THE HISTORY OF THE FISHERMAN.

THERE once lived, sir, a fisherman, who was old and feeble, and so poor, that he could barely obtain food for himself, and for the wife and three children who made up his family. He went out very early every morning to his work; and he made it an absolute rule that he would throw his nets only four times a day.

“One morning he set out before the moon had set: when he had got to the sea-shore, he undressed himself and threw his nets. In drawing them to land, he felt them drag heavily; and began to imagine he should have an excellent haul; at which he was much pleased. But, on pulling up the nets, he found that instead of fish he had only caught the carcass of an ass; and he was much vexed and afflicted at having made so bad a haul. When he had mended his nets, which the weight of the ass had torn in many places, he cast them a second time into the sea. He again found considerable resistance in drawing them up, and again he thought they were filled with fish; but great was his disappointment, when he discovered only a large basket, filled with sand and mud. ‘O Fortune!’ he exclaimed, with a melancholy voice, and in the greatest distress, ‘cease to be angry with me. Persecute not an unfortunate being, who supplicates thee to spare him. I came from home to seek for life, and thou threatenest me with death. I have no other trade, by which I can subsist, and even with all my toil, I can hardly supply the most pressing wants of my family; but I am wrong to complain of thee, that takest a pleasure in deluding the virtuous, and leavest good men in obscurity, while thou favourest the wicked, and exal test those who possess no virtue to recommend them.’

“Having thus vented his complaints, he angrily threw the basket aside and washing his nets from mud and slime, he threw them a third time. He brought up only stones, shells, and filth. It is impossible to describe his despair, which now almost deprived him of his senses. But the day now began to break, and like a good Mussulman, he did not neglect his prayers, to which he added the following supplication: ‘Thou knowest, O Lord, that I throw my nets only four times a day; three times have I thrown them into the sea, without any profit for my labour. One more cast alone remains; and I entreat thee to render the sea favourable, as thou formerly didst to Moses.’

“When the fisherman had finished his prayer, he threw his nets for the fourth time. Again he supposed he had caught a great quantity of fish, as they were just as heavy as before. He nevertheless found none; but discovered a vase of yellow copper, which seemed, from its weight, to be filled with something; and he observed that it was shut up and stoppered with lead, on which there was the impression of a seal. ‘I will sell this to a founder,’ said he, joyfully, ‘and with the money I shall get for it, I will purchase a measure of corn.’

“He had examined the vase on all sides; he now shook it, to judge of its contents by the sound. He could hear nothing; and this, together with the impression of the seal on the lead, made him think it was filled with something valuable. To decide the question, he took his knife, and cut it open without much difficulty. He directly turned the top downwards, and was much surprised to find nothing come out: he set it down before him, and while he watched it closely, there issued from it so thick a smoke, that he was obliged to step back a few paces. This smoke by degrees rose almost to the clouds, and spread itself over sea and land, appearing like a thick fog. The fisherman, as may easily be imagined, was much surprised at this sight. When the smoke had all come out from the vase, it again collected itself, and became a solid body, taking the shape of a Genie, twice as large as any of the giants. At the appearance of this huge monster, the fisherman wished to run away; but his fear was so great, he was unable to move.

“ ‘Solomon, Solomon,’ cried the Genie, ‘great prophet of Allah, pardon, I beseech thee. I will never more oppose thy will; but will obey all thy commands.’

“The fisherman had no sooner heard these words spoken by the Genie, than he regained his courage, and said, ‘Proud spirit, what is this thou sayest? Solomon,^e the prophet of the Most High has been dead more than eighteen hundred years. Tell me, then, thy history, and wherefore thou hast been shut up in this vase?’

“To this speech the Genie, looking disdainfully at the fisherman, answered, ‘Speak more civilly; thou art very bold to call me a proud spirit.’ ‘Perhaps, then,’ returned the fisherman, ‘it will be more civil to call thee a bird of good omen.’ ‘I tell thee,’ said the Genie, ‘speak to me more civilly, before I kill thee.’ ‘And for what reason, pray, wouldst thou kill me?’ asked the fisherman. ‘Hast thou already forgotten that I have set thee at liberty?’ ‘I remember it very well,’ returned the Genie, ‘but that shall not prevent my destroying thee; and I will only grant thee one favour.’ ‘And what is that?’ asked the fisherman. ‘It is,’ replied the Genie, ‘to permit thee to choose the manner of thy death.’ ‘But in what,’ resumed the other, ‘have I offended thee? Is it thus thou dost recompense me for the good service I have done thee?’ ‘I cannot treat thee otherwise,’ said the Genie; ‘and to convince thee of it, attend to my history.’

“ ‘I am one of those spirits who rebelled against the sovereignty of Allah. All the other Genii acknowledged the great Solomon, the prophet of God, and submitted to him. Sacar and myself were the only ones who disdained to humble ourselves. In revenge for my contumacy, this powerful monarch charged Assaf, the son of Barakhia, his first minister, to come and seize me. This was done; and Assaf captured me, and brought me by force before the throne of the king, his master.

“ ‘Solomon, the son of David, commanded me to quit my mode of life, acknowledge his authority, and submit to his laws. I haughtily refused to obey him; and exposed myself to his resentment rather than take the oath of fidelity and submission which he required of me. In order, therefore, to punish me, he confined me in this copper vase; and to prevent my forcing my way out he put upon the leaden cover the impression of his seal, on which the great name of Allah is engraven. Thereupon he gave the vase to one of those Genii who obeyed him, and ordered the spirit to throw me into the sea; which, to my great sorrow, was done directly.

 

The fisherman and the Genie.

“ ‘During the first period of my captivity, I swore, that if any man delivered me before the first hundred years were passed, I would make him rich, even after his death. The time elapsed, and no one released me. During the second century I swore, that if any one set me free, I would discover to him all the treasures of the earth; still no help came. During the third, I promised to make my deliverer a most powerful monarch, to be always at his command, and to grant him every day any three requests he chose to make. This age, like the former, passed away, and I remained in bondage. Enraged at last, to be so long a prisoner, I swore that I would without mercy kill the person who should release me; and that the only favour I would grant him, should be the choice of what manner of death he preferred. Since, therefore, thou hast come here to-day, and hast delivered me, fix upon whatever kind of death thou wilt.’

“The fisherman was much grieved at this speech. ‘How unfortunate,’ he exclaimed, ‘am I to come here and render so great a service to such an ungrateful creature! Consider, I entreat thee, thy injustice; and revoke thine unreasonable oath. Pardon me, and Allah will, in like manner, pardon thee. If thou wilt generously suffer me to live, he will defend thee from all attempts that will be made against thy life.’ ‘No,’ answered the Genie, ‘thy death is inevitable; determine only how I shall kill thee.’ The fisherman was in great distress, at finding the Genie thus resolved on his death; not so much on his own account, as on that of his three children; for he anticipated with anguish the wretched state to which his death would reduce them. He still endeavoured to appease the Genie. ‘Alas!’ he cried, ‘have pity on me, in consideration of what I have done for thee.’ ‘I have already told thee,’ replied the Genie, ‘that it is for that very reason I am obliged to take thy life.’ ‘It is very strange,’ cried the fisherman, ‘that thou art determined to return evil for good. The proverb says, that he who does good to him that does not deserve it, is always ill rewarded. I did think, I own, that it was false, because nothing is more contrary to reason, and the rights of society: yet I find it too cruelly true.’ ‘Let us lose no time,’ cried the Genie, ‘thy arguments will not alter my resolution. Make haste, and tell me how thou wilt die.’

“Necessity is the spur to invention; and the fisherman thought of a stratagem. ‘Since, then,’ said he, ‘I cannot escape death, I submit to the will of God; but before I choose the manner of my death, I conjure thee, by the great name of Allah, which is graven upon the seal of the prophet Solomon, the son of David, to answer me truly a question I am going to put to thee.’ When the Genie found that he should be compelled to answer positively, he trembled, and said to the fisherman, ‘Ask what thou wilt, and make haste.’

“So soon as the Genie had promised to speak the truth, the fisherman said to him, ‘I wish to know whether thou really wert in that vase; darest thou swear it by the great name of Allah?’ ‘Yes,’ answered the Genie, ‘I do swear by the great name of Allah, that I most certainly was there.’ ‘In truth,’ replied the fisherman, ‘I cannot believe thee. This vase cannot contain one of thy feet; how then can it hold thy whole body?’ ‘I swear to thee, notwithstanding,’ replied the monster, ‘that I was there just as thou seest me. Wilt thou not believe me after the solemn oath I have taken?’ ‘No, truly,’ retorted the fisherman, ‘I shall not believe thee unless I see it.’

“Immediately the form of the Genie began to change into smoke, and to extend itself as before over both the shore and the sea; and then, collecting itself, it began to enter the vase, and continued to do so with a slow and equal motion, till nothing remained without. A voice immediately issued forth, saying, ‘Now,—thou unbelieving fisherman,—art thou convinced now, that I am in the vase?’ But instead of answering the Genie, the fisherman immediately took the leaden cover, and clapped it on the vase. ‘Genie,’ he cried, ‘it is now thy turn to ask pardon, and choose what sort of death is most agreeable to thee. But no; it is better that I should throw thee again into the sea; and I will build on the very spot where thou art cast, a house upon the shore, in which I will live, to warn all fishermen that shall come and throw their nets, not to fish up so wicked a Genie as thou art, that takest an oath to kill him who shall set thee at liberty.’

“At this insulting speech, the enraged Genie tried his utmost to get out of the vase, but in vain; for the impression of the seal of Solomon the prophet, the son of David, prevented him. Knowing then, that the fisherman had the advantage over him, he began to conceal his rage. ‘Take heed,’ said he in a softened tone, ‘take heed what thou doest, O fisherman. Whatever I said was merely in jest, and thou shouldst not take it seriously. ’ ‘O Genie,’ answered the fisherman, ‘thou, who wert a moment ago the greatest of all the genii, art now the most insignificant; and suppose not that thy flattering speeches will avail thee anything. Thou shalt assuredly return to the sea; and if thou hast passed so much time there as thou hast asserted, thou mayest as well remain till the day of judgment. I entreated thee in the name of God not to take my life, and as thou hast rejected my prayers, I ought to reject thine likewise.’

“The Genie tried every argument to move the fisherman’s pity, but in vain. ‘I conjure thee to open the vase,’ said he;—‘if thou givest me my liberty again, thou shalt have reason to be satisfied with my gratitude.’ ‘Thou art too treacherous for me,—I will not trust thee;’ returned the fisherman: ‘I should deserve to lose my life, were I so foolish as to put it in thy power a second time. For thou wouldst probably treat me as the Greek King^f treated Douban, the physician. I will tell thee the story:”—