guages is a trifle at best,
and the accomplishment of none but a pedant. Issue forth a proclamation
that you will confer such rewards as become your greatness upon any one
that shall interpret what you do not understand, and what it is beneath
you to learn; you will soon find your curiosity gratified."

"That may be," said the Caliph; "but in the meantime I shall be horribly
disgusted by a crowd of smatterers, who will come to the trial as much
for the pleasure of retailing their jargon as from the hope of gaining
the reward. To avoid this evil it will be proper to add that I will put
every candidate to death who shall fail to give satisfaction; for, thank
Heaven! I have skill enough to distinguish between one that translates
and one that invents."

"Of that I have no doubt," replied Carathis; "but to put the ignorant to
death is somewhat severe, and may be productive of dangerous effects;
content yourself with commanding their beards to be burnt--beards in a
state are not quite so essential as men."

The Caliph submitted to the reasons of his mother, and sending for
Morakanabad, his prime vizir, said: "Let the common criers proclaim, not
only in Samarah, but throughout every city in my empire, that whosoever
will repair hither, and decipher certain characters which appear to be
inexplicable, shall experience the liberality for which I am renowned;
but that all who fail upon trial shall have their beards burnt off to the
last hair. Let them add also that I will bestow fifty beautiful slaves,
and as many jars of apricots from the Isle of Kirmith, upon any man that
shall bring me intelligence of the stranger."

The subjects of the Caliph, like their Sovereign, being great admirers of
women and apricots from Kirmith, felt their mouths water at these
promises, but were totally unable to gratify their hankering, for no one
knew which way the stranger had gone.

As to the Caliph's other requisition, the result was different. The
learned, the half-learned, and those who were neither, but fancied
themselves equal to both, came boldly to hazard their beards, and all
shamefully lost them.

The exaction of these forfeitures, which found sufficient employment for
the eunuchs, gave them such a smell of singed hair as greatly to disgust
the ladies of the seraglio, and make it necessary that this new
occupation of their guardians should be transferred into other hands.

At length, however, an old man presented himself whose