When I came to myself, they gave me wine to drink, to recruit my strength. Ah! madam, said I to my wife, if ever I eat of a garlic ragout again, I solemnly swear to wash my hands a hundred and twenty times with the herb alkali, with the ashes of the same plant, and with soap. Well, replied my wife, upon that condition I am willing to forget what is past, and live with you as my husband. This, continued the Bagdad merchant, addressing himself to the company, this is the reason why I refused to eat of the garlic ragout that is now upon the table. The ladies applied to my wounds not only the root I mentioned to you, but likewise some balsam of Mecca, which they were well assured was not adulterated, because they had it out of the caliph’s own dispensatory. By virtue of that admirable balsam was I perfectly cured in a few days, and my wife and I lived together as agreeably as if I had never eat of the garlic ragout. But having been all my lifetime used to enjoy my liberty, I grew weary of being confined to the caliph’s palace; yet I said nothing of it to my wife, for fear of displeasing her. However, she suspected it, and wanted nothing more herself than to get out; for it was gratitude alone that made her continue with Zobeide. Being a very witty woman, she represented in such lively terms to her mistress the constraint I was under, in not living in the city with people of my own rank, as I had always done, that the good princess chose rather to deprive herself of the pleasure of having her favourite about her, than not to grant what we both equally desired. A month after our marriage, my wife came into the room with several eunuchs, carrying each a bag of silver. When the eunuchs were gone, You never told me, said she, that you were uneasy in being confined to court; but I perceived it, and have happily found means to make you contented. My mistress, Zobeide, gives us leave to go out of the palace, and here are fifty thousand sequins of which she has made us a present, in order to enable us to live comfortably in the city. Take ten thousand of them, and go and buy us a house. I quickly found a house for the money, and after furnishing it richly, we went and lived in it; and kept a great many slaves of both sexes, and made a good figure. In short, we began to live a very agreeable life, but it did not last long. At a year’s end, my wife fell sick and died. I might have married again, and lived honourably at Bagdad; but curiosity to see the world put me upon another course. I sold my house, and after purchasing several sorts of goods, I went with a caravan to Persia; from Persia, I travelled to Samarcande, and from thence hither.