first couch lay the bridegroom, and Psyche in his bosom. His rustic serving boy bare the wine to Jupiter; and Bacchus to the rest. The Seasons crimsoned all things with their roses. Apollo sang to the lyre, while a little Pan prattled on his reeds, and Venus. danced very sweetly to the soft music. Thus, with due rites, did. Psyche pass into the power of Cupid; and from them was born the daughter whom men call Voluptas.

THE ARABIAN NIGHTS

THE HISTORY OF ALI BABA, AND OF THE FORTY ROBBERS KILLED BY ONE SLAVE

IN a certain town of Persia, there lived two brothers, one of whom was called Cassim, and the other Ali Baba. Their father, at his death, left them but a very moderate fortune, which they divided between them.

Cassim married a woman who, very soon after her nuptials, became heiress to a well-furnished shop, a warehouse filled with merchandise, and considerable property in land; he thus found himself on a sudden quite at his ease, and became one of the richest merchants in the whole town.

Ali Baba, on the other hand, who had taken a wife in no better circumstances than he himself was, lived in a very poor house, and had no other means of gaining his livelihood than by going to cut wood in a neighboring forest, and carrying it about the town to sell, on three asses.

Ali Baba went one day to the forest, when he perceived a thick cloud of dust rising very high in the air, which appeared to come from the right of the spot where he was, and to be advancing towards him. He looked at it attentively, and perceived a numerous company of men on horseback, who were approaching at a quick pace.

Although that part of the country was never spoken of as being infested by robbers, Ali Baba nevertheless conjectured that these horsemen were of that denomination. Without,

therefore, at all considering what might become of his asses, his first and only care was to save himself. He instantly climbed up into a large tree, in the branches of which he concealed himself. The tree itself grew at the foot of a sort of isolated rock, considerably higher than the tree, and so steep, that it could not be easily ascended.

The men, who appeared stout, powerful, and well mounted, came up to this very rock, and there alighted. Ali Baba counted forty of them, and was very sure, both by their appearance and mode of equipment, that they were robbers. Nor was he wrong in his conjecture: for they were, in fact, a band of robbers, who, without committing any depredations in the neighborhood, carried on their system of plunder at a considerable distance, and only had their place of rendezvous in that spot; and what he almost immediately saw them do confirmed him in this opinion. Each horseman took the bridle off his horse, and hung over its head a bag filled with barley, which he had brought with him; and having all fastened their horses to something, they took their traveling bags, which appeared so heavy, that Ali Baba thought they were filled with gold and silver.

The robber who was nearest to him, and whom Ali Baba took for their captain, came with his bag on his shoulder close to the rock, at the very spot where the tree was, in which he had concealed himself. After the robber had made his way among some bushes and shrubs that grew there, he very distinctly pronounced these words, "OPEN, SESAME!" and which Ali Baba as distinctly heard. The captain of the band had no sooner spoken them than a door immediately opened; and after having made all his men pass before him, and go in through the door, he entered also, and the door closed.

The robbers continued within the rock for a considerable time; and Ali Baba was compelled to remain on the tree and wait with patience for their departure.

At length the door opened, and the forty robbers came out; the captain, contrary to what he did when they entered, first made his appearance. After he had seen all his troop pass out before him, Ali Baba heard him pronounce these words, "SHUT, SESAME!" Each man then mounted his horse, and they departed the same way they came.

Ali Baba came down from the tree, and made his way through the bushes till he came to the door, which they had concealed. He went up to it, and called out, "Open, Sesamè," when the door instantly flew wide open!

Ali Baba was much astonished at seeing a large, spacious, well-lighted, and vaulted room, dug out of the rock, and higher than a man could reach. It received its light from the top of the rock, cut out in similar manner. He observed in it a large quantity of provisions, numerous bales of rich merchandise piled up, silk stuffs and brocades, rich and valuable carpets, and besides all this, great quantities of money, both silver and gold, some in heaps, and some in large leather bags, placed one on another. At the sight of all these things, it seemed to him that this cave had been used not only for years, but for centuries, as a retreat for robbers, who had regularly succeeded each other.

Ali Baba did not hesitate long as to the plan he should pursue. He went into the cave, and as soon as he was there, the door shut; but as he knew the secret by which to open it, this gave him no sort of uneasiness. He made directly for the gold coin, and particularly that which was in the bags. He took up at several times as much as he could carry, and when he had got together what he thought sufficient for loading his three asses, he went and collected them together. He then brought them as close as he could to the rock, and loaded them; and in order to conceal the sacks, he so covered the whole over with wood, that no one could perceive anything else. When he had finished all this, he went up to the door, and had no sooner pronounced the words, "Shut, Sesamè," than it closed; for although it shut of itself every time he went in, it remained open on coming out only by command.

This being done, Ali Baba took the road to the town; and when he got to his own house, he drove his asses into a small court, and shut the gate with great care. He threw down the small quantity of wood that covered the bags, and carried the latter into his house, where he laid them down in a regular manner before his wife, who was sitting upon a sofa.

His wife felt the sacks to know their contents; and when she found them to be full of money, she suspected her husband of

having stolen them, so that when he brought them all before her, she could not help saying, "Ali Baba, is it possible that you should" He immediately interrupted her: "Peace, my dear wife," exclaimed he, "do not alarm yourself, I am not a thief, unless that title be attached to those who take from thieves. You will change your bad opinion of me when I shall have told you my good fortune." He emptied the sacks, the contents of which formed a great heap of gold, that quite dazzled his wife's eyes; and when he had done so, he related his whole adventure from beginning to end; and as he concluded, he above all things conjured her to keep it secret.

His wife recovering from her alarm, began to rejoice on the fortunate circumstance which had befallen them; and was going to count over the money that lay before her, piece by piece.

"What are you going to do?" said he; "you are very foolish, wife; you would never have done counting. I will immediately dig a pit to bury it in; we have no time to lose." "It is proper, though," replied the wife, "that we should know nearly what quantity there may be. I will go for a small measure in the neighborhood, and whilst you are digging the pit, I will ascertain how much there is."

In order to satisfy herself the wife of Ali Baba set off and went to her brother-in-law, Cassim, who lived a short distance from her house. Cassim was from home, so she begged his wife to lend her a measure for a few minutes. "That I will, with pleasure," said the sister-in-law; "wait a moment and I will bring it you." She went to seek a measure, but knowing the poverty of Ali Baba, she was curious to know what sort of grain his wife wanted to measure; she therefore put some tallow under the measure, which she did without its being perceptible.

The wife of Ali Baba returned home, and placing the measure on the heap of gold, measured the whole; her husband having by this time dug the pit for its reception, she informed him how many measures there were, with which they were both very well contented. While Ali Baba was burying the gold, his wife went back with the measure to her sister-in-law, but without observing that a piece of gold had stuck to the bottom of it.

The wife of Ali Baba had scarcely turned her back, when

Cassim's wife looked at the bottom of the measure, and was inexpressibly astonished to see a piece of gold sticking to it. Envy instantly took possession of her breast. "What!" said she to herself, "Ali Baba measure his gold! Where can that miserable wretch have obtained it?" Her husband Cassim, as was before mentioned, was from home: he had gone as usual to his shop, from whence he would not return till evening.

On his return home, his wife said to him, "Cassim, you think you are rich, but Ali Baba must have infinitely more wealth than you are possessed of; he does not count his money as you do, he measures it." Cassim demanded an explanation of this enigma, and she unraveled it by acquainting him of the expedient she had used to make the discovery, and showing him the piece of money she had found adhering to the bottom of the

measure.

Far from feeling satisfaction at the good fortune which his brother had met with to relieve him from poverty, Cassim conceived implacable jealousy on the occasion. The next morning before sunrise he went to him. "Ali Baba," said he, addressing him, "you are very reserved as to your affairs; you pretend to be poor and miserable, and yet you measure your money." "Brother," replied Ali Baba, "I do not understand your meaning." "Do not pretend ignorance," resumed Cassim; and showed him the piece of gold his wife had given him.

From this speech Ali Baba soon conjectured that Cassim, and his wife also, were already acquainted with what he was so interested to conceal from them; but the discovery was made, and nothing could now be done to remedy the evil. Without showing the least sign of surprise or vexation, he frankly owned to his brother the whole affair, and told him of the retreat of the thieves, and where it was situated; and he offered, if he would agree to keep it secret, to share the treasure with him.

"This I certainly expect," replied Cassim, in a haughty tone; and added, "but I desire to know also the precise spot where this treasure lies concealed, the marks and signs which may lead to it, to enable me to visit the place myself, should I feel myself inclined. Otherwise I will go and inform the officer of the police of it. If you refuse to comply, you will not only be deprived of all hope of obtaining any more, but you will even lose