the best.”  “O,” replied Abou Hassan, while the caliph was drinking his glass, “one need only look in your face to be assured that you have seen the world, and know what good living is.  If,” added he in Arabic verse, “my house could think and express its joy, how happy would it be to possess you, and, bowing before you, would exclaim, ‘How overjoyed am I to see myself honoured with the company of so accomplished and polite a personage, and for meeting with a man of your merit.’”

The caliph, naturally fond of merriment, was highly diverted with these sallies of Abou Hassan, and artfully promoted drinking, often asking for wine, thinking that when it began to operate, he might from his talkativeness satisfy his curiosity.  He asked him his name, his business, and how he spent his life.  “My name, sir,” replied he, “is Abou Hassan.  I lost my father, who was a merchant of Bagdad, and though not the richest, yet lived very comfortably.  When he died, he left me money enough to live free from business; but as he always kept a very strict hand over me, I was willing, when he was gone, to make up for the time I thought I had lost.  Notwithstanding this,” continued Abou Hassan, “I was more prudent than most young people who give themselves up to debauchery, without any thought, pursue it till they reduce themselves to the utmost poverty, and are forced to do penance during the rest of their lives.  To avoid this misfortune, I divided what I had left me into two parts, landed estate and ready money.  I destined the ready money to supply the expenses of entertaining my acquaintance.  I meditated, and took a fixed resolution not to touch my rents.  I associated with young people of my own age, and with my ready money, which I spent profusely, treated them splendidly every day; and in short, spared for no sort of pleasure.  But this course did not last long; for by the time the year was out, I had got to the bottom of my box, and then all my table-friends vanished.  I made a visit to every one of them successively, and represented to them the miserable condition I was in, but none of them offered to relieve me.  Upon this I renounced their friendship, and retrenched so far, as to live within the compass of my income, bound myself to keep company with none but the first stranger I might meet with coming every day into Bagdad, and to entertain him but one day and one night.  I have told you the rest before; and I thank my good fortune this day for having met with a stranger of so much worth.”

The caliph was well satisfied with this information, and said to Abou Hassan, “I cannot enough commend the measures you have taken, and the prudence with which you have acted, by forsaking your debauchery; a conduct rarely to be met with in young persons; and I esteem you the more for being steady to your resolution.  It was a slippery path you trod in, and I cannot but admire your self-command, that, after having seen the end of your ready money, you could