Scheherazade perceiving Day-light broke off, and next Night continued her Story as follows.
The Hundred and Seventy Fifth Night.
THE Barber went on thus: I was not at
Bagdad when this Tragical Adventure befel my fourth Brother. He retir’d into a remote Place, where he lay conceal’d till he was cured of the Blows with which his Back was terribly maul’d. When he was able to walk, he went by Night to a certain Town, where no body knew him, and there he took a Lodging, from whence he ſeldom went out; but being weary of this Life, he went to walk in one of the Suburbs, where all of a ſudden he heard a great Noiſe of Horſemen coming behind him. He was then by chance near the Gate of a great Houſe, and fearing, after what had befallen him, that theſe Horſemen were purſuing him, he opened the Gate in order to hide himſelf, and after he ſhut it, came into a great Court, where immediately two Servants came and I0ok him by the Neck, and ſaid, Heaven be praiſed, that you have come of your own accord to ſurrender your ſelf to us; you have frigheten’d us ſo much theſe three laſt Nights, that we could not ſleep; nor would you have ſpared our Lives, if you could have come at us. You may very well imagine my Brother was much furprized at this Compliment: Good People, ſays he, I know not what you mean, you certainly take me for another. No, no, replied they, you and your Comrades are great Robbers: You were not content to rob our Maſter of all that he had, and to reduce him to Beggary, but you had a Mind to take his Life. Let us ſee a little, it you have not a Knife about you, which you had in your Hand when you purſued us laſt Night. And having ſaid thus they ſearched him, and found he had a Knife. Ho! ho! cry’d they, laying hold of him, and dare you ſay that you are not a Robber? Why, ſays my Brother, cannot a Man carry a Knife about him without being a Highway-man? If you will hearken to my Story, continues he, inſtead of having ſo bad an opinion of me, you will be touched with Compaſſion at my Misfortunes. But far from hearkening to him, they fell upon him, trod him under Foot, took away his Cloaths, and tore his Shirt. Then ſeeing the