Page:Arabian Nights Entertainments (1728)-Vol. 3.djvu/28

Court, a noble, beautiful, chaſteand rich Lady. The Ceremonies of Marriage being over, I went and dwelt with the Lady, and for ſome time we lived together in perfect Harmony. I was not, however, very well ſatisfied with my Condition, and therefore deſigned to make my Eſcape on the firſt Occaſion, and to return to Bagdad, which my preſent ſettlement how advantageous ſoever, could not make me forget.

While I was thinking on this, the Wife of one of my Neighbours, with whom I had contracted a very ſtrict Friendſhip, fell ſick and died. I went to ſee and comfort him in his Affliction, and finding him fwallowed up with ſorrow; I ſaid to him as ſoon as I ſaw him, God preſerve you and grant you a long Life. Alas! replies he, how do you think I ſhould obtain that Favour you wiſh me? I have not above an Hour to live. Pray, ſay I, don’t entertain ſuch a melancholy Thought, I hope it will not be fo, but that I ſhall enjoy your Company for many Years. I wiſh you, ſays he, a long Life, but for me, my Days are at an end, for I muſt be buried this Day with my Wife. This is a Law which our Anceſtors eſtabliſhed in this Iſland, and always obſerved it inviolably. The living Husband is interred with the dead Wife, and the living Wife with the dead Husband. Nothing can ſave me, every one muſt ſubmit to this Law.

While he was entertaining me with an Account of this barbarous Cuſtom, the very Hearing of which frightned me cruelly, his Kindred, Friends, and Neighbours came in a Body to aſſiſt at the Funerals. They put on the Corps the Woman’s richeſt Apparel, as if it had been her wedding Day, and dreſſed her with all her Jewels, then they put her into an open Coffn, and lifting it up, began their March to the Place of Burial. The Husband walked at the Head of the Company, and followed the Corps. They went up to a high Mountain, and when they came thither, took up a great Stone which covered the Mouth of a very deep Pit, and let down the Corps with all its Apparel and Jewels. Then the Husband, embracing his Kindred and Friends, ſuffered himſelt to be put into another open Coffin without Reſiſtance, with a Pot of Water, and ſeven little Loaves, and was let down in the ſame manner they let down his Wife. The Mountain was pretty long, and