the history of caliph vathek-第1章

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The　History　of　Caliph　Vathek

by　William　Beckford





INTRODUCTION



William　Beckford；　born　in　1759；　the　year　before　the　accession　of　King　George　the　Third；　was　the　son　of　an　Alderman　who　became　twice　Lord　Mayor　of　London。　　His　family；　originally　of　Gloucestershire；　had　thriven　by　the　plantations　in　Jamaica；　and　his　father；　sent　to　school　in　England；　and　forming　a　school　friendship　at　Westminster　with　Lord　Mansfield；　began　the　world　in　this　country　as　a　merchant；　with　inheritance　of　an　enormous　West　India　fortune。　　William　Beckford　the　elder　became　Magistrate；　Member　of　Parliament；　Alderman。　　Four　years　before　the　birth　of　William　Beckford　the　younger　he　became　one　of　the　Sheriffs　of　London；　and　three　years　after　his　son's　birth　he　was　Lord　Mayor。　　As　Mayor　he　gave　very　sumptuous　dinners　that　made　epochs　in　the　lives　of　feeding　men。　His　son's　famous　〃History　of　the　Caliph　Vathek〃　looks　as　if　it　had　been　planned　for　an　Alderman's　dream　after　a　very　heavy　dinner　at　the　Mansion　House。　　There　is　devotion　in　it　to　the　senses；　emphasis　on　heavy　dining。　　Vathek　piqued　himself　on　being　the　greatest　eater　alive；　but　when　the　Indian　dined　with　him；　though　the　tables　were　thirty　times　covered；　there　was　still　want　of　more　food　for　the　voracious　guest。　　There　is　thirst：　　for　at　one　part　of　the　dream；　when　Vathek's　mother；　his　wives；　and　some　eunuchs　〃assiduously　employed　themselves　in　filling　bowls　of　rock　crystal；　and　emulously　presented　them　to　him；　it　frequently　happened　that　his　avidity　exceeded　their　zeal；　insomuch　that　he　would　prostrate　himself　upon　the　ground　to　lap　up　the　water；　of　which　he　could　never　have　enough。〃　　And　the　nightmare　incidents　of　the　Arabian　tale　all　culminate　in　a　most　terrible　heartburn。　　Could　the　conception　of　Vathek　have　first　come　to　the　son　after　a　City　dinner？

Though　a　magnificent　host；　the　elder　Beckford　was　no　glutton。　　In　the　year　of　his　first　Mayoralty；　1763；　Beckford；　stood　by　the　side　of　Alderman　Wilkes；　attacked　for　his　No。　45　of　The　North　Briton。　As　champion　of　the　popular　cause；　when　he　had　been　again　elected　to　the　Mayoralty；　Beckford；　on　the　23rd　of　May；　1770；　went　up　to　King　George　the　Third　at　the　head　of　the　Aldermen　and　Livery　with　an　address　which　the　king　snubbed　with　a　short　answer。　　Beckford　asked　leave　to　reply；　and　before　His　Majesty　recovered　breath　from　his　astonishment；　proceeded　to　reply　in　words　that　remain　graven　in　gold　upon　his　monument　in　Guildhall。　　Young　Beckford；　the　author　of　〃Vathek；〃　was　then　a　boy　not　quite　eleven　years　old；　an　only　son；　and　he　was　left　three　years　afterwards；　by　his　father's　death；　heir　to　an　income　of　a　hundred　thousand　a　year；　with　a　million　of　cash　in　hand。

During　his　minority　young　Beckford's　mother；　who　was　a　granddaughter　of　the　sixth　Earl　of　Abercorn；　placed　him　under　a　private　tutor。　　He　was　taught　music　by　Mozart；　and　the　Earl　of　Chatham；　who　had　been　his　father's　friend；　thought　him　so　fanciful　a　boy〃all　air　and　fire〃that　he　advised　his　mother　to　keep　the　Arabian　Nights　out　of　his　way。　　Happily　she　could　not；　for　Vathek　adds　the　thousand　and　second　to　the　thousand　and　one　tales；　with　the　difference　that　it　joins　to　wild　inventions　in　the　spirit　of　the　East　touches　of　playful　extravagance　that　could　come　only　from　an　English　humourist　who　sometimes　laughed　at　his　own　tale；　and　did　not　mind　turning　its　comic　side　to　the　reader。　　The　younger　William　Beckford　had　been　born　at　his　father's　seat　in　Wiltshire；　Fonthill　Abbey；　and　at　seventeen　amused　himself　with　a　caricature　〃History　of　Extraordinary　Painters；〃　encouraging　the　house…keeper　of　Fonthill　to　show　the　pictures　to　visitors　as　works　of　Og　of　Basan　and　other　worthies　in　her　usual　edifying　manner。

Young　Beckford's　education　was　continued　for　a　year　and　a　half　at　Geneva。　　He　then　travelled　in　Italy　and　the　Low　Countries；　and　it　was　at　this　time　that　he　amused　himself　by　writing；　at　the　age　of　about　twenty…two；　〃Vathek〃　in　French；　at　a　single　sitting；　but　he　gave　his　mind　to　it　and　the　sitting　lasted　three　days　and　two　nights。　　An　English　version　of　it　was　made　by　a　stranger；　and　published　without　permission　in　1784。　　Beckford　himself　published　his　tale　at　Paris　and　Lausanne　in　1787；　one　year　after　the　death　of　a　wife　to　whom　he　had　been　three　years　married；　and　who　left　him　with　two　daughters。

Beckford　went　to　Portugal　and　Spain；　returned　to　France；　and　was　present　at　the　storming　of　the　Bastille。　　He　was　often　abroad；　he　bought　Gibbon's　library　at　Lausanne；　and　shut　himself　up　with　it　for　a　time；　having　a　notion　of　reading　it　through。　　He　was　occasionally　in　Parliament；　but　did　not　care　for　that　kind　of　amusement。　　He　wrote　pieces　of　less　enduring　interest　than　〃Vathek；〃　including　two　burlesques　upon　the　sentimental　novel　of　his　time。　　In　1796　he　settled　down　at　Fonthill；　and　began　to　spend　there　abundantly　on　building　and　rebuilding。　　Perhaps　he　thought　of　Vathek's　tower　when　he　employed　workmen　day　and　night　to　build　a　tower　for　himself　three　hundred　feet　high；　and　set　them　to　begin　it　again　when　it　fell　down。　　He　is　said　to　have　spent　upon　Fonthill　a　quarter　of　a　million；　living　there　in　much　seclusion　during　the　last　twenty　years　of　his　life。　　He　died　in　1844。

The　happy　thought　of　this　William　Beckford's　life　was　〃Vathek。〃　　It　is　a　story　that　paints　neither　man　nor　outward　nature　as　they　are；　but　reproduces　with　happy　vivacity　the　luxuriant　imagery　and　wild　incidents　of　an　Arabian　tale。　　There　is　a　ghost　of　a　moral　in　the　story　of　a　sensual　Caliph　going　to　the　bad；　as　represented　by　his　final　introduction　to　the　Halls　of　Eblis。　　But　the　enjoyment　given　by　the　book　reflects　the　real　enjoyment　that　the　author　had　in　writing　itenjoyment　great　enough　to　cause　it　to　be　written　at　a　heat；　in　one　long　sitting；　without　flagging　power。　　Young　and　lively；　he　delivered　himself　up　to　a　free　run　of　fancy；　revelled　in　the　piled…up　enormities　of　the　Wicked　Mother；　who　had　not　brought　up　Vathek　properly；　and　certainly　wrote　some　parts　of　his　nightmare　tale　as　merrily　as　if　he　were　designing　matter　for　a　pantomime。

Whoever；　in　reading　〃Vathek；〃　takes　it　altogether　seriously；　does　not　read　it　as　it　was　written。　　We　must　have　an　eye　for　the　vein　of　caricature　that　now　and　then　comes　to　the　surface；　and　invites　a　laugh　without　disturbing　the　sense　of　Eastern　extravagance　bent　seriously　upon　the　elaboration　of　a　tale　crowded　with　incident　and　action。　　Taken　altogether　seriously；　the　book　has　faults　of　construction。　　But　the　faults　turn　into　beauties　when　we　catch　the　twinkle　in　the　writer's　eye。

H。　M。



THE　HISTORY　OF　THE　CALIPH　VATHEK



Vathek；　ninth　Caliph　of　the　race　of　the　Abassides；　was　the　son　of　Motassem；　and　the　grandson　of　Haroun　Al　Raschid。　　From　an　early　accession　to　the　throne；　and　the　talents　he　possessed　to　adorn　it；　his　subjects　were　induced　to　expect　that　his　reign　would　be　long　and　happy。　　His　figure　was　pleasing　and　majestic；　but　when　he　was　angry　one　of　his　eyes　became　so　terrible　that　no　person　could　bear　to　behold　it；　and　the　wretch　upon　whom　it　was　fixed　instantly　fell　backward；　and　sometimes　expired。　　For　fear；　however；　of　depopulating　his　dominions　and　making　his　palace　desolate　he　but　rarely　gave　way　to　his　anger。

Being　much　addicted　to　women　and　the　pleasures　of　the　table；　he　sought　by　his　affability　to　procure　agreeable　companions；　and　he　succeeded　the　better　as　his　generosity　was　unbounded；　and　his　indulgences　unrestrained；　for　he　was　by　no　means　scrupulous；　nor　did　he　think　with　the　Caliph　Omar　Ben　Abdalaziz　that　it　was　necessary　to　make　a　hell　of　this　world　to　enjoy　Paradise　in　the　next。

He　surpassed　in　magnificence　all　his　predecessors。　　The　palace　of　Alkoremmi；　which　his　father　Motassem　had　erected　on　the　hill　of　Pied　Horses；　and　which　commanded　the　whole　city　of　Samarah；　was　in　his　idea　far　too　scanty；　he　added　therefore　five　wings；　or　rather　other　palaces；　which　he　destined　for　the　particular　gratification　of　each　of　his　senses。

In　the　first　of　these　were　tables　continually　covered　with　the　most　exquisite　dainties；　which　were　supplied　both　by　night　and　by　day；　according　to　their　constant　consumption；　whilst　the　most　delicious　wines　and　the　choicest　cordials　flowed　forth　from　a　hundred　fountains　that　were　never　exhausted。　　T