Page:Arabian Nights Entertainments (1728)-Vol. 2.djvu/106

Prayers, but he had no regard to them, and commanded the Slaves to proceed to Execution. The old Woman that had been his Nurſe, came in juſt at that Moment, fell down upon her Knees, and endeavour’d to appeaſe his Wrath: My Son, ſaid ſhe, ſince I have been your Nurſe and brought you up, let me beg the Favour of you to grant me her Life; conſider, that he who kills ſhall be kill’d, and that you will ſtain your Reputation, and loſe the Eſteem of Mankind. What will not the World ſay of ſuch a bloody Rage: She ſpoke theſe Words in ſuch a taking Way, accompanied with Tears, that ſhe gained upon him at laſt.

Well then, ſays he to his Nurſe, for your Sake I will ſpare his Life, but ſhe ſhall carry ſome Marks along with her, to make her remember her Crime; with that one of his Slaves, by his Order, gave me ſo many Blows, as hard as he could ſtrike, with a little Cane upon my Sides and Breaſt, that he fetch’d both Skin and Fleſh away, ſo that I lay ſenſeleſs; after that he caus’d the ſame Slaves, the Executioners of his Fury, to carry me into a Houſe where the old Woman took care of me. I kept my Bed four Months; at laſt I recover’d; but the Scars you ſaw yeſterday, againſt my Will have remained ever ſince.

As ſoon as I was able to walk and go abroad, I reſolv’d to go to the Houſe which was my own by my firſt Husband, but I could net find the Place. My ſecond Husband, in the Heat of his Wrath, was not content to have razed it to the Ground, but caus’d all the Street where it ſtood to be pull’d down. I believe ſuch a violent Proceeding was never heard of before; but againſt whom ſhould I make my Complaint? The Author had taken ſuch Care, that he was not to be found, neither could I know him again if I ſaw him: And ſuppoſe I had known him, is it not eaſily ſeen that the Treatment I met with proceeded from abſolute Power; then how dared I make any Complaints?

Being deſolate and unprovided of every thing, I had recourſe to my dear Siſter Zobeide, who gave your Majeſty juſt now an Account of her Adventures; to her I made known my Misfortunes; ſhe received me with her accuſtom’d Goodneſs, and advis’d me to hear it with Patience. This is the Way of the World, ſaid ſhe, which either robs us of our Means, our Friends or our Lovers, and oftentimes of all at once: And at the ſame time, to confirm what ſhe