Murad the Unlucky, and Other Tales

by Maria Edgeworth

  CHAPTER III

  The lamentations of Murad were interrupted by the entrance of Saladin.Having waited in vain for some hours, he now came to see if any disasterhad happened to his brother Murad. He was surprised at the sight of thetwo pretended merchants, and could not refrain from exclamations onbeholding the broken vase. However, with his usual equanimity and good-nature, he began to console Murad; and, taking up the fragments, examinedthem carefully, one by one joined them together again, found that none ofthe edges of the china were damaged, and declared he could have it mendedso as to look as well as ever.

  Murad recovered his spirits upon this. "Brother," said he, "I comfortmyself for being Murad the Unlucky when I reflect that you are Saladinthe Lucky. See, gentlemen," continued he, turning to the pretendedmerchants, "scarcely has this most fortunate of men been five minutes incompany before he gives a happy turn to affairs. His presence inspiresjoy: I observe your countenances, which had been saddened by my dismalhistory, have brightened up since he has made his appearance. Brother, Iwish you would make these gentlemen some amends for the time they havewasted in listening to my catalogue of misfortunes by relating yourhistory, which, I am sure, they will find rather more exhilarating."

  Saladin consented, on condition that the strangers would accompany himhome and partake of a social banquet. They at first repeated the formerexcuse of their being obliged to return to their inn; but at length thesultan's curiosity prevailed, and he and his vizier went home withSaladin the Lucky, who, after supper, related his history in thefollowing manner:--

  "My being called Saladin the Lucky first inspired me with confidence inmyself; though I own that I cannot remember any extraordinary instancesof good luck in my childhood. An old nurse of my mother's, indeed,repeated to me twenty times a day that nothing I undertook could fail tosucceed, because I was Saladin the Lucky. I became presumptuous andrash; and my nurse's prognostics might have effectually prevented theiraccomplishment had I not, when I was about fifteen, been roused toreflection during a long confinement, which was the consequence of myyouthful conceit and imprudence.

  "At this time there was at the Porte a Frenchman, an ingenious engineer,who was employed and favoured by the sultan, to the great astonishment ofmany of my prejudiced countrymen. On the grand seignior's birthday heexhibited some extraordinarily fine fireworks; and I, with numbers of theinhabitants of Constantinople, crowded to see them. I happened to standnear the place where the Frenchman was stationed; the crowd pressed uponhim, and I amongst the rest; he begged we would, for our own sakes, keepat a greater distance, and warned us that we might be much hurt by thecombustibles which he was using. I, relying upon my mood fortune,disregarded all these cautions; and the consequence was that, as Itouched some of the materials prepared for the fireworks, they exploded,dashed me upon the ground with great violence, and I was terribly burnt.

  "This accident, gentlemen, I consider as one of the most fortunatecircumstances of my life; for it checked and corrected the presumption ofmy temper. During the time I was confined to my bed the French gentlemancame frequently to see me. He was a very sensible man; and theconversations he had with me enlarged my mind and cured me of manyfoolish prejudices, especially of that which I had been taught toentertain concerning the predominance of what is called luck or fortunein human affairs. 'Though you are called Saladin the Lucky,' said he,'you find that your neglect of prudence has nearly brought you to thegrave even in the bloom of youth. Take my advice, and henceforward trustmore to prudence than to fortune. Let the multitude, if they will, callyou Saladin the Lucky; but call yourself, and make yourself, Saladin thePrudent.'

  "These words left an indelible impression on my mind, and gave a new turnto my thoughts and character. My brother, Murad, his doubtless told youour difference of opinion on the subject of predestination producedbetween us frequent arguments; but we could never convince one another,and we each have acted, through life, in consequence of our differentbeliefs. To this I attribute my success and his misfortunes.

  "The first rise of my fortune, as you have probably heard from Murad, wasowing to the scarlet dye, which I brought to perfection with infinitedifficulty. The powder, it is true, was accidentally found by me in ourchina vases; but there it might have remained to this instant, useless,if I had not taken the pains to make it useful. I grant that we can onlypartially foresee and command events; yet on the use we make of our ownpowers, I think, depends our destiny. But, gentlemen, you would ratherhear my adventures, perhaps, than my reflections; and I am trulyconcerned, for your sakes, that I have no wonderful events to relate. Iam sorry I cannot tell you of my having been lost in a sandy desert. Ihave never had the plague, nor even been shipwrecked: I have been all mylife an inhabitant of Constantinople, and have passed my time in a veryquiet and uniform manner.

  "The money I received from the sultan's favourite for my china vase, asmy brother may have told you, enabled me to trade on a more extensivescale. I went on steadily with my business, and made it my whole studyto please my employers by all fair and honourable means. This industryand civility succeeded beyond my expectations: in a few years I was richfor a man in my way of business.

  "I will not proceed to trouble you with the journal of a petty merchant'slife; I pass on to the incident which made a considerable change in myaffairs.

  "A terrible fire broke out near the walls of the grand seignior'sseraglio. As you are strangers, gentlemen, you may not have heard ofthis event, though it produced so great a sensation in Constantinople.The vizier's superb palace was utterly consumed, and the melted leadpoured down from the roof of the mosque of St. Sophia. Various were theopinions formed by my neighbours respecting the cause of theconflagration. Some supposed it to be a punishment for the sultan'shaving neglected one Friday to appear it the mosque of St. Sophia; othersconsidered it as a warning sent by Mahomet to dissuade the Porte frompersisting in a war in which we were just engaged. The generality,however, of the coffee-house politicians contented themselves withobserving that it was the will of Mahomet that the palace should beconsumed. Satisfied by this supposition, they took no precaution toprevent similar accidents in their own houses. Never were fires socommon in the city as at this period; scarcely a night passed without ourbeing wakened by the cry of fire.

  "These frequent fires were rendered still more dreadful by villains, whowere continually on the watch to increase the confusion by which theyprofited, and to pillage the houses of the sufferers. It was discoveredthat these incendiaries frequently skulked, towards evening, in theneighbourhood of the bezestein, where the richest merchants store theirgoods. Some of these wretches were detected in throwing _coundaks_, ormatches, into the windows; and if these combustibles remained asufficient time, they could not fail to set the house on fire.

  "Notwithstanding all these circumstances, many even of those who hadproperty to preserve continued to repeat, 'It is the will of Mahomet,'and consequently to neglect all means of preservation. I, on thecontrary, recollecting the lesson I had learned from the sensibleforeigner, neither suffered my spirits to sink with superstitious fearsof ill-luck, nor did I trust presumptuously to my good fortune. I tookevery possible means to secure myself. I never went to bed withouthaving seen that all the lights and fires in the house were extinguished,and that I had a supply of water in the cistern. I had likewise learnedfrom my Frenchman that wet mortar was the most effectual thing forstopping the progress of flames. I, therefore, had a quantity of mortarmade up in one of my outhouses, which I could use at a moment's warning.These precautions were all useful to me. My own house, indeed, was neveractually on fire; but the houses of my next-door neighbours were no lessthan five times in flames in the course of one winter. By my exertions,or rather by my precautions, they suffered but little damage, and all myneighbours looked upon me as their deliverer and friend; they loaded mewith presents, and offered more, indeed, than I would accept. Allrepeated that I was Saladin the Lucky. This compliment I disclaimed,feeling more a
mbitious of being called Saladin the Prudent. It is thusthat what we call modesty is often only a more refined species of pride.But to proceed with my story.

  "One night I had been later than usual at supper at a friend's house;none but the watch were in the streets, and even they, I believe, wereasleep.

  "As I passed one of the conduits which convey water to the city, I hearda trickling noise; and, upon examination, I found that the cook of thewater-spout was half turned, so that the water was running out. I turnedit back to its proper place, thought it had been left unturned byaccident, and walked on; but I had not proceeded far before I came toanother spout, and another, which were in the same condition. I wasconvinced that this could not be the effect merely of accident, andsuspected that some ill-intentioned persons designed to let out and wastethe water of the city, that there might be none to extinguish any firethat should break out in the course of the night.

  "I stood still for a few moments, to consider how it would be mostprudent to act. It would be impossible for me to run to all parts of thecity, that I might stop the pipes that were running to waste. I firstthought of wakening the watch and the firemen, who were most of themslumbering at their stations; but I reflected that they were perhaps notto be trusted, and that they were in a confederacy with the incendiaries,otherwise they would certainly before this hour have observed and stoppedthe running of the sewers in their neighbourhood. I determined to wakena rich merchant, called Damat Zade, who lived near me, and who had anumber of slaves whom he could send to different parts of the city, toprevent mischief and give notice to the inhabitants of their danger.

  "He was a very sensible, active man, and one that could easily bewakened; he was not like some Turks, an hour in recovering theirlethargic senses. He was quick in decision and action; and his slavesresembled their master. He despatched a messenger immediately to thegrand vizier, that the sultan's safety might be secured, and sent othersto the magistrates in each quarter of Constantinople. The large drums inthe janissary aga's tower beat to rouse the inhabitants; and scarcely hadthey been heard to beat half an hour before the fire broke out in thelower apartments of Damat Zade's house, owing to a _coundak_ which hadbeen left behind one of the doors.

  "The wretches who had prepared the mischief came to enjoy it, and topillage; but they were disappointed. Astonished to find themselves takeninto custody, they could not comprehend how their designs had beenfrustrated. By timely exertions, the fire in my friend's house wasextinguished; and though fires broke out during the night in many partsof the city, but little damage was sustained, because there was time forprecautions, and, by the stopping of the spouts, sufficient water waspreserved. People were awakened and warned of the danger, and theyconsequently escaped unhurt.

  "The next day, as soon as I made my appearance at the bezestein, themerchants crowded round, called me their benefactor, and the preserver oftheir lives and fortunes. Damat Zade, the merchant whom I had awakenedthe preceding night, presented to me a heavy purse of gold, and put uponmy finger a diamond ring of considerable value; each of the merchantsfollowed his example in making me rich presents; the magistrates alsosent me tokens of their approbation; and the grand vizier sent me adiamond of the first water, with a line written by his own hand, 'To theman who has saved Constantinople.' Excuse me, gentlemen, for the vanityI seem to show in mentioning these circumstances. You desired to hear myhistory, and I cannot, therefore, omit the principal circumstance of mylife. In the course of four-and-twenty hours I found myself raised, bythe munificent gratitude of the inhabitants of this city, to a state ofaffluence far beyond what I had ever dreamed of attaining.

  "I now took a house suited to my circumstances, and bought a few slaves.As I was carrying my slaves home, I was met by a Jew, who stopped me,saying, in his language, 'My lord, I see, has been purchasing slaves; Icould clothe them cheaply.' There was something mysterious in the mannerof this Jew, and I did not like his countenance; but I considered that Iought not to be governed by caprice in my dealings, and that, if this mancould really clothe my slaves more cheaply than another, I ought not toneglect his offer merely because I took a dislike to the cut of hisbeard, the turn of his eye, or the tone of his voice. I, therefore, badethe Jew follow me home, saying that I would consider of his proposal.

  "When we came to talk over the matter, I was surprised to find him soreasonable in his demands. On one point, indeed, he appeared unwillingto comply. I required not only to see the clothes I was offered, butalso to know how they came into his possession. On this subject heequivocated; I, therefore, suspected there must be something wrong. Ireflected what it could be, and judged that the goods had been stolen, orthat they had been the apparel of persons who had died of some contagiousdistemper. The Jew showed me a chest, from which he said I might choosewhatever suited me best. I observed that, as he was going to unlock thechest, he stuffed his nose with some aromatic herbs. He told me that hedid so to prevent his smelling the musk with which the chest wasperfumed; musk, he said, had an extraordinary effect upon his nerves. Ibegged to have some of the herbs which he used himself, declaring thatmusk was likewise offensive to me.

  "The Jew, either struck by his own conscience or observing my suspicions,turned as pale as death. He pretended he had not the right key, andcould not unlock the chest; said he must go in search of it, and that hewould call on me again.

  "After he had left me, I examined some writing upon the lid of the chestthat had been nearly effaced. I made out the word 'Smyrna,' and this wassufficient to confirm all my suspicions. The Jew returned no more; hesent some porters to carry away the chest, and I heard nothing of him forsome time, till one day, when I was at the house of Damat Zade, I saw aglimpse of the Jew passing hastily through one of the courts, as if hewished to avoid me. 'My friend,' said I to Damat Zade, 'do not attributemy question to impertinent curiosity, or to a desire to intermeddle withyour affairs, if I venture to ask the nature of your business with theJew who has just now crossed your court?'

  "'He has engaged to supply me with clothing for my slaves,' replied myfriend, 'cheaper than I can purchase it elsewhere. I have a design tosurprise my daughter Fatima, on her birthday, with an entertainment inthe pavilion in the garden, and all her female slaves shall appear in newdresses on the occasion.'

  "I interrupted my friend, to tell him what I suspected relative to thisJew and his chest of clothes. It is certain that the infection of theplague can be communicated by clothes, not only after months, but afteryears have elapsed. The merchant resolved to have nothing more to dowith this wretch, who could thus hazard the lives of thousands of hisfollow-creatures for a few pieces of gold. We sent notice of thecircumstance to the cadi, but the cadi was slow in his operations; andbefore he could take the Jew into custody the cunning fellow had effectedhis escape. When his house was searched, he and his chest haddisappeared. We discovered that he sailed for Egypt, and rejoiced thatwe had driven him from Constantinople.

  "My friend, Damat Zade, expressed the warmest gratitude to me. 'Youformerly saved my fortune; you have now saved my life, and a life yetdearer than my own: that of my daughter Fatima.'

  "At the sound of that name I could not, I believe, avoid showing someemotion. I had accidentally seen this lady, and I had been captivated byher beauty and by the sweetness of her countenance; but as I knew she wasdestined to be the wife of another, I suppressed my feeling, anddetermined to banish the recollection of the fair Fatima for ever from myimagination. Her father, however, at this instant threw into my way atemptation which it required all my fortitude to resist. 'Saladin,'continued he, 'it is but just that you, who have saved our lives, shouldshare our festivity. Come here on the birthday of my Fatima; I willplace you in a balcony which overlooks the garden, and you shall see thewhole spectacle. We shall have a _feast of tulips_, in imitation of thatwhich, as you know, is held in the grand seignior's gardens. I assureyou the sight will be worth seeing; and besides, you will have a chanceof beholding my Fatima, for a mom
ent, without her veil.'

  "'That,' interrupted I, 'is the thing I most wish to avoid. I dare notindulge myself in a pleasure which might cost me the happiness of mylife. I will conceal nothing from you, who treat me with so muchconfidence. I have already beheld the charming countenance of yourFatima, but I know that she is destined to be the wife of a happier man.'

  "Damat Zade seemed much pleased by the frankness with which I explainedmyself; but he would not give up the idea of my sitting with him in thebalcony on the day of the feast of tulips; and I, on my part, could notconsent to expose myself to another view of the charming Fatima. Myfriend used every argument, or rather every sort of persuasion, he couldimagine to prevail upon me; he then tried to laugh me out of myresolution; and, when all failed, he said, in a voice of anger, 'Go,then, Saladin: I am sure you are deceiving me; you have a passion forsome other woman, and you would conceal it from me, and persuade me yourefuse the favour I offer you from prudence, when, in fact, it is fromindifference and contempt. Why could you not speak the truth of yourheart to me with that frankness with which one friend should treatanother?'

  "Astonished at this unexpected charge, and at the anger which flashedfrom the eyes of Damat Zade, who till this moment had always appeared tome a man of a mild and reasonable temper, I was for an instant tempted tofly into a passion and leave him; but friends, once lost, are not easilyregained. This consideration had power sufficient to make me command mytemper. 'My friend,' replied I, 'we will talk over this affairto-morrow. You are now angry, and cannot do me justice, but to-morrowyou will be cool; you will then be convinced that I have not deceivedyou, and that I have no design but to secure my own happiness, by themost prudent means in my power, by avoiding the sight of the dangerousFatima. I have no passion for any other woman.'

  "'Then,' said my friend, embracing me, and quitting the tone of angerwhich he had assumed only to try my resolution to the utmost, 'Then,Saladin, Fatima is yours.'

  "I scarcely dared to believe my senses; I could not express my joy! 'Yes,my friend,' continued the merchant, 'I have tried your prudence to theutmost, it has been victorious, and I resign my Fatima to you, certainthat you will make her happy. It is true I had a greater alliance inview for her--the Pacha of Maksoud has demanded her from me; but I havefound, upon private inquiry, he is addicted to the intemperate use ofopium, and my daughter shall never be the wife of one who is a violentmadman one-half the day and a melancholy idiot during the remainder. Ihave nothing to apprehend from the pacha's resentment, because I havepowerful friends with the grand vizier, who will oblige him to listen toreason, and to submit quietly to a disappointment he so justly merits.And now, Saladin, have you any objection to seeing the feast of tulips?'

  "I replied only by falling at the merchant's feet, and embracing hisknees. The feast of tulips came and on that day I was married to thecharming Fatima! The charming Fatima I continue still to think her,though she has now been my wife some years. She is the joy and pride ofmy heart; and, from our mutual affection, I have experienced morefelicity than from all the other circumstances of my life, which arecalled so fortunate. Her father gave me the house in which I now live,and joined his possessions to ours; so that I have more wealth even thanI desire. My riches, however, give me continually the means of relievingthe wants of others; and therefore I cannot affect to despise them. Imust persuade my brother Murad to share them with me, and to forget hismisfortunes: I shall then think myself completely happy. As to thesultana's looking-glass and your broken vase, my dear brother," continuedSaladin, "we must think of some means--"

  "Think no more of the sultana's looking-glass or of the broken vase,"exclaimed the sultan, throwing aside his merchant's habit, and showingbeneath it his own imperial vest. "Saladin, I rejoice to have heard,from your own lips, the history of your life. I acknowledge, vizier, Ihave been in the wrong in our argument," continued the sultan, turning tohis vizier. "I acknowledge that the histories of Saladin the Lucky andMurad the Unlucky favour your opinion, that prudence has more influencethan chance in human affairs. The success and happiness of Saladin seemto me to have arisen from his prudence: by that prudence Constantinoplehas been saved from flames and from the plague. Had Murad possessed hisbrother's discretion, he would not have been on the point of losing hishead, for selling rolls which he did not bake: he would not have beenkicked by a mule or bastinadoed for finding a ring: he would not havebeen robbed by one party of soldiers, or shot by another: he would nothave been lost in a desert, or cheated by a Jew: he would not have set aship on fire; nor would he have caught the plague, and spread it throughGrand Cairo: he would not have run my sultana's looking-glass through thebody, instead of a robber: he would not have believed that the fate ofhis life depended on certain verses on a china vase: nor would he, atlast, have broken this precious talisman, by washing it with hot water.Henceforward, let Murad the Unlucky be named Murad the Imprudent: letSaladin preserve the surname he merits, and be henceforth called Saladinthe Prudent."

  So spake the sultan, who, unlike the generality of monarchs, could bearto find himself in the wrong, and could discover his vizier to be in theright without cutting off his head. History farther informs us that thesultan offered to make Saladin a pacha, and to commit to him thegovernment of a province; but, Saladin the Prudent declined this honour,saying he had no ambition, was perfectly happy in his present situation,and that, when this was the case, it would be folly to change, because noone can be more than happy. What farther adventures befell Murad theImprudent are not recorded; it is known only that he became a dailyvisitor to the Teriaky, and that he died a martyr to the immoderate useof opium.