_Carlo de Landberg, Básim le Forgeron et Haron Er-Rachid_, 8vo., Leyden, 1888.
Text and translation of a modern Arabic story of an unfortunate smith and hashish-eater whom Harun encounters on one of his usual nocturnal rambles. Harun plays a succession of practical jokes on him, driving him out of his employment every day, and supping with him every night. At last he bastinadoes him, and throws him into prison, where a jinniyah takes pity on him, and confers unlimited power on him, which he enjoys for a week, and then dies, to the great grief of Harun.
_ADDITIONAL NOTE TO VOL. V. pp. 442–444._
Compare Boccaccio’s story of the Devil in Hell (Day iii. No. 10.)
THE BIOGRAPHY OF THE BOOK AND ITS REVIEWERS REVIEWED.
[“It has occurred to me that perhaps it would be a good plan to put a set of notes ... to the ‘Origin,’ which now has none, exclusively devoted to the errors of my reviewers. It has occurred to me that where a reviewer has erred, a common reader might err. Secondly, it will show the reader that we must not trust implicitly to reviewers.”—DARWIN’S LIFE, ii. 349.]
TO RICHARD FRANCIS BURTON. _The Thousand Nights and a Night._
Athwart the welkin slant the snows and pile On sill and balcony; their feathery feet Trip o’er the landscape, and pursuing sleet, Earth’s brow beglooming, robs the skies of smile: Lies in her mourning-shroud our Northern Isle, And bitter winds in battle o’er her meet. Her world is death-like, when behold! we greet Light-gleams from morning-land in welcome while.
A light of golden mine and orient pearl— Vistas of fairy-land, where Beauty reigns And Valiance revels; cloudless moon, fierce sun, The wold, the palm-tree; cities; hosts; a whirl Of life in tents and palaces and fanes: The light that streams from THOUSAND NIGHTS AND ONE.
THE BIOGRAPHY OF THE BOOK AND ITS REVIEWERS REVIEWED.
I here propose to produce what may be called the “biography” of a book whereof, methinks, the writer has some reason to be proud, a work which, after occupying him for the third of a century, well nigh half the life of average man and the normal endurance of a generation, can show for result these sixteen volumes. A labour of such parts and magnitude deserves, in my humble opinion, some notice of the main features distinguishing its career, especially of its presentation to Court (Public Opinion) and its reception by the high officials of the Palace, the critics, reviewers and criticasters.