Page:Arabian Nights Entertainments (1728)-Vol. 4.djvu/63

next Day. So, ſaid ſhe, I would have you to call up your Patience, and endeavour to accommodate your ſelf to her Humour. Beſides, ſhe’s a Woman of good Senſe and Diſcretion, and intirely beloved by all the Ladies about Zobeide’s Court.

In Effect, my Wife came next Night and accoſted me thus, You ſee I am too good in ſeeing you again, after the Affront you have offered me: But ſtill I can’t ſtoop to be reconciled to you, till I have puniſhed you according to your demerit, in not waſhing your Hands after eating the Garlick Ragoo. This ſaid, ſhe called the Ladies, who, by her Order, threw me upon the Ground; and after binding me faſt, had the Barbarity to cut off my Thumbs and great Toes themſelves with a Razor. One of the Ladies applied a certain Root to ftanch the Blood; but what by Bleeding, and what by the Pain, I ſwooned away.

When I came to my ſelf, they gave me Wine to drink to recruit my Strength. Ah! Madam, ſaid I to my Wife, if ever I eat of a Garlick Ragoo again, I ſolemnly ſwear to waſh my Hands 120 times with the Herb Alcali, with the Aſhes of the ſame Plant, and with Soap. Well, replied my Wife, upon that Condition I am willing to forget what’s Paſt and live with you as my Husband.

This continued the Bagdad Merchant, addreſſing himſelfto the Company, This is the Reaſon why I refuſed to eat of the Garlick Ragoo that’s now upon the Table.

Day appearing ſtopp’d Scheherazade; but next Night ſhe went on to the following Purpoſe.

SIR,to make an end of the Bagdad Merchant’s Story, The Ladies, ſaid he, applied to my Wounds not only the Root I mentioned to you, but likewiſe ſome Balſam of Necca, which they were morally aſſured was not adulterated, becauſe they had it out of the Calif’s own Diſpenſary. By Virtue of that admirable Balſam was I perfe@iy, cured in few Days, and my Wife and I lived together as agreeable as if I never had eat of the Garlick Ragoo. But having been all my Life time uſed to the Liberty of ranging abroad, I was very uneaſy at the being confined to the Califf’s Palace; and yet I ſaid nothing of it to my Wife for fear of diſ-