The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood (2)/The story of the envious man, and him that he envied

THE

STORY

OF

The Envious Man, and him that he Envied.

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IN a considerable town, two persons dwelt next door to one another; one of them conceived such a violent hatred against the other, that he who was hated resolved to remove his dwelling farther off, being persuaded that their being neighbours was the only cause from whence his animosity did arise; for though he had done him several pieces of service, he found nevertheless, that his hatred was nothing diminished; therefore he sold his house, with what goods he had left, and retired to the capital city of that kingdom, which was not far distant. He bought a little spot of ground which lay about half a league from the city; he had a house convenient enough, with a fine garden, and a pretty spacious court, wherein was a deep well which was not in use.

The honest man, having made this purchase, put on a dervise's or monk's habit, to lead a retired life, and caused several cells to be made in the house, where, in a short time, he established a numerous society of dervises; he came soon to be publicly known by his virtue, through which he acquired the esteem of a great many people, as well of the commonalty, as of the chief of the city. In short, he was extremely honoured and cherished by every one. People came from afar to recommend themselves to his prayers; and all those who came to live with him published what blessings they received through his means.

The great reputation of this honest man, having spread to the town from whence he came, it touched the envious man so much to the quick, that he left his house and affairs with a resolution to go and ruin him. With this intent he went to the new convent ⟨of⟩ dervises, of which his former neighbour ⟨was⟩ the head, who received him with all imaginable tokens of friendship. The envious man told him that he was come on purpose to communicate a business of importance to him which he could not do but in private; and because that nobody shall hear us, let us, ⟨says⟩ he, take a walk in your court, and seeing night begins to draw on, command your dervises to retire to their cells. The head ⟨of⟩ the dervises did as he required.

When the envious man saw that he was alone with this good man, he began to tell him his errand, walking side by side in the court until he saw his opportunity; and getting ⟨the⟩ good man near the brink of the well, he gave him a thrust, and pushed him into it without any body being witness to so wicked an action. Having done this, he marched off immediately, got out at the gate of the convent, without being known to any one, and came home to his own house, well satisfied with his journey; being fully persuaded that the object of his hatred was no more in this world, but found himself highly mistaken.

This old well was inhabited by fairies and genies, which happened very luckily for the relief of the head of the convent; for they received and supported him, carried him to the bottom, so that he got no hurt. He perceived well enough that there was something extraodinary in his fall, which must otherwise have cost him his life; whereas he neither saw nor felt any thing. But he soon heard a voice, which said, "Do you know what honest man this is to whom we have done this piece of service?" Another voice answered, "No." To which the first replied, "Then I will tell you. This man, out of charity the greatest that ever was known, left the town he lived in, and has established himself in this place, in hopes to cure one of his neighbours of the envy he had conceived against him; he has acquired such general esteem, that the envious man, not able to endure it, came hither on purpose to ruin him, which he had performed, had it not been for the assistance which we have given this honest man, whose reputation is so great, that the sultan, who keeps his residence in the neighbouring city, was to pay him a visit tomorrow, and to recommend the princess, his daughter, to his prayers."

Another voice asked, "What need had the princess of the dervise's prayers?" To which the first answered, "You do not know, it seems, that she is possesed by Genie Maimoun, the son of Dimdim, who is fallen in love with her. But I know well how this good head of the dervises may cure her; the thing is very easy, and I will tell it you. He has a black cat in his convent, with a white spot at the end of her tail, about the bigness of a small piece of English money; let him only pull seven hairs out of this white spot, burn them, and smoke the princess's head with the fume, she will not only be presently cured, but be so safely delivered from Maimoun, the son of Dimdim, that he will never dare to come near her a second time.

The head of the dervises remembered every word of the discourse between the fairies and the genies, who where very silent all the night after. The next morning, by break of day, when he could decern one thing from another, the well being broken down in several places, he saw a hole, by which he crept out with ease.

The other dervises, who had been seeking for him, were rejoiced to see him. He gave them a brief account of the wickedness of that man to whom he had given so kind a reception the day before, and retired to his cell. It was not long till the black cat, of which the fairies and the genies had made mention in their discourses the night before, came to fawn upon her master, as she was accustomed to do: he took her up, and pulled seven hairs out of the white spot that was upon her tail, and laid them aside for his use, when occasion should serve.

The sun was not high, when the sultan, who would leave no means untried that he thought could restore the princess to her perfect health, arrived at the gate of the convent. He commanded his guards to halt, whilst he, with his principal officers, went in. The dervises received him with profound respect.

The sultan called their head aside, and says, "Good Scheich, it may be, you know already the cause of my coming hither." "Yes Sir," replies he very gravely, "If I do not mistake it, it is the disease of the princess which procures this honour that I have not deserved." "That is the very thing," replied the sultan. "You will give me new life, if your prayers, as I hope they will, can procure my daughter's health." "Sir," said the good man, "If your Majesty will be pleased to let her come hither, I am in hopes, through God's assistance and favour, she shall return in perfect health."

The prince, transported with joy, sent immediately to fetch his daughter, who very soon appeared with a numerous train of ladies and eunuchs, but masked, so that ⟨her⟩ face was not seen. The chief of the ⟨dervises⟩ caused a pall to be held over her head, and he had no sooner thrown the seven tufts ⟨of⟩ hair upon the burning coals, but the ⟨genius⟩ Maimoun, the son of Dimdim, gave a ⟨great⟩ cry, without any thing being seen, and ⟨left⟩ the princess at liberty; upon which she took the veil from off her face, and rose up to see where she was, saying, "Where am I, and who brought me thither?" At these words the sultan, overcome with excess of joy, embraced his daughter, and kissed her eyes; he also kissed the chief of the dervise's hands, and said to his officers, "Tell me your opinion, what reward does he deserve who has thus cured my daughter?" They all cried, he deserves her in marriage. "That is what I had in my thoughts," said the sultan, "and I make him my son-in-law from this moment." Some time after, the prime visier died, and the sultan conferred the place on the dervise. The sultan himself died without heirs-male; upon which the religious order and the militia gathered together, and the honest man was declared and acknowledged sultan by general consent.

FINIS.