Page:Arabian Nights Entertainments (1728)-Vol. 5.djvu/28

Wife, as beautifuf as the Full-moon, ſtands before me in all her Ornaments, I will make as if I did not ſee her. Her Women about her will ſay to me, Our dear Lord and Maſter, here’s your Spouſe, your humble Servant before you, ſhe expects you ſhould careſs her, and is very much mortify’d that you don’t ſo much as vouchſafe to look upon her; ſhe is wearied with ſtanding ſo long, bid her, at leaſt, ſit down. I will give no Anſwer to this Diſcourſe, which will increaſe their ſurprizing Grief, They will lay themſelves at my Feet; and after they have done ſo a conſiderable time, begging me to relent, I will at laſt lift up my Head, and give her a careleſs Look. Afterwards I will return to my former Poſture: Then will they think that my Wife is not well enough, nor handſome enough dreſs’d, and will carry her Cloſet to change her Apparel. At the ſame time I will get up and put on a more magnificent Suit than before: They will return and hold the ſame Diſcourſe with me as before, and I will have the Pleaſure not ſo much as to look upon my Wife, till they have prayed and intreated as long as they did at firſt. Thus will I begin on the firſt Day of Marriage, to teach her what ſhe is to expect during the reſt of her Life.

Here Scheherazade broke off, becauſe it was Day, and next Morning reſumed her Story as follows.

THE prattling Barber continued the Hiſtory of his Fifth Brother thus: After the Ceremonies of the Marriage, ſays Alnaſchar. I will take from one of my Servants, who ſhall be about me, a Purſe of 500 Pieces of Gold, which I will give to the Tire-women, that they may leave me alone with my Spouſe; when they are gone, my Wife ſhall go to Bed firſt. Then I will lie down by her with my Back towards her, and won’t ſay one Word to her all Night. The next Morning ſhe will certainly complain of my Contempt of her, and of my Pride, to her Mother the Grand Vizier’s Wife, which will rejoice me at Heart. Her mother will come to wait upon me, reſpectfully kiſs my Hands, and ſay to me, Sir, for ſhe will not dare to call me Son-in-Law, for fear of provoking me by ſuch a familiar Style, I pray you not to diſdain my Daugh-