Page:Arabian Nights Entertainments (1728)-Vol. 5.djvu/36

with Highway-men, who ſtript him-naked, and when the News was brought to me, I carry’d him a Suit, and brought him in ſecretly again to the Town, where took the like Care of him as I did of his other Brothers.

I Am now only to tell the Story of my Sixth Brother, called Schacabae, with the Hair Lips. At first he was induſtrious enough to improve the 100 Drachms of Silver which fell to his Share, and became very well to paſs; but a Reverſe of Fortune brought him to beg his Bread, which he did with a great deal of Dexterity. He ſtudied chiefly to get into great Mens Houſes, by Means of their Servants and Officers, that he might have Acceſs to their Maſters, and obtain their Charity. One day as he paſſed by a magnificent Houſe, whoſe high Gate ſhew’d a very spacious Court, where there was a Multitude of his Servants; he went to one of them, and ask’d him, to whom that Houſe belonged? Good Man, replies the Servant, whence do you come, that you ask me ſuch a Queſtion? Does not all that you ſee make you underſtand that it’s the Place of a Barmecide^[1]? My Brother, who very well knew the Liberality and Generoſity of the Barmecides, addreſſed himſelf to one of his Porters, for he had more than one, and pray’d them to give him an Alms. Go in, ſay they, no Body hinders you and addreſſ your ſelf to the Maſter of the Houſe, he will ſend you back ſatisfy’d.

My Brother, who expected no ſuch Civility, thanked the Porters, and with their Permiſſion enter’d the Palace, which was ſo large, that it took him a conſiderable Time to reach the Barmecide’s Apartment; at laſt he came to a fine ſquare Building of excellent Architecture, and enter’d by a Porch, through which he ſaw one of the fineſt Gardens, with Gravel Walks of ſeveral Colours, extreamly pleaſant to the Eye: The lower Apartments round this Square were the moſt of them open, and were ſbut only