The History of Caliph Vathek ............................................................................................................................1

William Beckford .....................................................................................................................................1

INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................................1

THE HISTORY OF THE CALIPH VATHEK ........................................................................................2

William Beckford, born in 1759, the year before the accession of King George the Third, was the son of an

Alderman who became twice Lord Mayor of London. His family, originally of Gloucestershire, had thriven

by the plantations in Jamaica; and his father, sent to school in England, and forming a school friendship at

Westminster with Lord Mansfield, began the world in this country as a merchant, with inheritance of an

enormous West India fortune. William Beckford the elder became Magistrate, Member of Parliament,

Alderman. Four years before the birth of William Beckford the younger he became one of the Sheriffs of

London, and three years after his son's birth he was Lord Mayor. As Mayor he gave very sumptuous dinners

that made epochs in the lives of feeding men. His son's famous "History of the Caliph Vathek" looks as if it

had been planned for an Alderman's dream after a very heavy dinner at the Mansion House. There is devotion

in it to the senses, emphasis on heavy dining. Vathek piqued himself on being the greatest eater alive; but

when the Indian dined with him, though the tables were thirty times covered, there was still want of more

food for the voracious guest. There is thirst: for at one part of the dream, when Vathek's mother, his wives,

and some eunuchs "assiduously employed themselves in filling bowls of rock crystal, and emulously

presented them to him, it frequently happened that his avidity exceeded their zeal, insomuch that he would

prostrate himself upon the ground to lap up the water, of which he could never have enough." And the

nightmare incidents of the Arabian tale all culminate in a most terrible heartburn. Could the conception of

Though a magnificent host, the elder Beckford was no glutton. In the year of his first Mayoralty, 1763,

Beckford, stood by the side of Alderman Wilkes, attacked for his No. 45 of The North Briton. As champion

of the popular cause, when he had been again elected to the Mayoralty, Beckford, on the 23rd of May, 1770,

went up to King George the Third at the head of the Aldermen and Livery with an address which the king

snubbed with a short answer. Beckford asked leave to reply, and before His Majesty recovered breath from

his astonishment, proceeded to reply in words that remain graven in gold upon his monument in Guildhall.

Young Beckford, the author of "Vathek," was then a boy not quite eleven years old, an only son; and he was

left three years afterwards, by his father's death, heir to an income of a hundred thousand a year, with a

During his minority young Beckford's mother, who was a granddaughter of the sixth Earl of Abercorn, placed

him under a private tutor. He was taught music by Mozart; and the Earl of Chatham, who had been his

father's friend, thought him so fanciful a boy"all air and fire"that he advised his mother to keep the

Arabian Nights out of his way. Happily she could not, for Vathek adds the thousand and second to the

thousand and one tales, with the difference that it joins to wild inventions in the spirit of the East touches of

playful extravagance that could come only from an English humourist who sometimes laughed at his own

tale, and did not mind turning its comic side to the reader. The younger William Beckford had been born at

his father's seat in Wiltshire, Fonthill Abbey; and at seventeen amused himself with a caricature "History of

Extraordinary Painters," encouraging the housekeeper of Fonthill to show the pictures to visitors as works of

Young Beckford's education was continued for a year and a half at Geneva. He then travelled in Italy and the

Low Countries, and it was at this time that he amused himself by writing, at the age of about twentytwo,

"Vathek" in French, at a single sitting; but he gave his mind to it and the sitting lasted three days and two

nights. An English version of it was made by a stranger, and published without permission in 1784. Beckford

himself published his tale at Paris and Lausanne in 1787, one year after the death of a wife to whom he had

Beckford went to Portugal and Spain; returned to France, and was present at the storming of the Bastille. He

was often abroad; he bought Gibbon's library at Lausanne, and shut himself up with it for a time, having a

notion of reading it through. He was occasionally in Parliament, but did not care for that kind of amusement.

He wrote pieces of less enduring interest than "Vathek," including two burlesques upon the sentimental novel

of his time. In 1796 he settled down at Fonthill, and began to spend there abundantly on building and

rebuilding. Perhaps he thought of Vathek's tower when he employed workmen day and night to build a tower

for himself three hundred feet high, and set them to begin it again when it fell down. He is said to have spent

upon Fonthill a quarter of a million, living there in much seclusion during the last twenty years of his life. He

The happy thought of this William Beckford's life was "Vathek." It is a story that paints neither man nor

outward nature as they are, but reproduces with happy vivacity the luxuriant imagery and wild incidents of an

Arabian tale. There is a ghost of a moral in the story of a sensual Caliph going to the bad, as represented by

his final introduction to the Halls of Eblis. But the enjoyment given by the book reflects the real enjoyment

that the author had in writing itenjoyment great enough to cause it to be written at a heat, in one long

sitting, without flagging power. Young and lively, he delivered himself up to a free run of fancy, revelled in

the piledup enormities of the Wicked Mother, who had not brought up Vathek properly, and certainly wrote

some parts of his nightmare tale as merrily as if he were designing matter for a pantomime.

Whoever, in reading "Vathek," takes it altogether seriously, does not read it as it was written. We must have

an eye for the vein of caricature that now and then comes to the surface, and invites a laugh without

disturbing the sense of Eastern extravagance bent seriously upon the elaboration of a tale crowded with

incident and action. Taken altogether seriously, the book has faults of construction. But the faults turn into

Vathek, ninth Caliph of the race of the Abassides, was the son of Motassem, and the grandson of Haroun Al

Raschid. From an early accession to the throne, and the talents he possessed to adorn it, his subjects were

induced to expect that his reign would be long and happy. His figure was pleasing and majestic; but when he

was angry one of his eyes became so terrible that no person could bear to behold it, and the wretch upon

whom it was fixed instantly fell backward, and sometimes expired. For fear, however, of depopulating his

Being much addicted to women and the pleasures of the table, he sought by his affability to procure agreeable

companions; and he succeeded the better as his generosity was unbounded, and his indulgences unrestrained,

for he was by no means scrupulous, nor did he think with the Caliph Omar Ben Abdalaziz that it was

He surpassed in magnificence all his predecessors. The palace of Alkoremmi, which his father Motassem had

erected on the hill of Pied Horses, and which commanded the whole city of Samarah, was in his idea far too

scanty; he added therefore five wings, or rather other palaces, which he destined for the particular

In the first of these were tables continually covered with the most exquisite dainties, which were supplied

both by night and by day, according to their constant consumption, whilst the most delicious wines and the

choicest cordials flowed forth from a hundred fountains that were never exhausted. This palace was called

The second was styled "The Temple of Melody, or the Nectar of the Soul." It was inhabited by the most

skilful musicians and admired poets of the time, who not only displayed their talents within, but, dispersing in

bands without, caused every surrounding scene to reverberate their songs, which were continually varied in

The palace named "The Delight of the Eyes, or the Support of Memory," was one entire enchantment.

Rarities collected from every corner of the earth were there found in such profusion as to dazzle and

confound, but for the order in which they were arranged. One gallery exhibited the pictures of the celebrated

Mani, and statues that seemed to be alive. Here a wellmanaged perspective attracted the sight; there the

magic of optics agreeably deceived it; whilst the naturalist on his part exhibited, in their several classes, the

various gifts that Heaven had bestowed on our globe. In a word, Vathek omitted nothing in this palace that

might gratify the curiosity of those who resorted to it, although he was not able to satisfy his own, for he was

"The Palace of Perfumes," which was termed likewise "The Incentive to Pleasure," consisted of various halls,

where the different perfumes which the earth produces were kept perpetually burning in censers of gold.

Flambeaux and aromatic lamps were here lighted in open day. But the too powerful effects of this agreeable

delirium might be avoided by descending into an immense garden, where an assemblage of every fragrant

The fifth palace, denominated "The Retreat of Joy, or the Dangerous," was frequented by troops of young

females beautiful as the houris, and not less seducing, who never failed to receive with caresses all whom the

Caliph allowed to approach them; for he was by no means disposed to be jealous, as his own women were

Notwithstanding the sensuality in which Vathek indulged, he experienced no abatement in the love of his

people, who thought that a sovereign immersed in pleasure was not less tolerable to his subjects than one that

employed himself in creating them foes. But the unquiet and impetuous disposition of the Caliph would not

allow him to rest there; he had studied so much for his amusement in the lifetime of his father as to acquire a

great deal of knowledge, though not a sufficiency to satisfy himself; for he wished to know everything, even

sciences that did not exist. He was fond of engaging in disputes with the learned, but liked them not to push

their opposition with warmth; he stopped the mouths of those with presents whose mouths could be stopped,

whilst others, whom his liberality was unable to subdue, he sent to prison to cool their blood: a remedy that

Vathek discovered also a predilection for theological controversy, but it was not with the orthodox that he

usually held. By this means he induced the zealots to oppose him, and then persecuted them in return; for he

The great prophet Mahomet, whose vicars the caliphs are, beheld with indignation from his abode in the

seventh heaven the irreligious conduct of such a vicegerent. "Let us leave him to himself," said he to the

genii, who are always ready to receive his commands; "let us see to what lengths his folly and impiety will

carry him; if he run into excess we shall know how to chastise him. Assist him, therefore, to complete the

tower which, in imitation of Nimrod, he hath begun, not, like that great warrior, to escape being drowned, but

from the insolent curiosity of penetrating the secrets of Heaven; he will not divine the fate that awaits him."

The genii obeyed, and when the workmen had raised their structure a cubit in the daytime, two cubits more

were added in the night. The expedition with which the fabric arose was not a little flattering to the vanity of

Vathek. He fancied that even insensible matter showed a forwardness to subserve his designs, not considering

that the successes of the foolish and wicked form the first rod of their chastisement.

His pride arrived at its height when, having ascended for the first time the eleven thousand stairs of his tower,

he cast his eyes below, and beheld men not larger than pismires, mountains than shells, and cities than

beehives. The idea which such an elevation inspired of his own grandeur completely bewildered him; he

was almost ready to adore himself, till, lifting his eyes upward, he saw the stars as high above him as they

appeared when he stood on the surface of the earth. He consoled himself, however, for this transient

perception of his littleness with the thought of being great in the eyes of others, and flattered himself that the

light of his mind would extend beyond the reach of his sight, and transfer to the stars the decrees of his

With this view the inquisitive prince passed most of his nights on the summit of his tower, till he became an

adept in the mysteries of astrology, and imagined that the planets had disclosed to him the most marvellous

adventures, which were to be accomplished by an extraordinary personage from a country altogether

unknown. Prompted by motives of curiosity, he had always been courteous to strangers, but from this instant

he redoubled his attention, and ordered it to be announced by sound of trumpet, through all the streets of

Samarah, that no one of his subjects, on peril of displeasure, should either lodge or detain a traveller, but

Not long after this proclamation there arrived in his metropolis a man so hideous that the very guards who

arrested him were forced to shut their eyes as they led him along. The Caliph himself appeared startled at so

horrible a visage, but joy succeeded to this emotion of terror when the stranger displayed to his view such

In reality, nothing was ever so extraordinary as the merchandise this stranger produced; most of his

curiosities, which were not less admirable for their workmanship than splendour, had, besides, their several

virtues described on a parchment fastened to each. There were slippers which enabled the feet to walk; knives

that out without the motion of a hand; sabres which dealt the blow at the person they were wished to strike;

The sabres, whose blades emitted a dazzling radiance, fixed more than all the Caliph's attention, who

promised himself to decipher at his leisure the uncouth characters engraven on their sides. Without, therefore,

demanding their price, he ordered all the coined gold to be brought from his treasury, and commanded the

merchant to take what he pleased; the stranger complied with modesty and silence.

Vathek, imagining that the merchant's taciturnity was occasioned by the awe which his presence inspired,

encouraged him to advance, and asked him, with an air of condescension, "Who he was? whence he came?

and where he obtained such beautiful commodities?" The man, or rather monster, instead of making a reply,

thrice rubbed his forehead, which, as well as his body, was blacker than ebony, four times clapped his

paunch, the projection of which was enormous, opened wide his huge eyes, which glowed like firebrands,

began to laugh with a hideous noise, and discovered his long ambercoloured teeth bestreaked with green.

The Caliph, though a little startled, renewed his inquiries, but without being able to procure a reply; at which,

beginning to be ruffled, he exclaimed: "Knowest thou, varlet, who I am? and at whom thou art aiming thy

"Let him speak again, then," said Vathek, "and tell me who he is, from whence he came, and where he

procured these singular curiosities, or I swear by the ass of Balaam that I will make him rue his pertinacity."

The menace was accompanied by the Caliph with one of his angry and perilous glances, which the stranger

sustained without the slightest emotion, although his eyes were fixed on the terrible eye of the prince.

No words can describe the amazement of the courtiers when they beheld this rude merchant withstand the

encounter unshocked. They all fell prostrate with their faces on the ground to avoid the risk of their lives, and

continued in the same abject posture till the Caliph exclaimed in a furious tone, "Up, cowards! seize the

miscreant! see that he be committed to prison and guarded by the best of my soldiers! Let him, however,

retain the money I gave him; it is not my intent to take from him his property; I only want him to speak."

No sooner had he uttered these words than the stranger was surrounded, pinioned with strong fetters, and

hurried away to the prison of the great tower, which was encompassed by seven empalements of iron bars,

The Caliph, nevertheless, remained in the most violent agitation; he sat down indeed to eat, but of the three

hundred covers that were daily placed before him could taste of no more than thirty two. A diet to which he

had been so little accustomed was sufficient of itself to prevent him from sleeping; what then must be its

effect when joined to the anxiety that preyed upon his spirits? At the first glimpse of dawn he hastened to the

prison, again to importune this intractable stranger; but the rage of Vathek exceeded all bounds on finding the

prison empty, the gates burst asunder, and his guards lying lifeless around him. In the paroxysm of his

passion he fell furiously on the poor carcases, and kicked them till evening without intermission. His

courtiers and vizirs exerted their efforts to soothe his extravagance, but finding every expedient ineffectual,

they all united in one vociferation: "The Caliph is gone mad! the Caliph is out of his senses!"

This outcry, which soon resounded through the streets of Samarah, at length reaching the ears of Carathis, his

mother, she flew in the utmost consternation to try her ascendency on the mind of her son. Her tears and

caresses called off his attention, and he was prevailed upon by her entreaties to be brought back to the palace.

Carathis, apprehensive of leaving Vathek to himself, caused him to be put to bed, and seating herself by him,

endeavoured by her conversation to heal and compose him. Nor could any one have attempted it with better

success, for the Caliph not only loved her as a mother, but respected her as a person of superior genius; it was

she who had induced him, being a Greek herself, to adopt all the sciences and systems of her country, which

good Mussulmans hold in such thorough abhorrence. Judicial astrology was one of those systems in which

Carathis was a perfect adept; she began, therefore, with reminding her son of the promise which the stars had

"Alas!" sighed the Caliph, as soon as he could speak, "what a fool have I been! not for the kicks bestowed on

my guards who so tamely submitted to death, but for never considering that this extraordinary man was the

same the planets had foretold, whom, instead of illtreating, I should have conciliated by all the arts of

"The past," said Carathis, "cannot be recalled, but it behoves us to think of the future; perhaps you may again

see the object you so much regret; it is possible the inscriptions on the sabres will afford information. Eat,

therefore, and take thy repose, my dear son; we will consider tomorrow in what manner to act."

Vathek yielded to her counsel as well as he could, and arose in the morning with a mind more at ease. The

sabres he commanded to be instantly brought, and poring upon them through a green glass, that their

glittering might not dazzle, he set himself in earnest to decipher the inscriptions; but his reiterated attempts

were all of them nugatory; in vain did he beat his head and bite his nails, not a letter of the whole was he able

to ascertain. So unlucky a disappointment would have undone him again had not Carathis by good fortune

"Have patience, son!" said she; "you certainly are possessed of every important science, but the knowledge of

languages is a trifle at best, and the accomplishment of none but a pedant. Issue forth a proclamation that you

will confer such rewards as become your greatness upon any one that shall interpret what you do not

understand, and what it is beneath you to learn; you will soon find your curiosity gratified."

"That may be," said the Caliph; "but in the meantime I shall be horribly disgusted by a crowd of smatterers,

who will come to the trial as much for the pleasure of retailing their jargon as from the hope of gaining the

reward. To avoid this evil it will be proper to add that I will put every candidate to death who shall fail to

give satisfaction; for, thank Heaven! I have skill enough to distinguish between one that translates and one

"Of that I have no doubt," replied Carathis; "but to put the ignorant to death is somewhat severe, and may be

productive of dangerous effects; content yourself with commanding their beards to be burntbeards in a

The Caliph submitted to the reasons of his mother, and sending for Morakanabad, his prime vizir, said: "Let

the common criers proclaim, not only in Samarah, but throughout every city in my empire, that whosoever

will repair hither, and decipher certain characters which appear to be inexplicable, shall experience the

liberality for which I am renowned; but that all who fail upon trial shall have their beards burnt off to the last

hair. Let them add also that I will bestow fifty beautiful slaves, and as many jars of apricots from the Isle of

The subjects of the Caliph, like their Sovereign, being great admirers of women and apricots from Kirmith,

felt their mouths water at these promises, but were totally unable to gratify their hankering, for no one knew

As to the Caliph's other requisition, the result was different. The learned, the halflearned, and those who

were neither, but fancied themselves equal to both, came boldly to hazard their beards, and all shamefully lost

The exaction of these forfeitures, which found sufficient employment for the eunuchs, gave them such a

smell of singed hair as greatly to disgust the ladies of the seraglio, and make it necessary that this new

At length, however, an old man presented himself whose beard was a cubit and a half longer than any that

had appeared before him. The officers of the palace whispered to each other, as they ushered him in, "What a

pity such a beard should be burnt!" Even the Caliph, when he saw it, concurred with them in opinion, but his

concern was entirely needless. This venerable personage read the characters with facility, and explained them

verbatim as follows: "We were made where everything good is made; we are the least of the wonders of a

place where all is wonderful, and deserving the sight of the first potentate on earth."

"You translate admirably!" cried Vathek; "I know to what these marvellous characters allude. Let him receive

as many robes of honour and thousands of sequins of gold as he hath spoken words. I am in some measure

Vathek invited the old main to dine, and even to remain some days in the palace. Unluckily for him, he

accepted the offer; for the Caliph, having ordered him next morning to be called, said: "Read again to me

what you have read already; I cannot hear too often the promise that is made me, the completion of which I

The old man forthwith put on his green spectacles, but they instantly dropped from his nose on perceiving

that the characters he had read the day preceding had given place to others of different import.

"Sovereign of the world," replied the old man, "these sabres hold another language today from that they

"How say you?" returned Vathek; "but it matters not! tell me, if you can, what they mean."

"It is this, my lord," rejoined the old man: "Woe to the rash mortal who seeks to know that of which he

"And woe to thee!" cried the Caliph, in a burst of indignation; "today thou art void of understanding.

Begone from my presence; they shall burn but the half of thy beard, because, thou wert yesterday fortunate in

The old man, wise enough to perceive he had luckily escaped, considering the folly of disclosing so

But it was not long before Vathek discovered abundant reason to regret his precipitation; for though he could

not decipher the characters himself, yet by constantly poring upon them he plainly perceived that they every

day changed, and unfortunately no other candidate offered to explain them. This perplexing occupation

inflamed his blood, dazzled his sight, and brought on a giddiness and debility that he could not support. He

failed not, however, though in so reduced a condition, to be often carried to his tower, as he flattered himself

that he might there read in the stars which he went to consult something more congenial to his wishes: but in

this his hopes were deluded, for his eyes, dimmed by the vapours of his head, began to subserve his curiosity

so ill, that he beheld nothing but a thick dun cloud, which he took for the most direful of omens.

Agitated with so much anxiety, Vathek entirely lost all firmness; a fever seized him, and his appetite failed.

Instead of being one of the greatest eaters, he became as distinguished for drinking. So insatiable was the

thirst which tormented him that his mouth, like a funnel, was always open to receive the various liquors that

might be poured into it, and especially cold water, which calmed him more than every other.

This unhappy prince being thus incapacitated for the enjoyment of any pleasure, commanded the palaces of

the five senses to be shut up, forbore to appear in public, either to display his magnificence or administer

justice, and retired to the inmost apartment of his harem. As he had ever been an indulgent husband, his

wives, overwhelmed with grief at his deplorable situation, incessantly offered their prayers for his health, and

In the meantime the Princess Carathis, whose affliction no words can describe, instead of restraining herself

to sobbing and tears, was closeted daily with the Vizir Morakanabad, to find out some cure or mitigation of

the Caliph's disease. Under the persuasion that it was caused by enchantment, they turned over together, leaf

by leaf, all the books of magic that might point out a remedy, and caused the horrible stranger, whom they

accused as the enchanter, to be everywhere sought for with the strictest diligence.

At the distance of a few miles from Samarah stood a high mountain, whose sides were swarded with wild

thyme and basil, and its summit overspread with so delightful a plain, that it might be taken for the paradise

destined for the faithful. Upon it grew a hundred thickets of eglantine and other fragrant shrubs, a hundred

arbours of roses, jessamine, and honeysuckle, as many clumps of orange trees, cedar, and citron, whose

branches, interwoven with the palm, the pomegranate, and the vine, presented every luxury that could regale

the eye or the taste. The ground was strewed with violets, harebells, and pansies, in the midst of which

sprang forth tufts of jonquils, hyacinths, and carnations, with every other perfume that impregnates the air.

Four fountains, not less clear than deep, and so abundant as to slake the thirst of ten armies, seemed profusely

placed here to make the scene more resemble the garden of Eden, which was watered by the four sacred

rivers. Here the nightingale sang the birth of the rose, her wellbeloved, and at the same time lamented its

shortlived beauty; whilst the turtle deplored the loss of more substantial pleasures, and the wakeful lark

hailed the rising light that reanimates the whole creation. Here more than anywhere the mingled melodies of

birds expressed the various passions they inspired, as if the exquisite fruits which they pecked at pleasure had

To this mountain Vathek was sometimes brought for the sake of breathing a purer air, and especially to drink

at will of the four fountains, which were reputed in the highest degree salubrious and sacred to himself. His

attendants were his mother, his wives, and some eunuchs, who assiduously employed themselves in filling

capacious bowls of rock crystal, and emulously presenting them to him; but it frequently happened that his

avidity exceeded their zeal, insomuch that he would prostrate himself upon the ground to lap up the water, of

One day, when this unhappy prince had been long lying in so debasing a posture, a voice, hoarse but strong,

thus addressed him: "Why assumest thou the function of a dog, O Caliph, so proud of thy dignity and

At this apostrophe he raised his head, and beheld the stranger that had caused him so much affliction.

"Accursed Giaour! what comest thou hither to do? Is it not enough to have transformed a prince remarkable

for his agility into one of those leather barrels which the Bedouin Arabs carry on their camels when they

traverse the deserts? Perceivest thou not that I may perish by drinking to excess no less than by a total

"Drink then this draught," said the stranger, as he presented to him a phial of a red and yellow mixture; "and,

to satiate the thirst of thy soul as well as of thy body, know that I am an Indian, but from a region of India

The Caliph delighted to see his desires accomplished in part, and flattering himself with the hope of obtaining

their entire fulfilment, without a moment's hesitation swallowed the potion, and instantaneously found his

In the transports of his joy Vathek leaped upon the neck of the frightful Indian, and kissed his horrid mouth

and hollow cheeks as though they had been the coral lips and the lilies and roses of his most beautiful wives;

whilst they, less terrified than jealous at the sight, dropped their veils to hide the blush of mortification that

Nor would the scene have closed here, had not Carathis, with all the art of insinuation, a little repressed the

raptures of her son. Having prevailed upon him to return to Samarah, she caused a herald to precede him,

whom she commanded to proclaim as loudly as possible: "The wonderful stranger hath appeared again; he

Forthwith all the inhabitants of this vast city quitted their habitations, and ran together in crowds to see the

procession of Vathek and the Indian, whom they now blessed as much as they had before execrated,

incessantly shouting: "He hath healed our sovereign; he hath spoken! he hath spoken!" Nor were these words

forgotten in the public festivals which were celebrated the same evening, to testify the general joy; for the

The Caliph in the meanwhile caused the palaces of the senses to be again set open; and, as he found himself

prompted to visit that of taste in preference to the rest, immediately ordered a splendid entertainment, to

which his great officers and favourite courtiers were all invited. The Indian, who was placed near the prince,

seemed to think that as a proper acknowledgment of so distinguished a privilege he could neither eat, drink,

nor talk too much. The various dainties were no sooner served up than they vanished, to the great

mortification of Vathek, who piqued himself on being the greatest eater alive, and at this time in particular

The rest of the company looked round at each other in amazement; but the Indian, without appearing to

observe it, quaffed large bumpers to the health of each of them, sung in a style altogether extravagant, related

stories at which he laughed immoderately, and poured forth extemporaneous verses, which would not have

been thought bad but for the strange grimaces with which they were uttered. In a word, his loquacity was

equal to that of a hundred astrologers; he ate as much as a hundred porters, and caroused in proportion.

The Caliph, notwithstanding the table had been thirty times covered, found himself incommoded by the

voraciousness of his guest, who was now considerably declined in the prince's esteem. Vathek, however,

being unwilling to betray the chagrin he could hardly disguise, said in a whisper to Bababalouk, the chief of

his eunuchs: "You see how enormous his performances in every way are; what would be the consequence

should he get at my wives? Go! redouble your vigilance, and be sure look well to my Circassians, who would

The bird of the morning had thrice renewed his song when the hour of the Divan sounded. Vathek, in

gratitude to his subjects, having promised to attend, immediately rose from table and repaired thither, leaning

upon his vizir, who could scarcely support him, so disordered was the poor prince by the wine he had drunk,

The vizirs, the officers of the crown and of the law, arranged themselves in a semicircle about their sovereign,

and preserved a respectful silence, whilst the Indian, who looked as cool as if come from a fast, sat down

without ceremony on the step of the throne, laughing in his sleeve at the indignation with which his temerity

The Caliph, however, whose ideas were confused and his head embarrassed, went on administering justice at

haphazard, till at length the prime vizir, perceiving his situation, hit upon a sudden expedient to interrupt the

audience and rescue the honour of his master, to whom he said in a whisper: "My Lord, the Princess Carathis,

who hath passed the night in consulting the planets, informs you that they portend you evil, and the danger is

urgent. Beware lest this stranger, whom you have so lavishly recompensed for his magical gewgaws, should

make some attempt on your life; his liquor, which at first had the appearance of effecting your cure, may be

no more than a poison of a sudden operation. Slight not this surmise; ask him at least of what it was

compounded, whence he procured it, and mention the sabres which you seem to have forgotten."

Vathek, to whom the insolent airs of the stranger became every moment less supportable, intimated to his

vizir by a wink of acquiescence that he would adopt his advice, and at once turning towards the Indian, said:

"Get up and declare in full Divan of what drugs the liquor was compounded you enjoined me to take, for it is

suspected to be poison; add also the explanation I have so earnestly desired concerning the sabres you sold

Having pronounced these words in as moderate a tone as a caliph well could, he waited in silent expectation

for an answer. But the Indian, still keeping his seat, began to renew his loud shouts of laughter, and exhibit

the same horrid grimaces he had shown them before, without vouchsafing a word in reply. Vathek, no longer

able to brook such insolence, immediately kicked him from the steps; instantly descending, repeated his

blow, and persisted with such assiduity as incited all who were present to follow his example. Every foot was

aimed at the Indian, and no sooner had any one given him a kick than he felt himself constrained to reiterate

The stranger afforded them no small entertainment; for, being both short and plump, he collected himself into

a ball, and rolled round on all sides at the blows of his assailants, who pressed after him wherever he turned

with an eagerness beyond conception, whilst their numbers were every moment increasing. The ball, indeed,

in passing from one apartment to another, drew every person after it that came in its way, insomuch that the

whole palace was thrown into confusion, and resounded with a tremendous clamour. The women of the

harem, amazed at the uproar, flew to their blinds to discover the cause; but no sooner did they catch a glimpse

of the ball, than feeling themselves unable to refrain, they broke from the clutches of their eunuchs, who to

stop their flight pinched them till they bled, but in vain; whilst themselves, though trembling with terror at the

The Indian, after having traversed the halls, galleries, chambers, kitchens, gardens, and stables of the palace,

at last took his course through the courts; whilst the Caliph, pursuing him closer than the rest, bestowed as

many kicks as he possibly could, yet not without receiving now and then one, which his competitors in their

Carathis, Morakanabad, and two or three old vizirs, whose wisdom had hitherto withstood the attraction,

wishing to prevent Vathek from exposing himself in the presence of his subjects, fell down in his way to

impede the pursuit; but he, regardless of their obstruction, leaped over their heads, and went on as before.

They then ordered the Muezzins to call the people to prayers, both for the sake of getting them out of the way

and of endeavouring by their petitions to avert the calamity; but neither of these expedients was a whit more

successful: the sight of this fatal ball was alone sufficient to draw after it every beholder. The Muezzins

themselves, though they saw it but at a distance, hastened down from their minarets and mixed with the

crowd, which continued to increase in so surprising a manner, that scarce an inhabitant was left in Samarah,

except the aged, the sick confined to their beds, and infants at the breast, whose nurses could run more

nimbly without them. Even Carathis, Morakanabad, and the rest were all become of the party.

The shrill screams of the females, who had broken from their apartments, and were unable to extricate

themselves from the pressure of the crowd, together with those of the eunuchs jostling after them, terrified

lest their charge should escape from their sight, increased by the execrations of husbands urging forward and

menacing both, kicks given and received, stumblings and overthrows at every step; in a word, the confusion

that universally prevailed rendered Samarah like a city taken by storm and devoted to absolute plunder.

At last the cursed Indian, who still preserved his rotundity of figure, after passing through all the streets and

public places, and leaving them empty, rolled onwards to the plain of Catoul, and traversed the valley at the

As a continual fall of water had excavated an immense gulf in the valley, whose opposite side was closed in

by a steep acclivity, the Caliph and his attendants were apprehensive lest the ball should bound into the

chasm, and, to prevent it, redoubled their efforts, but in vain. The Indian persevered in his onward direction,

and, as had been apprehended, glancing from the precipice with the rapidity of lightning, was lost in the gulf

Vathek would have followed the perfidious Giaour, had not an invisible agency arrested his progress. The

multitude that pressed after him were at once checked in the same manner, and a calm instantaneously

ensued. They all gazed at each other with an air of astonishment; and, notwithstanding that the loss of veils

and turbans, together with torn habits and dust blended with sweat, presented a most laughable spectacle,

there was not one smile to be seen; on the contrary, all, with looks of confusion and sadness, returned in

silence to Samarah, and retired to their inmost apartments, without ever reflecting that they had been impelled

by an invisible power into the extravagance for which they reproached themselves; for it is but just that men,

who so often arrogate to their own merit the good of which they are but instruments, should attribute to

The Caliph was the only person that refused to leave the valley. He commanded his tents to be pitched there,

and stationed himself on the very edge of the precipice, in spite of the representations of Carathis and

Morakanabad, who pointed out the hazard of its brink giving way, and the vicinity to the magician that had so

severely tormented him. Vathek derided all their remonstrances, and, having ordered a thousand flambeaux to

be lighted, and directed his attendants to proceed in lighting more, lay down on the slippery margin, and

attempted, by help of this artificial splendour, to look through that gloom which all the fires of the empyrean

had been insufficient to pervade. One while he fancied to himself voices arising from the depth of the gulf; at

another he seemed to distinguish the accents of the Indian, but all was no more than the hollow murmur of

waters, and the din of the cataracts that rushed from steep to steep down the sides of the mountain.

Having passed the night in this cruel perturbation, the Caliph at daybreak retired to his tent, where, without

taking the least sustenance, he continued to doze till the dusk of evening began again to come on. He then

resumed his vigils as before, and persevered in observing them for many nights together. At length, fatigued

with so successless an employment, he sought relief from change. To this end he sometimes paced with hasty

strides across the plain, and, as he wildly gazed at the stars, reproached them with having deceived him; but,

lo! on a sudden the clear blue sky appeared streaked over with streams of blood, which reached from the

valley even to the city of Samarah. As this awful phenomenon seemed to touch his tower, Vathek at first

thought of repairing thither to view it more distinctly, but feeling himself unable to advance, and being

Terrifying as these prodigies were, this impression upon him was no more than momentary, and served only

to stimulate his love of the marvellous. Instead, therefore, of returning to his palace, he persisted in the

resolution of abiding where the Indian vanished from his view. One night, however, while he was walking as

usual on the plain, the moon and the stars at once were eclipsed, and a total darkness ensued; the earth

trembled beneath him, and a voice came forth, the voice of the Giaour, who, in accents more sonorous than

thunder, thus addressed him: "Wouldest thou devote thyself to me? Adore then the terrestrial influences, and

abjure Mahomet. On these conditions I will bring thee to the palace of subterranean fire; there shalt thou

behold in immense depositories the treasures which the stars have promised thee, and which will be conferred

by those Intelligences whom thou shalt thus render propitious. It was from thence I brought my sabres, and it

is there that Soliman Ben Daoud reposes, surrounded by the talismans that control the world."

The astonished Caliph trembled as he answered, yet in a style that showed him to be no novice in

preternatural adventures: "Where art thou? be present to my eyes; dissipate the gloom that perplexes me, and

of which I deem thee the cause; after the many flambeaux I have burnt to discover thee, thou mayst at least

"Abjure, then, Mahomet," replied the Indian, "and promise me full proofs of thy sincerity, otherwise thou

The unhappy Caliph, instigated by insatiable curiosity, lavished his promises in the utmost profusion. The sky

immediately brightened; and by the light of the planets, which seemed almost to blaze, Vathek beheld the

earth open, and at the extremity of a vast black chasm, a portal of ebony, before which stood the Indian, still

"How," cried Vathek, "can I descend to thee without the certainty of breaking my neck? come, take me, and

"Not so fast," replied the Indian, "impatient Caliph! Know that I am parched with thirst, and cannot open this

door till my thirst be thoroughly appeased. I require the blood of fifty of the most beautiful sons of thy vizirs

and great men, or neither can my thirst nor thy curiosity be satisfied. Return to Samarah, procure for me this

necessary libation, come back hither, throw it thyself into this chasm, and then shalt thou see!"

Having thus spoken, the Indian turned his back on the Caliph, who, incited by the suggestion of demons,

resolved on the direful sacrifice. He now pretended to have regained his tranquillity, and set out for Samarah

amidst the acclamations of a people who still loved him, and forbore not to rejoice when they believed him to

have recovered his reason. So successfully did he conceal the emotion of his heart, that even Carathis and

Morakanabad were equally deceived with the rest. Nothing was heard of but festivals and rejoicings; the ball,

which no tongue had hitherto ventured to mention, was again brought on the tapis; a general laugh went

round, though many, still smarting under the hands of the surgeon from the hurts received in that memorable

The prevalence of this gay humour was not a little grateful to Vathek, as perceiving how much it conduced to

his project. He put on the appearance of affability to every one, but especially to his vizirs and the grandees

of his court, whom he failed not to regale with a sumptuous banquet, during which he insensibly inclined the

conversation to the children of his guests. Having asked with a goodnatured air who of them were blessed

with the handsomest boys, every father at once asserted the pretensions of his own, and the contest

imperceptibly grew so warm that nothing could have withholden them from coming to blows but their

profound reverence for the person of the Caliph. Under the pretence, therefore, of reconciling the disputants,

Vathek took upon him to decide; and with this view commanded the boys to be brought.

It was not long before a troop of these poor children made their appearance, all equipped by their fond

mothers with such ornaments as might give the greatest relief to their beauty or most advantageously display

the graces of their age. But whilst this brilliant assemblage attracted the eyes and hearts of every one besides,

the Caliph scrutinized each in his turn with a malignant avidity that passed for attention, and selected from

With an equal show of kindness as before, he proposed to celebrate a festival on the plain for the

entertainment of his young favourites, who he said ought to rejoice still more than all at the restoration of his

The Caliph's proposal was received with the greatest delight, and soon published through Samarah; litters,

camels, and horses were prepared. Women and children, old men and young, every one placed himself in the

station he chose. The cavalcade set forward, attended by all the confectioners in the city and its precincts; the

populace following on foot composed an amazing crowd, and occasioned no little noise; all was joy, nor did

any one call to mind what most of them had suffered when they first travelled the road they were now passing

The evening was serene, the air refreshing, the sky clear, and the flowers exhaled their fragrance; the beams

of the declining sun, whose mild splendour reposed on the summit of the mountain, shed a glow of ruddy

light over its green declivity and the white flocks sporting upon it; no sounds were audible save the murmurs

of the Four Fountains, and the reeds and voices of shepherds calling to each other from different eminences.

The lovely innocents proceeding to the destined sacrifice added not a little to the hilarity of the scene; they

approached the plain full of sportiveness, some coursing butterflies, others culling flowers, or picking up the

shining little pebbles that attracted their notice. At intervals they nimbly started from each other, for the sake

The dreadful chasm at whose bottom the portal of ebony was placed began to appear at a distance; it looked

like a black streak that divided the plain. Morakanabad and his companions took it for some work which the

Caliph had ordered; unhappy men! little did they surmise for what it was destined.

Vathek, not liking they should examine it too nearly, stopped the procession, and ordered a spacious circle to

be formed on this side, at some distance from the accursed chasm. The bodyguard of eunuchs was detached

to measure out the lists intended for the games, and prepare ringles for the lines to keep off the crowd. The

fifty competitors were soon stripped, and presented to the admiration of the spectators the suppleness and

grace of their delicate limbs; their eyes sparkled with a joy which those of their fond parents reflected. Every

one offered wishes for the little candidate nearest his heart, and doubted not of his being victorious; a

The Caliph, awaiting himself of the first moment to retire from the crowd, advanced towards the chasm, and

there heard, yet not without shuddering, the voice of the Indian, who, gnashing his teeth, eagerly demanded:

"Relentless Giaour!" answered Vathek, with emotion, "can nothing content thee but the massacre of these

lovely victims! Ah! wert thou to behold their beauty it must certainly move thy compassion."

"Perdition on thy compassion, babbler!" cried the Indian. "Give them me, instantly give them, or my portal

"I understand thee," returned the Giaour, with the grin of an ogre; "thou wantest to summon up more presence

During this exquisite dialogue the games went forward with all alacrity, and at length concluded just as the

twilight began to overcast the mountains. Vathek, who was still standing on the edge of the chasm, called out,

with all his might: "Let my fifty little favourites approach me separately, and let them come in the order of

their success. To the first I will give my diamond bracelet, to the second my collar of emeralds, to the third

my aigret of rubies, to the fourth my girdle of topazes, and to the rest each a part of my dress, even down to

This declaration was received with reiterated acclamations, and all extolled the liberality of a prince who

would thus strip himself for the amusement of his subjects and the encouragement of the rising generation.

The Caliph in the meantime undressed himself by degrees, and, raising his arm as high as he was able, made

each of the prizes glitter in the air; but whilst he delivered it with one hand to the child, who sprang forward

to receive it, he with the other pushed the poor innocent into the gulf, where the Giaour, with a sullen

This dreadful device was executed with so much dexterity that the boy who was approaching him remained

unconscious of the fate of his forerunner; and as to the spectators, the shades of evening, together with their

distance, precluded them from perceiving any object distinctly. Vathek, having in this manner thrown in the

last of the fifty, and expecting that the Giaour on receiving them would have presented the key, already

fancied himself as great as Soliman, and consequently above being amenable for what he had done: when, to

his utter amazement, the chasm closed, and the around became as entire as the rest of the plain.

No language could express his rage and despair. He execrated the perfidy of the Indian, loaded him with the

most infamous invectives, and stamped with his foot as resolving to be heard; he persisted in this demeanour

till his strength failed him, and then fell on the earth like one void of sense. His vizirs and grandees, who

were nearer than the rest, supposed him at first to be sitting on the grass at play with their amiable children;

but at length, prompted by doubt, they advanced towards the spot, and found the Caliph alone, who wildly

"It is assuredly pleasant," said he, "to make me accountable for accidents; your children while at play fell

from the precipice that was here, and I should have experienced their fate had I not been saved by a sudden

At these words the fathers of the fifty boys cried out aloud, the mothers repeated their exclamations an octave

higher, whilst the rest, without knowing the cause, soon drowned the voices of both with still louder

"Our Caliph," said theyand the report soon circulated"Our Caliph has played us this trick to gratify his

accursed Giaour. Let us punish him for his perfidy! let us avenge ourselves! let us avenge the blood of the

innocent! let us throw this cruel prince into the gulf that is near, and let his name be mentioned no more!"

At this rumour and these menaces, Carathis, full of consternation, hastened to Morakanabad, and said: "Vizir,

you have lost two beautiful boys, and must necessarily be the most afflicted of fathers, but you are virtuous;

"I will brave every hazard," replied the vizir, "to rescue him from his present danger, but afterwards will

abandon him to his fate. Bababalouk," continued he, "put yourself at the head of your eunuchs; disperse the

mob, and, if possible, bring back this unhappy prince to his palace." Bababalouk and his fraternity,

felicitating each other in a low voice on their disability of ever being fathers, obeyed the mandate of the vizir;

who, seconding their exertions to the utmost of his power, at length accomplished his generous enterprise,

No sooner had the Caliph reentered his palace than Carathis commanded the doors to be fastened; but,

perceiving the tumult to be still violent, and hearing the imprecations which resounded from all quarters, she

said to her son: "Whether the populace be right or wrong, it behoves you to provide for your safety; let us

retire to your own apartment, and from thence through the subterranean passage, known only to ourselves,

into your tower; there, with the assistance of the mutes who never leave it, we may be able to make some

resistance. Bababalouk, supposing us to be still in the palace, will guard its avenues for his own sake; and we

shall soon find, without the counsels of that blubberer Morakanabad, what expedient may be the best to

Vathek, without making the least reply, acquiesced in his mother's proposal, and repeated as he went:

"Nefarious Giaour! where art thou! hast thou not yet devoured those poor children? where are thy sabres? thy

Carathis, who guessed from these interrogations a part of the truth, had no difficulty to apprehend in getting

at the whole, as soon as he should be a little composed in his tower. This princess was so far from being

influenced by scruples that she was as wicked as woman could be, which is not saying a little, for the sex

pique themselves on their superiority in every competition. The recital of the Caliph, therefore, occasioned

neither terror nor surprise to his mother; she felt no emotion but from the promises of the Giaour, and said to

her son: "This Giaour, it must be confessed, is somewhat sanguinary in his taste, but the terrestrial powers are

always terrible; nevertheless, what the one hath promised and the others can confer will prove a sufficient

indemnification; no crimes should be thought too dear for such a reward! forbear then to revile the Indian;

you have not fulfilled the conditions to which his services are annexed; for instance, is not a sacrifice to the

subterranean Genii required? and should we not be prepared to offer it as soon as the tumult is subsided? This

charge I will take on myself, and have no doubt of succeeding by means of your treasures, which, as there are

Accordingly the princess, who possessed the most consummate skill in the art of persuasion, went

immediately back through the subterranean passage; and presenting herself to the populace, from a window

of the palace, began to harangue them with all the address of which she was mistress, whilst Bababalouk

showered money from both hands amongst the crowd, who by these united means were soon appeased; every

Prayer at break of day was announced, when Carathis and Vathek ascended the steps which led to the summit

of the tower, where they remained for some time, though the weather was lowering and wet. This impending

gloom corresponded with their malignant dispositions; but when the sun began to break through the clouds

they ordered a pavilion to be raised, as a screen from the intrusion of his beams. The Caliph, overcome with

fatigue, sought refreshment from repose, at the same time hoping that significant dreams might attend on his

slumbers; whilst the indefatigable Carathis, followed by a party of her mutes, descended to prepare whatever

By secret stairs, known only to herself and to her son, she first repaired to the mysterious recesses in which

were deposited the mummies that had been brought from the catacombs of the ancient Pharaohs; of these she

ordered several to be taken. From thence she resorted to a gallery where, under the guard of fifty female

negroes, mute and blind of the right eye, were preserved the oil of the most venomous serpents, rhinoceros'

horns, and woods of a subtle and penetrating odour procured from the interior of the Indies, together with a

thousand other horrible rarities. This collection had been formed for a purpose like the present by Carathis

herself, from a presentment that she might one day enjoy some intercourse with the infernal powers to whom

she had ever been passionately attached, and to whose taste she was no stranger.

To familiarise herself the better with the horrors in view, the princess remained in the company of her

negresses, who squinted in the most amiable manner from the only eye they had, and leered with exquisite

delight at the skulls and skeletons which Carathis had drawn forth from her cabinets, whose key she entrusted

to no one; all of them making contortions, and uttering a frightful jargon, but very amusing to the princess;

till at last, being stunned by their gibbering, and suffocated by the potency of their exhalations, she was

Whilst she was thus occupied, the Caliph, who, instead of the visions he expected, had acquired in these

insubstantial regions a voracious appetite, was greatly provoked at the negresses; for, having totally forgotten

their deafness, he had impatiently asked them for food, and seeing them regardless of his demand, he began

to cuff, pinch, and push them, till Carathis arrived to terminate a scene so indecent, to the great content of

these miserable creatures, who, having been brought up by her, understood all her signs, and communicated

"Son! what means all this?" said she, panting for breath. "I thought I heard as I came up the shrieks of a

thousand bats tearing from their crannies in the recesses of a cavern; and it was the outcry only of these poor

mutes, whom you were so unmercifully abusing. In truth you but ill deserve the admirable provision I have

"As to that," answered she, "you must have an excellent stomach if it can digest what I have been preparing."

"Be quick," replied the Caliph; "but, oh, heavens! what horrors! what do you intend?"

"Come, come," returned Carathis, "be not so squeamish, but help me to arrange everything properly, and you

shall see that what you reject with such symptoms of disgust will soon complete your felicity. Let us get

ready the pile for the sacrifice of tonight, and think not of eating till that is performed; know you not that all

The Caliph, not daring to object, abandoned himself to grief and the wind that ravaged his entrails, whilst his

mother went forward with the requisite operations. Phials of serpents' oil, mummies, and bones were soon set

in order on the balustrade of the tower; the pile began to rise, and in three hours was as many cubits high. At

length darkness approached, and Carathis, having stripped herself to her inmost garment, clapped her hands

in an impulse of ecstasy and struck light with all her force. The mutes followed her example; but Vathek,

extenuated with hunger and impatience, was unable to support himself, and fell down in a swoon. The sparks

had already kindled the dry wood, the venomous oil burst into a thousand blue flames, the mummies

dissolving emitted a thick dun vapour, and the rhinoceros' horns beginning to consume, all together diffused

such a stench, that the Caliph, recovering, started from his trance, and gazed wildly on the scene in full blaze

around him. The oil gushed forth in a plenitude of streams; and the negresses, who supplied it without

intermission, united their cries to those of the princess. At last the fire became so violent, and the flames

reflected from the polished marble so dazzling, that the Caliph, unable to withstand the heat and the blaze,

In the meantime the inhabitants of Samarah, scared at the light which shone over the city, arose in haste,

ascended their roofs, beheld the tower on fire, and hurried half naked to the square. Their love to their

sovereign immediately awoke; and, apprehending him in danger of perishing in his tower, their whole

thoughts were occupied with the means of his safety. Morakanabad flew from his retirement, wiped away his

tears, and cried out for water like the rest. Bababalouk, whose olfactory nerves were more familiarised to

magical odours, readily conjecturing that Carathis was engaged in her favourite amusements, strenuously

exhorted them not to be alarmed. Him, however, they treated as an old poltroon, and forbore not to style him

a rascally traitor. The camels and dromedaries were advancing with water, but no one knew by which way to

enter the tower. Whilst the populace was obstinate in forcing the doors a violent east wind drove such a

volume of flame against them, as at first forced them off, but afterwards rekindled their zeal; at the same

time the stench of the horns and mummies increasing, most of the crowd fell backward in a state of

suffocation; those that kept their feet mutually wondered at the cause of the smell, and admonished each other

to retire. Morakanabad, more sick than the rest, remained in a piteous condition; holding his nose with one

hand, he persisted in his efforts with the other to burst open the doors and obtain admission. A hundred and

forty of the strongest and most resolute at length accomplished their purpose; having gained the staircase by

Carathis, alarmed at the signs of her mutes, advanced to the staircase, went down a few steps, and heard

several voices calling out from below: "You shall in a moment have water!" Being rather alert, considering

her age, she presently regained the top of the tower, and bade her son suspend the sacrifice for some minutes,

adding: "We shall soon be enabled to render it more grateful; certain dolts of your subjects, imagining no

doubt that we were on fire, have been rash enough to break through those doors which had hitherto remained

inviolate, for the sake of bringing up water; they are very kind, you must allow, so soon to forget the wrongs

you have done them, but that is of little moment. Let us offer them to the Giaour; let them come up; our

mutes, who neither want strength nor experience, will soon despatch them, exhausted as they are with

In fact, these good people, out of breath from ascending eleven thousand stairs in such haste, and chagrined at

having spilt by the way the water they had taken, were no sooner arrived at the top than the blaze of the

flames and the fumes of the mummies at once overpowered their senses. It was a pity; for they beheld not the

agreeable smile with which the mutes and the negresses adjusted the cord to their necks; these amiable

personages rejoiced, however, no less at the scene; never before had the ceremony of strangling been

performed with so much facility; they all fell without the least resistance or struggle, so that Vathek in the

space of a few moments found himself surrounded by the dead bodies of his faithfullest subjects, all which

Carathis, whose presence of mind never forsook her, perceiving that she had carcases sufficient to complete

her oblation, commanded the chains to be stretched across the staircase, and the iron doors barricaded, that no

No sooner were these orders obeyed than the tower shook, the dead bodies vanished in the flames, which at

once changed from a swarthy crimson to a bright rose colour; an ambient vapour emitted the most exquisite

fragrance, the marble columns rang with harmonious sounds, and the liquefied horns diffused a delicious

perfume. Carathis, in transports, anticipated the success of her enterprise, whilst her mutes and negresses, to

Scarcely were they gone when, instead of the pile, horns, mummies, and ashes, the Caliph both saw and felt,

with a degree of pleasure which he could not express, a table covered with the most magnificent repast;

flagons of wine and vases of exquisite sherbet floating on snow. He availed himself without scruple of such

an entertainment and had already laid hands on a lamb stuffed with pistachios, whilst Carathis was privately

drawing from a filigree urn a parchment that seemed to be endless, and which had escaped the notice of her

son; totally occupied in gratifying an importunate appetite he left her to peruse it without interruption, which,

having finished, she said to him in an authoritative tone, "Put an end to your gluttony, and hear the splendid

promises with which you are favoured!" She then read as follows: "Vathek, my wellbeloved, thou hast

surpassed my hopes; my nostrils have been regaled by the savour of thy mummies, thy horns, and still more

by the lives devoted on the pile. At the full of the moon cause the bands of thy musicians and thy tymbals to

be heard; depart from thy palace surrounded by all the pageants of majesty; thy most faithful slaves, thy best

beloved wives, thy most magnificent litters, thy richest leaden camels, and set forward on thy way to

Istakhar; there await I thy coming; that is the region of wonders; there shalt thou receive the diadem of Gian

Ben Gian, the talismans of Soliman, and the treasures of the Preadamite Sultans; there shalt thou be solaced

with all kinds of delight. But beware how thou enterest any dwelling on thy route, or thou shalt feel the

The Caliph, who, notwithstanding his habitual luxury, had never before dined with so much satisfaction, gave

full scope to the joy of these golden tidings, and betook himself to drinking anew. Carathis, whose antipathy

to wine was by no means insuperable, failed not to supply a reason for every bumper, which they ironically

quaffed to the health of Mahomet. This infernal liquor completed their impious temerity, and prompted them

to utter a profusion of blasphemies; they gave a loose to their wit at the expense of the ass of Balaam, the dog

of the seven sleepers, and the other animals admitted into the paradise of Mahomet. In this sprightly humour

they descended the eleven thousand stairs, diverting themselves as they went at the anxious faces they saw on

the square through the oilets of the tower, and at length arrived at the royal apartments by the subterranean

passage. Bababalouk was parading to and fro, and issuing his mandates with great pomp to the eunuchs, who

were snuffing the lights and painting the eyes of the Circassians. No sooner did he catch sight of the Caliph

and his mother than he exclaimed, "Hah! you have then, I perceive, escaped from the flames; I was not,

"Of what moment is it to us what you thought, or think?" cried Carathis; "go, speed, tell Morakanabad that

we immediately want him; and take care how you stop by the way to make your insipid reflections."

Morakanabad delayed not to obey the summons, and was received by Vathek and his mother with great

solemnity; they told him, with an air of composure and commiseration, that the fire at the top of the tower

was extinguished; but that it had cost the lives of the brave people who sought to assist them.

"Still more misfortunes," cried Morakanabad, with a sigh. "Ah, Commander of the Faithful, our holy Prophet

"We will appease him hereafter!" replied the Caliph, with a smile that augured nothing of good. "You will

have leisure sufficient for your supplications during my absence; for this country is the bane of my health; I

am disgusted with the mountain of the Four Fountains, and am resolved to go and drink of the stream of

Rocnabad; I long to refresh myself in the delightful valleys which it waters. Do you, with the advice of my

mother, govern my dominions, and take care to supply whatever her experiments may demand; for you well

The tower but ill suited Morakanabad's taste. Immense treasures had been lavished upon it; and nothing had

he ever seen carried thither but female negroes, mutes, and abominable drugs. Nor did he know well what to

think of Carathis, who, like a chameleon, could assume all possible colours; her cursed eloquence had often

driven the poor Mussulman to his last shifts. He considered, however, that if she possessed but few good

qualities, her son had still fewer; and that the alternative on the whole would be in her favour. Consoled,

therefore, with this reflection, he went in good spirits to soothe the populace, and make the proper

Vathek, to conciliate the Spirits of the subterranean palace, resolved that his expedition should be

uncommonly splendid. With this view he confiscated on all sides the property of his subjects, whilst his

worthy mother stripped the seraglios she visited of the gems they contained. She collected all the

sempstresses and embroiderers of Samarah and other cities to the distance of sixty leagues, to prepare

pavilions, palanquins, sofas, canopies, and litters for the train of the monarch. There was not left in

Masulipatam a single piece of chintz, and so much muslin had been bought up to dress out Bababalouk and

the other black eunuchs, that there remained not an ell in the whole Irak of Babylon.

During these preparations Carathis, who never lost sight of her great object, which was to obtain favour with

the Powers of Darkness, made select parties of the fairest and most delicate ladies of the city; but in the midst

of their gaiety she contrived to introduce serpents amongst them, and to break pots of scorpions under the

table; they all bit to a wonder; and Carathis would have left them to bite, were it not that, to fill up the time,

she now and then amused herself in curing their wounds with an excellent anodyne of her own invention, for

Vathek, who was not altogether so active as his mother, devoted his time to the sole gratification of his

senses, in the palaces which were severally dedicated to them; he disgusted himself no more with the Divan

or the Mosque. One half of Samarah followed his example, whilst the other lamented the progress of

In the midst of these transactions the embassy returned which had been sent in pious times to Mecca. It

consisted of the most reverend Moullahs, who had fulfilled their commission and brought back one of those

precious besoms which are used to sweep the sacred Caaba: a present truly worthy of the greatest potentate

The Caliph happened at this instant to be engaged in an apartment by no means adapted to the reception of

embassies, though adorned with a certain magnificence, not only to render it agreeable, but also because he

resorted to it frequently, and stayed a considerable time together. Whilst occupied in this retreat he heard the

voice of Bababalouk calling out from between the door and the tapestry that hung before it: "Here are the

excellent Mahomet Ebn Edris al Shafei, and the seraphic Al Mouhadethin, who have brought the besom from

Mecca, and with tears of joy intreat they may present it to your majesty in person."

"Let them bring the besom hither; it may be of use," said Vathek, who was still employed, not having quite

"Obey," replied the Caliph, "for it is my sovereign will; go instantly, vanish; for here will I receive the good

The eunuch departed muttering, and bade the venerable train attend him. A sacred rapture was diffused

amongst these reverend old men. Though fatigued with the length of their expedition, they followed

Bababalouk with an alertness almost miraculous, and felt themselves highly flattered, as they swept along the

stately porticoes, that the Caliph would not receive them like ambassadors in ordinary in his hall of audience.

Soon reaching the interior of the harem (where, through blinds of Persian, they perceived large soft eyes, dark

and blue, that went and came like lightning), penetrated with respect and wonder, and full of their celestial

mission, they advanced in procession towards the small corridors that appeared to terminate in nothing, but

"What! is the Commander of the Faithful sick?" said Ebn Edris al Shafei in a low voice to his companion.

Vathek, who heard the dialogue, cried out: "What imports it you how I am employed? approach without

They advanced, and Bababalouk almost sunk with confusion, whilst the Caliph, without showing himself, put

forth his hand from behind the tapestry that hung before the door, and demanded of them the besom. Having

prostrated themselves as well as the corridor would permit, and even in a tolerable semicircle, the venerable

Al Shafei, drawing forth the besom from the embroidered and perfumed scarves in which it had been

enveloped, and secured from the profane gaze of vulgar eyes, arose from his associates, and advanced, with

an air of the most awful solemnity, towards the supposed oratory; but with what astonishment! with what

horror was he seized! Vathek, bursting out into a villainous laugh, snatched the besom from his trembling

hand, and, fixing upon some cobwebs that hung suspended from the ceiling, gravely brushed away till not a

single one remained. The old men, overpowered with amazement, were unable to lift their heards from the

ground; for, as Vathek had carelessly left the tapestry between them half drawn, they were witnesses to the

whole transaction; their tears gushed forth on the marble; Al Mouhadethin swooned through mortification

and fatigue; whilst the Caliph, throwing himself backward on his seat, shouted and clapped his hands without

mercy. At last, addressing himself to Bababalouk: "My dear black," said he, "go, regale these pious poor

souls with my good wine from Shiraz; and, as they can boast of having seen more of my palace than any one

besides, let them also visit my office courts, and lead them out by the back steps that go to my stables."

Having said this, he threw the besom in their face, and went to enjoy the laugh with Carathis. Bababalouk did

all in his power to console the ambassadors, but the two most infirm expired on the spot; the rest were carried

to their beds, from whence, being heartbroken with sorrow and shame, they never arose.

The succeeding night Vathek, attended by his mother, ascended the tower to see if everything were ready for

his journey; for he had great faith in the influence of the stars. The planets appeared in their most favourable

aspects. The Caliph, to enjoy so flattering a sight, supped gaily on the roof, and fancied that he heard during

his repast loud shouts of laughter resound through the sky, in a manner that inspired the fullest assurance.

All was in motion at the palace; lights were kept burning through the whole of the night; the sound of

implements and of artisans finishing their work, the voices of women and their guardians who sung at their

embroidery, all conspired to interrupt the stillness of nature and infinitely delight the heart of Vathek, who

The people were not less satisfied than himself; all assisted to accelerate the moment which should rescue

The day preceding the departure of this infatuated prince was employed by Carathis in repeating to him the

decrees of the mysterious parchment, which she had thoroughly gotten by heart, and in recommending him

not to enter the habitation of any one by the way; "for well thou knowest," added she, "how liquorish thy taste

is after good dishes and young damsels; let me, therefore, enjoin thee to be content with thy old cooks, who

are the best in the world, and not to forget that in thy ambulatory seraglio there are three dozen pretty faces,

which Bababalouk hath not yet unveiled. I myself have a great desire to watch over thy conduct, and visit the

subterranean palace, which no doubt contains whatever can interest persons like us; there is nothing so

pleasing as retiring to caverns; my taste for dead bodies and everything like mummy is decided; and I am

confident thou wilt see the most exquisite of their kind. Forget me not, then, but the moment thou art in

possession of the talismans which are to open to thee the mineral kingdoms and the centre of the earth itself,

fail not to despatch some trusty genius to take me and my cabinet, for the oil of the serpents I have pinched to

death will be a pretty present to the Giaour, who cannot but be charmed with such dainties."

Scarcely had Carathis ended this edifying discourse when the sun, setting behind the mountain of the Four

Fountains, gave place to the rising moon; this planet, being that evening at full, appeared of unusual beauty

and magnitude in the eyes of the women, the eunuchs, and the pages, who were all impatient to set forward.

The city reechoed with shouts of joy and flourishing of trumpets; nothing was visible but plumes nodding

on pavilions, and aigrets shining in the mild lustre of the moon; the spacious square resembled an immense

Arrayed in the robes which were only worn it the most distinguished ceremonials, and supported by his Vizir

and Bababalouk, the Caliph descended the grand staircase of the tower in the sight of all his people; he could

not forbear pausing at intervals to admire the superb appearance which everywhere courted his view, whilst

the whole multitude, even to the camels with their sumptuous burdens, knelt down before him. For some time

a general stillness prevailed, which nothing happened to disturb but the shrill screams of some eunuchs in the

rear; these vigilant guards, having remarked certain cages of the ladies swagging somewhat awry, and

discovered that a few adventurous gallants had contrived to get in, soon dislodged the enraptured culprits.

The majesty of so magnificent a spectacle was not, however, violated by incidents like these. Vathek

meanwhile saluted the moon with an idolatrous air, that neither pleased Morakanabad nor the Doctors of the

Law, any more than the vizirs and the grandees of his court, who were all assembled to enjoy the last view of

At length the clarions and trumpets from the top of the tower announced the prelude of departure; though the

instruments were in unison with each other, yet a singular dissonance was blended with their sounds; this

proceeded from Carathis, who was singing her direful orisons to the Giaour, whilst the negresses and mutes

supplied thoroughbase without articulating a word. The good Mussulmans fancied that they heard the sullen

hum of those nocturnal insects which presage evil, and importuned Vathek to beware how he ventured his

On a given signal the great standard of the Califat was displayed, twenty thousand lances shone around it, and

the Caliph, treading loyally on the cloth of gold which had been spread for his feet, ascended his litter amidst

The expedition commenced with the utmost order and so entire a silence, that even the locusts were heard

from the thickets on the plain of Catoul. Gaiety and goodhumour prevailing, six good leagues were past

before the dawn; and the morning star was still glittering in the firmament when the whole of this numerous

train had halted on the banks of the Tigris, where they encamped to repose for the rest of the day.

The three days that followed were spent in the same manner; but on the fourth the heavens looked angry,

lightnings broke forth in frequent flashes, reechoing peals of thunder succeeded, and the trembling

Circassians clung with all their might to their ugly guardians. The Caliph himself was greatly inclined to take

shelter in the large town of Gulchissar, the governor of which came forth to meet him, and tendered every

kind of refreshment the place could supply; but, having examined his tablets, he suffered the rain to soak him

almost to the bone, notwithstanding the importunity of his first favourites. Though he began to regret the

palace of the senses, yet he lost not sight of his enterprise, and his sanguine expectations confirmed his

resolution; his geographers were ordered to attend him, but the weather proved so terrible that these poor

people exhibited a lamentable appearance; and, as no long journeys had been undertaken since the time of

Haroun al Raschid, their maps of the different countries were in a still worse plight than themselves; every

one was ignorant which way to turn; for Vathek, though well versed in the course of the heavens, no longer

knew his situation on earth; he thundered even louder than the elements, and muttered forth certain hints of

the bowstring, which were not very soothing to literary ears. Disgusted at the toilsome weariness of the way,

he determined to cross over the craggy heights and follow the guidance of a peasant, who undertook to bring

him in four days to Rocnabad. Remonstrances were all to no purpose; his resolution was fixed, and an

invasion commenced on the province of the goats, who sped away in large troops before them. It was curious

to view on these half calcined rocks camels richly caparisoned, and pavilions of gold and silk waving on their

summits, which till then had never been covered but with sapless thistles and fern.

The females and eunuchs uttered shrill wailings at the sight of the precipices below them, and the dreary

prospects that opened in the vast gorges of the mountains. Before they could reach the ascent of the steepest

rock, night overtook them, and a boisterous tempest arose, which, having rent the awnings of the palanquins

and cages, exposed to the raw gusts the poor ladies within, who had never before felt so piercing a cold. The

dark clouds that overcast the face of the sky deepened the horrors of this disastrous night, insomuch that

nothing could be heard distinctly but the mewling of pages and lamentations of sultanas.

To increase the general misfortune, the frightful uproar of wild beasts resounded at a distance, and there were

soon perceived, in the forest they were skirting, the glaring of eyes which could belong only to devils or

tigers. The pioneers, who, as well as they could, had marked out a track, and a part of the advanced guard

were devoured before they had been in the least apprized of their danger. The confusion that prevailed was

extreme; wolves, tigers, and other carnivorous animals, invited by the howling of their companions, flocked

together from every quarter; the crashing of bones was heard on all sides, and a fearful rush of wings

The terror at length reached the main body of the troops which surrounded the monarch and his harem, at the

distance of two leagues from the scene. Vathek (voluptuously reposed in his capacious litter upon cushions of

silk, with two little pages beside him of complexions more fair than the enamel of Franguestan, who were

occupied in keeping off flies) was soundly asleep, and contemplating in his dreams the treasures of Soliman.

The shrieks, however, of his wives awoke him with a start, and, instead of the Giaour with his key of gold, he

"Sire," exclaimed this good servant of the most potent of monarchs, "misfortune is arrived at its height; wild

beasts, who entertain no more reverence for your sacred person than for that of a dead ass, have beset your

camels and their drivers; thirty of the richest laden are already become their prey, as well as your

confectioners, your cooks, and purveyors; and, unless our holy Prophet should protect us, we shall have all

At the mention of eating the Caliph lost all patience; he began to bellow, and even beat himself (for there was

no seeing in the dark). The rumour every instant increased, and Bababalouk, finding no good could be done

with his master, stopped both his ears against the hurlyburly of the harem, and called out aloud: "Come,

ladies and brothers! all hands to work! strike light in a moment! never shall it be said that the Commander of

Though there wanted not in this bevy of beauties a sufficient number of capricious and wayward, yet on the

present occasion they were all compliance; fires were visible in a twinkling in all their cages; ten thousand

torches were lighted at once; the Caliph himself seized a large one of wax; every person followed his

example, and, by kindling ropes' ends dipped in oil and fastened on poles, an amazing blaze was spread. The

rocks were covered with the splendour of sunshine; the trails of sparks wafted by the wind communicated to

the dry fern, of which there was plenty. Serpents were observed to crawl forth from their retreats with

amazement and hissings, whilst the horses snorted, stamped the ground, tossed their noses in the air, and

One of the forests of cedar that bordered their way took fire, and the branches that overhung the path,

extending their flames to the muslins and chintzes which covered the cages of the ladies, obliged them to

jump out, at the peril of their necks. Vathek, who vented on the occasion a thousand blasphemies, was

Never had such an incident happened before. Full of mortification, shame, and despondence, and not

knowing how to walk, the ladies fell into the dirt. "Must I go on foot?" said one; "Must I wet my feet?" cried

another; "Must I soil my dress?" asked a third; "Execrable Bababalouk!" exclaimed all; "Outcast of hell! what

hadst thou to do with torches? Better were it to be eaten by tigers than to fall into our present condition! we

are for ever undone! Not a porter is there in the army, nor a currier of camels, but hath seen some part of our

bodies, and, what is worse, our very faces!" On saying this the most bashful amongst them hid their foreheads

on the ground, whist such as had more boldness flew at Bababalouk; but he, well apprized of their humour,

and not wanting in shrewdness, betook himself to his heels along with his comrades, all dropping their

It was not less light than in the brightest of the dogdays, and the weather was hot in proportion; but how

degrading was the spectacle, to behold the Caliph bespattered like an ordinary mortal! As the exercise of his

faculties seemed to be suspended, one of his Ethiopian wives (for he delighted in variety) clasped him in her

arms, threw him upon her shoulder like a sack of dates, and finding that the fire was hemming them in, set off

with no small expedition, considering the weight of her burden. The other ladies, who had just learnt the use

of their feet, followed her, their guards galloped after, and the cameldrivers brought up the rear as fast as

They soon reached the spot where the wild beasts had commenced the carnage, and which they had too much

spirit to leave, notwithstanding the approaching tumult and the luxurious supper they had made; Bababalouk

nevertheless seized on a few of the plumpest, which were unable to budge from the place, and began to flay

them with admirable adroitness. The cavalcade being got so far from the conflagration as that the heat felt

rather grateful than violent, it was immediately resolved on to halt. The tattered chintzes were picked up, the

scraps left by the wolves and tigers interred, and vengeance was taken on some dozens of vultures that were

too much glutted to rise on the wing. The camels, which had been left unmolested to make sal ammoniac,

being numbered, and the ladies once more enclosed in their cages, the imperial tent was pitched on the

Vathek, reposing upon a mattress of down, and tolerably recovered from the jolting of the Ethiopian, who to

his feelings seemed the roughest trotting jade he had hitherto mounted, called out for something to eat. But,

alas! those delicate cakes which had been baked in silver ovens for his royal mouth, those rich manchets,

amber comfits, flagons of Schiraz wine, porcelain vases of snow, and grapes from the banks of the Tigris,

were all irremediably lost! And nothing had Bababalouk to present in their stead but a roasted wolf, vultures a

la daube, aromatic herbs of the most acrid poignancy, rotten truffles, boiled thistles, and such other wild

plants as most ulcerate the throat and parch up the tongue. Nor was he better provided in the article of drink,

for he could procure nothing to accompany these irritating viands but a few vials of abominable brandy,

Vathek made wry faces at so savage a repast, and Bababalouk answered them with shrugs and contortions;

the Caliph, however, ate with tolerable appetite, and fell into a nap that lasted six hours. The splendour of the

sun reflected from the white cliffs of the mountains, in spite of the curtains that enclosed him, at length

disturbed his repose; he awoke terrified, and stung to the quick by those wormwoodcoloured flies, which

emit from their wings a suffocating stench. The miserable monarch was perplexed how to act, though his wits

were not idle in seeking expedients, whilst Bababalouk lay snoring amidst a swarm of those insects, that

busily thronged to pay court to his nose. The little pages, famished with hunger, had dropped their fans on the

ground, and exerted their dying voices in bitter reproaches on the Caliph, who now for the first time heard the

Thus stimulated, he renewed his imprecations against the Giaour, and bestowed upon Mahomet some

soothing expressions. "Where am I?" cried he; "what are these dreadful rocks? these valleys of darkness? are

we arrived at the horrible Kaf? is the Simurgh coming to pluck out my eyes, as a punishment for undertaking

this impious enterprise!" Having said this, he bellowed like a calf and turned himself towards an outlet in the

side of his pavilion; but, alas! what objects occurred to his view! on one side a plain of black sand that

appeared to be unbounded, and on the other perpendicular crags, bristled over with those abominable thistles

which had so severely lacerated his tongue. He fancied, however, that he perceived, amongst the brambles

and briers, some gigantic flowers, but was mistaken; for these were only the dangling palampores and

variegated tatters of his gay retinue. As there were several clefts in the rock from whence water seemed to

have flowed, Vathek applied his ear, with the hope of catching the sound of some latent runnel, but could

only distinguish the low murmurs of his people, who were repining at their journey, and complaining for the

"To what purpose," asked they, "have we been brought hither? Hath our Caliph another tower to build? or

have the relentless Afrits, whom Carathis so much loves, fixed in this place their abode?"

At the name of Carathis Vathek recollected the tablets he had received from his mother, who assured him

they were fraught with preternatural qualities, and advised him to consult them as emergencies might require.

Whilst he was engaged in turning them over he heard a shout of joy and a loud clapping of hands; the curtains

of his pavilion were soon drawn back, and he beheld Bababalouk, followed by a troop of his favourites,

conducting two dwarfs, each a cubit high, who brought between them a large basket of melons, oranges, and

"We dwell on the top of these rocks in a cabin of rushes and canes; the eagles envy us our nest; a small spring

supplies us with Abdest, and we daily repeat prayers which the Prophet approves. We love you, O

Commander of the Faithful! our master, the good Emir Fakreddin, loves you also; he reveres in your person

the vicegerent of Mahomet. Little as we are, in us he confides; he knows our hearts to be good as our bodies

are contemptible, and hath placed us here to aid those who are bewildered on these dreary mountains. Last

night, whilst we were occupied within our cell in reading the holy Koran, a sudden hurricane blew out our

lights and rocked our habitation; for two whole hours a palpable darkness prevailed, but we heard sounds at a

distance which we conjectured to proceed from the bells of a Cafila passing over the rocks; our ears were

soon filled with deplorable shrieks, frightful roarings, and the sound of tymbals. Chilled with terror, we

concluded that the Deggial, with his exterminating angels, had sent forth their plagues on the earth. In the

midst of these melancholy reflections we perceived flames of the deepest red glow in the horizon, and found

ourselves in a few moments covered with flakes of fire; amazed at so strange an appearance, we took up the

volume dictated by the blessed Intelligence, and, kneeling by the light of the fire that surrounded us, we

recited the verse which says: 'Put no trust in anything but the mercy of Heaven; there is no help save in the

holy Prophet; the mountain of Kaf itself may tremble, it is the power of Allah only that cannot be moved.'

After having pronounced these words we felt consolation, and our minds were hushed into a sacred repose;

silence ensued, and our ears clearly distinguished a voice in the air, saying: 'Servants of my faithful servant!

go down to the happy valley of Fakreddin; tell him that an illustrious opportunity now offers to satiate the

thirst of his hospitable heart. The Commander of true believers is this day bewildered amongst these

mountains, and stands in need of thy aid.' We obeyed with joy the angelic mission, and our master, filled with

pious zeal, hath culled with his own hands these melons, oranges, and pomegranates; he is following us with

a hundred dromedaries laden with the purest waters of his fountains, and is coming to kiss the fringe of your

consecrated robe, and implore you to enter his humble habitation, which, placed amidst these barren wilds,

resembles an emerald set in lead." The dwarfs, having ended their address, remained still standing, and, with

Vathek in the midst of this curious harangue, seized the basket, and long before it was finished the fruits had

dissolved in his mouth; as he continued to eat his piety increased, and in the same breath which recited his

Such was the state of his mind when the tablets, which were thrown by at the approach of the dwarfs, again

attracted his eye; he took them up, but was ready to drop on the ground when he beheld, in large red

characters, these words inscribed by Carathis, which were indeed enough to make him tremble:

"Beware of thy old doctors, and their puny messengers of but one cubit high; distrust their pious frauds, and,

instead of eating their melons, impale on a spit the bearers of them. Shouldst thou be such a fool as to visit

them, the portal of the subterranean palace will be shut in thy face, and with such force as shall shake thee

"To what tends this ominous rhapsody?" cries the Caliph. "And must I then perish in these deserts with thirst,

whilst I may refresh myself in the valley of melons and cucumbers! Accursed be the Giaour, with his portal

of ebony! he hath made me dance attendance too long already. Besides, who shall prescribe laws to me? I

forsooth must not enter any one's habitation! Be it so; but what one can I enter that is not my own?"

Bababalouk, who lost not a syllable of this soliloquy, applauded it with all his heart, and the ladies for the

The dwarfs were entertained, caressed, and seated with great ceremony on little cushions of satin. The

symmetry of their persons was the subject of criticism; not an inch of them was suffered to pass unexamined;

knickknacks and dainties were offered in profusion, but all were declined with respectful gravity. They

clambered up the sides of the Caliph's seat, and, placing themselves each on one of his shoulders, began to

whisper prayers in his ears; their tongues quivered like the leaves of a poplar, and the patience of Vathek was

almost exhausted, when the acclamations of the troops announced the approach of Fakreddin, who was come

with a hundred old greybeards and as many Korans and dromedaries; they instantly set about their

ablutions, and began to repeat the Bismillah; Vathek, to get rid of these officious monitors, followed their

The good Emir, who was punctiliously religious, and likewise a great dealer in compliments, made an

harangue five times more prolix and insipid than his harbingers had already delivered. The Caliph, unable

"For the love of Mahomet, my dear Fakreddin, have done! let us proceed to your valley, and enjoy the fruits

The hint of proceeding put all into motion; the venerable attendants of the Emir set forward somewhat

slowly, but Vathek, having ordered his little pages in private to goad on the dromedaries, loud fits of laughter

broke forth from the cages, for the unwieldy curvetting of these poor beasts, and the ridiculous distress of

They descended, however, unhurt into the valley, by the large steps which the Emir had cut in the rock; and

already the murmuring of streams and the rustling of leaves began to catch their attention. The cavalcade

soon entered a path which was skirted by flowering shrubs, and extended to a vast wood of palmtrees,

whose branches overspread a building of hewn stone. This edifice was crowned with nine domes, and

adorned with as many portals of bronze, on which was engraven the following inscription: "This is the

asylum of pilgrims, the refuge of travellers, and the depository of secrets for all parts of the world."

Nine pages, beautiful as the day, and clothed in robes of Egyptian linen, very long and very modest, were

standing at each door. They received the whole retinue with an easy and inviting air. Four of the most

amiable placed the Caliph on a magnificent taktrevan, four others, somewhat less graceful, took charge of

Bababalouk, who capered for joy at the snug little cabin that fell to his share; the pages that remained waited

When everything masculine was gone out of sight the gate of a large enclosure on the right turned on its

harmonious hinges and a young female of a slender form came forth; her light brown hair floated in the hazy

breeze of the twilight; a troop of young maidens, like the Pleiades, attended her on tiptoe. They hastened to

the pavilions that contained the sultanas, and the young lady, gracefully bending, said to them:

"Charming Princesses, everything is ready; we have prepared beds for your repose, and strewed your

apartments with jasmine; no insects will keep off slumber from visiting your eyelids, we will dispel them

with a thousand plumes; come then, amiable ladies! refresh your delicate feet and your ivory limbs in baths of

rose water; and, by the light of perfumed lamps your servants will amuse you with tales."

The sultanas accepted with pleasure these obliging offers, and followed the young lady to the Emir's harem,

Vathek found himself beneath a vast dome, illuminated by a thousand lamps of rock crystal; as many vases of

the same material, filled with excellent sherbet, sparkled on a large table, where a profusion of viands were

spread; amongst others were sweetbreads stewed in milk of almonds, saffron soups, and lamb a la creme, of

all which the Caliph was amazingly fond. He took of each as much as he was able, testified his sense of the

Emir's friendship by the gaiety of his heart, and made the dwarfs dance against their will, for these little

devotees durst not refuse the Commander of the Faithful; at last he spread himself on the sofa, and slept

Beneath this dome a general silence prevailed, for there was nothing to disturb it but the jaws of Bababalouk,

who had untrussed himself to eat with greater advantage, being anxious to make amends for his fast in the

mountains. As his spirits were too high to admit of his sleeping, and not loving to be idle, he proposed with

himself to visit the harem, and repair to his charge of the ladies, to examine if they had been properly

lubricated with the balm of Mecca, if their eyebrows and tresses were in order, and, in a word, to perform all

the little offices they might need. He sought for a long time together, but without being able to find out the

door; he durst not speak aloud, for fear of disturbing the Caliph, and not a soul was stirring in the precincts of

the palace; he almost despaired of effecting his purpose, when a low whispering just reached his ear; it came

from the dwarfs who were returned to their old occupation, and for the nine hundred and ninetyninth time in

their lives, were reading over the Koran. They very politely invited Bababalouk to be of their party, but his

head was full of other concerns. The dwarfs, though scandalised at his dissolute morals, directed him to the

apartments he wanted to find; his way thither lay through a hundred dark corridors, along which he groped as

he went, and at last began to catch from the extremity of a passage the charming gossiping of the women,

which not a little delighted his heart. "Ah, ha! what, not yet asleep!" cried he; and, taking long strides as he

spoke. "Did you not suspect me of abjuring my charge? I stayed but to finish what my master had left."

Two of the black eunuchs, on hearing a voice so loud, detached a party in haste, sabre in hand, to discover the

cause; but presently was repeated on all sides: "'Tis only Bababalouk! no one but Bababalouk!" This

circumspect guardian, having gone up to a thin veil of carnationcoloured silk that hung before the doorway,

distinguished, by means of the softened splendour that shone through it, an oval bath of dark porphyry,

surrounded by curtains festooned in large folds; through the apertures between them, as they were not drawn

close, groups of young slaves were visible, amongst whom Bababalouk perceived his pupils, indulgingly

expanding their arms, as if to embrace the perfumed water and refresh themselves after their fatigues. The

looks of tender languor, their confidential whispers, and the enchanting smiles with which they were

imparted, the exquisite fragrance of the roses, all combined to inspire a voluptuousness, which even

He summoned up, however, his usual solemnity, and, in the peremptory tone of authority, commanded the

ladies instantly to leave the bath. Whilst he was issuing these mandates the young Nouronihar, daughter of

the Emir, who was sprightly as an antelope, and full of wanton gaiety, beckoned one of her slaves to let down

the great swing, which was suspended to the ceiling by cords of silk, and whilst this was doing, winked to her

companions in the bath, who, chagrined to be forced from so soothing a state of indolence, began to twist it

When Nouronihar perceived that he was exhausted with fatigue, she accosted him with an arch air of

respectful concern, and said: "My lord, it is not by any means decent that the chief eunuch of the Caliph, our

Sovereign, should thus continue standing; deign but to recline your graceful person upon this sofa, which will

Caught by these flattering accents, Bababalouk gallantly replied: "Delight of the apple of my eye! I accept the

invitation of thy honeyed lips; and, to say truth, my senses are dazzled with the radiance that beams from thy

"Repose, then, at your ease," replied the beauty, and placed him on the pretended sofa, which, quicker than

lightning, gave way all at once. The rest of the women, having aptly conceived her design, sprang naked from

the bath, and plied the swing with such unmerciful jerks, that it swept through the whole compass of a very

lofty dome, and took from the poor victim all power of respiration; sometimes his feet rased the surface of the

water, and at others the skylight almost flattened his nose; in vain did he pierce the air with the cries of a

voice that resembled the ringing of a cracked basin, for their peals of laughter were still more predominant.

Nouronihar, in the inebriety of youthful spirits, being used only to eunuchs of ordinary harems, and having

never seen anything so royal and disgusting, was far more diverted than all of the rest; she began to parody

"O gentle white dove, as thou soar'st through the air, Vouchsafe one kind glance on the mate of thy love;

The sultanas and their slaves, stimulated by these pleasantries, persevered at the swing with such unremitted

assiduity, that at length the cord which had secured it snapped suddenly asunder, and Bababalouk fell

floundering like a turtle to the bottom of the bath. This accident occasioned a universal shout; twelve little

doors, till now unobserved, flew open at once, and the ladies in an instant made their escape, after throwing

The deplorable animal, in water to the chin, overwhelmed with darkness, and unable to extricate himself from

the wrap that embarrassed him, was still doomed to hear for his further consolation the fresh bursts of

merriment his disaster occasioned. He bustled, but in vain, to get from the bath, for the margin was become

so slippery with the oil spilt in breaking the lamps, that at every effort he slid back with a plunge, which

resounded aloud through the hollow of the dome. These cursed peals of laughter at every relapse were

redoubled; and he, who thought the place infested rather by devils than women, resolved to cease groping,

and abide in the bath, where he amused himself with soliloquies, interspersed with imprecations, of which his

malicious neighbours reclining on down suffered not an accent to escape. In this delectable plight the

morning surprised him. The Caliph, wondering at his absence, had caused him to be everywhere sought for.

At last he was drawn forth, almost smothered from the wisp of linen, and wet even to the marrow. Limping

and chattering his teeth, he appeared before his master, who inquired what was the matter, and how he came

"And why did you enter this cursed lodge?" answered Bababalouk, gruffly. "Ought a monarch like you to

visit with his harem the abode of a greybearded Emir, who knows nothing of life? And with what gracious

damsels doth the place, too, abound! Fancy to yourself how they have soaked me like a burnt crust, and made

me dance like a jackpudding the livelong night through, on their damnable swing! What an excellent

lesson for your sultanas to follow, into whom I have instilled such reserve and decorum!"

Vathek, comprehending not a syllable of all this invective, obliged him to relate minutely the transaction; but

instead of sympathising with the miserable sufferer, he laughed immoderately at the device of the swing, and

the figure of Bababalouk mounting upon it. The stung eunuch could scarcely preserve the semblance of

"Ay, laugh, my lord! laugh," said he; "but I wish this Nouronihar would play some trick on you; she is too

Those words made for the present but a slight impression on the Caliph; but they not long after recurred to his

This conversation was cut short by Fakreddin, who came to request that Vathek would join in the prayers and

ablutions to be solemnised on a spacious meadow, watered by innumerable streams. The Caliph found the

waters refreshing, but the prayers abominably irksome; he diverted himself, however, with the multitude of

Calenders, Santons, and Dervises, who were continually coming and going, but especially with the Brahmins,

Fakirs, and other enthusiasts, who had travelled from the heart of India, and halted on their way with the

Emir. These latter had, each of them, some mummery peculiar to himself. One dragged a huge chain

wherever he went, another an ouranoutang, whilst a third was furnished with scourges, and all performed to a

charm; some clambered up trees, holding one foot in the air; others poised themselves over a fire, and without

mercy filliped their noses. There were some amongst them that cherished vermin, which were not ungrateful

in requiting their caresses. These rambling fanatics revolted the hearts of the Dervises, the Calenders, and

Santons; however, the vehemence of their aversion soon subsided, under the hope that the presence of the

Caliph would cure their folly, and convert them to the Mussulman faith; but, alas! how great was their

disappointment! for Vathek, instead of preaching to them, treated them as buffoons, bade them present his

compliments to Visnow and Ixhora, and discovered a predilection for a squat old man from the isle of

"Come!" said he, "for the love of your gods bestow a few slaps on your chops to amuse me."

The old fellow, offended at such an address, began loudly to weep; but, as he betrayed a villainous drivelling

in his tears, the Caliph turned his back and listened to Bababalouk, who whispered, whilst he held the

umbrella over him: "Your Majesty should be cautious of this odd assembly which hath been collected I know

not for what. Is it necessary to exhibit such spectacles to a mighty potentate, with interludes of Talapoins

more mangy than dogs? Were I you, I would command a fire to be kindled, and at once purge the earth of the

"Tush, dolt!" answered Vathek; "and know that all this infinitely charms me; nor shall I leave the meadow till

Wherever the Caliph directed his course objects of pity were sure to swarm round him: the blind, the

purblind, smarts without noses, damsels without ears, each to extol the munificence of Fakreddin, who, as

well as his attendant greybeards, dealt about gratis plasters and cataplasms to all that applied. At noon a

superb corps of cripples made its appearance, and soon after advanced by platoons on the plain, the

completest association of invalids that had ever been embodied till then. The blind went groping with the

blind, the lame limped on together, and the maimed made gestures to each other with the only arm that

remained; the sides of a considerable waterfall were crowded by the deaf, amongst whom were some from

Pegu with ears uncommonly handsome and large, but were still less able to hear than the rest; nor were there

wanting others in abundance with humpbacks, wenny necks, and even horns of an exquisite polish.

The Emir, to aggrandise the solemnity of the festival in honour of his illustrious visitant, ordered the turf to

be spread on all sides with skins and tablecloths, upon which were served up for the good Mussulmans

pilaus of every line, with other orthodox dishes; and, by the express order of Vathek, who was shamefully

tolerant, small plates of abominations for regaling the rest. This prince, on seeing so many mouths put in

motion, began to think it time for employing his own; in spite, therefore, of every remonstrance from the

chief of his eunuchs, he resolved to have a dinner dressed on the spot. The complaisant Emir immediately

gave orders for a table to be placed in the shade of the willows. The first service consisted of fish, which they

drew from a river flowing over sands of gold at the foot of a lofty hill; these were broiled as fast as taken, and

served up with a sauce of vinegar, and small herbs that grow on Mount Sinai; for everything with the Emir

The dessert was not quite set on when the sound of lutes from the hill was repeated by the echoes of the

neighbouring mountains. The Caliph, with an emotion of pleasure and surprise, had no sooner raised up his

head than a handful of jasmine dropped on his face; an abundance of tittering succeeded the frolic, and

instantly appeared through the bushes the elegant forms of several young females, skipping and bounding like

roes. The fragrance diffused from their hair struck the sense of Vathek, who, in an ecstasy, suspending his

"Are the Peris come down from their spheres? Note her in particular whose form is so perfect, venturously

running on the brink of the precipice, and turning back her head, as regardless of nothing but the graceful

flow of her robe; with what captivating impatience doth she contend with the bushes for her veil! could it be

"Ay! she it was; and you too would she throw from the top of the rock," answered Bababalouk; "for that is

my good friend Nouronihar, who so kindly lent me her swing; my dear lord and master," added he, twisting a

twig that hung by the rind from a willow, "let me correct her for want of respect; the Emir will have no

reason to complain, since (bating what I owe to his piety) he is much to be censured for keeping a troop of

girls on the mountains, whose sharp air gives their blood too brisk a circulation."

"Peace, blasphemer!" said the Caliph; "speak not thus of her who over her mountains leads my heart a willing

captive; contrive rather that my eyes may be fixed upon hers, that I may respire her sweet breath, as she

bounds panting along these delightful wilds!" On saying these words, Vathek extended his arms towards the

hill, and directing his eyes with an anxiety unknown to him before, endeavoured to keep within view the

object that enthralled his soul; but her course was as difficult to follow as the flight of one of those beautiful

The Caliph, not satisfied with seeing, wished also to hear Nouronihar, and eagerly turned to catch the sound

of her voice; at last he distinguished her whispering to one of her companions behind the thicket from whence

she had thrown the jasmine: "A Caliph, it must be owned, is a fine thing to see, but my little Gulchenrouz is

much more amiable; one lock of his hair is of more value to me than the richest embroidery of the Indies; I

had rather that his teeth should mischievously press my finger than the richest ring of the imperial treasure.

The agitated Caliph still wished to hear more, but she immediately retired, with all her attendants; the fond

monarch pursued her with his eyes till she was gone out of sight, and then continued like a bewildered and

benighted traveller, from whom the clouds had obscured the constellation that guided his way; the curtain of

night seemed dropped before him; everything appeared discoloured; the falling waters filled his soul with

dejection, and his tears trickled down the jasmines he had caught from Nouronihar, and placed in his

inflamed bosom; he snatched up a shining pebble, to remind him of the scene where he felt the first tumults

of love. Two hours were elapsed, and evening drew on before he could resolve to depart from the place; he

often, but in vain, attempted to go; a soft languor enervated the powers of his mind; extending himself on the

brink of the stream, he turned his eyes towards the blue summits of the mountain, and exclaimed: "What

concealest thou behind thee? what is passing in thy solitudes? Whither is she gone? O Heaven! perhaps she is

In the meantime the damps began to descend, and the Emir, solicitous for the health of the Caliph, ordered

the imperial litter to be brought. Vathek, absorbed in his reveries, was imperceptibly removed, and conveyed

But let us leave the Caliph, immersed in his new passion, and attend Nouronihar beyond the rocks, where she

had again joined her beloved Gulchenrouz. This Gulchenrouz was the son of Ali Hassan, brother to the Emir,

and the most delicate and lovely creature in the world. Ali Hassan, who had been absent ten years on a

voyage to the unknown seas, committed at his departure this child, the only survivor of many, to the care and

protection of his brother. Gulchenrouz could write in various characters with precision, and paint upon

vellum the most elegant arabesques that fancy could devise; his sweet voice accompanied the lute in the most

enchanting manner, and when he sang the loves of Megnoun and Leileh, or some unfortunate lovers of

ancient days, tears insensibly overflowed the cheeks of his auditors; the verses he composed (for, like

Megnoun, he too was a poet) inspired that unresisting languor so frequently fatal to the female heart; the

women all doted upon him; for though he had passed his thirteenth year, they still detained him in the harem;

his dancing was light as the gossamer waved by the zephyrs of spring, but his arms, which twined so

gracefully with those of the young girls in the dance, could neither dart the lance in the chase, nor curb the

steeds that pastured his uncle's domains. The bow, however, he drew with a certain aim, and would have

excelled his competitors in the race, could he have broken the ties that bound him to Nouronihar.

The two brothers had mutually engaged their children to each other, and Nouronihar loved her cousin more

than her eyes; both had the same tastes and amusements, the same long, languishing looks, the same tresses,

the same fair complexions, and when Gulchenrouz appeared in the dress of his cousin he seemed to be more

feminine than even herself. If at any time he left the harem to visit Fakreddin, it was with all the bashfulness

of a fawn, that consciously ventures from the lair of its dam; he was however, wanton enough to mock the

solemn old greybeards to whom he was subject, though sure to be rated without mercy in return; whenever

this happened he would plunge into the recesses of the harem, and sobbing, take refuge in the arms of

It fell out this evening that, after leaving the Caliph in the meadow, she ran with Gulchenrouz over the green

sward of the mountain that sheltered the vale where Fakreddin had chosen to reside. The sun was dilated on

the edge of the horizon; and the young people, whose fancies were lively and inventive, imagined they beheld

in the gorgeous clouds of the west the domes of Shadukiam and Amberabad, where the Peris have fixed their

abode. Nouronihar, sitting on the slope of the hill, supported on her knees the perfumed head of Gulchenrouz;

the air was calm, and no sound stirred but the voices of other young girls, who were drawing cool water from

the streams below. The unexpected arrival of the Caliph, and the splendour that marked his appearance, had

already filled with emotion the ardent soul of Nouronihar; her vanity irresistibly prompted her to pique the

prince's attention, and this she before took good care to effect whilst he picked up the jasmine she had thrown

upon him. But when Gulchenrouz asked after the flowers he had culled for her bosom, Nouronihar was all in

confusion; she hastily kissed his forehead, arose in a flutter, and walked with unequal steps on the border of

the precipice. Night advanced, and the pure gold of the setting sun had yielded to a sanguine red, the glow of

which, like the reflection of a burning furnace, flushed Nouronihar's animated countenance. Gulchenrouz,

"Let us be gone; the sky looks portentous, the tamarisks tremble more than common, and the raw wind chills

Then, taking hold of her hand, he drew it towards the path he besought her to go. Nouronihar unconsciously

followed the attraction, for a thousand strange imaginations occupied her spirit; she passed the large round of

honeysuckles, her favourite resort, without ever vouchsafing it a glance, yet Gulchenrouz could not help

snatching off a few shoots in his way, though he ran as if a wild beast were behind.

The young females seeing him approach in such haste, and according to custom expecting a dance, instantly

assembled in a circle, and took each other by the hand; but Gulchenrouz, coming up out of breath, fell down

at once on the grass. This accident struck with consternation the whole of this frolicsome party; whilst

Nouronihar, half distracted, and overcome, both by the violence of her exercise and the tumult of her

thoughts, sunk feebly down at his side, cherished his cold hands in her bosom, and chafed his temples with a

fragrant unguent. At length he came to himself, and, wrapping up his head in the robe of his cousin, entreated

that she would not return to the harem; he was afraid of being snapped at by Shaban, his tutor, a wrinkled old

eunuch of a surly disposition; for having interrupted the stated walk of Nouronihar, he dreaded lest the churl

should take it amiss. The whole of this sprightly group, sitting round upon a mossy knoll, began to entertain

themselves with various pastimes, whilst their superintendents the eunuchs were gravely conversing at a

distance. The nurse of the Emir's daughter, observing her pupil sit ruminating with her eyes on the ground,

endeavoured to amuse her with diverting tales, to which Gulchenrouz, who had already forgotten his

inquietudes, listened with a breathless attention; he laughed, he clapped his hands, and passed a hundred little

tricks on the whole of the company, without omitting the eunuchs, whom he provoked to run after him, in

During these occurrences the moon arose, the wind subsided, and the evening became so serene and inviting,

that a resolution was taken to sup on the spot. Sutlememe, who excelled in dressing a salad, having filled

large bowls of porcelain with eggs of small birds, curds turned with citron juice, slices of cucumber, and the

inmost leaves of delicate herbs, handed it round from one to another, and gave each their shares in a large

spoon of Cocknos. Gulchenrouz, nestling as usual in the bosom of Nouronihar, pouted out his vermilion little

lips against the offer of Sutlememe, and would take it only from the hand of his cousin, on whose mouth he

hung like a bee inebriated with the quintessence of flowers. One of the eunuchs ran to fetch melons, whilst

others were employed in showering down almonds from the branches that overhung this amiable party.

In the midst of this festive scene there appeared a light on the top of the highest mountain, which attracted the

notice of every eye; this light was not less bright than the moon when at full, and might have been taken for

her, had it not been that the moon was already risen. The phenomenon occasioned a general surprise, and no

one could conjecture the cause; it could not be a fire, for the light was clear and bluish, nor had meteors ever

been seen of that magnitude or splendour. This strange light faded for a moment, and immediately renewed

its brightness; it first appeared motionless at the foot of the rock, whence it darted in an instant to sparkle in a

thicket of palmtrees; from thence it glided along the torrent, and at last fixed in a glen that was narrow and

dark. The moment it had taken its direction, Gulchenrouz, whose heart always trembled at anything sudden or

rare, drew Nouronihar by the robe, and anxiously requested her to return to the harem; the women were

importunate in seconding the entreaty, but the curiosity of the Emir's daughter prevailed; she not only refused

to go back, but resolved at all hazards to pursue the appearance. Whilst they were debating what was best to

be done, the light shot forth so dazzling a blaze, that they all fled away shrieking; Nouronihar followed them

a few steps, but, coming to the turn of a little byepath, stopped, and went back alone; as she ran with an

alertness peculiar to herself, it was not long before she came to the place where they had just been supping.

The globe of fire now appeared stationary in the glen, and burned in majestic stillness. Nouronihar,

compressing her hands upon her bosom, hesitated for some moments to advance; the solitude of her situation

was new, the silence of the night awful, and every object inspired sensations which till then she never had

felt: the affright of Gulchenrouz recurred to her mind, and she a thousand times turned to go back, but this

luminous appearance was always before her; urged on by an irresistible impulse, she continued to approach

At length she arrived at the opening of the glen; but, instead of coming up to the light, she found herself

surrounded by darkness, excepting that at a considerable distance a faint spark glimmered by fits. She

stopped a second time; the sound of waterfalls mingling their murmurs, the hollow rustlings amongst the

palm branches, and the funereal screams of the birds from their rifted trunks, all conspired to fill her with

terror; she imagined every moment that she trod on some venomous reptile; all the stories of malignant Dives

and dismal Gouls thronged into her memory; but her curiosity was, notwithstanding, more predominant than

her fears; she therefore firmly entered a winding track that led towards the spark, but, being a stranger to the

"Alas!" said she, "that I were but in those secure and illuminated apartments where my evenings glided on

with Gulchenrouz! Dear child! how would thy heart flutter with terror wert thou wandering in these wild

solitudes like me!" At the close of this apostrophe she regained her road, and, coming to steps hewn out in the

rock, ascended them undismayed; the light, which was now gradually enlarging, appeared above her on the

summit of the mountain; at length she distinguished a plaintive and melodious union of voices, proceeding

from a sort of cavern, that resembled the dirges which are sung over tombs; a sound, likewise, like that which

arises from the filling of baths, at the same time struck her ear; she continued ascending, and discovered large

wax torches in full blaze planted here and there in the fissures of the rock; this preparation filled her with

fear, whilst the subtle and potent odour which the torches exhaled caused her to sink almost lifeless at the

Casting her eyes within in this kind of trance, she beheld a large cistern of gold filled with a water, whose

vapour distilled on her face a dew of the essence of roses; a soft symphony resounded through the grot; on the

sides of the cistern she noticed appendages of royalty, diadems, and feathers of the heron, all sparkling with

carbuncles; whilst her attention was fixed on this display of magnificence, the music ceased, and a voice

"For what monarch were these torches kindled, this bath prepared, and these habiliments, which belong, not

To which a second voice answered: "They are for the charming daughter of the Emir Fakreddin."

"What," replied the first, "for that trifler, who consumes her time with a giddy child, immersed in softness,

"And can she," rejoined the other voice, "be amused with such empty trifles, whilst the Caliph, the sovereign

of the world, he who is destined to enjoy the treasures of the preadamite Sultans, a prince six feet high, and

whose eyes pervade the inmost soul of a female, is inflamed with the love of her. No! she will be wise

enough to answer that passion alone that can aggrandise her glory; no doubt she will, and despise the puppet

of her fancy. Then all the riches this place contains, as well as the carbuncle of Giamschid, shall be hers."

"You judge right," returned the first voice, "and I haste to Istakar to prepare the palace of subterranean fire for

The voices ceased, the torches were extinguished, the most entire darkness succeeded, and Nouronihar,

recovering with a start, found herself reclined on a sofa in the harem of her father. She clapped her hands, and

immediately came together Gulchenrouz and her women, who, in despair at having lost her, had despatched

eunuchs to seek her in every direction; Shaban appeared with the rest, and began to reprimand her with an air

"Little impertinent," said he, "whence got you false keys? or are you beloved of some Genius that hath given

you a picklock? I will try the extent of your power; come, to your chamber! through the two skylights; and

expect not the company of Gulchenrouz; be expeditious! I will shut you up in the double tower."

At these menaces Nouronihar indignantly raised her head, opened on Shaban her black eyes, which, since the

important dialogue of the enchanted grot, were considerably enlarged, and said: "Go, speak thus to slaves, but

She was proceeding in the same style, but was interrupted by a sudden exclamation of "The Caliph! The

Caliph!" The curtains at once were thrown open, and the slaves prostrate in double rows, whilst poor little

Gulchenrouz hid himself beneath the elevation of a sofa. At first appeared a file of black eunuchs, trailing

after them long trains of muslin embroidered with gold, and holding in their hands censers, which dispensed

as they passed the grateful perfume of the wood of aloes; next marched Bababalouk with a solemn strut, and

tossing his head as not overpleased at the visit; Vathek came close after, superbly robed; his gait was

unembarrassed and noble, and his presence would have engaged admiration, though he had not been the

sovereign of the world; he approached Nouronihar with a throbbing heart, and seemed enraptured at the full

effulgence of her radiant eyes, of which he had before caught but a few glimpses; but she instantly depressed

Bababalouk, who was a thorough adept in coincidences of this nature, and knew that the worst game should

be played with the best face, immediately made a signal for all to retire; and no sooner did he perceive

beneath the sofa the little one's feet, than he drew him forth without ceremony, set him upon his shoulders,

and lavished on him as he went off a thousand odious caresses; Gulchenrouz cried out, and resisted till his

cheeks became the colour of the blossom of the pomegranate, and the tears that started into his eyes shot forth

a gleam of indignation; he cast a significant glance at Nouronihar, which the Caliph noticing, asked: "Is that

"Sovereign of the world?" answered she, "spare my cousin, whose innocence and gentleness deserve not your

"Take comfort," said Vathek, with a smile; "he is in good hands. Bababalouk is fond of children, and never

The daughter of Fakreddin was abashed, and suffered Gulchenrouz to be borne away without adding a word.

The tumult of her bosom betrayed her confusion; and Vathek, becoming still more impassioned, gave a loose

to his frenzy, which had only not subdued the last faint strugglings of reluctance, when the Emir, suddenly

bursting in, threw his face upon the ground at the feet of the Caliph, and said:

"No, Emir," replied Vathek; "I raise her to an equality with myself; I declare her my wife, and the glory of

"Alas! my lord," said Fakreddin, as he plucked off the honours of his beard, "cut short the days of your

faithful servant, rather than force him to depart from his word. Nouronihar, as her hands evince, is solemnly

promised to Gulchenrouz, the son of my brother Ali Hassan; they are united also in heart, their faith is

"What then!" replied the Caliph, bluntly, "would you surrender this divine beauty to a husband more

womanish than herself? and can you imagine that I will suffer her charms to decay in hands so inefficient and

nerveless? No! she is destined to live out her life within my embraces: such is my will; retire, and disturb not

The irritated Emir drew forth his sabre, presented it to Vathek, and stretching out his neck, said in a firm tone

of voice: "Strike your unhappy host, my lord! he has lived long enough, since he hath seen the Prophet's

At his uttering these words Nouronihar, unable to support any longer the conflict of her passions, sank down

in a swoon. Vathek, both terrified for her life and furious at an opposition to his will, bade Fakreddin assist

his daughter, and withdrew, darting his terrible look at the unfortunate Emir, who suddenly fell backward,

Gulchenrouz, who had escaped from the hands of Bababalouk, and was that instant returned, called out for

help as loudly as he could, not having strength to afford it himself. Pale and panting, the poor child attempted

to revive Nouronihar by caresses; and it happened that the thrilling warmth of his lips restored her to life.

Fakreddin beginning also to recover from the look of the Caliph, with difficulty tottered to a seat, and after

warily casting round his eye to see if this dangerous prince was gone, sent for Shaban and Sutlememe, and

"My friends! violent evils require as violent remedies; the Caliph has brought desolation and horror into my

family, and how shall we resist his power? another of his looks will send me to my grave. Fetch then that

narcotic powder which the Dervish brought me from Aracan; a dose of it, the effect of which will continue

three days, must be administered to each of these children; the Caliph will believe them to be dead, for they

will have all the appearance of death; we shall go as if to inter them in the cave of Meimoune, at the entrance

of the great desert of sand, and near the cabin of my dwarfs. When all the spectators shall be withdrawn, you,

Shaban, and four select eunuchs, shall convey them to the lake, where provisions shall be ready to support

them a month; for one day allotted to the surprise this event will occasion, five to the tears, a fortnight to

reflection, and the rest to prepare for renewing his progress, will, according to my calculation, fill up the

whole time that Vathek will tarry, and I shall then be freed from his intrusion."

"Your plan," said Sutlememe, "is a good one, if it can but be effected. I have remarked that Nouronihar is

well able to support the glances of the Caliph, and that he is far from being sparing of them to her; be assured,

therefore, notwithstanding her fondness for Gulchenrouz, she will never remain quiet while she knows him to

be here, unless we can persuade her that both herself and Gulchenrouz are really dead, and that they were

conveyed to those rocks for a limited season to expiate the little faults of which their love was the cause; we

will add that we killed ourselves in despair, and that your dwarfs, whom they never yet saw, will preach to

them delectable sermons. I will engage that everything shall succeed to the bent of your wishes."

"Be it so!" said Fakreddin. "I approve your proposal; let us lose not a moment to give it effect."

They forthwith hastened to seek for the powder, which, being mixed in a sherbet, was immediately drank by

Gulchenrouz and Nouronihar. Within the space of an hour both were seized with violent palpitations, and a

general numbness gradually ensued; they arose from the floor, where they had remained ever since the

Caliph's departure, and, ascending to the sofa, reclined themselves at full length upon it, clasped in each

"Cherish me, my dear Nouronihar!" said Gulchenrouz; "put thy hand upon my heart, for it feels as if it were

frozen. Alas! thou art as cold as myself! Hath the Caliph murdered us both with his terrible look?"

"I am dying!" cried she in a faltering voice; "press me closer; I am ready to expire!"

"Let us die then together," answered the little Gulchenrouz, whilst his breast laboured with a convulsive sigh;

"let me at least breathe forth my soul on thy lips!" They spoke no more, and became as dead.

Immediately the most piercing cries were heard through the harem, whilst Shaban and Sutlememe personated

with great adroitness the parts of persons in despair. The Emir, who was sufficiently mortified to be forced

into such untoward expedients, and had now for the first time made a trial of his powder, was under no

necessity of counterfeiting grief. The slaves, who had flocked together from all quarters, stood motionless at

the spectacle before them; all lights were extinguished save two lamps, which shed a wan glimmering over

the faces of these lovely flowers, that seemed to be faded in the springtime of life; funeral vestments were

prepared, their bodies were washed with rosewater, their beautiful tresses were braided and incensed, and

they were wrapped in simars whiter than alabaster. At the moment that their attendants were placing two

wreaths of their favourite jasmines on their brows, the Caliph, who had just heard of the tragical catastrophe,

arrived; he looked not less pale and haggard than the Gouls, that wander at night among graves; forgetful of

himself and every one else, he broke through the midst of the slaves, fell prostrate at the foot of the sofa, beat

his bosom, called himself "atrocious murderer!" and invoked upon his head a thousand imprecations; with a

trembling hand he raised the veil that covered the countenance of Nouronihar, and, uttering a loud shriek, fell

lifeless on the floor. The chief of the eunuchs dragged him off with horrible grimaces, and repeated as he

No sooner was the Caliph gone than the Emir commanded biers to be brought, and forbad that any one should

enter the harem. Every window was fastened, all instruments of music were broken, and the Imams began to

recite their prayers; towards the close of this melancholy day Vathek sobbed in silence, for they had been

At the dawn of the succeeding morning the wide folding doors of the palace were set open, and the funeral

procession moved forward for the mountain. The wailful cries of "La Ilah illa Allah!" reached to the Caliph,

who was eager to cicatrise himself and attend the ceremonial; nor could he have been dissuaded, had not his

excessive weakness disabled him from walking; at the few first steps he fell on the ground, and his people

were obliged to lay him on a bed, where he remained many days in such a state of insensibility, as excited

When the procession was arrived at the grot of Meimoune, Shaban and Sutlememe dismissed the whole of

the train, excepting the four confidential eunuchs who were appointed to remain. After resting some moments

near the biers, which had been left in the open air, they caused them to be carried to the brink of a small lake,

whose banks were overgrown with a hoary moss; this was the great resort of herons and storks, which preyed

continually on little blue fishes. The dwarfs, instructed by the Emir, soon repaired thither, and, with the help

of the eunuchs, began to construct cabins of rushes and reeds, a work in which they had admirable skill; a

magazine also was contrived for provisions, with a small oratory for themselves, and a pyramid of wood

neatly piled, to furnish the necessary fuel, for the air was bleak in the hollows of the mountains.

At evening two fires were kindled on the brink of the lake, and the two lovely bodies, taken from their biers,

were carefully deposited upon a bed of dried leaves within the same cabin. The dwarfs began to recite the

Koran with their clear shrill voices, and Shaban and Sutlememe stood at some distance, anxiously waiting the

effects of the powder. At length Nouronihar and Gulchenrouz faintly stretched out their arms, and gradually

opening their eyes, began to survey with looks of increasing amazement every object around them; they even

attempted to rise, but for want of strength fell back again; Sutlememe on this administered a cordial, which

Gulchenrouz, thoroughly aroused, sneezed out aloud, and raising himself with an effort that expressed his

"Yes," said he, "I breathe again! again do I exist! I hear sounds! I behold a firmament spangled over with

Nouronihar, catching these beloved accents, extricated herself from the leaves, and ran to clasp Gulchenrouz

to her bosom. The first objects she remarked were their long simars, their garlands of flowers, and their naked

feet; she hid her face in her hands to reflect; the vision of the enchanted bath, the despair of her father, and,

more vividly than both, the majestic figure of Vathek recurred to her memory; she recollected also that

herself and Gulchenrouz had been sick and dying; but all these images bewildered her mind. Not knowing

where she was, she turned her eyes on all sides, as if to recognise the surrounding scene; this singular lake,

those flames reflected from its glassy surface, the pale hues of its banks, the romantic cabins, the bulrushes

that sadly waved their drooping heads, the storks whose melancholy cries blended with the shrill voices of the

dwarfs, everything conspired to persuade them that the Angel of Death had opened the portal of some other

Gulchenrouz on his part, lost in wonder, clung to the neck of his cousin: he believed himself in the region of

phantoms, and was terrified at the silence she preserved; at length addressing her:

"Speak," said he, "where are we? do you not see those spectres that are stirring the burning coals? are they

Monker and Nakir, come to throw us into them? does the fatal bridge cross this lake, whose solemn stillness

perhaps conceals from us an abyss, in which for whole ages we shall be doomed incessantly to sink?"

"No, my children!" said Sutlememe, going towards them, "take comfort! the exterminating Angel, who

conducted our souls hither after yours, hath assured us that the chastisement of your indolent and voluptuous

life shall be restricted to a certain series of years, which you must pass in this dreary abode, where the sun is

scarcely visible, and where the soil yields neither fruits nor flowers. These," continued she, pointing to the

dwarfs, "will provide for our wants, for souls so mundane as ours retain too strong a tincture of their earthly

extraction; instead of meats your food will be nothing but rice, and your bread shall be moistened in the fogs

At this desolating prospect the poor children burst into tears, and prostrated themselves before the dwarfs,

who perfectly supported their characters, and delivered an excellent discourse of a customary length upon the

sacred camel, which after a thousand years was to convey them to the paradise of the faithful.

The sermon being ended, and ablutions performed, they praised Allah and the Prophet, supped very

indifferently, and retired to their withered leaves. Nouronihar and her little cousin consoled themselves on

finding that, though dead, they yet lay in one cabin. Having slept well before, the remainder of the night was

spent in conversation on what had befallen them, and both, from a dread of apparitions, betook themselves

In the morning, which was lowering and rainy, the dwarfs mounted high poles like minarets, and called them

to prayers; the whole congregation, which consisted of Sutlememe, Shaban, the four eunuchs, and some

storks, were already assembled. The two children came forth from their cabin with a slow and dejected pace;

as their minds were in a tender and melancholy mood, their devotions were performed with fervour. No

sooner were they finished, than Gulchenrouz demanded of Sutlememe and the rest, "how they happened to

On this, said Nouronihar, who, notwithstanding what was past, had not yet forgotten her vision: "And the

The dwarfs, who were prepared with an answer, most demurely replied: "Vathek is damned beyond all

"I readily believe so," said Gulchenrouz, "and I am glad from my heart to hear it; for I am convinced it was

One week passed away on the side of the lake unmarked by any variety; Nouronihar ruminating on the

grandeur of which death had deprived her, and Gulchenrouz applying to prayers and to panniers, along with

Whilst this scene of innocence was exhibiting in the mountains, the Caliph presented himself to the Emir in a

new light; the instant he recovered the use of his senses, with a voice that made Bababalouk quake, he

thundered out: "Perfidious Giaour! I renounce thee for ever! it is thou who hast slain my beloved Nouronihar!

and I supplicate the pardon of Mahomet, who would have preserved her to me had I been more wise; let

water be brought to perform my ablutions, and let the pious Fakreddin be called to offer up his prayers with

mine, and reconcile me to him; afterwards we will go together and visit the sepulchre of the unfortunate

Nouronihar; I am resolved to become a hermit, and consume the residue of my days on this mountain, in hope

Nouronihar was not altogether so content, for though she felt a fondness for Gulchenrouz, who, to augment

the attachment, had been left at full liberty with her, yet she still regarded him as but a bauble, that bore no

competition with the carbuncle of Giamschid. At times she indulged doubts on the mode of her being, and

scarcely could believe that the dead had all the wants and the whims of the living. To gain satisfaction,

however, on so perplexing a topic, she arose one morning whilst all were asleep, with a breathless caution,

from the side of Gulchenrouz, and, after having given him a soft kiss, began to follow the windings of the

lake till it terminated with a rock, whose top was accessible, though lofty; this she clambered up with

considerable toil, and having reached the summit, set forward in a run, like a doe that unwittingly follows her

hunter; though she skipped along with the alertness of an antelope, yet at intervals she was forced to desist,

and rest beneath the tamarisks to recover her breath. Whilst she, thus reclined, was occupied with her little

reflections on the apprehension that she had some knowledge of the place, Vathek, who, finding himself that

morning but ill at ease, had gone forth before the dawn, presented himself on a sudden to her view;

motionless with surprise, he durst not approach the figure before him, which lay shrouded up in a simar,

extended on the ground, trembling and pale, but yet lovely to behold. At length Nouronihar, with a mixture of

pleasure and affliction, raising her fine eyes to him, said: "My lord, are you come hither to eat rice and hear

"Beloved phantom!" cried Vathek; "dost thou speak? hast thou the same graceful form? the same radiant

features? art thou palpable likewise?" and, eagerly embracing her, added: "here are limbs and a bosom

Nouronihar with diffidence answered: "You know, my lord, that I died on the night you honoured me with

your visit; my cousin maintains it was from one of your glances, but I cannot believe him; for to me they

seem not so dreadful. Gulchenrouz died with me, and we were both brought into a region of desolation,

where we are fed with a wretched diet. If you be dead also, and are come hither to join us, I pity your lot; for

you will be stunned with the noise of the dwarfs and the storks; besides, it is mortifying in the extreme that

you, as well as myself, should have lost the treasures of the subterranean palace."

At the mention of the subterranean palace the Caliph suspended his caresses, to seek from Nouronihar an

explanation of her meaning. She then recapitulated her vision, what immediately followed, and the history of

her pretended death, adding also a description of the place of expiation from whence she had fled, and all in a

manner that would have extorted his laughter, had not the thoughts of Vathek been too deeply engaged. No

sooner, however, had she ended, than he again clasped her to his bosom, and said:

"Light of my eyes! the mystery is unravelled; we both are alive! your father is a cheat, who, for the sake of

dividing, hath deluded us both; and the Giaour, whose design, as far as I can discover, is that we shall

proceed together, seems scarce a whit better; it shall be some time at least before he find us in his palace of

fire. Your lovely little person in my estimation is far more precious than all the treasures of the preadamite

Sultans, and I wish to possess it at pleasure, and in open day, for many a moon, before I go to burrow

"No, no!" replied Vathek, "I have already bid you forbear to alarm yourself for him; he has been brought up

too much on milk and sugar to stimulate my jealousy; we will leave him with the dwarfs, who, by the bye, are

my old acquaintances; their company will suit him far better than yours. As to other matters, I will return no

more to your father's; I want not to have my ears dinned by him and his dotards with the violation of the rites

of hospitality; as if it were less an honour for you to espouse the sovereign of the world than a girl dressed up

Nouronihar could find nothing to oppose in a discourse so eloquent; she only wished the amorous monarch

had discovered more ardour for the carbuncle of Giamschid; but flattered herself it would gradually increase,

When the Caliph judged it proper, he called for Bababalouk, who was asleep in the cave of Meimoune, and

dreaming that the phantom of Nouronihar, having mounted him once more on her swing, had just given him

such a jerk, that he one moment soared above the mountains, and the next sunk into the abyss; starting from

his sleep at the voice of his master, he ran gasping for breath, and had nearly fallen backward at the sight, as

"Ah, my lord!" cried he, recoiling ten steps, and covering his eyes with both hands: "do you then perform the

office of a Goul? 'tis true you have dug up the dead, yet hope not to make her your prey; for after all she hath

"Cease thy folly," said Vathek, "and thou shalt soon be convinced that it is Nouronihar herself, alive and well,

whom I clasp to my breast; go only and pitch my tents in the neighbouring valley; there will I fix my abode

with this beautiful tulip, whose colours I soon shall restore; there exert thy best endeavours to procure

whatever can augment the enjoyments of life, till I shall disclose to thee more of my will."

The news of so unlucky an event soon reached the ears of the Emir, who abandoned himself to grief and

despair, and began, as did all his old greybeards, to begrime his visage with ashes. A total supineness

ensued, travellers were no longer entertained, no more plaisters were spread, and, instead of the charitable

activity that had distinguished this asylum, the whole of its inhabitants exhibited only faces of a half cubit

Though Fakreddin bewailed his daughter as lost to him for ever, yet Gulchenrouz was not forgotten. He

despatched immediate instruction to Sutlememe, Shaban, and the dwarfs, enjoining them not to undeceive the

child in respect to his state, but, under some pretence, to convey him far from the lofty rock at the extremity

of the lake, to a place which he should appoint, as safer from danger; for he suspected that Vathek intended

Gulchenrouz in the meanwhile was filled with amazement at not finding his cousin; nor were the dwarfs at all

less surprised; but Sutlememe, who had more penetration, immediately guessed what had happened.

Gulchenrouz was amused with the delusive hope of once more embracing Nouronihar in the interior recesses

of the mountains, where the ground, strewed over with orange blossoms and jasmines, offered beds much

more inviting than the withered leaves in their cabin, where they might accompany with their voices the

sounds of their lutes, and chase butterflies in concert. Sutlememe was far gone in this sort of description,

when one of the four eunuchs beckoned her aside to apprise her of the arrival of a messenger from their

fraternity, who had explained the secret of the flight of Nouronihar, and brought the commands of the Emir.

A council with Shaban and the dwarfs was immediately held; their baggage being stowed in consequence of

it, they embarked in a shallop, and quietly sailed with the little one, who acquiesced in all their proposals;

their voyage proceeded in the same manner till they came to the place where the lake sinks beneath the

hollow of the rock; but as soon as the bark had entered it, and Gulchenrouz found himself surrounded with

darkness, he was seized with a dreadful consternation, and incessantly uttered the most piercing outcries; for

he now was persuaded he should actually be damned for having taken too much freedom in his lifetime with

But let us return to the Caliph and her who ruled over his heart. Bababalouk had pitched the tents, and closed

up the extremities of the valley with magnificent screens of India cloth, which were guarded by Ethiopian

slaves with their drawn sabres; to preserve the verdure of this beautiful enclosure in its natural freshness, the

white eunuchs went continually round it with their red water vessels. The waving of fans was heard near the

imperial pavilion, where, by the voluptuous light that glowed through the muslins, the Caliph enjoyed at full

view all the attractions of Nouronihar. Inebriated with delight, he was all ear to her charming voice, which

accompanied the lute; while she was not less captivated with his descriptions of Samarah and the tower full

of wonders, but especially with his relation of the adventure of the ball, and the chasm of the Giaour, with its

In this manner they conversed for a day and a night; they bathed together in a basin of black marble, which

admirably relieved the fairness of Nouronihar. Bababalouk, whose good graces this beauty had regained,

spared no attention that their repasts might be served up with the minutest exactness; some exquisite rarity

was ever placed before them; and he sent even to Schiraz for that fragrant and delicious wine which had been

hoarded up in bottles prior to the birth of Mahomet; he had excavated little ovens in the rock to bake the nice

manchets which were prepared by the hands of Nouronihar, from whence they had derived a flavour so

grateful to Vathek, that he regarded the ragouts of his other wives as entirely mawkish; whilst they would

have died at the Emir's of chagrin at finding themselves so neglected, if Fakreddin, notwithstanding his

The Sultana Dilara, who till then had been the favourite, took this dereliction of the Caliph to heart with a

vehemence natural to her character, for during her continuance in favour she had imbibed from Vathek many

of his extravagant fancies, and was filed with impatience to behold the superb tombs of Istakar, and the

palace of forty columns; besides, having been brought up amongst the Magi, she had fondly cherished the

idea of the Caliph's devoting himself to the worship of fire; thus his voluptuous and desultory life with her

rival was to her a double source of affliction. The transient piety of Vathek had occasioned her some serious

alarms, but the present was an evil of far greater magnitude; she resolved, therefore, without hesitation, to

write to Carathis, and acquaint her that all things went ill; that they had eaten, slept, and revelled at an old

Emir's, whose sanctity was very formidable, and that after all, the prospect of possessing the treasures of the

preadamite Sultans was no less remote than before. This letter was entrusted to the care of two woodmen,

who were at work on one of the great forests of the mountains, and, being acquainted with the shortest cuts,

The Princess Carathis was engaged at chess with Morakanabad, when the arrival of these woodfellers was

announced. She, after some weeks of Vathek's absence, had forsaken the upper regions of her tower, because

everything appeared in confusion among the stars, whom she consulted relative to the fate of her son. In vain

did she renew her fumigations, and extend herself on the roof to obtain mystic visions; nothing more could

she see in her dreams than pieces of brocade, nosegays of flowers, and other unmeaning gewgaws. These

disappointments had thrown her into a state of dejection, which no drug in her power was sufficient to

remove; her only resource was in Morakanabad, who was a good man, and endowed with a decent share of

No person knew aught of Vathek, and a thousand ridiculous stories were propagated at his expense. The

eagerness of Carathis may be easily guessed at receiving the letter, as well as her rage at reading the dissolute

conduct of her son. "Is it so?" said she; "either I will perish, or Vathek shall enter the palace of fire. Let me

expire in flames, provided he may reign on the throne of Soliman!" Having said this, and whirled herself

round in a magical manner, which struck Morakanabad with such terror as caused him to recoil, she ordered

her great camel Alboufaki to be brought, and the hideous Nerkes with the unrelenting Cafour to attend. "I

require no other retinue," said she to Morakanabad; "I am going on affairs of emergency; a truce therefore to

parade! Take you care of the people; fleece them well in my absence; for we shall expend large sums, and

The night was uncommonly dark, and a pestilential blast ravaged the plain of Catoul that would have deterred

any other traveller, however urgent the call; but Carathis enjoyed most whatever filled others with dread.

Nerkes concurred in opinion with her, and Cafour had a particular predilection for a pestilence. In the

morning this accomplished caravan, with the woodfellers who directed their route, halted on the edge of an

extensive marsh, from whence so noxious a vapour arose as would have destroyed any animal but Alboufaki,

who naturally inhaled these malignant fogs. The peasants entreated their convoy not to sleep in this place.

"To sleep," cried Carathis; "what an excellent thought! I never sleep but for visions; and, as to my attendants,

The poor peasants, who were not overpleased with their party, remained openmouthed with surprise.

Carathis alighted, as well as her negresses, and severally stripping off their outer garments, they all ran in

their drawers, to cull from those spots where the sun shone fiercest the venomous plants that grew on the

marsh; this provision was made for the family of the Emir, and whoever might retard the expedition to

Istakar. The woodmen were overcome with fear when they beheld these three horrible phantoms run, and, not

much relishing the company of Alboufaki, stood aghast at the command of Carathis to set forward,

notwithstanding it was noon, and the heat fierce enough to calcine even rocks. In spite, however, of every

Alboufaki, who delighted in solitude, constantly snorted whenever he perceived himself near a habitation;

and Carathis, who was apt to spoil him with indulgence, as constantly turned him aside, so that the peasants

were precluded from procuring subsistence; for the milch goats and ewes, which Providence had sent towards

the district they traversed, to refresh travellers with their milk, all fled at the sight of the hideous animal and

his strange riders. As to Carathis, she needed no common aliment, for her invention had previously furnished

her with an opiate to stay her stomach, some of which she imparted to her mutes.

At the fall of night Alboufaki, making a sudden stop, stamped with his foot, which to Carathis, who

understood his paces, was a certain indication that she was near the confines of some cemetery. The moon

shed a bright light on the spot, which served to discover a long wall, with a large door in it standing ajar, and

so high that Alboufaki might easily enter. The miserable guides, who perceived their end approaching,

humbly implored Carathis, as she had now so good an opportunity, to inter them, and immediately gave up

the ghost. Nerkes and Cafour, whose wit was of a style peculiar to themselves, were by no means

parsimonious of it on the folly of these poor people, nor could anything have been found more suited to their

tastes than the site of the buryingground, and the sepulchres which its precincts contained; there were at

least two thousand of them on the declivity of a hill: some in the form of pyramids, others like columns, and,

in short, the variety of their shapes was endless. Carathis was too much immersed in her sublime

contemplations to stop at the view, charming as it appeared in her eyes; pondering the advantages that might

"So beautiful a cemetery must be haunted by Gouls! and they want not for intelligence; having heedlessly

suffered my guides to expire, I will apply for directions to them, and as an inducement will invite them to

After this short soliloquy she beckoned to Nerkes and Cafour, and made signs with her fingers, as much as to

say, "Go, knock against the sides of the tombs, and strike up your delightful warblings, that are so like to

The negresses, full of joy at the behests of their mistress, and promising themselves much pleasure from the

society of the Gouls, went with an air of conquest, and began their knockings at the tombs; as their strokes

were repeated a hollow noise was heard in the earth, the surface hove up into heaps, and the Gouls on all

sides protruded their noses, to inhale the effluvia which the carcases of the woodmen began to emit.

They assembled before a sarcophagus of white marble, where Carathis was seated between the bodies of her

miserable guides; the princess received her visitants with distinguished politeness, and, when supper was

ended, proceeded with them to business. Having soon learnt from them everything she wished to discover, it

was her intention to set forward forthwith on her journey, but her negresses, who were forming tender

connections with the Gouls, importuned her with all their fingers to wait at least till the dawn. Carathis,

however, being chastity in the abstract, and an implacable enemy to love and repose, at once rejected their

prayer, mounted Alboufaki, and commanded them to take their seats in a moment; four days and four nights

she continued her route, without turning to the right hand or left; on the fifth she traversed the mountains and

halfburnt forests, and arrived on the sixth before the beautiful screens which concealed from all eyes the

It was daybreak, and the guards were snoring on their posts in careless security, when the rough trot of

Alboufaki awoke them in consternation. Imagining that a group of spectres ascended from the abyss was

approaching, they all without ceremony took to their heels. Vathek was at that instant with Nouronihar in the

bath, hearing tales, and laughing at Bababalouk, who related them; but no sooner did the outcry of his guards

reach him, than he flounced from the water like a carp, and as soon threw himself back at the sight of

Carathis, who, advancing with her negresses upon Alboufaki, broke through the muslin awnings and veils of

the pavilion; at this sudden apparition Nouronihar (for she was not at all times free from remorse) fancied that

the moment of celestial vengeance was come, and clung about the Caliph in amorous despondence.

Carathis, still seated on her camel, foamed with indignation at the spectacle which obtruded itself on her

chaste view; she thundered forth without check or mercy: "Thou doubleheaded and fourlegged monster!

what means all this winding and writhing? art thou not ashamed to be seen grasping this limber sapling, in

preference to the sceptre of the preadamite Sultans? is it then for this paltry doxy that thou hast violated the

conditions in the parchment of our Giaour? is it on her thou hast lavished thy precious moments? is this the

fruit of the knowledge I have taught thee? is this the end of thy journey? tear thyself from the arms of this

little simpleton, drown her in the water before me, and instantly follow my guidance."

In the first ebullition of his fury Vathek resolved to make a skeleton of Alboufaki, and to stuff the skins of

Carathis and her blacks; but the ideas of the Giaour, the palace of Istakar, the sabres and the talismans,

flashing before his imagination with the simultaneousness of lightning, he became more moderate, and said

to his mother, in a civil but decisive tone: "Dread lady! you shall be obeyed, but I will not drown Nouronihar;

she is sweeter to me than a Myrabolan comfit, and is enamoured of carbuncles, especially that of Giamschid,

which hath also been promised to be conferred upon her; she therefore shall go along with us, for I intend to

repose with her beneath the canopies of Soliman; I can sleep no more without her."

"Be it so!" replied Carathis, alighting, and at the same time committing Alboufaki to the charge of her

Nouronihar, who had not yet quitted her hold, began to take courage, and said, with an accent of fondness to

the Caliph: "Dear Sovereign of my soul! I will follow thee, if it be thy will, beyond the Kaf in the land of the

Afrits; I will not hesitate to climb for thee the nest of the Simurgh, who, this lady excepted, is the most awful

Nouronihar had certainly both; but, notwithstanding all her firmness, she could not help casting back a look

of regret upon the graces of her little Gulchenrouz, and the days of tenderness she had participated with him;

she even dropped a few tears, which Carathis observed, and inadvertently breathed out with a sigh: "Alas! my

Vathek at this apostrophe knitted up his brows, and Carathis inquired what it could mean.

"She is preposterously sighing after a stripling with languishing eyes and soft hair, who loves her," said the

"Where is he?" asked Carathis. "I must be acquainted with this pretty child; for," added she, lowering her

voice, "I design before I depart to regain the favour of the Giaour; there is nothing so delicious in his

estimation as the heart of a delicate boy, palpitating with the first tumults of love."

Vathek, as he came from the bath, commanded Bababalouk to collect the women and other movables of his

harem, embody his troops, and hold himself in readiness to march in three days; whilst Carathis retired alone

to a tent, where the Giaour solaced her with encouraging visions; but at length waking, she found at her feet

Nerkes and Cafour, who informed her by their signs that, having led Alboufaki to the borders of a lake, to

browse on some moss that looked tolerably venomous, they had discovered certain blue fishes of the same

"Ah! ha!" said she, "I will go thither to them; these fish are past doubt of a species that, by a small operation,

I can render oracular; they may tell me where this little Gulchenrouz is, whom I am bent upon sacrificing."

It being but seldom that time is lost in the accomplishment of a wicked enterprise, Carathis and her negresses

soon arrived at the lake, where, after burning the magical drugs with which they were always provided, they,

stripping themselves naked, waded to their chins, Nerkes and Cafour waving torches around them, and

Carathis pronouncing her barbarous incantations. The fishes with one accord thrust forth their heads from the

water, which was violently rippled by the flutter of their fins, and, at length finding themselves constrained

by the potency of the charm, they opened their piteous mouths, and said: "From gills to tail we are yours;

"Fishes," answered she, "I conjure you, by your glittering scales, tell me where now is Gulchenrouz?"

"Beyond the rock," replied the shoal in full chorus; "will this content you? for we do not delight in expanding

"It will," returned the princess; "I am not to learn that you like not long conversations; I will leave you

therefore to repose, though I had other questions to propound." The instant she had spoken the water became

Carathis, inflated with the venom of her projects, strode hastily over the rock, and found the amiable

Gulchenrouz asleep in an arbour, whilst the two dwarfs were watching at his side, and ruminating their

accustomed prayers. These diminutive personages possessed the gift of divining whenever an enemy to good

Mussulmans approached; thus they anticipated the arrival of Carathis, who, stopping short, said to herself:

"How placidly doth he recline his lovely little head! how pale and languishing are his looks! it is just the very

The dwarfs interrupted this delectable soliloquy by leaping instantly upon her, and scratching her face with

their utmost zeal. But Nerkes and Cafour, betaking themselves to the succour of their mistress, pinched the

dwarfs so severely in return, that they both gave up the ghost, imploring Mahomet to inflict his sorest

At the noise which this strange conflict occasioned in the valley, Gulchenrouz awoke, and, bewildered with

terror, sprung impetuously upon an old figtree that rose against the acclivity of the rocks; from thence gained

their summits, and ran for two hours without once looking back. At last, exhausted with fatigue, he fell as if

dead into the arms of a good old Genius, whose fondness for the company of children had made it his sole

occupation to protect them, and who, whilst performing his wonted rounds through the air, happening on the

cruel Giaour at the instant of his growling in the horrible chasm, rescued the fifty little victims which the

impiety of Vathek had devoted to his maw; these the Genius brought up in nests still higher than the clouds,

and himself fixed his abode in a nest more capacious than the rest, from which he had expelled the possessors

These inviolable asylums were defended against the Dives and the Afrits by waving streamers, on which

were inscribed, in characters of gold that flashed like lightning, the names of Allah and the Prophet. It was

there that Gulchenrouz, who as yet remained undeceived with respect to his pretended death, thought himself

in the mansions of eternal peace, he admitted without fear the congratulations of his little friends, who were

all assembled in the nest of the venerable Genius, and vied with each other in kissing his serene forehead and

beautiful eyelids. This he found to be the state congenial to his soul; remote from the inquietudes of earth, the

impertinence of harems, the brutality of eunuchs, and the lubricity of women: in this peacable society, his

days, months, and years glided on; nor was he less happy than the rest of his companions; for the Genius,

instead of burthening his pupils with perishable riches and the vain sciences of the world, conferred upon

Carathis, unaccustomed to the loss of her prey, vented a thousand execrations on her negresses for not seizing

the child, instead of amusing themselves with pinching to death the dwarfs, from which they could gain no

advantage. She returned into the valley murmuring, and finding that her son was not risen from the arms of

Nouronihar, discharged her illhumour upon both. The idea, however, of departing next day for Istakar, and

cultivating, through the good offices of the Giaour, an intimacy with Eblis himself, at length consoled her

In the evening, as Carathis was conversing with Dilara, who, through her contrivance, had become of the

party, and whose taste resembled her own, Bababalouk came to acquaint her "that the sky towards Samarah

looked of a fiery red, and seemed to portend some alarming disaster." Immediately, recurring to her

astrolabes and instruments of magic, she took the altitude of the planets, and discovered by her calculations,

to her great mortification, that a formidable revolt had taken place at Samarah; that Motavakel, availing

himself of the disgust which was inveterate against his brother, had incited commotions amongst the

populace, made himself master of the palace, and actually invested the great tower, to which Morakanabad

"What!" exclaimed she; "must I lose then my tower! my mutes! my negresses! my mummies! and, worse than

all, the laboratory in which I have spent so many a night, without knowing at least if my hair brained son

will complete his adventure? No! I will not be the dupe! Immediately will I speed to support Morakanabad;

by my formidable art the clouds shall sleet hailstones in the faces of the assailants, and shafts of redhot iron

on their heads; I will spring mines of serpents and torpedos from beneath them, and we shall soon see the

Having thus spoken, Carathis hastened to her son, who was tranquilly banqueting with Nouronihar in his

"Glutton that thou art!" cried she, "were it not for me, thou wouldst soon find thyself the commander only of

pies. Thy faithful subjects have abjured the faith they swore to thee; Motavakel, thy brother, now reigns on

the hill of pied horses, and had I not some slight resources in the tower, would not be easily persuaded to

abdicate; but, that time may not be lost, I shall only add four words: Strike tent tonight, set forward, and

beware how thou loiterest again by the way; though thou hast forfeited the conditions of the parchment, I am

not yet without hope; for it cannot be denied that thou hast violated to admiration the laws of hospitality, by

seducing the daughter of the Emir, after having partaken of his bread and his salt. Such a conduct cannot but

be delightful to the Giaour; and if on thy march thou canst signalise thyself by an additional crime, all will

still go well, and thou shalt enter the palace of Soliman in triumph. Adieu! Alboufaki and my negresses are

The Caliph had nothing to offer in reply; he wished his mother a prosperous journey, and ate on till he had

finished his supper. At midnight the camp broke up, amidst the flourishing of trumpets and other martial

instruments; but loud indeed must have been the sound of the tymbals to overpower the blubbering of the

Emir and his longbeards, who, by an excessive profusion of tears, had so far exhausted the radical moisture,

that their eyes shrivelled up in their sockets, and their hairs dropped off by the roots. Nouronihar, to whom

such a symphony was painful, did not grieve to get out of hearing; she accompanied the Caliph in the

imperial litter, where they amused themselves with imagining the splendour which was soon to surround

them. The other women, overcome with dejection, were dolefully rocked in their cages, whilst Dilara

consoled herself with anticipating the joy of celebrating the rites of fire on the stately terraces of Istakar.

In four days they reached the spacious valley of Rocnabad. The season of spring was in all its vigour, and the

grotesque branches of the almond trees in full blossom fantastically chequered the clear blue sky; the earth,

variegated with hyacinths and jonquils, breathed forth a fragrance which diffused through the soul a divine

repose; myriads of bees, and scarce fewer of Santons, had there taken up their abode; on the banks of the

stream hives and oratories were alternately ranged, and their neatness and whiteness were set off by the deep

green of the cypresses that spired up amongst them. These pious personages amused themselves with

cultivating little gardens that abounded with flowers and fruits, especially muskmelons of the best flavour

that Persia could boast; sometimes dispersed over the meadow, they entertained themselves with feeding

peacocks whiter than snow, and turtles more blue than the sapphire; in this manner were they occupied when

the harbingers of the imperial procession began to proclaim: "Inhabitants of Rocnabad! prostrate yourselves

on the brink of your pure waters, and tender your thanksgivings to Heaven, that vouchsafeth to show you a

The poor Santons, filled with holy energy, having bustled to light up wax torches in their oratories and

expand the Koran on their ebony desks, went forth to meet the Caliph with baskets of honeycomb, dates, and

melons. But, whilst they were advancing in solemn procession and with measured steps, the horses, camels,

and guards wantoned over their tulips and other flowers, and made a terrible havoc amongst them. The

Santons could not help casting from one eye a look of pity on the ravages committing around them, whilst the

other was fixed upon the Caliph and heaven. Nouronihar, enraptured with the scenery of a place which

brought back to her remembrance the pleasing solitudes where her infancy had passed, entreated Vathek to

stop; but he, suspecting that each oratory might be deemed by the Giaour a distinct habitation, commanded

his pioneers to level them all; the Santons stood motionless with horror at the barbarous mandate, and at last

broke out into lamentations; but these were uttered with so ill a grace, that Vathek bade his eunuchs to kick

them from his presence. He then descended from the litter with Nouronihar; they sauntered together in the

meadow, and amused themselves with culling flowers, and passing a thousand pleasantries on each other. But

the bees, who were staunch Mussulmans, thinking it their duty to revenge the insult on their dear masters the

Santons, assembled so zealously to do it with effect, that the Caliph and Nouronihar were glad to find their

Bababalouk, who in capacity of purveyor had acquitted himself with applause as to peacocks and turtles, lost

no time in consigning some dozens to the spit, and as many more to be fricasseed. Whilst they were feasting,

laughing, carousing, and blaspheming at pleasure on the banquet so liberally furnished, the Moullahs, the

Sheiks, the Cadis and Imams of Schiraz (who seemed not to have met the Santons) arrived, leading by bridles

of riband inscribed from the Koran, a train of asses, which were loaded with the choicest fruits the country

could boast; having presented their offerings to the Caliph, they petitioned him to honour their city and

"Fancy not," said Vathek, "that you can detain me; your presents I condescend to accept, but beg you will let

me be quiet, for I am not overfond of resisting temptation; retire, then; yet, as it is not decent for personages

so reverend to return on foot, and as you have not the appearance of expert riders, my eunuchs shall tie you

on your asses, with the precaution that your backs be not turned towards me, for they understand etiquette."

In this deputation were some highstomached Sheiks, who, taking Vathek for a fool, scrupled not to speak

their opinion. These Bababalouk girded with double cords, and, having well disciplined their asses with

nettles behind, they all started with a preternatural alertness, plunging, kicking, and running foul of each other

Nouronihar and the Caliph mutually contended who should most enjoy so degrading a sight; they burst out in

volleys of laughter to see the old men and their asses fall into the stream; the leg of one was fractured, the

shoulder of another dislocated, the teeth of a third dashed out, and the rest suffered still worse.

Two days more, undisturbed by fresh embassies, having been devoted to the pleasures of Rocnabad, the

expedition proceeded, leaving Shiraz on the right, and verging towards a large plain, from whence were

discernible on the edge of the horizon the dark summits of the mountains of Istakar.

At this prospect the Caliph and Nouronihar were unable to repress their transports; they bounded from their

litter to the ground, and broke forth into such wild exclamations, as amazed all within hearing. Interrogating

each other, they shouted, "Are we not approaching the radiant palace of light? or gardens more delightful

than those of Sheddad?" Infatuated mortals! they thus indulged delusive conjecture, unable to fathom the

The good Genii, who had not totally relinquished the superintendence of Vathek, repairing to Mahomet in the

seventh heaven, said: "Merciful Prophet! stretch forth thy propitious arms towards thy Vicegerent, who is

ready to fall irretrievably into the snare which his enemies, the Dives, have prepared to destroy him; the

Giaour is awaiting his arrival in the abominable palace of fire, where, if he once set his foot, his perdition will

Mahomet answered with an air of indignation: He hath too well deserved to be resigned to himself, but I

permit you to try if one effort more will be effectual to divert him from pursuing his ruin."

One of these beneficent Genii, assuming without delay the exterior of a shepherd, more renowned for his

piety than all the Dervises and Santons of the region, took his station near a flock of white sheep on the slope

of a hill, and began to pour forth from his flute such airs of pathetic melody as subdued the very soul, and,

awakening remorse, drove far from it every frivolous fancy. At these energetic sounds the sun hid himself

beneath a gloomy cloud, and the waters of two little lakes, that were naturally clearer than crystal, became of

a colour like blood. The whole of this superb assembly was involuntarily drawn towards the declivity of the

hill; with downcast eyes they all stood abashed, each upbraiding himself with the evil he had done; the heart

of Dilara palpitated, and the chief of the eunuchs with a sigh of contrition implored pardon of the women,

Vathek and Nouronihar turned pale in their litter, and, regarding each other with haggard looks, reproached

themselvesthe one with a thousand of the blackest crimes, a thousand projects of impious ambitionthe

other with the desolation of her family, and the perdition of the amiable Gulchenrouz. Nouronihar persuaded

herself that she heard in the fatal music the groans of her dying father, and Vathek the sobs of the fifty

children he had sacrificed to the Giaour. Amidst these complicated pangs of anguish they perceived

themselves impelled towards the shepherd, whose countenance was so commanding, that Vathek for the first

The music paused, and the Genius, addressing the Caliph, said: "Deluded Prince! to whom Providence hath

confided the care of innumerable subjects, is it thus that thou fulfillest thy mission? Thy crimes are already

completed, and art thou now hastening towards thy punishment? Thou knowest that beyond these mountains

Eblis and his accursed Dives hold their infernal empire; and, seduced by a malignant phantom, thou art

proceeding to surrender thyself to them! This moment is the last of grace allowed thee; abandon thy atrocious

purpose; return; give back Nouronihar to her father, who still retains a few sparks of life; destroy thy tower

with all its abominations; drive Carathis from thy councils; be just to thy subjects; respect the ministers of the

Prophet; compensate for thy impieties by an exemplary life; and, instead of squandering thy days in

voluptuous indulgence, lament thy crimes on the sepulchres of thy ancestors. Thou beholdest the clouds that

obscure the sun; at the instant he recovers his splendour, if thy heart be not changed, the time of mercy

Vathek, depressed with fear, was on the point of prostrating himself at the feet of the shepherd, whom he

perceived to be of a nature superior to man; but, his pride prevailing, he audaciously lifted his head, and,

glancing at him one of his terrible looks, said: "Whoever thou art, withhold thy useless admonitions; thou

wouldst either delude me, or art thyself deceived. If what I have done be so criminal as thou pretendest, there

remains not for me a moment of grace; I have traversed a sea of blood to acquire a power which will make

thy equals tremble; deem not that I shall retire when in view of the port, or that I will relinquish her who is

dearer to me than either my life or thy mercy. Let the sun appear! let him illumine my career! it matters not

where it may end." On uttering these words, which made even the Genius shudder, Vathek threw himself into

the arms of Nouronihar, and commanded that his horse should be forced back to the road.

There was no difficulty in obeying these orders, for the attraction had ceased; the sun shone forth in all his

The fatal impression of the music of the Genius remained, notwithstanding, in the heart of Vathek's

attendants; they viewed each other with looks of consternation; at the approach of night almost all of them

escaped, and of this numerous assemblage there only remained the chief of the eunuchs, some idolatrous

slaves, Dilara and a few other women, who, like herself, were votaries of the religion of the Magi.

The Caliph, fired with the ambition of prescribing laws to the Intelligences of Darkness, was but little

embarrassed at this dereliction; the impetuosity of his blood prevented him from sleeping, nor did he encamp

any more as before. Nouronihar, whose impatience, if possible, exceeded his own, importuned him to hasten

his march, and lavished on him a thousand caresses to beguile all reflection; she fancied herself already more

potent than Balkis, and pictured to her imagination the Genii falling prostrate at the foot of her throne. In this

manner they advanced by moonlight, till they came within view of the two towering rocks that form a kind of

portal to the valley, at whose extremity rose the vast ruins of Istakar. Aloft on the mountain glimmered the

fronts of various royal mausoleums, the horror of which was deepened by the shadows of night. They passed

through two villages almost deserted, the only inhabitants remaining being a few feeble old men, who, at the

"O Heaven! is it then by these phantoms that we have been for six months tormented? Alas! it was from the

terror of these spectres and the noise beneath the mountains, that our people have fled, and left us at the

The Caliph, to whom these complaints were but unpromising auguries, drove over the bodies of these

wretched old men, and at length arrived at the foot of the terrace of black marble; there he descended from his

litter, handing down Nouronihar; both with beating hearts stared wildly around them, and expected with an

apprehensive shudder the approach of the Giaour; but nothing as yet announced his appearance.

A deathlike stillness reigned over the mountain and through the air; the moon dilated on a vast platform the

shades of the lofty columns, which reached from the terrace almost to the clouds; the gloomy watchtowers,

whose numbers could not be counted, were veiled by no roof, and their capitals, of an architecture unknown

in the records of the earth, served as an asylum for the birds of darkness, which, alarmed at the approach of

The chief of the eunuchs, trembling with fear, besought Vathek that a fire might be kindled.

"No!" replied he, "there is no time left to think of such trifles; abide where thou art, and expect my

Having thus spoken, he presented his hand to Nouronihar, and, ascending the steps of a vast staircase,

reached the terrace, which was flagged with squares of marble, and resembled a smooth expanse of water,

upon whose surface not a leaf ever dared to vegetate; on the right rose the watchtowers, ranged before the

ruins of an immense palace, whose walls were embossed with various figures; in front stood forth the

colossal forms of four creatures, composed of the leopard and the griffin; and, though but of stone, inspired

emotions of terror; near these were distinguished by the splendour of the moon, which streamed full on the

place, characters like those on the sabres of the Giaour, that possessed the same virtue of changing every

moment; these, after vacillating for some time, at last fixed in Arabic letters, and prescribed to the Caliph the

"Vathek! thou hast violated the conditions of my parchment, and deservest to be sent back; but, in favour to

thy companion, and as the meed for what thou hast done to obtain it, EBLIS permitteth that the portal of his

palace shall be opened, and the subterranean fire will receive thee into the number of its adorers."

He scarcely had read these words before the mountain against which the terrace was reared trembled, and the

watchtowers were ready to topple headlong upon them; the rock yawned, and disclosed within it a staircase

of polished marble that seemed to approach the abyss; upon each stair were planted two large torches, like

those Nouronihar had seen in her vision, the camphorated vapour ascending from which gathered into a cloud

This appearance, instead of terrifying, gave new courage to the daughter of Fakreddin. Scarcely deigning to

bid adieu to the moon and the firmament, she abandoned without hesitation the pure atmosphere to plunge

into these infernal exhalations. The gait of those impious personages was haughty and determined; as they

descended by the effulgence of the torches they gazed on each other with mutual admiration, and both

appeared so resplendent, that they already esteemed themselves spiritual Intelligences; the only circumstance

that perplexed them was their not arriving at the bottom of the stairs; on hastening their descent with an

ardent impetuosity, they felt their steps accelerated to such a degree, that they seemed not walking, but falling

from a precipice. Their progress, however, was at length impeded by a vast portal of ebony, which the Caliph

without difficulty recognised; here the Giaour awaited them with the key in his hand.

"Ye are welcome," said he to them, with a ghastly smile, "in spite of Mahomet and all his dependants. I will

Whilst he was uttering these words he touched the enamelled lock with his key, and the doors at once

expanded, with a noise still louder than the thunder of mountains, and as suddenly recoiled the moment they

The Caliph and Nouronihar beheld each other with amazement, at finding themselves in a place which,

though roofed with a vaulted ceiling, was so spacious and lofty that at first they took it for an immeasurable

plain. But their eyes at length growing familiar to the grandeur of the objects at hand, they extended their

view to those at a distance, and discovered rows of columns and arcades, which gradually diminished till they

terminated in a point, radiant as the sun when he darts his last beams athwart the ocean; the pavement,

strewed over with gold dust and saffron, exhaled so subtle an odour as almost overpowered them; they,

however, went on, and observed an infinity of censers, in which ambergris and the wood of aloes were

continually burning; between the several columns were placed tables, each spread with a profusion of viands,

and wines of every species sparkling in vases of crystal. A throng of Genii and other fantastic spirits of each

In the midst of this immense hall a vast multitude was incessantly passing, who severally kept their right

hands on their hearts, without once regarding anything around them; they had all the livid paleness of death;

their eyes, deep sunk in their sockets, resembled those phosphoric meteors that glimmer by night in places of

interment. Some stalked slowly on, absorbed in profound reverie; some, shrieking with agony, ran furiously

about, like tigers wounded with poisoned arrows; whilst others, grinding their teeth in rage, foamed along,

more frantic than the wildest maniac. They all avoided each other, and, though surrounded by a multitude that

no one could number, each wandered at random, unheedful of the rest, as if alone on a desert which no foot

Vathek and Nouronihar, frozen with terror at a sight so baleful, demanded of the Giaour what these

appearances might mean, and why these ambulating spectres never withdrew their hands from their hearts.

"Perplex not yourselves," replied he bluntly, "with so much; at once you will soon be acquainted with all; let

They continued their way through the multitude but, notwithstanding their confidence at first, they were not

sufficiently composed to examine with attention the various perspectives of halls and of galleries that opened

on the right hand and left, which were all illuminated by torches and braziers, whose flames rose in pyramids

to the centre of the vault. At length they came to a place where long curtains, brocaded with crimson and

gold, fell from all parts in striking confusion; here the choirs and dances were heard no longer; the light

After some time Vathek and Nouronihar perceived a gleam brightening through the drapery, and entered a

vast tabernacle carpeted with the skins of leopards; an infinity of elders with streaming beards, and Afrits in

complete armour, had prostrated themselves before the ascent of a lofty eminence, on the top of which, upon

a globe of fire, sat the formidable Eblis. His person was that of a young man, whose noble and regular

features seemed to have been tarnished by malignant vapours; in his large eyes appeared both pride and

despair; his flowing hair retained some resemblance to that of an angel of light; in his hand, which thunder

had blasted, he swayed the iron sceptre that causes the monster Ouranabad, the Afrits, and all the powers of

the abyss to tremble; at his presence the heart of the Caliph sank within him, and for the first time he fell

prostrate on his face. Nouronihar, however, though greatly dismayed, could not help admiring the person of

Eblis; for she expected to have seen some stupendous giant. Eblis, with a voice more mild than might be

"Creatures of clay, I receive you into mine empire; ye are numbered amongst my adorers; enjoy whatever this

palace affords; the treasures of the preadamite Sultans, their bickering sabres, and those talismans that

compel the Dives to open the subterranean expanses of the mountain of Kaf, which communicate with these;

there, insatiable as your curiosity may be, shall you find sufficient to gratify it; you shall possess the

exclusive privilege of entering the fortress of Aherman, and the halls of Argenk, where are portrayed all

creatures endowed with intelligence, and the various animals that inhabited the earth prior to the creation of

Vathek and Nouronihar, feeling themselves revived and encouraged by this harangue, eagerly said to the

"Come!" answered this wicked Dive, with his malignant grin, "come! and possess all that my sovereign hath

He then conducted them into a long aisle adjoining the tabernacle, preceding them with hasty steps, and

followed by his disciples with the utmost alacrity. They reached, at length, a hall of great extent, and covered

with a lofty dome, around which appeared fifty portals of bronze, secured with as many fastenings of iron; a

funereal gloom prevailed over the whole scene; here, upon two beds of incorruptible cedar, lay recumbent the

fleshless forms of the preadamite kings, who had been monarchs of the whole earth; they still possessed

enough of life to be conscious of their deplorable condition; their eyes retained a melancholy motion; they

regarded each other with looks of the deepest dejection; each holding his right hand motionless on his heart;

at their feet were inscribed the events of their several reigns, their power, their pride, and their crimes;

Soliman Raad, Soliman Daki, and Soliman Di Gian Ben Gian, who, after having chained up the Dives in the

dark caverns of Kaf, became so presumptuous as to doubt of the Supreme Power; all these maintained great

This king, so renowned for his wisdom, was on the loftiest elevation, and placed immediately under the

dome; he appeared to possess more animation than the rest; though from time to time he laboured with

profound sighs, and, like his companions, kept his right hand on his heart; yet his countenance was more

composed, and he seemed to be listening to the sullen roar of a vast cataract, visible in part through the grated

portals: this was the only sound that intruded on the silence of these doleful mansions. A range of brazen

"Remove the covers from these cabalistic depositories," said the Giaour to Vathek, "and avail thyself of the

talismans, which will break asunder all these gates of bronze; and not only render thee master of the treasures

The Caliph, whom this ominous preliminary had entirely disconcerted, approached the vases with faltering

footsteps, and was ready to sink with terror when he heard the groans of Soliman. As he proceeded a voice

"In my lifetime I filled a magnificent throne, having on my right hand twelve thousand seats of gold, where

the patriarchs and the prophets heard my doctrines; on my left the sages and doctors, upon as many thrones of

silver, were present at all my decisions. Whilst I thus administered justice to innumerable multitudes, the

birds of the air librating over me served as a canopy from the rays of the sun; my people flourished, and my

palace rose to the clouds; I erected a temple to the Most High, which was the wonder of the universe; but I

basely suffered myself to be seduced by the love of women, and a curiosity that could not be restrained by

sublunary things; I listened to the counsels of Aherman and the daughter of Pharaoh, and adored fire and the

hosts of heaven; I forsook the holy city, and commanded the Genii to rear the stupendous palace of Istakar,

and the terrace of the watchtowers, each of which was consecrated to a star; there for a while I enjoyed

myself in the zenith of glory and pleasure; not only men, but supernatural existences were subject also to my

will. I began to think, as these unhappy monarchs around had already thought, that the vengeance of Heaven

was asleep; when at once the thunder burst my structures asunder and precipitated me hither; where,

however, I do not remain, like the other inhabitants, totally destitute of hope, for an angel of light hath

revealed that, in consideration of the piety of my early youth, my woes shall come to an end when this

cataract shall for ever cease to flow; till then I am in torments, ineffable torments! an unrelenting fire preys

Having uttered this exclamation, Soliman raised his hands towards heaven, in token of supplication, and the

Caliph discerned through his bosom, which was transparent as crystal, his heart enveloped in flames. At a

sight so full of horror Nouronihar fell back, like one petrified, into the arms of Vathek, who cried out with a

"O Giaour! whither hast thou brought us? Allow us to depart, and I will relinquish all thou hast promised. O

"None! none!" replied the malicious Dive. "Know, miserable prince! thou art now in the abode of vengeance

and despair; thy heart also will be kindled, like those of the other votaries of Eblis. A few days are allotted

thee previous to this fatal period; employ them as thou wilt; recline on these heaps of gold; command the

Infernal Potentates; range at thy pleasure through these immense subterranean domains; no barrier shall be

shut against thee; as for me, I have fulfilled my mission; I now leave thee to thyself." At these words he

The Caliph and Nouronihar remained in the most abject affliction; their tears unable to flow, scarcely could

they support themselves. At length, taking each other despondingly by the hand, they went faltering from this

fatal hall, indifferent which way they turned their steps; every portal opened at their approach; the Dives fell

prostrate before them; every reservoir of riches was disclosed to their view; but they no longer felt the

incentives of curiosity, pride, or avarice. With like apathy they heard the chorus of Genii, and saw the stately

banquets prepared to regale them; they went wandering on from chamber to chamber, hall to hall, and gallery

to gallery, all without bounds or limit, all distinguishable by the same lowering gloom, all adorned with the

same awful grandeur, all traversed by persons in search of repose and consolation, but who sought them in

vain; for every one carried within him a heart tormented in flames: shunned by these various sufferers, who

seemed by their looks to be upbraiding the partners of their guilt, they withdrew from them to wait in direful

suspense the moment which should render them to each other the like objects of terror.

"What!" exclaimed Nouronihar; "will the time come when I shall snatch my hand from thine!"

"Ah!" said Vathek; "and shall my eyes ever cease to drink from thine long draughts of enjoyment! Shall the

moments of our reciprocal ecstasies be reflected on with horror? It was not thou that broughtest me hither; the

principles by which Carathis perverted my youth have been the sole cause of my perdition!" Having given

vent to these painful expressions, he called to an Afrit, who was stirring up one of the braziers, and bade him

After issuing these orders, the Caliph and Nouronihar continued walking amidst the silent crowd, till they

heard voices at the end of the gallery; presuming them to proceed from some unhappy beings, who, like

themselves, were awaiting their final doom, they followed the sound, and found it to come from a small

square chamber, where they discovered sitting on sofas five young men of goodly figure, and a lovely female,

who were all holding a melancholy conversation by the glimmering of a lonely lamp; each had a gloomy and

forlorn air, and two of them were embracing each other with great tenderness. On seeing the Caliph and the

daughter of Fakreddin enter, they arose, saluted, and gave them place; then he who appeared the most

"Strangers! who doubtless are in the same state of suspense with ourselves, as you do not yet bear your hands

on your hearts, if you are come hither to pass the interval allotted previous to the infliction of our common

punishment, condescend to relate the adventures that have brought you to this fatal place, and we in return

will acquaint you with ours, which deserve but too well to be heard; we will trace back our crimes to their

source, though we are not permitted to repent; this is the only employment suited to wretches like us!"

The Caliph and Nouronihar assented to the proposal, and Vathek began, not without tears and lamentations, a

sincere recital of every circumstance that had passed. When the afflicting narrative was closed, the young

man entered on his own. Each person proceeded in order, and when the fourth prince had reached the midst

of his adventures, a sudden noise interrupted him, which caused the vault to tremble and to open.

Immediately a cloud descended, which gradually dissipating, discovered Carathis on the back of an Afrit,

who grievously complained of his burden. She, instantly springing to the ground, advanced towards her son,

"What dost thou here in this little square chamber? As the Dives are become subject to thy beck, I expected to

"Execrable woman!" answered the Caliph; "cursed be the day thou gavest me birth! go, follow this Afrit; let

him conduct thee to the hall of the Prophet Soliman, there thou wilt learn to what these palaces are destined,

"The height of power to which thou art arrived has certainly turned thy brain," answered Carathis; "but I ask

no more than permission to show my respect for the Prophet. It is, however, proper thou shouldest know, that

(as the Afrit has informed me neither of us shall return to Samarah) I requested his permission to arrange my

affairs, and he politely consented; availing myself, therefore, of the few moments allowed me, I set fire to the

tower, and consumed in it the mutes, negresses, and serpents which have rendered me so much good service;

nor should I have been less kind to Morakanabad, had he not prevented me by deserting at last to thy brother.

As for Bababalouk, who had the folly to return to Samarah, and all the good brotherhood to provide husbands

for thy wives, I undoubtedly would have put them to the torture, could I but have allowed them the time;

being, however, in a hurry, I only hung him after having caught him in a snare with thy wives, whilst them I

buried alive by the help of my negresses, who thus spent their last moments greatly to their satisfaction. With

respect to Dilara, who ever stood high in my favour, she hath evinced the greatness of her mind by fixing

herself near in the service of one of the Magi, and I think will soon be our own."

Vathek, too much cast down to express the indignation excited by such a discourse, ordered the Afrit to

remove Carathis from his presence, and continued immersed in thought, which his companion durst not

Carathis, however, eagerly entered the dome of Soliman, and, without regarding in the least the groans of the

Prophet, undauntedly removed the covers of the vases, and violently seized on the talismans; then, with a

voice more loud than had hitherto been heard within these mansions, she compelled the Dives to disclose to

her the most secret treasures, the most profound stores, which the Afrit himself had not seen; she passed by

rapid descents, known only to Eblis and his most favoured potentates, and thus penetrated the very entrails of

the earth, where breathes the Sansar, or icy wind of death; nothing appalled her dauntless soul; she perceived,

however, in all the inmates who bore their hands on their hearts a little singularity, not much to her taste. As

she was emerging from one of the abysses, Eblis stood forth to her view; but, notwithstanding he displayed

the full effulgence of his infernal majesty, she preserved her countenance unaltered, and even paid her

This superb monarch thus answered: "Princess, whose knowledge and whose crimes have merited a

conspicuous rank in my empire, thou dost well to employ the leisure that remains; for the flames and

torments, which are ready to seize on thy heart, will not fail to provide thee with full employment." He said

Carathis paused for a moment with surprise; but, resolved to follow the advice of Eblis, she assembled all the

choirs of Genii, and all the Dives, to pay her homage; thus marched she in triumph through a vapour of

perfumes, amidst the acclamations of all the malignant spirits, with most of whom she had formed a previous

acquaintance; she even attempted to dethrone one of the Solimans for the purpose of usurping his place, when

a voice, proceeding from the abyss of Death, proclaimed, "All is accomplished!" Instantaneously the haughty

forehead of the intrepid princess was corrugated with agony; she uttered a tremendous yell, and fixed, no

more to be withdrawn, her right hand upon her heart, which was become a receptacle of eternal fire.

In this delirium, forgetting all ambitious projects and her thirst for that knowledge which should ever be

hidden from mortals, she overturned the offerings of the Genii, and, having execrated the hour she was

begotten and the womb that had borne her, glanced off in a whirl that rendered her invisible, and continued to

At almost the same instant the same voice announced to the Caliph, Nouronihar, the five princes, and the

princess, the awful and irrevocable decree. Their hearts immediately took fire, and they at once lost the most

precious of the gifts of HeavenHope. These unhappy beings recoiled with looks of the most furious

distraction; Vathek beheld in the eyes of Nouronihar nothing but rage and vengeance, nor could she discern

aught in his but aversion and despair. The two princes who were friends, and till that moment had preserved

their attachment, shrank back, gnashing their teeth with mutual and unchangeable hatred. Kalilah and his

sister made reciprocal gestures of imprecation, whilst the two other princes testified their horror for each

other by the most ghastly convulsions, and screams that could not be smothered. All severally plunged

themselves into the accursed multitude, there to wander in an eternity of unabating anguish.

Such was, and such should be, the punishment of unrestrained passions and atrocious actions! Such is, and

such should be, the chastisement of blind ambition, that would transgress those bounds which the Creator

hath prescribed to human knowledge; and, by aiming at discoveries reserved for pure Intelligence, acquire

that infatuated pride, which perceives not that the condition appointed to man is to be ignorant and humble.

Thus the Caliph Vathek, who, for the sake of empty pomp and forbidden power, had sullied himself with a

thousand crimes, became a prey to grief without end, and remorse without mitigation; whilst the humble and

despised Gulchenrouz passed whole ages in undisturbed tranquillity, and the pure happiness of childhood.