterprise, and his sanguine expectations confirmed
his resolution; his geographers were ordered to
attend him, but the weather proved so terrible that
these poor people exhibited a lamentable appearance;
and, as no long journeys had been undertaken since
the time of Haroun al Raschid, their maps of the
different countries were in a still worse plight
than themselves; every one was ignorant which way to
turn; for Vathek, though well versed in the course
of the heavens, no longer knew his situation on
earth; he thundered even louder than the elements,
and muttered forth certain hints of the bow-string,
which were not very soothing to literary ears.
Disgusted at the toilsome weariness of the way, he
determined to cross over the craggy heights and
follow the guidance of a peasant, who undertook to
bring him in four days to Rocnabad. Remonstrances
were all to no purpose; his resolution was fixed,
and an invasion commenced on the province of the
goats, who sped away in large troops before them.
It was curious to view on these half calcined rocks
camels richly caparisoned, and pavilions of gold and
silk waving on their summits, which till then had
never been covered but with sapless thistles and
fern.
The females and eunuchs uttered shrill wailings
at the sight of the precipices below them, and the
dreary prospects that opened in the vast gorges of
the mountains. Before they could reach the ascent
of the steepest rock, night overtook them, and a
boisterous tempest arose, which, having rent the
awnings of the palanquins and cages, exposed to the
raw gusts the poor ladies within, who had never
before felt so piercing a cold. The dark clouds
that overcast the face of the sky deepened the
horrors of this disastrous night, insomuch that
nothing could be heard distinctly but the mewling of
pages and lamentations of sultanas.
To increase the general misfortune, the frightful
uproar of wild beasts resounded at a distance, and
there were soon perceived, in the forest they were
skirting, the glaring of eyes which could belong
only to devils or tigers. The pioneers, who, as
well as they could, had marked out a track, and a
part of the advanced guard were devoured before they
had been in the least apprized of their danger. The
confusion that prevailed was extreme; wolves,
tigers, and other carnivorous animals, invited by
the howling of their companions, flocked together
from every quarter; the crashing of bones was heard
on all sides, and a fearful rush of wings overhead,
for now vultures also began to be of the party.
The terror at length reached the main body of the
troops which surrounded the monarch and his harem,
at the distance of two leagues from the scene.
Vathek (voluptuously reposed in his capacious litter
upon cushions of silk, with two little pages beside
him of complexions more fair than the enamel of
Franguestan, who were occupied in keeping off flies)
was soundly asleep, and contemplating in his dreams
the treasures of Soliman. The shrieks, however, of
his wives awoke him with a start, and, instead of
the Giaour with his key of gold, he beheld
Bababalouk full of consternation.
“Sire,” exclaimed this good servant of the most
potent of monarchs, “misfortune is arrived at its
height; wild beasts, who entertain no more reverence
for your sacred person than for that of a dead ass,
have beset your camels and their drivers; thirty of
the richest laden are already become their prey, as
well as your confectioners, your cooks, and
purveyors; and, unless our holy Prophet should
protect us, we shall have all eaten our last meal.”
At the mention of eating the Caliph lost all
patience; he began to bellow, and even beat himself
(for there was no seeing in the dark). The rumour
every instant increased, and Bababalouk, finding no
good could be done with his master, stopped both his
ears against the hurly-burly of the harem, and
called out aloud: “Come, ladies and brothers! all
hands to work! strike light in a moment! never shall
it be said that the Commander of the Faithful served
to regale these infidel brutes.”
Though there wanted not in this bevy of beauties
a sufficient number of capricious and wayward, yet
on the present occasion they were all compliance;
fires were visible in a twinkling in all their
cages; ten thousand torches were lighted at once;
the Caliph himself seized a large one of wax; every
person followed his example, and, by kindling ropes’
ends dipped in oil and fastened on poles, an amazing
blaze was spread. The rocks were covered with the
splendour of sunshine; the trails of sparks wafted
by the wind communicated to the dry fern, of which
there was plenty. Serpents were observed to crawl
forth from their retreats with amazement and
hissings, whilst the horses snorted, stamped the
ground, tossed their noses in the air, and plunged
about without mercy.
One of the forests of cedar that bordered their
way took fire, and the branches that overhung the
path, extending their flames to the muslins and
chintzes which covered the cages of the ladies,
obliged them to jump out, at the peril of their
necks. Vathek, who vented on the occasion a
thousand blasphemies, was himself compelled to touch
with his sacred feet the naked earth.
Never had such an incident happened before. Full
of mortification, shame, and despondence, and not
knowing how to walk, the ladies fell into the dirt.
“Must I go on foot?” said one; “Must I wet my feet?”
cried another; “Must I soil my dress?” asked a
third; “Execrable Bababalouk!” exclaimed all;
“Outcast of hell! what hadst thou to do with
torches? Better were it to be eaten by tigers than
to fall into our present condition! we are for ever
undone! Not a porter is there in the army, nor a
currier of camels, but hath seen some part of our
bodies, and, what is worse, our very faces!” On
saying this the most bashful amongst them hid their
foreheads on the ground, whist such as had more
boldness flew at Bababalouk; but he, well apprized
of their humour, and not wanting in shrewdness,
betook himself to his heels along with his comrades,
all dropping their torches and striking their
tymbals.
It was not less light than in the brightest of
the dog-days, and the weather was hot in proportion;
but how degrading was the spectacle, to behold the
Caliph bespattered like an ordinary mortal! As the
exercise of his faculties seemed to be suspended,
one of his Ethiopian wives (for he delighted in
variety) clasped him in her arms, threw him upon her
shoulder like a sack of dates, and finding that the
fire was hemming them in, set off with no small
expedition, considering the weight of her burden.
The other ladies, who had just learnt the use of
their feet, followed her, their guards galloped
after, and the camel-drivers brought up the rear as
fast as their charge would permit.
They soon reached the spot where the wild beasts
had commenced the carnage, and which they had too
much spirit to leave, notwithstanding the
approaching tumult and the luxurious supper they had
made; Bababalouk nevertheless seized on a few of the
plumpest, which were unable to budge from the place,
and began to flay them with admirable adroitness.
The cavalcade being got so far from the
conflagration as that the heat felt rather grateful
than violent, it was immediately resolved on to
halt. The tattered chintzes were picked up, the
scraps left by the wolves and tigers interred, and
vengeance was taken on some dozens of vultures that
were too much glutted to rise on the wing. The
camels, which had been left unmolested to make sal
ammoniac, being numbered, and the ladies once more
enclosed in their cages, the imperial tent was
pitched on the levellest ground they could find.
Vathek, reposing upon a mattress of down, and
tolerably recovered from the jolting of the
Ethiopian, who to his feelings seemed the roughest
trotting jade he had hitherto mounted, called out
for something to eat. But, alas! those delicate
cakes which had been baked in silver ovens for his
royal mouth, those rich manchets, amber comfits,
flagons of Schiraz wine, porcelain vases of snow,
and grapes from the banks of the Tigris, were all
irremediably lost! And nothing had Bababalouk to
present in their stead but a roasted wolf, vultures
à la daube, aromatic herbs of the most acrid
poignancy, rotten truffles, boiled thistles, and
such other wild plants as most ulcerate the throat
and parch up the tongue. Nor was he better provided
in the article of drink, for he could procure
nothing to accompany these irritating viands but a
few vials of abominable brandy, which had been
secreted by the scullions in their slippers.
Vathek made wry faces at so savage a repast, and
Bababalouk answered them with shrugs and
contortions; the Caliph, however, ate with tolerable
appetite, and fell into a nap that lasted six
hours. The splendour of the sun reflected from the
white cliffs of the mountains, in spite of the
curtains that enclosed him, at length disturbed his
repose; he awoke terrified, and stung to the quick
by those wormwood-coloured flies, which emit from
their wings a suffocating stench. The miserable
monarch was perplexed how to act, though his wits
were not idle in seeking expedients, whilst
Bababalouk lay snoring amidst a swarm of those
insects, that busily thronged to pay court to his
nose. The little pages, famished with hunger, had
dropped their fans on the ground, and exerted their
dying voices in bitter reproaches on the Caliph, who
now for the first time heard the language of truth.
Thus stimulated, he renewed his imprecations
against the Giaour, and bestowed upon Mahomet some
soothing expressions. “Where am I?” cried he; “what
are these dreadful rocks? these valleys of darkness?
are we arrived at the horrible Kaf? is the Simurgh
coming to pluck out my eyes, as a punishment for
undertaking this impious enterprise!” Having said
this, he bellowed like a calf and turned himself
towards an outlet in the side of his pavilion; but,
alas! what objects occurred to his view! on one side
a plain of black sand that appeared to be unbounded,
and on the other perpendicular crags, bristled over
with those abominable thistles which had so severely
lacerated his tongue. He fancied, however, that he
perceived, amongst the brambles and briers, some
gigantic flowers, but was mistaken; for these were
only the dangling palampores and variegated tatters
of his gay retinue. As there were several clefts in
the rock from whence water seemed to have flowed,
Vathek applied his ear, with the hope of catching
the sound of some latent runnel, but could only
distinguish the low murmurs of his people, who were
repining at their journey, and complaining for the
want of water.
“To what purpose,” asked they, “have we been
brought hither? Hath our Caliph another tower to
build? or have the relentless Afrits, whom Carathis
so much loves, fixed in this place their abode?”
At the name of Carathis Vathek recollected the
tablets he had received from his mother, who assured
him they were fraught with preternatural qualities,
and advised him to consult them as emergencies might
require. Whilst he was engaged in turning them over
he heard a shout of joy and a loud clapping of
hands; the curtains of his pavilion were soon drawn
back, and he beheld Bababalouk, followed by a troop
of his favourites, conducting two dwarfs, each a
cubit high, who brought between them a large basket
of melons, oranges, and pomegranates. They were
singing in the sweetest tones the words that follow:
“We dwell on the top of these rocks in a cabin of
rushes and canes; the eagles envy us our nest; a
small spring supplies us with Abdest, and we daily
repeat prayers which the Prophet approves. We love
you, O Commander of the Faithful! our master, the
good Emir Fakreddin, loves you also; he reveres in
your person the vicegerent of Mahomet. Little as we
are, in us he confides; he knows our hearts to be
good as our bodies are contemptible, and hath placed
us here to aid those who are bewildered on these
dreary mountains. Last night, whilst we were
occupied within our cell in reading the holy Koran,
a sudden hurricane blew out our lights and rocked
our habitation; for two whole hours a palpable
darkness prevailed, but we heard sounds at a
distance which we conjectured to proceed from the
bells of a Cafila passing over the rocks; our ears
were soon filled with deplorable shrieks, frightful
roarings, and the sound of tymbals. Chilled with
terror, we concluded that the Deggial, with his
exterminating angels, had sent forth their plagues
on the earth. In the midst of these melancholy
reflections we perceived flames of the deepest red
glow in the horizon, and found ourselves in a few
moments covered with flakes of fire; amazed at so
strange an appearance, we took up the volume
dictated by the blessed Intelligence, and, kneeling
by the light of the fire that surrounded us, we
recited the verse which says: ‘Put no trust in
anything but the mercy of Heaven; there is no help
save in the holy Prophet; the mountain of Kaf itself
may tremble, it is the power of Allah only that
cannot be moved.’ After having pronounced these
words we felt consolation, and our minds were hushed
into a sacred repose; silence ensued, and our ears
clearly distinguished a voice in the air, saying:
‘Servants of my faithful servant! go down to the
happy valley of Fakreddin; tell him that an
illustrious opportunity now offers to satiate the
thirst of his hospitable heart. The Commander of
true believers is this day bewildered amongst these
mountains, and stands in need of thy aid.’ We
obeyed with joy the angelic mission, and our master,
filled with pious zeal, hath culled with his own
hands these melons, oranges, and pomegranates; he is
following us with a hundred dromedaries laden with
the purest waters of his fountains, and is coming to
kiss the fringe of your consecrated robe, and
implore you to enter his humble habitation, which,
placed amidst these barren wilds, resembles an
emerald set in lead.” The dwarfs, having ended
their address, remained still standing, and, with
hands crossed upon their bosoms, preserved a
respectful silence.
Vathek in the midst of this curious harangue,
seized the basket, and long before it was finished
the fruits had dissolved in his mouth; as he
continued to eat his piety increased, and in the
same breath which recited his prayers he called for
the Koran and sugar.
Such was the state of his mind when the tablets,
which were thrown by at the approach of the dwarfs,
again attracted his eye; he took them up, but was
ready to drop on the ground when he beheld, in large
red characters, these words inscribed by Carathis,
which were indeed enough to make him tremble:
“Beware of thy old doctors, and their puny
messengers of but one cubit high; distrust their
pious frauds, and, instead of eating their melons,
impale on a spit the bearers of them. Shouldst thou
be such a fool as to visit them, the portal of the
subterranean palace will be shut in thy face, and
with such force as shall shake thee asunder; thy
body shall be spit upon, and bats will engender in
thy belly.”
“To what tends this ominous rhapsody?” cries the
Caliph. “And must I then perish in these deserts
with thirst, whilst I may refresh myself in the
valley of melons and cucumbers! Accursed be the
Giaour, with his portal of ebony! he hath made me
dance attendance too long already. Besides, who
shall prescribe laws to me? I forsooth must not
enter any one’s habitation! Be it so; but what one
can I enter that is not my own?”
Bababalouk, who lost not a syllable of this
soliloquy, applauded it with all his heart, and the
ladies for the first time agreed with him in
opinion.
The dwarfs were entertained, caressed, and seated
with great ceremony on little cushions of satin.
The symmetry of their persons was the subject of
criticism; not an inch of them was suffered to pass
unexamined; knick-knacks and dainties were offered
in profusion, but all were declined with respectful
gravity. They clambered up the sides of the
Caliph’s seat, and, placing themselves each on one
of his shoulders, began to whisper prayers in his
ears; their tongues quivered like the leaves of a
poplar, and the patience of Vathek was almost
exhausted, when the acclamations of the troops
announced the approach of Fakreddin, who was come
with a hundred old grey-beards and as many Korans
and dromedaries; they instantly set about their
ablutions, and began to repeat the Bismillah;
Vathek, to get rid of these officious monitors,
followed their example, for his hands were burning.
The good Emir, who was punctiliously religious,
and likewise a great dealer in compliments, made an
harangue five times more prolix and insipid than his
harbingers had already delivered. The Caliph,
unable any longer to refrain, exclaimed—
“For the love of Mahomet, my dear Fakreddin, have
done! let us proceed to your valley, and enjoy the
fruits that Heaven hath vouchsafed you.”
The hint of proceeding put all into motion; the
venerable attendants of the Emir set forward
somewhat slowly, but Vathek, having ordered his
little pages in private to goad on the dromedaries,
loud fits of laughter broke forth from the cages,
for the unwieldy curvetting of these poor beasts,
and the ridiculous distress of their superannuated
riders, afforded the ladies no small entertainment.
They descended, however, unhurt into the valley,
by the large steps which the Emir had cut in the
rock; and already the murmuring of streams and the
rustling of leaves began to catch their attention.
The cavalcade soon entered a path which was skirted
by flowering shrubs, and extended to a vast wood of
palm-trees, whose branches overspread a building of
hewn stone. This edifice was crowned with nine
domes, and adorned with as many portals of bronze,
on which was engraven the following inscription:
“This is the asylum of pilgrims, the refuge of
travellers, and the depository of secrets for all
parts of the world.”
Nine pages, beautiful as the day, and clothed in
robes of Egyptian linen, very long and very modest,
were standing at each door. They received the whole
retinue with an easy and inviting air. Four of the
most amiable placed the Caliph on a magnificent
taktrevan, four others, somewhat less graceful, took
charge of Bababalouk, who capered for joy at the
snug little cabin that fell to his share; the pages
that remained waited on the rest of the train.
When everything masculine was gone out of sight
the gate of a large enclosure on the right turned on
its harmonious hinges and a young female of a
slender form came forth; her light brown hair
floated in the hazy breeze of the twilight; a troop
of young maidens, like the Pleiades, attended her on
tip-toe. They hastened to the pavilions that
contained the sultanas, and the young lady,
gracefully bending, said to them:
“Charming Princesses, everything is ready; we
have prepared beds for your repose, and strewed your
apartments with jasmine; no insects will keep off
slumber from visiting your eyelids, we will dispel
them with a thousand plumes; come then, amiable
ladies! refresh your delicate feet and your ivory
limbs in baths of rose water; and, by the light of
perfumed lamps your servants will amuse you with
tales.”
The sultanas accepted with pleasure these
obliging offers, and followed the young lady to the
Emir’s harem, where we must for a moment leave them,
and return to the Caliph.
Vathek found himself beneath a vast dome,
illuminated by a thousand lamps of rock crystal; as
many vases of the same material, filled with
excellent sherbet, sparkled on a large table, where
a profusion of viands were spread; amongst others
were sweetbreads stewed in milk of almonds, saffron
soups, and lamb à la crême, of all which the
Caliph was amazingly fond. He took of each as much
as he was able, testified his sense of the Emir’s
friendship by the gaiety of his heart, and made the
dwarfs dance against their will, for these little
devotees durst not refuse the Commander of the
Faithful; at last he spread himself on the sofa, and
slept sounder than he had ever before.
Beneath this dome a general silence prevailed,
for there was nothing to disturb it but the jaws of
Bababalouk, who had untrussed himself to eat with
greater advantage, being anxious to make amends for
his fast in the mountains. As his spirits were too
high to admit of his sleeping, and not loving to be
idle, he proposed with himself to visit the harem,
and repair to his charge of the ladies, to examine
if they had been properly lubricated with the balm
of Mecca, if their eyebrows and tresses were in
order, and, in a word, to perform all the little
offices they might need. He sought for a long time
together, but without being able to find out the
door; he durst not speak aloud, for fear of
disturbing the Caliph, and not a soul was stirring
in the precincts of the palace; he almost despaired
of effecting his purpose, when a low whispering just
reached his ear; it came from the dwarfs who were
returned to their old occupation, and for the nine
hundred and ninety-ninth time in their lives, were
reading over the Koran. They very politely invited
Bababalouk to be of their party, but his head was
full of other concerns. The dwarfs, though
scandalised at his dissolute morals, directed him to
the apartments he wanted to find; his way thither
lay through a hundred dark corridors, along which he
groped as he went, and at last began to catch from
the extremity of a passage the charming gossiping of
the women, which not a little delighted his heart.
“Ah, ha! what, not yet asleep!” cried he; and,
taking long strides as he spoke. “Did you not
suspect me of abjuring my charge? I stayed but to
finish what my master had left.”
Two of the black eunuchs, on hearing a voice so
loud, detached a party in haste, sabre in hand, to
discover the cause; but presently was repeated on
all sides: “’Tis only Bababalouk! no one but
Bababalouk!” This circumspect guardian, having gone
up to a thin veil of carnation-coloured silk that
hung before the doorway, distinguished, by means of
the softened splendour that shone through it, an
oval bath of dark porphyry, surrounded by curtains
festooned in large folds; through the apertures
between them, as they were not drawn close, groups
of young slaves were visible, amongst whom
Bababalouk perceived his pupils, indulgingly
expanding their arms, as if to embrace the perfumed
water and refresh themselves after their fatigues.
The looks of tender languor, their confidential
whispers, and the enchanting smiles with which they
were imparted, the exquisite fragrance of the roses,
all combined to inspire a voluptuousness, which even
Bababalouk himself was scarce able to withstand.
He summoned up, however, his usual solemnity,
and, in the peremptory tone of authority, commanded
the ladies instantly to leave the bath. Whilst he
was issuing these mandates the young Nouronihar,
daughter of the Emir, who was sprightly as an
antelope, and full of wanton gaiety, beckoned one of
her slaves to let down the great swing, which was
suspended to the ceiling by cords of silk, and
whilst this was doing, winked to her companions in
the bath, who, chagrined to be forced from so
soothing a state of indolence, began to twist it
round Bababalouk, and tease him with a thousand
vagaries.
When Nouronihar perceived that he was exhausted
with fatigue, she accosted him with an arch air of
respectful concern, and said: “My lord, it is not by
any means decent that the chief eunuch of the
Caliph, our Sovereign, should thus continue
standing; deign but to recline your graceful person
upon this sofa, which will burst with vexation if it
have not the honour to receive you.”
Caught by these flattering accents, Bababalouk
gallantly replied: “Delight of the apple of my eye!
I accept the invitation of thy honeyed lips; and, to
say truth, my senses are dazzled with the radiance
that beams from thy charms.”
“Repose, then, at your ease,” replied the beauty,
and placed him on the pretended sofa, which, quicker
than lightning, gave way all at once. The rest of
the women, having aptly conceived her design, sprang
naked from the bath, and plied the swing with such
unmerciful jerks, that it swept through the whole
compass of a very lofty dome, and took from the poor
victim all power of respiration; sometimes his feet
rased the surface of the water, and at others the
skylight almost flattened his nose; in vain did he
pierce the air with the cries of a voice that
resembled the ringing of a cracked basin, for their
peals of laughter were still more predominant.
Nouronihar, in the inebriety of youthful spirits,
being used only to eunuchs of ordinary harems, and
having never seen anything so royal and disgusting,
was far more diverted than all of the rest; she
began to parody some Persian verses, and sang with
an accent most demurely piquant:
“O gentle white dove, as thou soar’st through
the air,
Vouchsafe one kind glance on the mate of thy
love;
Melodious Philomel, I am thy rose;
Warble some couplet to ravish my heart!”
The sultanas and their slaves, stimulated by
these pleasantries, persevered at the swing with
such unremitted assiduity, that at length the cord
which had secured it snapped suddenly asunder, and
Bababalouk fell floundering like a turtle to the
bottom of the bath. This accident occasioned a
universal shout; twelve little doors, till now
unobserved, flew open at once, and the ladies in an
instant made their escape, after throwing all the
towels on his head, and putting out the lights that
remained.
The deplorable animal, in water to the chin,
overwhelmed with darkness, and unable to extricate
himself from the wrap that embarrassed him, was
still doomed to hear for his further consolation the
fresh bursts of merriment his disaster occasioned.
He bustled, but in vain, to get from the bath, for
the margin was become so slippery with the oil spilt
in breaking the lamps, that at every effort he slid
back with a plunge, which resounded aloud through
the hollow of the dome. These cursed peals of
laughter at every relapse were redoubled; and he,
who thought the place infested rather by devils than
women, resolved to cease groping, and abide in the
bath, where he amused himself with soliloquies,
interspersed with imprecations, of which his
malicious neighbours reclining on down suffered not
an accent to escape. In this delectable plight the
morning surprised him. The Caliph, wondering at his
absence, had caused him to be everywhere sought
for. At last he was drawn forth, almost smothered
from the wisp of linen, and wet even to the marrow.
Limping and chattering his teeth, he appeared before
his master, who inquired what was the matter, and
how he came soused in so strange a pickle.
“And why did you enter this cursed lodge?”
answered Bababalouk, gruffly. “Ought a monarch like
you to visit with his harem the abode of a
grey-bearded Emir, who knows nothing of life? And
with what gracious damsels doth the place, too,
abound! Fancy to yourself how they have soaked me
like a burnt crust, and made me dance like a
jack-pudding the live-long night through, on their
damnable swing! What an excellent lesson for your
sultanas to follow, into whom I have instilled such
reserve and decorum!”
Vathek, comprehending not a syllable of all this
invective, obliged him to relate minutely the
transaction; but instead of sympathising with the
miserable sufferer, he laughed immoderately at the
device of the swing, and the figure of Bababalouk
mounting upon it. The stung eunuch could scarcely
preserve the semblance of respect.
“Ay, laugh, my lord! laugh,” said he; “but I wish
this Nouronihar would play some trick on you; she is
too wicked to spare even majesty itself.”
Those words made for the present but a slight
impression on the Caliph; but they not long after
recurred to his mind.
This conversation was cut short by Fakreddin, who
came to request that Vathek would join in the
prayers and ablutions to be solemnised on a spacious
meadow, watered by innumerable streams. The Caliph
found the waters refreshing, but the prayers
abominably irksome; he diverted himself, however,
with the multitude of Calenders, Santons, and
Dervises, who were continually coming and going, but
especially with the Brahmins, Fakirs, and other
enthusiasts, who had travelled from the heart of
India, and halted on their way with the Emir. These
latter had, each of them, some mummery peculiar to
himself. One dragged a huge chain wherever he went,
another an ouranoutang, whilst a third was furnished
with scourges, and all performed to a charm; some
clambered up trees, holding one foot in the air;
others poised themselves over a fire, and without
mercy filliped their noses. There were some amongst
them that cherished vermin, which were not
ungrateful in requiting their caresses. These
rambling fanatics revolted the hearts of the
Dervises, the Calenders, and Santons; however, the
vehemence of their aversion soon subsided, under the
hope that the presence of the Caliph would cure
their folly, and convert them to the Mussulman
faith; but, alas! how great was their
disappointment! for Vathek, instead of preaching to
them, treated them as buffoons, bade them present
his compliments to Visnow and Ixhora, and discovered
a predilection for a squat old man from the isle of
Serendib, who was more ridiculous than any of the
rest.
“Come!” said he, “for the love of your gods
bestow a few slaps on your chops to amuse me.”
The old fellow, offended at such an address,
began loudly to weep; but, as he betrayed a
villainous drivelling in his tears, the Caliph
turned his back and listened to Bababalouk, who
whispered, whilst he held the umbrella over him:
“Your Majesty should be cautious of this odd
assembly which hath been collected I know not for
what. Is it necessary to exhibit such spectacles to
a mighty potentate, with interludes of Talapoins
more mangy than dogs? Were I you, I would command a
fire to be kindled, and at once purge the earth of
the Emir, his harem, and all his menagerie.”
“Tush, dolt!” answered Vathek; “and know that all
this infinitely charms me; nor shall I leave the
meadow till I have visited every hive of these pious
mendicants.”
Wherever the Caliph directed his course objects
of pity were sure to swarm round him: the blind, the
purblind, smarts without noses, damsels without
ears, each to extol the munificence of Fakreddin,
who, as well as his attendant grey-beards, dealt
about gratis plasters and cataplasms to all that
applied. At noon a superb corps of cripples made
its appearance, and soon after advanced by platoons
on the plain, the completest association of invalids
that had ever been embodied till then. The blind
went groping with the blind, the lame limped on
together, and the maimed made gestures to each other
with the only arm that remained; the sides of a
considerable waterfall were crowded by the deaf,
amongst whom were some from Pegû with ears
uncommonly handsome and large, but were still less
able to hear than the rest; nor were there wanting
others in abundance with humpbacks, wenny necks, and
even horns of an exquisite polish.
The Emir, to aggrandise the solemnity of the
festival in honour of his illustrious visitant,
ordered the turf to be spread on all sides with
skins and table-cloths, upon which were served up
for the good Mussulmans pilaus of every line, with
other orthodox dishes; and, by the express order of
Vathek, who was shamefully tolerant, small plates of
abominations for regaling the rest. This prince, on
seeing so many mouths put in motion, began to think
it time for employing his own; in spite, therefore,
of every remonstrance from the chief of his eunuchs,
he resolved to have a dinner dressed on the spot.
The complaisant Emir immediately gave orders for a
table to be placed in the shade of the willows. The
first service consisted of fish, which they drew
from a river flowing over sands of gold at the foot
of a lofty hill; these were broiled as fast as
taken, and served up with a sauce of vinegar, and
small herbs that grow on Mount Sinai; for everything
with the Emir was excellent and pious.
The dessert was not quite set on when the sound
of lutes from the hill was repeated by the echoes of
the neighbouring mountains. The Caliph, with an
emotion of pleasure and surprise, had no sooner
raised up his head than a handful of jasmine dropped
on his face; an abundance of tittering succeeded the
frolic, and instantly appeared through the bushes
the elegant forms of several young females, skipping
and bounding like roes. The fragrance diffused from
their hair struck the sense of Vathek, who, in an
ecstasy, suspending his repast, said to Bababalouk:
“Are the Peris come down from their spheres?
Note her in particular whose form is so perfect,
venturously running on the brink of the precipice,
and turning back her head, as regardless of nothing
but the graceful flow of her robe; with what
captivating impatience doth she contend with the
bushes for her veil! could it be she who threw the
jasmine at me?”
“Ay! she it was; and you too would she throw from
the top of the rock,” answered Bababalouk; “for that
is my good friend Nouronihar, who so kindly lent me
her swing; my dear lord and master,” added he,
twisting a twig that hung by the rind from a willow,
“let me correct her for want of respect; the Emir
will have no reason to complain, since (bating what
I owe to his piety) he is much to be censured for
keeping a troop of girls on the mountains, whose
sharp air gives their blood too brisk a
circulation.”
“Peace, blasphemer!” said the Caliph; “speak not
thus of her who over her mountains leads my heart a
willing captive; contrive rather that my eyes may be
fixed upon hers, that I may respire her sweet
breath, as she bounds panting along these delightful
wilds!” On saying these words, Vathek extended his
arms towards the hill, and directing his eyes with
an anxiety unknown to him before, endeavoured to
keep within view the object that enthralled his
soul; but her course was as difficult to follow as
the flight of one of those beautiful blue
butterflies of Cashmere, which are at once so
volatile and rare.
The Caliph, not satisfied with seeing, wished
also to hear Nouronihar, and eagerly turned to catch
the sound of her voice; at last he distinguished her
whispering to one of her companions behind the
thicket from whence she had thrown the jasmine: “A
Caliph, it must be owned, is a fine thing to see,
but my little Gulchenrouz is much more amiable; one
lock of his hair is of more value to me than the
richest embroidery of the Indies; I had rather that
his teeth should mischievously press my finger than
the richest ring of the imperial treasure. Where
have you left him, Sutlememe? and why is he now not
here?”
The agitated Caliph still wished to hear more,
but she immediately retired, with all her
attendants; the fond monarch pursued her with his
eyes till she was gone out of sight, and then
continued like a bewildered and benighted traveller,
from whom the clouds had obscured the constellation
that guided his way; the curtain of night seemed
dropped before him; everything appeared discoloured;
the falling waters filled his soul with dejection,
and his tears trickled down the jasmines he had
caught from Nouronihar, and placed in his inflamed
bosom; he snatched up a shining pebble, to remind
him of the scene where he felt the first tumults of
love. Two hours were elapsed, and evening drew on
before he could resolve to depart from the place; he
often, but in vain, attempted to go; a soft languor
enervated the powers of his mind; extending himself
on the brink of the stream, he turned his eyes
towards the blue summits of the mountain, and
exclaimed: “What concealest thou behind thee? what
is passing in thy solitudes? Whither is she gone?
O Heaven! perhaps she is now wandering in thy
grottos, with her happy Gulchenrouz!”
In the meantime the damps began to descend, and
the Emir, solicitous for the health of the Caliph,
ordered the imperial litter to be brought. Vathek,
absorbed in his reveries, was imperceptibly removed,
and conveyed back to the saloon that received him
the evening before.
But let us leave the Caliph, immersed in his new
passion, and attend Nouronihar beyond the rocks,
where she had again joined her beloved Gulchenrouz.
This Gulchenrouz was the son of Ali Hassan, brother
to the Emir, and the most delicate and lovely
creature in the world. Ali Hassan, who had been
absent ten years on a voyage to the unknown seas,
committed at his departure this child, the only
survivor of many, to the care and protection of his
brother. Gulchenrouz could write in various
characters with precision, and paint upon vellum the
most elegant arabesques that fancy could devise; his
sweet voice accompanied the lute in the most
enchanting manner, and when he sang the loves of
Megnoun and Leileh, or some unfortunate lovers of
ancient days, tears insensibly overflowed the cheeks
of his auditors; the verses he composed (for, like
Megnoun, he too was a poet) inspired that
unresisting languor so frequently fatal to the
female heart; the women all doted upon him; for
though he had passed his thirteenth year, they still
detained him in the harem; his dancing was light as
the gossamer waved by the zephyrs of spring, but his
arms, which twined so gracefully with those of the
young girls in the dance, could neither dart the
lance in the chase, nor curb the steeds that
pastured his uncle’s domains. The bow, however, he
drew with a certain aim, and would have excelled his
competitors in the race, could he have broken the
ties that bound him to Nouronihar.
The two brothers had mutually engaged their
children to each other, and Nouronihar loved her
cousin more than her eyes; both had the same tastes
and amusements, the same long, languishing looks,
the same tresses, the same fair complexions, and
when Gulchenrouz appeared in the dress of his cousin
he seemed to be more feminine than even herself. If
at any time he left the harem to visit Fakreddin, it
was with all the bashfulness of a fawn, that
consciously ventures from the lair of its dam; he
was however, wanton enough to mock the solemn old
grey-beards to whom he was subject, though sure to
be rated without mercy in return; whenever this
happened he would plunge into the recesses of the
harem, and sobbing, take refuge in the arms of
Nouronihar, who loved even his faults beyond the
virtues of others.
It fell out this evening that, after leaving the
Caliph in the meadow, she ran with Gulchenrouz over
the green sward of the mountain that sheltered the
vale where Fakreddin had chosen to reside. The sun
was dilated on the edge of the horizon; and the
young people, whose fancies were lively and
inventive, imagined they beheld in the gorgeous
clouds of the west the domes of Shadukiam and
Amberabad, where the Peris have fixed their abode.
Nouronihar, sitting on the slope of the hill,
supported on her knees the perfumed head of
Gulchenrouz; the air was calm, and no sound stirred
but the voices of other young girls, who were
drawing cool water from the streams below. The
unexpected arrival of the Caliph, and the splendour
that marked his appearance, had already filled with
emotion the ardent soul of Nouronihar; her vanity
irresistibly prompted her to pique the prince’s
attention, and this she before took good care to
effect whilst he picked up the jasmine she had
thrown upon him. But when Gulchenrouz asked after
the flowers he had culled for her bosom, Nouronihar
was all in confusion; she hastily kissed his
forehead, arose in a flutter, and walked with
unequal steps on the border of the precipice. Night
advanced, and the pure gold of the setting sun had
yielded to a sanguine red, the glow of which, like
the reflection of a burning furnace, flushed
Nouronihar’s animated countenance. Gulchenrouz,
alarmed at the agitation of his cousin, said to her
with a supplicating accent:
“Let us be gone; the sky looks portentous, the
tamarisks tremble more than common, and the raw wind
chills my very heart; come! let us be gone; ’tis a
melancholy night!”
Then, taking hold of her hand, he drew it towards
the path he besought her to go. Nouronihar
unconsciously followed the attraction, for a
thousand strange imaginations occupied her spirit;
she passed the large round of honeysuckles, her
favourite resort, without ever vouchsafing it a
glance, yet Gulchenrouz could not help snatching off
a few shoots in his way, though he ran as if a wild
beast were behind.
The young females seeing him approach in such
haste, and according to custom expecting a dance,
instantly assembled in a circle, and took each other
by the hand; but Gulchenrouz, coming up out of
breath, fell down at once on the grass. This
accident struck with consternation the whole of this
frolicsome party; whilst Nouronihar, half
distracted, and overcome, both by the violence of
her exercise and the tumult of her thoughts, sunk
feebly down at his side, cherished his cold hands in
her bosom, and chafed his temples with a fragrant
unguent. At length he came to himself, and,
wrapping up his head in the robe of his cousin,
entreated that she would not return to the harem; he
was afraid of being snapped at by Shaban, his tutor,
a wrinkled old eunuch of a surly disposition; for
having interrupted the stated walk of Nouronihar, he
dreaded lest the churl should take it amiss. The
whole of this sprightly group, sitting round upon a
mossy knoll, began to entertain themselves with
various pastimes, whilst their superintendents the
eunuchs were gravely conversing at a distance. The
nurse of the Emir’s daughter, observing her pupil
sit ruminating with her eyes on the ground,
endeavoured to amuse her with diverting tales, to
which Gulchenrouz, who had already forgotten his
inquietudes, listened with a breathless attention;
he laughed, he clapped his hands, and passed a
hundred little tricks on the whole of the company,
without omitting the eunuchs, whom he provoked to
run after him, in spite of their age and
decrepitude.
During these occurrences the moon arose, the wind
subsided, and the evening became so serene and
inviting, that a resolution was taken to sup on the
spot. Sutlememe, who excelled in dressing a salad,
having filled large bowls of porcelain with eggs of
small birds, curds turned with citron juice, slices
of cucumber, and the inmost leaves of delicate
herbs, handed it round from one to another, and gave
each their shares in a large spoon of Cocknos.
Gulchenrouz, nestling as usual in the bosom of
Nouronihar, pouted out his vermilion little lips
against the offer of Sutlememe, and would take it
only from the hand of his cousin, on whose mouth he
hung like a bee inebriated with the quintessence of
flowers. One of the eunuchs ran to fetch melons,
whilst others were employed in showering down
almonds from the branches that overhung this amiable
party.
In the midst of this festive scene there appeared
a light on the top of the highest mountain, which
attracted the notice of every eye; this light was
not less bright than the moon when at full, and
might have been taken for her, had it not been that
the moon was already risen. The phenomenon
occasioned a general surprise, and no one could
conjecture the cause; it could not be a fire, for
the light was clear and bluish, nor had meteors ever
been seen of that magnitude or splendour. This
strange light faded for a moment, and immediately
renewed its brightness; it first appeared motionless
at the foot of the rock, whence it darted in an
instant to sparkle in a thicket of palm-trees; from
thence it glided along the torrent, and at last
fixed in a glen that was narrow and dark. The
moment it had taken its direction, Gulchenrouz,
whose heart always trembled at anything sudden or
rare, drew Nouronihar by the robe, and anxiously
requested her to return to the harem; the women were
importunate in seconding the entreaty, but the
curiosity of the Emir’s daughter prevailed; she not
only refused to go back, but resolved at all hazards
to pursue the appearance. Whilst they were debating
what was best to be done, the light shot forth so
dazzling a blaze, that they all fled away shrieking;
Nouronihar followed them a few steps, but, coming to
the turn of a little bye-path, stopped, and went
back alone; as she ran with an alertness peculiar to
herself, it was not long before she came to the
place where they had just been supping. The globe
of fire now appeared stationary in the glen, and
burned in majestic stillness. Nouronihar,
compressing her hands upon her bosom, hesitated for
some moments to advance; the solitude of her
situation was new, the silence of the night awful,
and every object inspired sensations which till then
she never had felt: the affright of Gulchenrouz
recurred to her mind, and she a thousand times
turned to go back, but this luminous appearance was
always before her; urged on by an irresistible
impulse, she continued to approach it, in defiance
of every obstacle that opposed her progress.
At length she arrived at the opening of the glen;
but, instead of coming up to the light, she found
herself surrounded by darkness, excepting that at a
considerable distance a faint spark glimmered by
fits. She stopped a second time; the sound of
water-falls mingling their murmurs, the hollow
rustlings amongst the palm-branches, and the
funereal screams of the birds from their rifted
trunks, all conspired to fill her with terror; she
imagined every moment that she trod on some venomous
reptile; all the stories of malignant Dives and
dismal Gouls thronged into her memory; but her
curiosity was, notwithstanding, more predominant
than her fears; she therefore firmly entered a
winding track that led towards the spark, but, being
a stranger to the path, she had not gone far till
she began to repent of her rashness.
“Alas!” said she, “that I were but in those
secure and illuminated apartments where my evenings
glided on with Gulchenrouz! Dear child! how would
thy heart flutter with terror wert thou wandering in
these wild solitudes like me!” At the close of this
apostrophe she regained her road, and, coming to
steps hewn out in the rock, ascended them
undismayed; the light, which was now gradually
enlarging, appeared above her on the summit of the
mountain; at length she distinguished a plaintive
and melodious union of voices, proceeding from a
sort of cavern, that resembled the dirges which are
sung over tombs; a sound, likewise, like that which
arises from the filling of baths, at the same time
struck her ear; she continued ascending, and
discovered large wax torches in full blaze planted
here and there in the fissures of the rock; this
preparation filled her with fear, whilst the subtle
and potent odour which the torches exhaled caused
her to sink almost lifeless at the entrance of the
grot.
Casting her eyes within in this kind of trance,
she beheld a large cistern of gold filled with a
water, whose vapour distilled on her face a dew of
the essence of roses; a soft symphony resounded
through the grot; on the sides of the cistern she
noticed appendages of royalty, diadems, and feathers
of the heron, all sparkling with carbuncles; whilst
her attention was fixed on this display of
magnificence, the music ceased, and a voice
instantly demanded:
“For what monarch were these torches kindled,
this bath prepared, and these habiliments, which
belong, not only to the sovereigns of the earth, but
even to the Talismanic Powers?”
To which a second voice answered: “They are for
the charming daughter of the Emir Fakreddin.”
“What,” replied the first, “for that trifler, who
consumes her time with a giddy child, immersed in
softness, and who at best can make but an enervated
husband?”
“And can she,” rejoined the other voice, “be
amused with such empty trifles, whilst the Caliph,
the sovereign of the world, he who is destined to
enjoy the treasures of the pre-adamite Sultans, a
prince six feet high, and whose eyes pervade the
inmost soul of a female, is inflamed with the love
of her. No! she will be wise enough to answer that
passion alone that can aggrandise her glory; no
doubt she will, and despise the puppet of her
fancy. Then all the riches this place contains, as
well as the carbuncle of Giamschid, shall be hers.”
“You judge right,” returned the first voice, “and
I haste to Istakar to prepare the palace of
subterranean fire for the reception of the bridal
pair.”
The voices ceased, the torches were extinguished,
the most entire darkness succeeded, and Nouronihar,
recovering with a start, found herself reclined on a
sofa in the harem of her father. She clapped her
hands, and immediately came together Gulchenrouz and
her women, who, in despair at having lost her, had
despatched eunuchs to seek her in every direction;
Shaban appeared with the rest, and began to
reprimand her with an air of consequence:
“Little impertinent,” said he, “whence got you
false keys? or are you beloved of some Genius that
hath given you a pick-lock? I will try the extent
of your power; come, to your chamber! through the
two skylights; and expect not the company of
Gulchenrouz; be expeditious! I will shut you up in
the double tower.”
At these menaces Nouronihar indignantly raised
her head, opened on Shaban her black eyes, which,
since the important dialogue of the enchanted grot,
were considerably enlarged, and said: “Go, speak
thus to slaves, but learn to reverence her who is
born to give laws, and subject all to her power.”
She was proceeding in the same style, but was
interrupted by a sudden exclamation of “The Caliph!
The Caliph!” The curtains at once were thrown open,
and the slaves prostrate in double rows, whilst poor
little Gulchenrouz hid himself beneath the elevation
of a sofa. At first appeared a file of black
eunuchs, trailing after them long trains of muslin
embroidered with gold, and holding in their hands
censers, which dispensed as they passed the grateful
perfume of the wood of aloes; next marched
Bababalouk with a solemn strut, and tossing his head
as not over-pleased at the visit; Vathek came close
after, superbly robed; his gait was unembarrassed
and noble, and his presence would have engaged
admiration, though he had not been the sovereign of
the world; he approached Nouronihar with a throbbing
heart, and seemed enraptured at the full effulgence
of her radiant eyes, of which he had before caught
but a few glimpses; but she instantly depressed
them, and her confusion augmented her beauty.
Bababalouk, who was a thorough adept in
coincidences of this nature, and knew that the worst
game should be played with the best face,
immediately made a signal for all to retire; and no
sooner did he perceive beneath the sofa the little
one’s feet, than he drew him forth without ceremony,
set him upon his shoulders, and lavished on him as
he went off a thousand odious caresses; Gulchenrouz
cried out, and resisted till his cheeks became the
colour of the blossom of the pomegranate, and the
tears that started into his eyes shot forth a gleam
of indignation; he cast a significant glance at
Nouronihar, which the Caliph noticing, asked: “Is
that then your Gulchenrouz?”
“Sovereign of the world?” answered she, “spare my
cousin, whose innocence and gentleness deserve not
your anger.”
“Take comfort,” said Vathek, with a smile; “he is
in good hands. Bababalouk is fond of children, and
never goes without sweetmeats and comfits.”
The daughter of Fakreddin was abashed, and
suffered Gulchenrouz to be borne away without adding
a word. The tumult of her bosom betrayed her
confusion; and Vathek, becoming still more
impassioned, gave a loose to his frenzy, which had
only not subdued the last faint strugglings of
reluctance, when the Emir, suddenly bursting in,
threw his face upon the ground at the feet of the
Caliph, and said:
“Commander of the Faithful! abase not yourself to
the meanness of your slave.”
“No, Emir,” replied Vathek; “I raise her to an
equality with myself; I declare her my wife, and the
glory of your race shall extend from one generation
to another.”
“Alas! my lord,” said Fakreddin, as he plucked
off the honours of his beard, “cut short the days of
your faithful servant, rather than force him to
depart from his word. Nouronihar, as her hands
evince, is solemnly promised to Gulchenrouz, the son
of my brother Ali Hassan; they are united also in
heart, their faith is mutually plighted, and
affiances so sacred cannot be broken.”
“What then!” replied the Caliph, bluntly, “would
you surrender this divine beauty to a husband more
womanish than herself? and can you imagine that I
will suffer her charms to decay in hands so
inefficient and nerveless? No! she is destined to
live out her life within my embraces: such is my
will; retire, and disturb not the time I devote to
the homage of her charms.”
The irritated Emir drew forth his sabre,
presented it to Vathek, and stretching out his neck,
said in a firm tone of voice: “Strike your unhappy
host, my lord! he has lived long enough, since he
hath seen the Prophet’s Vicegerent violate the rites
of hospitality.”
At his uttering these words Nouronihar, unable to
support any longer the conflict of her passions,
sank down in a swoon. Vathek, both terrified for
her life and furious at an opposition to his will,
bade Fakreddin assist his daughter, and withdrew,
darting his terrible look at the unfortunate Emir,
who suddenly fell backward, bathed in a sweat cold
as the damp of death.
Gulchenrouz, who had escaped from the hands of
Bababalouk, and was that instant returned, called
out for help as loudly as he could, not having
strength to afford it himself. Pale and panting,
the poor child attempted to revive Nouronihar by
caresses; and it happened that the thrilling warmth
of his lips restored her to life. Fakreddin
beginning also to recover from the look of the
Caliph, with difficulty tottered to a seat, and
after warily casting round his eye to see if this
dangerous prince was gone, sent for Shaban and
Sutlememe, and said to them apart:
“My friends! violent evils require as violent
remedies; the Caliph has brought desolation and
horror into my family, and how shall we resist his
power? another of his looks will send me to my
grave. Fetch then that narcotic powder which the
Dervish brought me from Aracan; a dose of it, the
effect of which will continue three days, must be
administered to each of these children; the Caliph
will believe them to be dead, for they will have all
the appearance of death; we shall go as if to inter
them in the cave of Meimoune, at the entrance of the
great desert of sand, and near the cabin of my
dwarfs. When all the spectators shall be withdrawn,
you, Shaban, and four select eunuchs, shall convey
them to the lake, where provisions shall be ready to
support them a month; for one day allotted to the
surprise this event will occasion, five to the
tears, a fortnight to reflection, and the rest to
prepare for renewing his progress, will, according
to my calculation, fill up the whole time that
Vathek will tarry, and I shall then be freed from
his intrusion.”
“Your plan,” said Sutlememe, “is a good one, if
it can but be effected. I have remarked that
Nouronihar is well able to support the glances of
the Caliph, and that he is far from being sparing of
them to her; be assured, therefore, notwithstanding
her fondness for Gulchenrouz, she will never remain
quiet while she knows him to be here, unless we can
persuade her that both herself and Gulchenrouz are
really dead, and that they were conveyed to those
rocks for a limited season to expiate the little
faults of which their love was the cause; we will
add that we killed ourselves in despair, and that
your dwarfs, whom they never yet saw, will preach to
them delectable sermons. I will engage that
everything shall succeed to the bent of your
wishes.”
“Be it so!” said Fakreddin. “I approve your
proposal; let us lose not a moment to give it
effect.”
They forthwith hastened to seek for the powder,
which, being mixed in a sherbet, was immediately
drank by Gulchenrouz and Nouronihar. Within the
space of an hour both were seized with violent
palpitations, and a general numbness gradually
ensued; they arose from the floor, where they had
remained ever since the Caliph’s departure, and,
ascending to the sofa, reclined themselves at full
length upon it, clasped in each other’s embraces.
“Cherish me, my dear Nouronihar!” said
Gulchenrouz; “put thy hand upon my heart, for it
feels as if it were frozen. Alas! thou art as cold
as myself! Hath the Caliph murdered us both with
his terrible look?”
“I am dying!” cried she in a faltering voice;
“press me closer; I am ready to expire!”
“Let us die then together,” answered the little
Gulchenrouz, whilst his breast laboured with a
convulsive sigh; “let me at least breathe forth my
soul on thy lips!” They spoke no more, and became
as dead.
Immediately the most piercing cries were heard
through the harem, whilst Shaban and Sutlememe
personated with great adroitness the parts of
persons in despair. The Emir, who was sufficiently
mortified to be forced into such untoward
expedients, and had now for the first time made a
trial of his powder, was under no necessity of
counterfeiting grief. The slaves, who had flocked
together from all quarters, stood motionless at the
spectacle before them; all lights were extinguished
save two lamps, which shed a wan glimmering over the
faces of these lovely flowers, that seemed to be
faded in the spring-time of life; funeral vestments
were prepared, their bodies were washed with
rose-water, their beautiful tresses were braided and
incensed, and they were wrapped in simars whiter
than alabaster. At the moment that their attendants
were placing two wreaths of their favourite jasmines
on their brows, the Caliph, who had just heard of
the tragical catastrophe, arrived; he looked not
less pale and haggard than the Gouls, that wander at
night among graves; forgetful of himself and every
one else, he broke through the midst of the slaves,
fell prostrate at the foot of the sofa, beat his
bosom, called himself “atrocious murderer!” and
invoked upon his head a thousand imprecations; with
a trembling hand he raised the veil that covered the
countenance of Nouronihar, and, uttering a loud
shriek, fell lifeless on the floor. The chief of
the eunuchs dragged him off with horrible grimaces,
and repeated as he went: “Ay, I foresaw she would
play you some ungracious turn!”
No sooner was the Caliph gone than the Emir
commanded biers to be brought, and forbad that any
one should enter the harem. Every window was
fastened, all instruments of music were broken, and
the Imams began to recite their prayers; towards the
close of this melancholy day Vathek sobbed in
silence, for they had been forced to compose with
anodynes his convulsions of rage and desperation.
At the dawn of the succeeding morning the wide
folding doors of the palace were set open, and the
funeral procession moved forward for the mountain.
The wailful cries of “La Ilah illa Allah!” reached
to the Caliph, who was eager to cicatrise himself
and attend the ceremonial; nor could he have been
dissuaded, had not his excessive weakness disabled
him from walking; at the few first steps he fell on
the ground, and his people were obliged to lay him
on a bed, where he remained many days in such a
state of insensibility, as excited compassion in the
Emir himself.
When the procession was arrived at the grot of
Meimoune, Shaban and Sutlememe dismissed the whole
of the train, excepting the four confidential
eunuchs who were appointed to remain. After resting
some moments near the biers, which had been left in
the open air, they caused them to be carried to the
brink of a small lake, whose banks were overgrown
with a hoary moss; this was the great resort of
herons and storks, which preyed continually on
little blue fishes. The dwarfs, instructed by the
Emir, soon repaired thither, and, with the help of
the eunuchs, began to construct cabins of rushes and
reeds, a work in which they had admirable skill; a
magazine also was contrived for provisions, with a
small oratory for themselves, and a pyramid of wood
neatly piled, to furnish the necessary fuel, for the
air was bleak in the hollows of the mountains.
At evening two fires were kindled on the brink of
the lake, and the two lovely bodies, taken from
their biers, were carefully deposited upon a bed of
dried leaves within the same cabin. The dwarfs
began to recite the Koran with their clear shrill
voices, and Shaban and Sutlememe stood at some
distance, anxiously waiting the effects of the
powder. At length Nouronihar and Gulchenrouz
faintly stretched out their arms, and gradually
opening their eyes, began to survey with looks of
increasing amazement every object around them; they
even attempted to rise, but for want of strength
fell back again; Sutlememe on this administered a
cordial, which the Emir had taken care to provide.
Gulchenrouz, thoroughly aroused, sneezed out
aloud, and raising himself with an effort that
expressed his surprise, left the cabin, and inhaled
the fresh air with the greatest avidity.
“Yes,” said he, “I breathe again! again do I
exist! I hear sounds! I behold a firmament
spangled over with stars!”
Nouronihar, catching these beloved accents,
extricated herself from the leaves, and ran to clasp
Gulchenrouz to her bosom. The first objects she
remarked were their long simars, their garlands of
flowers, and their naked feet; she hid her face in
her hands to reflect; the vision of the enchanted
bath, the despair of her father, and, more vividly
than both, the majestic figure of Vathek recurred to
her memory; she recollected also that herself and
Gulchenrouz had been sick and dying; but all these
images bewildered her mind. Not knowing where she
was, she turned her eyes on all sides, as if to
recognise the surrounding scene; this singular lake,
those flames reflected from its glassy surface, the
pale hues of its banks, the romantic cabins, the
bulrushes that sadly waved their drooping heads, the
storks whose melancholy cries blended with the
shrill voices of the dwarfs, everything conspired to
persuade them that the Angel of Death had opened the
portal of some other world.
Gulchenrouz on his part, lost in wonder, clung to
the neck of his cousin: he believed himself in the
region of phantoms, and was terrified at the silence
she preserved; at length addressing her:
“Speak,” said he, “where are we? do you not see
those spectres that are stirring the burning coals?
are they Monker and Nakir, come to throw us into
them? does the fatal bridge cross this lake, whose
solemn stillness perhaps conceals from us an abyss,
in which for whole ages we shall be doomed
incessantly to sink?”
“No, my children!” said Sutlememe, going towards
them, “take comfort! the exterminating Angel, who
conducted our souls hither after yours, hath assured
us that the chastisement of your indolent and
voluptuous life shall be restricted to a certain
series of years, which you must pass in this dreary
abode, where the sun is scarcely visible, and where
the soil yields neither fruits nor flowers. These,”
continued she, pointing to the dwarfs, “will provide
for our wants, for souls so mundane as ours retain
too strong a tincture of their earthly extraction;
instead of meats your food will be nothing but rice,
and your bread shall be moistened in the fogs that
brood over the surface of the lake.”
At this desolating prospect the poor children
burst into tears, and prostrated themselves before
the dwarfs, who perfectly supported their
characters, and delivered an excellent discourse of
a customary length upon the sacred camel, which
after a thousand years was to convey them to the
paradise of the faithful.
The sermon being ended, and ablutions performed,
they praised Allah and the Prophet, supped very
indifferently, and retired to their withered
leaves. Nouronihar and her little cousin consoled
themselves on finding that, though dead, they yet
lay in one cabin. Having slept well before, the
remainder of the night was spent in conversation on
what had befallen them, and both, from a dread of
apparitions, betook themselves for protection to one
another’s arms.
In the morning, which was lowering and rainy, the
dwarfs mounted high poles like minarets, and called
them to prayers; the whole congregation, which
consisted of Sutlememe, Shaban, the four eunuchs,
and some storks, were already assembled. The two
children came forth from their cabin with a slow and
dejected pace; as their minds were in a tender and
melancholy mood, their devotions were performed with
fervour. No sooner were they finished, than
Gulchenrouz demanded of Sutlememe and the rest, “how
they happened to die so opportunely for his cousin
and himself.”
“We killed ourselves,” returned Sutlememe, “in
despair at your death.”
On this, said Nouronihar, who, notwithstanding
what was past, had not yet forgotten her vision:
“And the Caliph! is he also dead of his grief? and
will he likewise come hither?”
The dwarfs, who were prepared with an answer,
most demurely replied: “Vathek is damned beyond all
redemption!”
“I readily believe so,” said Gulchenrouz, “and I
am glad from my heart to hear it; for I am convinced
it was his horrible look that sent us hither to
listen to sermons and mess upon rice.”
One week passed away on the side of the lake
unmarked by any variety; Nouronihar ruminating on
the grandeur of which death had deprived her, and
Gulchenrouz applying to prayers and to panniers,
along with the dwarfs, who infinitely pleased him.
Whilst this scene of innocence was exhibiting in
the mountains, the Caliph presented himself to the
Emir in a new light; the instant he recovered the
use of his senses, with a voice that made Bababalouk
quake, he thundered out: “Perfidious Giaour! I
renounce thee for ever! it is thou who hast slain my
beloved Nouronihar! and I supplicate the pardon of
Mahomet, who would have preserved her to me had I
been more wise; let water be brought to perform my
ablutions, and let the pious Fakreddin be called to
offer up his prayers with mine, and reconcile me to
him; afterwards we will go together and visit the
sepulchre of the unfortunate Nouronihar; I am
resolved to become a hermit, and consume the residue
of my days on this mountain, in hope of expiating my
crimes.”
Nouronihar was not altogether so content, for
though she felt a fondness for Gulchenrouz, who, to
augment the attachment, had been left at full
liberty with her, yet she still regarded him as but
a bauble, that bore no competition with the
carbuncle of Giamschid. At times she indulged
doubts on the mode of her being, and scarcely could
believe that the dead had all the wants and the
whims of the living. To gain satisfaction, however,
on so perplexing a topic, she arose one morning
whilst all were asleep, with a breathless caution,
from the side of Gulchenrouz, and, after having
given him a soft kiss, began to follow the windings
of the lake till it terminated with a rock, whose
top was accessible, though lofty; this she clambered
up with considerable toil, and having reached the
summit, set forward in a run, like a doe that
unwittingly follows her hunter; though she skipped
along with the alertness of an antelope, yet at
intervals she was forced to desist, and rest beneath
the tamarisks to recover her breath. Whilst she,
thus reclined, was occupied with her little
reflections on the apprehension that she had some
knowledge of the place, Vathek, who, finding himself
that morning but ill at ease, had gone forth before
the dawn, presented himself on a sudden to her view;
motionless with surprise, he durst not approach the
figure before him, which lay shrouded up in a simar,
extended on the ground, trembling and pale, but yet
lovely to behold. At length Nouronihar, with a
mixture of pleasure and affliction, raising her fine
eyes to him, said: “My lord, are you come hither to
eat rice and hear sermons with me?”
“Beloved phantom!” cried Vathek; “dost thou
speak? hast thou the same graceful form? the same
radiant features? art thou palpable likewise?” and,
eagerly embracing her, added: “here are limbs and a
bosom animated with a gentle warmth! what can such a
prodigy mean?”
Nouronihar with diffidence answered: “You know,
my lord, that I died on the night you honoured me
with your visit; my cousin maintains it was from one
of your glances, but I cannot believe him; for to me
they seem not so dreadful. Gulchenrouz died with
me, and we were both brought into a region of
desolation, where we are fed with a wretched diet.
If you be dead also, and are come hither to join us,
I pity your lot; for you will be stunned with the
noise of the dwarfs and the storks; besides, it is
mortifying in the extreme that you, as well as
myself, should have lost the treasures of the
subterranean palace.”
At the mention of the subterranean palace the
Caliph suspended his caresses, to seek from
Nouronihar an explanation of her meaning. She then
recapitulated her vision, what immediately followed,
and the history of her pretended death, adding also
a description of the place of expiation from whence
she had fled, and all in a manner that would have
extorted his laughter, had not the thoughts of
Vathek been too deeply engaged. No sooner, however,
had she ended, than he again clasped her to his
bosom, and said:
“Light of my eyes! the mystery is unravelled; we
both are alive! your father is a cheat, who, for the
sake of dividing, hath deluded us both; and the
Giaour, whose design, as far as I can discover, is
that we shall proceed together, seems scarce a whit
better; it shall be some time at least before he
find us in his palace of fire. Your lovely little
person in my estimation is far more precious than
all the treasures of the pre-adamite Sultans, and I
wish to possess it at pleasure, and in open day, for
many a moon, before I go to burrow underground like
a mole. Forget this little trifler, Gulchenrouz,
and—”
“Ah! my lord!” interposed Nouronihar, “let me
entreat that you do him no evil.”
“No, no!” replied Vathek, “I have already bid you
forbear to alarm yourself for him; he has been
brought up too much on milk and sugar to stimulate
my jealousy; we will leave him with the dwarfs, who,
by the bye, are my old acquaintances; their company
will suit him far better than yours. As to other
matters, I will return no more to your father’s; I
want not to have my ears dinned by him and his
dotards with the violation of the rites of
hospitality; as if it were less an honour for you to
espouse the sovereign of the world than a girl
dressed up like a boy!”
Nouronihar could find nothing to oppose in a
discourse so eloquent; she only wished the amorous
monarch had discovered more ardour for the carbuncle
of Giamschid; but flattered herself it would
gradually increase, and therefore yielded to his
will with the most bewitching submission.
When the Caliph judged it proper, he called for
Bababalouk, who was asleep in the cave of Meimoune,
and dreaming that the phantom of Nouronihar, having
mounted him once more on her swing, had just given
him such a jerk, that he one moment soared above the
mountains, and the next sunk into the abyss;
starting from his sleep at the voice of his master,
he ran gasping for breath, and had nearly fallen
backward at the sight, as he believed, of the
spectre by whom he had so lately been haunted in his
dream.
“Ah, my lord!” cried he, recoiling ten steps, and
covering his eyes with both hands: “do you then
perform the office of a Goul? ’tis true you have dug
up the dead, yet hope not to make her your prey; for
after all she hath caused me to suffer, she is even
wicked enough to prey upon you.”
“Cease thy folly,” said Vathek, “and thou shalt
soon be convinced that it is Nouronihar herself,
alive and well, whom I clasp to my breast; go only
and pitch my tents in the neighbouring valley; there
will I fix my abode with this beautiful tulip, whose
colours I soon shall restore; there exert thy best
endeavours to procure whatever can augment the
enjoyments of life, till I shall disclose to thee
more of my will.”
The news of so unlucky an event soon reached the
ears of the Emir, who abandoned himself to grief and
despair, and began, as did all his old grey-beards,
to begrime his visage with ashes. A total
supineness ensued, travellers were no longer
entertained, no more plaisters were spread, and,
instead of the charitable activity that had
distinguished this asylum, the whole of its
inhabitants exhibited only faces of a half cubit
long, and uttered groans that accorded with their
forlorn situation.
Though Fakreddin bewailed his daughter as lost to
him for ever, yet Gulchenrouz was not forgotten. He
despatched immediate instruction to Sutlememe,
Shaban, and the dwarfs, enjoining them not to
undeceive the child in respect to his state, but,
under some pretence, to convey him far from the
lofty rock at the extremity of the lake, to a place
which he should appoint, as safer from danger; for
he suspected that Vathek intended him evil.
Gulchenrouz in the meanwhile was filled with
amazement at not finding his cousin; nor were the
dwarfs at all less surprised; but Sutlememe, who had
more penetration, immediately guessed what had
happened. Gulchenrouz was amused with the delusive
hope of once more embracing Nouronihar in the
interior recesses of the mountains, where the
ground, strewed over with orange blossoms and
jasmines, offered beds much more inviting than the
withered leaves in their cabin, where they might
accompany with their voices the sounds of their
lutes, and chase butterflies in concert. Sutlememe
was far gone in this sort of description, when one
of the four eunuchs beckoned her aside to apprise
her of the arrival of a messenger from their
fraternity, who had explained the secret of the
flight of Nouronihar, and brought the commands of
the Emir. A council with Shaban and the dwarfs was
immediately held; their baggage being stowed in
consequence of it, they embarked in a shallop, and
quietly sailed with the little one, who acquiesced
in all their proposals; their voyage proceeded in
the same manner till they came to the place where
the lake sinks beneath the hollow of the rock; but
as soon as the bark had entered it, and Gulchenrouz
found himself surrounded with darkness, he was
seized with a dreadful consternation, and
incessantly uttered the most piercing outcries; for
he now was persuaded he should actually be damned
for having taken too much freedom in his life-time
with his cousin.
But let us return to the Caliph and her who ruled
over his heart. Bababalouk had pitched the tents,
and closed up the extremities of the valley with
magnificent screens of India cloth, which were
guarded by Ethiopian slaves with their drawn sabres;
to preserve the verdure of this beautiful enclosure
in its natural freshness, the white eunuchs went
continually round it with their red water-vessels.
The waving of fans was heard near the imperial
pavilion, where, by the voluptuous light that glowed
through the muslins, the Caliph enjoyed at full view
all the attractions of Nouronihar. Inebriated with
delight, he was all ear to her charming voice, which
accompanied the lute; while she was not less
captivated with his descriptions of Samarah and the
tower full of wonders, but especially with his
relation of the adventure of the ball, and the chasm
of the Giaour, with its ebony portal.
In this manner they conversed for a day and a
night; they bathed together in a basin of black
marble, which admirably relieved the fairness of
Nouronihar. Bababalouk, whose good graces this
beauty had regained, spared no attention that their
repasts might be served up with the minutest
exactness; some exquisite rarity was ever placed
before them; and he sent even to Schiraz for that
fragrant and delicious wine which had been hoarded
up in bottles prior to the birth of Mahomet; he had
excavated little ovens in the rock to bake the nice
manchets which were prepared by the hands of
Nouronihar, from whence they had derived a flavour
so grateful to Vathek, that he regarded the ragouts
of his other wives as entirely mawkish; whilst they
would have died at the Emir’s of chagrin at finding
themselves so neglected, if Fakreddin,
notwithstanding his resentment, had not taken pity
upon them.
The Sultana Dilara, who till then had been the
favourite, took this dereliction of the Caliph to
heart with a vehemence natural to her character, for
during her continuance in favour she had imbibed
from Vathek many of his extravagant fancies, and was
filed with impatience to behold the superb tombs of
Istakar, and the palace of forty columns; besides,
having been brought up amongst the Magi, she had
fondly cherished the idea of the Caliph’s devoting
himself to the worship of fire; thus his voluptuous
and desultory life with her rival was to her a
double source of affliction. The transient piety of
Vathek had occasioned her some serious alarms, but
the present was an evil of far greater magnitude;
she resolved, therefore, without hesitation, to
write to Carathis, and acquaint her that all things
went ill; that they had eaten, slept, and revelled
at an old Emir’s, whose sanctity was very
formidable, and that after all, the prospect of
possessing the treasures of the pre-adamite Sultans
was no less remote than before. This letter was
entrusted to the care of two wood-men, who were at
work on one of the great forests of the mountains,
and, being acquainted with the shortest cuts,
arrived in ten days at Samarah.
The Princess Carathis was engaged at chess with
Morakanabad, when the arrival of these wood-fellers
was announced. She, after some weeks of Vathek’s
absence, had forsaken the upper regions of her
tower, because everything appeared in confusion
among the stars, whom she consulted relative to the
fate of her son. In vain did she renew her
fumigations, and extend herself on the roof to
obtain mystic visions; nothing more could she see in
her dreams than pieces of brocade, nosegays of
flowers, and other unmeaning gewgaws. These
disappointments had thrown her into a state of
dejection, which no drug in her power was sufficient
to remove; her only resource was in Morakanabad, who
was a good man, and endowed with a decent share of
confidence, yet whilst in her company he never
thought himself on roses.
No person knew aught of Vathek, and a thousand
ridiculous stories were propagated at his expense.
The eagerness of Carathis may be easily guessed at
receiving the letter, as well as her rage at reading
the dissolute conduct of her son. “Is it so?” said
she; “either I will perish, or Vathek shall enter
the palace of fire. Let me expire in flames,
provided he may reign on the throne of Soliman!”
Having said this, and whirled herself round in a
magical manner, which struck Morakanabad with such
terror as caused him to recoil, she ordered her
great camel Alboufaki to be brought, and the hideous
Nerkes with the unrelenting Cafour to attend. “I
require no other retinue,” said she to Morakanabad;
“I am going on affairs of emergency; a truce
therefore to parade! Take you care of the people;
fleece them well in my absence; for we shall expend
large sums, and one knows not what may betide.”
The night was uncommonly dark, and a pestilential
blast ravaged the plain of Catoul that would have
deterred any other traveller, however urgent the
call; but Carathis enjoyed most whatever filled
others with dread. Nerkes concurred in opinion with
her, and Cafour had a particular predilection for a
pestilence. In the morning this accomplished
caravan, with the wood-fellers who directed their
route, halted on the edge of an extensive marsh,
from whence so noxious a vapour arose as would have
destroyed any animal but Alboufaki, who naturally
inhaled these malignant fogs. The peasants
entreated their convoy not to sleep in this place.
“To sleep,” cried Carathis; “what an excellent
thought! I never sleep but for visions; and, as to
my attendants, their occupations are too many to
close the only eye they each have.”
The poor peasants, who were not over-pleased with
their party, remained open-mouthed with surprise.
Carathis alighted, as well as her negresses, and
severally stripping off their outer garments, they
all ran in their drawers, to cull from those spots
where the sun shone fiercest the venomous plants
that grew on the marsh; this provision was made for
the family of the Emir, and whoever might retard the
expedition to Istakar. The wood-men were overcome
with fear when they beheld these three horrible
phantoms run, and, not much relishing the company of
Alboufaki, stood aghast at the command of Carathis
to set forward, notwithstanding it was noon, and the
heat fierce enough to calcine even rocks. In spite,
however, of every remonstrance, they were forced
implicitly to submit.
Alboufaki, who delighted in solitude, constantly
snorted whenever he perceived himself near a
habitation; and Carathis, who was apt to spoil him
with indulgence, as constantly turned him aside, so
that the peasants were precluded from procuring
subsistence; for the milch goats and ewes, which
Providence had sent towards the district they
traversed, to refresh travellers with their milk,
all fled at the sight of the hideous animal and his
strange riders. As to Carathis, she needed no
common aliment, for her invention had previously
furnished her with an opiate to stay her stomach,
some of which she imparted to her mutes.
At the fall of night Alboufaki, making a sudden
stop, stamped with his foot, which to Carathis, who
understood his paces, was a certain indication that
she was near the confines of some cemetery. The
moon shed a bright light on the spot, which served
to discover a long wall, with a large door in it
standing ajar, and so high that Alboufaki might
easily enter. The miserable guides, who perceived
their end approaching, humbly implored Carathis, as
she had now so good an opportunity, to inter them,
and immediately gave up the ghost. Nerkes and
Cafour, whose wit was of a style peculiar to
themselves, were by no means parsimonious of it on
the folly of these poor people, nor could anything
have been found more suited to their tastes than the
site of the burying-ground, and the sepulchres which
its precincts contained; there were at least two
thousand of them on the declivity of a hill: some in
the form of pyramids, others like columns, and, in
short, the variety of their shapes was endless.
Carathis was too much immersed in her sublime
contemplations to stop at the view, charming as it
appeared in her eyes; pondering the advantages that
might accrue from her present situation, she could
not forbear to exclaim:
“So beautiful a cemetery must be haunted by Gouls!
and they want not for intelligence; having
heedlessly suffered my guides to expire, I will
apply for directions to them, and as an inducement
will invite them to regale on these fresh corpses.”
After this short soliloquy she beckoned to Nerkes
and Cafour, and made signs with her fingers, as much
as to say, “Go, knock against the sides of the
tombs, and strike up your delightful warblings, that
are so like to those of the guests whose company I
wish to obtain.”
The negresses, full of joy at the behests of
their mistress, and promising themselves much
pleasure from the society of the Gouls, went with an
air of conquest, and began their knockings at the
tombs; as their strokes were repeated a hollow noise
was heard in the earth, the surface hove up into
heaps, and the Gouls on all sides protruded their
noses, to inhale the effluvia which the carcases of
the wood-men began to emit.
They assembled before a sarcophagus of white
marble, where Carathis was seated between the bodies
of her miserable guides; the princess received her
visitants with distinguished politeness, and, when
supper was ended, proceeded with them to business.
Having soon learnt from them everything she wished
to discover, it was her intention to set forward
forthwith on her journey, but her negresses, who
were forming tender connections with the Gouls,
importuned her with all their fingers to wait at
least till the dawn. Carathis, however, being
chastity in the abstract, and an implacable enemy to
love and repose, at once rejected their prayer,
mounted Alboufaki, and commanded them to take their
seats in a moment; four days and four nights she
continued her route, without turning to the right
hand or left; on the fifth she traversed the
mountains and half-burnt forests, and arrived on the
sixth before the beautiful screens which concealed
from all eyes the voluptuous wanderings of her son.
It was daybreak, and the guards were snoring on
their posts in careless security, when the rough
trot of Alboufaki awoke them in consternation.
Imagining that a group of spectres ascended from the
abyss was approaching, they all without ceremony
took to their heels. Vathek was at that instant
with Nouronihar in the bath, hearing tales, and
laughing at Bababalouk, who related them; but no
sooner did the outcry of his guards reach him, than
he flounced from the water like a carp, and as soon
threw himself back at the sight of Carathis, who,
advancing with her negresses upon Alboufaki, broke
through the muslin awnings and veils of the
pavilion; at this sudden apparition Nouronihar (for
she was not at all times free from remorse) fancied
that the moment of celestial vengeance was come, and
clung about the Caliph in amorous despondence.
Carathis, still seated on her camel, foamed with
indignation at the spectacle which obtruded itself
on her chaste view; she thundered forth without
check or mercy: “Thou double-headed and four-legged
monster! what means all this winding and writhing?
art thou not ashamed to be seen grasping this limber
sapling, in preference to the sceptre of the pre-adamite
Sultans? is it then for this paltry doxy that thou
hast violated the conditions in the parchment of our
Giaour? is it on her thou hast lavished thy precious
moments? is this the fruit of the knowledge I have
taught thee? is this the end of thy journey? tear
thyself from the arms of this little simpleton,
drown her in the water before me, and instantly
follow my guidance.”
In the first ebullition of his fury Vathek
resolved to make a skeleton of Alboufaki, and to
stuff the skins of Carathis and her blacks; but the
ideas of the Giaour, the palace of Istakar, the
sabres and the talismans, flashing before his
imagination with the simultaneousness of lightning,
he became more moderate, and said to his mother, in
a civil but decisive tone: “Dread lady! you shall be
obeyed, but I will not drown Nouronihar; she is
sweeter to me than a Myrabolan comfit, and is
enamoured of carbuncles, especially that of
Giamschid, which hath also been promised to be
conferred upon her; she therefore shall go along
with us, for I intend to repose with her beneath the
canopies of Soliman; I can sleep no more without
her.”
“Be it so!” replied Carathis, alighting, and at
the same time committing Alboufaki to the charge of
her women.
Nouronihar, who had not yet quitted her hold,
began to take courage, and said, with an accent of
fondness to the Caliph: “Dear Sovereign of my soul!
I will follow thee, if it be thy will, beyond the
Kaf in the land of the Afrits; I will not hesitate
to climb for thee the nest of the Simurgh, who, this
lady excepted, is the most awful of created
existences.”
“We have here then,” subjoined Carathis, “a girl
both of courage and science!”
Nouronihar had certainly both; but,
notwithstanding all her firmness, she could not help
casting back a look of regret upon the graces of her
little Gulchenrouz, and the days of tenderness she
had participated with him; she even dropped a few
tears, which Carathis observed, and inadvertently
breathed out with a sigh: “Alas! my gentle cousin!
what will become of him!”
Vathek at this apostrophe knitted up his brows,
and Carathis inquired what it could mean.
“She is preposterously sighing after a stripling
with languishing eyes and soft hair, who loves her,”
said the Caliph.
“Where is he?” asked Carathis. “I must be
acquainted with this pretty child; for,” added she,
lowering her voice, “I design before I depart to
regain the favour of the Giaour; there is nothing so
delicious in his estimation as the heart of a
delicate boy, palpitating with the first tumults of
love.”
Vathek, as he came from the bath, commanded
Bababalouk to collect the women and other movables
of his harem, embody his troops, and hold himself in
readiness to march in three days; whilst Carathis
retired alone to a tent, where the Giaour solaced
her with encouraging visions; but at length waking,
she found at her feet Nerkes and Cafour, who
informed her by their signs that, having led
Alboufaki to the borders of a lake, to browse on
some moss that looked tolerably venomous, they had
discovered certain blue fishes of the same kind with
those in the reservoir on the top of the tower.
“Ah! ha!” said she, “I will go thither to them;
these fish are past doubt of a species that, by a
small operation, I can render oracular; they may
tell me where this little Gulchenrouz is, whom I am
bent upon sacrificing.” Having thus spoken, she
immediately set out with her swarthy retinue.
It being but seldom that time is lost in the
accomplishment of a wicked enterprise, Carathis and
her negresses soon arrived at the lake, where, after
burning the magical drugs with which they were
always provided, they, stripping themselves naked,
waded to their chins, Nerkes and Cafour waving
torches around them, and Carathis pronouncing her
barbarous incantations. The fishes with one accord
thrust forth their heads from the water, which was
violently rippled by the flutter of their fins, and,
at length finding themselves constrained by the
potency of the charm, they opened their piteous
mouths, and said: “From gills to tail we are yours;
what seek ye to know?”
“Fishes,” answered she, “I conjure you, by your
glittering scales, tell me where now is Gulchenrouz?”
“Beyond the rock,” replied the shoal in full
chorus; “will this content you? for we do not
delight in expanding our mouths.”
“It will,” returned the princess; “I am not to
learn that you like not long conversations; I will
leave you therefore to repose, though I had other
questions to propound.” The instant she had spoken
the water became smooth, and the fishes at once
disappeared.
Carathis, inflated with the venom of her
projects, strode hastily over the rock, and found
the amiable Gulchenrouz asleep in an arbour, whilst
the two dwarfs were watching at his side, and
ruminating their accustomed prayers. These
diminutive personages possessed the gift of divining
whenever an enemy to good Mussulmans approached;
thus they anticipated the arrival of Carathis, who,
stopping short, said to herself: “How placidly doth
he recline his lovely little head! how pale and
languishing are his looks! it is just the very child
of my wishes!”
The dwarfs interrupted this delectable soliloquy
by leaping instantly upon her, and scratching her
face with their utmost zeal. But Nerkes and Cafour,
betaking themselves to the succour of their
mistress, pinched the dwarfs so severely in return,
that they both gave up the ghost, imploring Mahomet
to inflict his sorest vengeance upon this wicked
woman and all her household.
At the noise which this strange conflict
occasioned in the valley, Gulchenrouz awoke, and,
bewildered with terror, sprung impetuously upon an
old figtree that rose against the acclivity of the
rocks; from thence gained their summits, and ran for
two hours without once looking back. At last,
exhausted with fatigue, he fell as if dead into the
arms of a good old Genius, whose fondness for the
company of children had made it his sole occupation
to protect them, and who, whilst performing his
wonted rounds through the air, happening on the
cruel Giaour at the instant of his growling in the
horrible chasm, rescued the fifty little victims
which the impiety of Vathek had devoted to his maw;
these the Genius brought up in nests still higher
than the clouds, and himself fixed his abode in a
nest more capacious than the rest, from which he had
expelled the possessors that had built it.
These inviolable asylums were defended against
the Dives and the Afrits by waving streamers, on
which were inscribed, in characters of gold that
flashed like lightning, the names of Allah and the
Prophet. It was there that Gulchenrouz, who as yet
remained undeceived with respect to his pretended
death, thought himself in the mansions of eternal
peace, he admitted without fear the congratulations
of his little friends, who were all assembled in the
nest of the venerable Genius, and vied with each
other in kissing his serene forehead and beautiful
eyelids. This he found to be the state congenial to
his soul; remote from the inquietudes of earth, the
impertinence of harems, the brutality of eunuchs,
and the lubricity of women: in this peacable
society, his days, months, and years glided on; nor
was he less happy than the rest of his companions;
for the Genius, instead of burthening his pupils
with perishable riches and the vain sciences of the
world, conferred upon them the boon of perpetual
childhood.
Carathis, unaccustomed to the loss of her prey,
vented a thousand execrations on her negresses for
not seizing the child, instead of amusing themselves
with pinching to death the dwarfs, from which they
could gain no advantage. She returned into the
valley murmuring, and finding that her son was not
risen from the arms of Nouronihar, discharged her
ill-humour upon both. The idea, however, of
departing next day for Istakar, and cultivating,
through the good offices of the Giaour, an intimacy
with Eblis himself, at length consoled her chagrin.
But Fate had ordained it otherwise.
In the evening, as Carathis was conversing with
Dilara, who, through her contrivance, had become of
the party, and whose taste resembled her own,
Bababalouk came to acquaint her “that the sky
towards Samarah looked of a fiery red, and seemed to
portend some alarming disaster.” Immediately,
recurring to her astrolabes and instruments of
magic, she took the altitude of the planets, and
discovered by her calculations, to her great
mortification, that a formidable revolt had taken
place at Samarah; that Motavakel, availing himself
of the disgust which was inveterate against his
brother, had incited commotions amongst the
populace, made himself master of the palace, and
actually invested the great tower, to which
Morakanabad had retired, with a handful of the few
that still remained faithful to Vathek.
“What!” exclaimed she; “must I lose then my
tower! my mutes! my negresses! my mummies! and,
worse than all, the laboratory in which I have spent
so many a night, without knowing at least if my
hair-brained son will complete his adventure? No!
I will not be the dupe! Immediately will I speed to
support Morakanabad; by my formidable art the clouds
shall sleet hailstones in the faces of the
assailants, and shafts of red-hot iron on their
heads; I will spring mines of serpents and torpedos
from beneath them, and we shall soon see the stand
they will make against such an explosion!”
Having thus spoken, Carathis hastened to her son,
who was tranquilly banqueting with Nouronihar in his
superb carnation-coloured tent.
“Glutton that thou art!” cried she, “were it not
for me, thou wouldst soon find thyself the commander
only of pies. Thy faithful subjects have abjured
the faith they swore to thee; Motavakel, thy
brother, now reigns on the hill of pied horses, and
had I not some slight resources in the tower, would
not be easily persuaded to abdicate; but, that time
may not be lost, I shall only add four words: Strike
tent to-night, set forward, and beware how thou
loiterest again by the way; though thou hast
forfeited the conditions of the parchment, I am not
yet without hope; for it cannot be denied that thou
hast violated to admiration the laws of hospitality,
by seducing the daughter of the Emir, after having
partaken of his bread and his salt. Such a conduct
cannot but be delightful to the Giaour; and if on
thy march thou canst signalise thyself by an
additional crime, all will still go well, and thou
shalt enter the palace of Soliman in triumph.
Adieu! Alboufaki and my negresses are waiting.”
The Caliph had nothing to offer in reply; he
wished his mother a prosperous journey, and ate on
till he had finished his supper. At midnight the
camp broke up, amidst the flourishing of trumpets
and other martial instruments; but loud indeed must
have been the sound of the tymbals to overpower the
blubbering of the Emir and his long-beards, who, by
an excessive profusion of tears, had so far
exhausted the radical moisture, that their eyes
shrivelled up in their sockets, and their hairs
dropped off by the roots. Nouronihar, to whom such
a symphony was painful, did not grieve to get out of
hearing; she accompanied the Caliph in the imperial
litter, where they amused themselves with imagining
the splendour which was soon to surround them. The
other women, overcome with dejection, were dolefully
rocked in their cages, whilst Dilara consoled
herself with anticipating the joy of celebrating the
rites of fire on the stately terraces of Istakar.
In four days they reached the spacious valley of
Rocnabad. The season of spring was in all its
vigour, and the grotesque branches of the almond
trees in full blossom fantastically chequered the
clear blue sky; the earth, variegated with hyacinths
and jonquils, breathed forth a fragrance which
diffused through the soul a divine repose; myriads
of bees, and scarce fewer of Santons, had there
taken up their abode; on the banks of the stream
hives and oratories were alternately ranged, and
their neatness and whiteness were set off by the
deep green of the cypresses that spired up amongst
them. These pious personages amused themselves with
cultivating little gardens that abounded with
flowers and fruits, especially musk-melons of the
best flavour that Persia could boast; sometimes
dispersed over the meadow, they entertained
themselves with feeding peacocks whiter than snow,
and turtles more blue than the sapphire; in this
manner were they occupied when the harbingers of the
imperial procession began to proclaim: “Inhabitants
of Rocnabad! prostrate yourselves on the brink of
your pure waters, and tender your thanksgivings to
Heaven, that vouchsafeth to show you a ray of its
glory; for lo! the Commander of the Faithful draws
near.”
The poor Santons, filled with holy energy, having
bustled to light up wax torches in their oratories
and expand the Koran on their ebony desks, went
forth to meet the Caliph with baskets of honeycomb,
dates, and melons. But, whilst they were advancing
in solemn procession and with measured steps, the
horses, camels, and guards wantoned over their
tulips and other flowers, and made a terrible havoc
amongst them. The Santons could not help casting
from one eye a look of pity on the ravages
committing around them, whilst the other was fixed
upon the Caliph and heaven. Nouronihar, enraptured
with the scenery of a place which brought back to
her remembrance the pleasing solitudes where her
infancy had passed, entreated Vathek to stop; but
he, suspecting that each oratory might be deemed by
the Giaour a distinct habitation, commanded his
pioneers to level them all; the Santons stood
motionless with horror at the barbarous mandate, and
at last broke out into lamentations; but these were
uttered with so ill a grace, that Vathek bade his
eunuchs to kick them from his presence. He then
descended from the litter with Nouronihar; they
sauntered together in the meadow, and amused
themselves with culling flowers, and passing a
thousand pleasantries on each other. But the bees,
who were staunch Mussulmans, thinking it their duty
to revenge the insult on their dear masters the
Santons, assembled so zealously to do it with
effect, that the Caliph and Nouronihar were glad to
find their tents prepared to receive them.
Bababalouk, who in capacity of purveyor had
acquitted himself with applause as to peacocks and
turtles, lost no time in consigning some dozens to
the spit, and as many more to be fricasseed. Whilst
they were feasting, laughing, carousing, and
blaspheming at pleasure on the banquet so liberally
furnished, the Moullahs, the Sheiks, the Cadis and
Imams of Schiraz (who seemed not to have met the
Santons) arrived, leading by bridles of riband
inscribed from the Koran, a train of asses, which
were loaded with the choicest fruits the country
could boast; having presented their offerings to the
Caliph, they petitioned him to honour their city and
mosques with his presence.
“Fancy not,” said Vathek, “that you can detain
me; your presents I condescend to accept, but beg
you will let me be quiet, for I am not over-fond of
resisting temptation; retire, then; yet, as it is
not decent for personages so reverend to return on
foot, and as you have not the appearance of expert
riders, my eunuchs shall tie you on your asses, with
the precaution that your backs be not turned towards
me, for they understand etiquette.”
In this deputation were some high-stomached
Sheiks, who, taking Vathek for a fool, scrupled not
to speak their opinion. These Bababalouk girded
with double cords, and, having well disciplined
their asses with nettles behind, they all started
with a preternatural alertness, plunging, kicking,
and running foul of each other in the most ludicrous
manner imaginable.
Nouronihar and the Caliph mutually contended who
should most enjoy so degrading a sight; they burst
out in volleys of laughter to see the old men and
their asses fall into the stream; the leg of one was
fractured, the shoulder of another dislocated, the
teeth of a third dashed out, and the rest suffered
still worse.
Two days more, undisturbed by fresh embassies,
having been devoted to the pleasures of Rocnabad,
the expedition proceeded, leaving Shiraz on the
right, and verging towards a large plain, from
whence were discernible on the edge of the horizon
the dark summits of the mountains of Istakar.
At this prospect the Caliph and Nouronihar were
unable to repress their transports; they bounded
from their litter to the ground, and broke forth
into such wild exclamations, as amazed all within
hearing. Interrogating each other, they shouted,
“Are we not approaching the radiant palace of light?
or gardens more delightful than those of Sheddad?”
Infatuated mortals! they thus indulged delusive
conjecture, unable to fathom the decrees of the Most
High!
The good Genii, who had not totally relinquished
the superintendence of Vathek, repairing to Mahomet
in the seventh heaven, said: “Merciful Prophet!
stretch forth thy propitious arms towards thy
Vicegerent, who is ready to fall irretrievably into
the snare which his enemies, the Dives, have
prepared to destroy him; the Giaour is awaiting his
arrival in the abominable palace of fire, where, if
he once set his foot, his perdition will be
inevitable.”
Mahomet answered with an air of indignation: “He
hath too well deserved to be resigned to himself,
but I permit you to try if one effort more will be
effectual to divert him from pursuing his ruin.”
One of these beneficent Genii, assuming without
delay the exterior of a shepherd, more renowned for
his piety than all the Dervises and Santons of the
region, took his station near a flock of white sheep
on the slope of a hill, and began to pour forth from
his flute such airs of pathetic melody as subdued
the very soul, and, awakening remorse, drove far
from it every frivolous fancy. At these energetic
sounds the sun hid himself beneath a gloomy cloud,
and the waters of two little lakes, that were
naturally clearer than crystal, became of a colour
like blood. The whole of this superb assembly was
involuntarily drawn towards the declivity of the
hill; with downcast eyes they all stood abashed,
each upbraiding himself with the evil he had done;
the heart of Dilara palpitated, and the chief of the
eunuchs with a sigh of contrition implored pardon of
the women, whom for his own satisfaction he had so
often tormented.
Vathek and Nouronihar turned pale in their
litter, and, regarding each other with haggard
looks, reproached themselves—the one with a thousand
of the blackest crimes, a thousand projects of
impious ambition—the other with the desolation of
her family, and the perdition of the amiable
Gulchenrouz. Nouronihar persuaded herself that she
heard in the fatal music the groans of her dying
father, and Vathek the sobs of the fifty children he
had sacrificed to the Giaour. Amidst these
complicated pangs of anguish they perceived
themselves impelled towards the shepherd, whose
countenance was so commanding, that Vathek for the
first time felt overawed, whilst Nouronihar
concealed her face with her hands.
The music paused, and the Genius, addressing the
Caliph, said: “Deluded Prince! to whom Providence
hath confided the care of innumerable subjects, is
it thus that thou fulfillest thy mission? Thy
crimes are already completed, and art thou now
hastening towards thy punishment? Thou knowest that
beyond these mountains Eblis and his accursed Dives
hold their infernal empire; and, seduced by a
malignant phantom, thou art proceeding to surrender
thyself to them! This moment is the last of grace
allowed thee; abandon thy atrocious purpose; return;
give back Nouronihar to her father, who still
retains a few sparks of life; destroy thy tower with
all its abominations; drive Carathis from thy
councils; be just to thy subjects; respect the
ministers of the Prophet; compensate for thy
impieties by an exemplary life; and, instead of
squandering thy days in voluptuous indulgence,
lament thy crimes on the sepulchres of thy
ancestors. Thou beholdest the clouds that obscure
the sun; at the instant he recovers his splendour,
if thy heart be not changed, the time of mercy
assigned thee will be past for ever.”
Vathek, depressed with fear, was on the point of
prostrating himself at the feet of the shepherd,
whom he perceived to be of a nature superior to man;
but, his pride prevailing, he audaciously lifted his
head, and, glancing at him one of his terrible
looks, said: “Whoever thou art, withhold thy useless
admonitions; thou wouldst either delude me, or art
thyself deceived. If what I have done be so
criminal as thou pretendest, there remains not for
me a moment of grace; I have traversed a sea of
blood to acquire a power which will make thy equals
tremble; deem not that I shall retire when in view
of the port, or that I will relinquish her who is
dearer to me than either my life or thy mercy. Let
the sun appear! let him illumine my career! it
matters not where it may end.” On uttering these
words, which made even the Genius shudder, Vathek
threw himself into the arms of Nouronihar, and
commanded that his horse should be forced back to
the road.
There was no difficulty in obeying these orders,
for the attraction had ceased; the sun shone forth
in all his glory, and the shepherd vanished with a
lamentable scream.
The fatal impression of the music of the Genius
remained, notwithstanding, in the heart of Vathek’s
attendants; they viewed each other with looks of
consternation; at the approach of night almost all
of them escaped, and of this numerous assemblage
there only remained the chief of the eunuchs, some
idolatrous slaves, Dilara and a few other women,
who, like herself, were votaries of the religion of
the Magi.
The Caliph, fired with the ambition of
prescribing laws to the Intelligences of Darkness,
was but little embarrassed at this dereliction; the
impetuosity of his blood prevented him from
sleeping, nor did he encamp any more as before.
Nouronihar, whose impatience, if possible, exceeded
his own, importuned him to hasten his march, and
lavished on him a thousand caresses to beguile all
reflection; she fancied herself already more potent
than Balkis, and pictured to her imagination the
Genii falling prostrate at the foot of her throne.
In this manner they advanced by moonlight, till they
came within view of the two towering rocks that form
a kind of portal to the valley, at whose extremity
rose the vast ruins of Istakar. Aloft on the
mountain glimmered the fronts of various royal
mausoleums, the horror of which was deepened by the
shadows of night. They passed through two villages
almost deserted, the only inhabitants remaining
being a few feeble old men, who, at the sight of
horses and litters, fell upon their knees and cried
out:
“O Heaven! is it then by these phantoms that we
have been for six months tormented? Alas! it was
from the terror of these spectres and the noise
beneath the mountains, that our people have fled,
and left us at the mercy of maleficent spirits!”
The Caliph, to whom these complaints were but
unpromising auguries, drove over the bodies of these
wretched old men, and at length arrived at the foot
of the terrace of black marble; there he descended
from his litter, handing down Nouronihar; both with
beating hearts stared wildly around them, and
expected with an apprehensive shudder the approach
of the Giaour; but nothing as yet announced his
appearance.
A death-like stillness reigned over the mountain
and through the air; the moon dilated on a vast
platform the shades of the lofty columns, which
reached from the terrace almost to the clouds; the
gloomy watch-towers, whose numbers could not be
counted, were veiled by no roof, and their capitals,
of an architecture unknown in the records of the
earth, served as an asylum for the birds of
darkness, which, alarmed at the approach of such
visitants, fled away croaking.
The chief of the eunuchs, trembling with fear,
besought Vathek that a fire might be kindled.
“No!” replied he, “there is no time left to think
of such trifles; abide where thou art, and expect my
commands.”
Having thus spoken, he presented his hand to
Nouronihar, and, ascending the steps of a vast
staircase, reached the terrace, which was flagged
with squares of marble, and resembled a smooth
expanse of water, upon whose surface not a leaf ever
dared to vegetate; on the right rose the
watch-towers, ranged before the ruins of an immense
palace, whose walls were embossed with various
figures; in front stood forth the colossal forms of
four creatures, composed of the leopard and the
griffin; and, though but of stone, inspired emotions
of terror; near these were distinguished by the
splendour of the moon, which streamed full on the
place, characters like those on the sabres of the
Giaour, that possessed the same virtue of changing
every moment; these, after vacillating for some
time, at last fixed in Arabic letters, and
prescribed to the Caliph the following words:
“Vathek! thou hast violated the conditions of my
parchment, and deservest to be sent back; but, in
favour to thy companion, and as the meed for what
thou hast done to obtain it, EBLIS permitteth that
the portal of his palace shall be opened, and the
subterranean fire will receive thee into the number
of its adorers.”
He scarcely had read these words before the
mountain against which the terrace was reared
trembled, and the watch-towers were ready to topple
headlong upon them; the rock yawned, and disclosed
within it a staircase of polished marble that seemed
to approach the abyss; upon each stair were planted
two large torches, like those Nouronihar had seen in
her vision, the camphorated vapour ascending from
which gathered into a cloud under the hollow of the
vault.
This appearance, instead of terrifying, gave new
courage to the daughter of Fakreddin. Scarcely
deigning to bid adieu to the moon and the firmament,
she abandoned without hesitation the pure atmosphere
to plunge into these infernal exhalations. The gait
of those impious personages was haughty and
determined; as they descended by the effulgence of
the torches they gazed on each other with mutual
admiration, and both appeared so resplendent, that
they already esteemed themselves spiritual
Intelligences; the only circumstance that perplexed
them was their not arriving at the bottom of the
stairs; on hastening their descent with an ardent
impetuosity, they felt their steps accelerated to
such a degree, that they seemed not walking, but
falling from a precipice. Their progress, however,
was at length impeded by a vast portal of ebony,
which the Caliph without difficulty recognised; here
the Giaour awaited them with the key in his hand.
“Ye are welcome,” said he to them, with a ghastly
smile, “in spite of Mahomet and all his dependants.
I will now admit you into that palace where you have
so highly merited a place.”
Whilst he was uttering these words he touched the
enamelled lock with his key, and the doors at once
expanded, with a noise still louder than the thunder
of mountains, and as suddenly recoiled the moment
they had entered.
The Caliph and Nouronihar beheld each other with
amazement, at finding themselves in a place which,
though roofed with a vaulted ceiling, was so
spacious and lofty that at first they took it for an
immeasurable plain. But their eyes at length
growing familiar to the grandeur of the objects at
hand, they extended their view to those at a
distance, and discovered rows of columns and
arcades, which gradually diminished till they
terminated in a point, radiant as the sun when he
darts his last beams athwart the ocean; the
pavement, strewed over with gold dust and saffron,
exhaled so subtle an odour as almost overpowered
them; they, however, went on, and observed an
infinity of censers, in which ambergris and the wood
of aloes were continually burning; between the
several columns were placed tables, each spread with
a profusion of viands, and wines of every species
sparkling in vases of crystal. A throng of Genii
and other fantastic spirits of each sex danced in
troops, at the sound of music which issued from
beneath.
In the midst of this immense hall a vast
multitude was incessantly passing, who severally
kept their right hands on their hearts, without once
regarding anything around them; they had all the
livid paleness of death; their eyes, deep sunk in
their sockets, resembled those phosphoric meteors
that glimmer by night in places of interment. Some
stalked slowly on, absorbed in profound reverie;
some, shrieking with agony, ran furiously about,
like tigers wounded with poisoned arrows; whilst
others, grinding their teeth in rage, foamed along,
more frantic than the wildest maniac. They all
avoided each other, and, though surrounded by a
multitude that no one could number, each wandered at
random, unheedful of the rest, as if alone on a
desert which no foot had trodden.
Vathek and Nouronihar, frozen with terror at a
sight so baleful, demanded of the Giaour what these
appearances might mean, and why these ambulating
spectres never withdrew their hands from their
hearts.
“Perplex not yourselves,” replied he bluntly,
“with so much; at once you will soon be acquainted
with all; let us haste and present you to Eblis.”
They continued their way through the multitude
but, notwithstanding their confidence at first, they
were not sufficiently composed to examine with
attention the various perspectives of halls and of
galleries that opened on the right hand and left,
which were all illuminated by torches and braziers,
whose flames rose in pyramids to the centre of the
vault. At length they came to a place where long
curtains, brocaded with crimson and gold, fell from
all parts in striking confusion; here the choirs and
dances were heard no longer; the light which
glimmered came from afar.
After some time Vathek and Nouronihar perceived a
gleam brightening through the drapery, and entered a
vast tabernacle carpeted with the skins of leopards;
an infinity of elders with streaming beards, and
Afrits in complete armour, had prostrated themselves
before the ascent of a lofty eminence, on the top of
which, upon a globe of fire, sat the formidable
Eblis. His person was that of a young man, whose
noble and regular features seemed to have been
tarnished by malignant vapours; in his large eyes
appeared both pride and despair; his flowing hair
retained some resemblance to that of an angel of
light; in his hand, which thunder had blasted, he
swayed the iron sceptre that causes the monster
Ouranabad, the Afrits, and all the powers of the
abyss to tremble; at his presence the heart of the
Caliph sank within him, and for the first time he
fell prostrate on his face. Nouronihar, however,
though greatly dismayed, could not help admiring the
person of Eblis; for she expected to have seen some
stupendous giant. Eblis, with a voice more mild
than might be imagined, but such as transfused
through the soul the deepest melancholy, said:
“Creatures of clay, I receive you into mine
empire; ye are numbered amongst my adorers; enjoy
whatever this palace affords; the treasures of the
pre-adamite Sultans, their bickering sabres, and
those talismans that compel the Dives to open the
subterranean expanses of the mountain of Kaf, which
communicate with these; there, insatiable as your
curiosity may be, shall you find sufficient to
gratify it; you shall possess the exclusive
privilege of entering the fortress of Aherman, and
the halls of Argenk, where are portrayed all
creatures endowed with intelligence, and the various
animals that inhabited the earth prior to the
creation of that contemptible being whom ye
denominate the Father of Mankind.”
Vathek and Nouronihar, feeling themselves revived
and encouraged by this harangue, eagerly said to the
Giaour:
“Bring us instantly to the place which contains
these precious talismans.”
“Come!” answered this wicked Dive, with his
malignant grin, “come! and possess all that my
sovereign hath promised, and more.”
He then conducted them into a long aisle
adjoining the tabernacle, preceding them with hasty
steps, and followed by his disciples with the utmost
alacrity. They reached, at length, a hall of great
extent, and covered with a lofty dome, around which
appeared fifty portals of bronze, secured with as
many fastenings of iron; a funereal gloom prevailed
over the whole scene; here, upon two beds of
incorruptible cedar, lay recumbent the fleshless
forms of the pre-adamite kings, who had been
monarchs of the whole earth; they still possessed
enough of life to be conscious of their deplorable
condition; their eyes retained a melancholy motion;
they regarded each other with looks of the deepest
dejection; each holding his right hand motionless on
his heart; at their feet were inscribed the events
of their several reigns, their power, their pride,
and their crimes; Soliman Raad, Soliman Daki, and
Soliman Di Gian Ben Gian, who, after having chained
up the Dives in the dark caverns of Kaf, became so
presumptuous as to doubt of the Supreme Power; all
these maintained great state, though not to be
compared with the eminence of Soliman Ben Daoud.
This king, so renowned for his wisdom, was on the
loftiest elevation, and placed immediately under the
dome; he appeared to possess more animation than the
rest; though from time to time he laboured with
profound sighs, and, like his companions, kept his
right hand on his heart; yet his countenance was
more composed, and he seemed to be listening to the
sullen roar of a vast cataract, visible in part
through the grated portals: this was the only sound
that intruded on the silence of these doleful
mansions. A range of brazen vases surrounded the
elevation.
“Remove the covers from these cabalistic
depositories,” said the Giaour to Vathek, “and avail
thyself of the talismans, which will break asunder
all these gates of bronze; and not only render thee
master of the treasures contained within them, but
also of the spirits by which they are guarded.”
The Caliph, whom this ominous preliminary had
entirely disconcerted, approached the vases with
faltering footsteps, and was ready to sink with
terror when he heard the groans of Soliman. As he
proceeded a voice from the livid lips of the Prophet
articulated these words:
“In my life-time I filled a magnificent throne,
having on my right hand twelve thousand seats of
gold, where the patriarchs and the prophets heard my
doctrines; on my left the sages and doctors, upon as
many thrones of silver, were present at all my
decisions. Whilst I thus administered justice to
innumerable multitudes, the birds of the air
librating over me served as a canopy from the rays
of the sun; my people flourished, and my palace rose
to the clouds; I erected a temple to the Most High,
which was the wonder of the universe; but I basely
suffered myself to be seduced by the love of women,
and a curiosity that could not be restrained by
sublunary things; I listened to the counsels of
Aherman and the daughter of Pharaoh, and adored fire
and the hosts of heaven; I forsook the holy city,
and commanded the Genii to rear the stupendous
palace of Istakar, and the terrace of the
watch-towers, each of which was consecrated to a
star; there for a while I enjoyed myself in the
zenith of glory and pleasure; not only men, but
supernatural existences were subject also to my
will. I began to think, as these unhappy monarchs
around had already thought, that the vengeance of
Heaven was asleep; when at once the thunder burst my
structures asunder and precipitated me hither;
where, however, I do not remain, like the other
inhabitants, totally destitute of hope, for an angel
of light hath revealed that, in consideration of the
piety of my early youth, my woes shall come to an
end when this cataract shall for ever cease to flow;
till then I am in torments, ineffable torments! an
unrelenting fire preys on my heart.”
Having uttered this exclamation, Soliman raised
his hands towards heaven, in token of supplication,
and the Caliph discerned through his bosom, which
was transparent as crystal, his heart enveloped in
flames. At a sight so full of horror Nouronihar
fell back, like one petrified, into the arms of
Vathek, who cried out with a convulsive sob:
“O Giaour! whither hast thou brought us? Allow
us to depart, and I will relinquish all thou hast
promised. O Mahomet! remains there no more mercy?”
“None! none!” replied the malicious Dive. “Know,
miserable prince! thou art now in the abode of
vengeance and despair; thy heart also will be
kindled, like those of the other votaries of Eblis.
A few days are allotted thee previous to this fatal
period; employ them as thou wilt; recline on these
heaps of gold; command the Infernal Potentates;
range at thy pleasure through these immense
subterranean domains; no barrier shall be shut
against thee; as for me, I have fulfilled my
mission; I now leave thee to thyself.” At these
words he vanished.
The Caliph and Nouronihar remained in the most
abject affliction; their tears unable to flow,
scarcely could they support themselves. At length,
taking each other despondingly by the hand, they
went faltering from this fatal hall, indifferent
which way they turned their steps; every portal
opened at their approach; the Dives fell prostrate
before them; every reservoir of riches was disclosed
to their view; but they no longer felt the
incentives of curiosity, pride, or avarice. With
like apathy they heard the chorus of Genii, and saw
the stately banquets prepared to regale them; they
went wandering on from chamber to chamber, hall to
hall, and gallery to gallery, all without bounds or
limit, all distinguishable by the same lowering
gloom, all adorned with the same awful grandeur, all
traversed by persons in search of repose and
consolation, but who sought them in vain; for every
one carried within him a heart tormented in flames:
shunned by these various sufferers, who seemed by
their looks to be upbraiding the partners of their
guilt, they withdrew from them to wait in direful
suspense the moment which should render them to each
other the like objects of terror.
“What!” exclaimed Nouronihar; “will the time come
when I shall snatch my hand from thine!”
“Ah!” said Vathek; “and shall my eyes ever cease
to drink from thine long draughts of enjoyment!
Shall the moments of our reciprocal ecstasies be
reflected on with horror? It was not thou that
broughtest me hither; the principles by which
Carathis perverted my youth have been the sole cause
of my perdition!” Having given vent to these
painful expressions, he called to an Afrit, who was
stirring up one of the braziers, and bade him fetch
the Princess Carathis from the palace of Samarah.
After issuing these orders, the Caliph and
Nouronihar continued walking amidst the silent
crowd, till they heard voices at the end of the
gallery; presuming them to proceed from some unhappy
beings, who, like themselves, were awaiting their
final doom, they followed the sound, and found it to
come from a small square chamber, where they
discovered sitting on sofas five young men of goodly
figure, and a lovely female, who were all holding a
melancholy conversation by the glimmering of a
lonely lamp; each had a gloomy and forlorn air, and
two of them were embracing each other with great
tenderness. On seeing the Caliph and the daughter
of Fakreddin enter, they arose, saluted, and gave
them place; then he who appeared the most
considerable of the group addressed himself thus to
Vathek:
“Strangers! who doubtless are in the same state
of suspense with ourselves, as you do not yet bear
your hands on your hearts, if you are come hither to
pass the interval allotted previous to the
infliction of our common punishment, condescend to
relate the adventures that have brought you to this
fatal place, and we in return will acquaint you with
ours, which deserve but too well to be heard; we
will trace back our crimes to their source, though
we are not permitted to repent; this is the only
employment suited to wretches like us!”
The Caliph and Nouronihar assented to the
proposal, and Vathek began, not without tears and
lamentations, a sincere recital of every
circumstance that had passed. When the afflicting
narrative was closed, the young man entered on his
own. Each person proceeded in order, and when the
fourth prince had reached the midst of his
adventures, a sudden noise interrupted him, which
caused the vault to tremble and to open.
Immediately a cloud descended, which gradually
dissipating, discovered Carathis on the back of an
Afrit, who grievously complained of his burden.
She, instantly springing to the ground, advanced
towards her son, and said:
“What dost thou here in this little square
chamber? As the Dives are become subject to thy
beck, I expected to have found thee on the throne of
the pre-adamite kings.”
“Execrable woman!” answered the Caliph; “cursed
be the day thou gavest me birth! go, follow this
Afrit; let him conduct thee to the hall of the
Prophet Soliman, there thou wilt learn to what these
palaces are destined, and how much I ought to abhor
the impious knowledge thou hast taught me.”
“The height of power to which thou art arrived
has certainly turned thy brain,” answered Carathis;
“but I ask no more than permission to show my
respect for the Prophet. It is, however, proper
thou shouldest know, that (as the Afrit has informed
me neither of us shall return to Samarah) I
requested his permission to arrange my affairs, and
he politely consented; availing myself, therefore,
of the few moments allowed me, I set fire to the
tower, and consumed in it the mutes, negresses, and
serpents which have rendered me so much good
service; nor should I have been less kind to
Morakanabad, had he not prevented me by deserting at
last to thy brother. As for Bababalouk, who had the
folly to return to Samarah, and all the good
brotherhood to provide husbands for thy wives, I
undoubtedly would have put them to the torture,
could I but have allowed them the time; being,
however, in a hurry, I only hung him after having
caught him in a snare with thy wives, whilst them I
buried alive by the help of my negresses, who thus
spent their last moments greatly to their
satisfaction. With respect to Dilara, who ever
stood high in my favour, she hath evinced the
greatness of her mind by fixing herself near in the
service of one of the Magi, and I think will soon be
our own.”
Vathek, too much cast down to express the
indignation excited by such a discourse, ordered the
Afrit to remove Carathis from his presence, and
continued immersed in thought, which his companion
durst not disturb.
Carathis, however, eagerly entered the dome of
Soliman, and, without regarding in the least the
groans of the Prophet, undauntedly removed the
covers of the vases, and violently seized on the
talismans; then, with a voice more loud than had
hitherto been heard within these mansions, she
compelled the Dives to disclose to her the most
secret treasures, the most profound stores, which
the Afrit himself had not seen; she passed by rapid
descents, known only to Eblis and his most favoured
potentates, and thus penetrated the very entrails of
the earth, where breathes the Sansar, or icy wind of
death; nothing appalled her dauntless soul; she
perceived, however, in all the inmates who bore
their hands on their hearts a little singularity,
not much to her taste. As she was emerging from one
of the abysses, Eblis stood forth to her view; but,
notwithstanding he displayed the full effulgence of
his infernal majesty, she preserved her countenance
unaltered, and even paid her compliments with
considerable firmness.
This superb monarch thus answered: “Princess,
whose knowledge and whose crimes have merited a
conspicuous rank in my empire, thou dost well to
employ the leisure that remains; for the flames and
torments, which are ready to seize on thy heart,
will not fail to provide thee with full
employment.” He said this, and was lost in the
curtains of his tabernacle.
Carathis paused for a moment with surprise; but,
resolved to follow the advice of Eblis, she
assembled all the choirs of Genii, and all the
Dives, to pay her homage; thus marched she in
triumph through a vapour of perfumes, amidst the
acclamations of all the malignant spirits, with most
of whom she had formed a previous acquaintance; she
even attempted to dethrone one of the Solimans for
the purpose of usurping his place, when a voice,
proceeding from the abyss of Death, proclaimed, “All
is accomplished!” Instantaneously the haughty
forehead of the intrepid princess was corrugated
with agony; she uttered a tremendous yell, and
fixed, no more to be withdrawn, her right hand upon
her heart, which was become a receptacle of eternal
fire.
In this delirium, forgetting all ambitious
projects and her thirst for that knowledge which
should ever be hidden from mortals, she overturned
the offerings of the Genii, and, having execrated
the hour she was begotten and the womb that had
borne her, glanced off in a whirl that rendered her
invisible, and continued to revolve without
intermission.
At almost the same instant the same voice
announced to the Caliph, Nouronihar, the five
princes, and the princess, the awful and irrevocable
decree. Their hearts immediately took fire, and
they at once lost the most precious of the gifts of
Heaven—Hope. These unhappy beings recoiled with
looks of the most furious distraction; Vathek beheld
in the eyes of Nouronihar nothing but rage and
vengeance, nor could she discern aught in his but
aversion and despair. The two princes who were
friends, and till that moment had preserved their
attachment, shrank back, gnashing their teeth with
mutual and unchangeable hatred. Kalilah and his
sister made reciprocal gestures of imprecation,
whilst the two other princes testified their horror
for each other by the most ghastly convulsions, and
screams that could not be smothered. All severally
plunged themselves into the accursed multitude,
there to wander in an eternity of unabating anguish.
Such was, and such should be, the punishment of
unrestrained passions and atrocious actions! Such
is, and such should be, the chastisement of blind
ambition, that would transgress those bounds which
the Creator hath prescribed to human knowledge; and,
by aiming at discoveries reserved for pure
Intelligence, acquire that infatuated pride, which
perceives not that the condition appointed to man is
to be ignorant and humble.
Thus the Caliph Vathek, who, for the sake of
empty pomp and forbidden power, had sullied himself
with a thousand crimes, became a prey to grief
without end, and remorse without mitigation; whilst
the humble and despised Gulchenrouz passed whole
ages in undisturbed tranquillity, and the pure
happiness of childhood.
