"
The calender begged the ladies' permission to stay till he had heard
the relations of his two comrades, "whom I cannot," said he, "leave
with honor"; and that he might also hear those of the three other
persons in company.
The history of the first calender appeared very surprising to the
whole company, and particularly to the caliph. The presence of the
slaves, armed with their scimitars, did not prevent him from saying in
a whisper to the vizier, "As long as I can remember, I never heard
anything to compare with this history of the calender, though I have
been all my life in the habit of hearing similar narratives."
He had no sooner finished than the second calender began, and
addressing himself to Zobeide, spoke as follows:
THE HISTORY OF THE SECOND CALENDER
Madam, to obey your commands, and to show you by what strange accident
I became blind of the right eye, I must give you the account of my
life. I was yet a youth when the sultan, my father (for you must know
I am a prince by birth), perceived that I was endowed with good
natural ability, and spared nothing proper for improving it. No sooner
was I able to read and write than I learned the Koran from beginning
to end by heart, all the traditions collected from the mouth of our
prophet, and the works of poets. I applied myself to geography,
chronology, and to speak the Arabian language in its purity; not
forgetting in the meantime all such exercises as were proper for a
prince to understand.
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