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MURAD THE UNLUCKY AND OTHER TALES
MURAD THE UNLUCKY AND OTHER TALES MARIA EDGEWORTH Maria Edgeworth--always a little body--was conspicuous among her
schoolfellows for quick wit and was apt alike for study and
invention. She was story-teller general to the community. In
1782 at the age of fifteen she left school and went home with her
father and his third wife who then settled finally at
Edgeworthstown.
At Edgeworthstown Richard Lovell Edgeworth now became active in the
direct training of his children in the improvement of his estate
and in schemes for the improvement of the country. His eldest
daughter Maria showing skill with the pen he made her more and
more his companion and fellow-worker to good ends. She kept
household accounts had entrusted to her the whole education of a
little brother wrote stories on a slate and read them to the
family wiped them off when not approved and copied them in ink if
they proved popular with the home public. Miss Edgeworth's first
printed book was a plea for the education of women "Letters to
Literary Ladies" published in 1795 when her age was eight-and-
twenty. Next year 1796 working with her father she produced the
first volume of the "Parent's Assistant." In November 1797 when
Miss Edgeworth's age was nearly thirty-one her father then aged
fifty-three lost his third wife and he married a fourth in the
following May. The fourth wife at first objected to was young
enough to be a companion and friend and between her and Maria
Edgeworth a fast friendship came to be established. In the year of
her father's fourth marriage Maria joined him in the production of
two volumes on "Practical Education." Then followed books for
children including "Harry and Lucy" which had been begun by her
father years before in partnership with his second wife when
Thomas Day began writing "Sandford and Merton" with the original
intention that it should be worked in as a part of the whole
scheme.
In the year 1800 Miss Edgeworth thirty-three years old began her
independent career as a novelist with "Castle Rackrent;" and from
that time on work followed work in illustration of the power of a
woman of genius to associate quick wit and quick feeling with sound
sense and a good reason for speaking. Sir Walter Scott in his
frank way declared that he received an impulse from Miss
Edgeworth's example as a storyteller. In the general preface to
his own final edition of the Waverley Novels he said that "Without
being so presumptuous as to hope to emulate the rich humour
pathetic tenderness and admirable tact which pervade the works of
my accomplished friend I felt that something might be attempted
for my own country of the same kind with that which Miss Edgeworth
so fortunately achieved for Ireland--something which might
introduce her natives to those of the sister kingdom in a more
favourable light than they had been placed hitherto and tend to
procure sympathy for their virtues and indulgence for their
foibles."
Of the three stories in this volume who--"Murad the Unlucky" and
"The Limerick Gloves"--first appeared in three volumes of "Popular
Tales" which were first published in 1804 with a short
introduction by Miss Edgeworth's father. "Madame de Fleury" was
written a few years later.
H. M.
MURAD THE UNLUCKY
CHAPTER I
It is well known that the grand seignior amuses himself by going at
night in disguise through streets of Constantinople; as the
caliph Haroun Alraschid used formerly to do in Bagdad.
One moonlight night accompanied by his grand vizier he traversed
several of the principal streets of the city without seeing
anything remarkable. At length as they were passing a rope-
maker's the sultan recollected the Arabian story of Cogia-Hassan
Alhabal the rope-maker and his two friends Saad and Saadi who
differed so much in their opinion concerning the influence of
fortune over human affairs.
"What is your opinion on this subject?" said the grand seignior to
his vizier.
"I am inclined please your majesty" replied the vizier "to think
that success in the world depends more upon prudence than upon what
is called luck or fortune."
"And I" said the sultan "am persuaded that fortune does more for
men than prudence. Do you not every day hear of persons who are
said to be fortunate or unfortunate? How comes it that this
opinion should prevail amongst men if it be not justified by
experience?"
"It is not for me to dispute with your majesty" replied the
prudent vizier.
"Speak your mind freely; I desire and command it" said the sultan.
"Then I am of opinion" answered the vizier "that people are often
led to believe others fortunate or unfortunate merely because
they only know the general outline of their histories; and are
ignorant of the incidents and events in which they have shown
prudence or imprudence. I have heard for instance that there are
at present in this city two men who are remarkable for their
good and bad fortune: one is called Murad the Unlucky and the
other Saladin the Lucky. Now I am inclined to think if we could
hear their stories we should find that one is a prudent and the
other an imprudent character."
"Where do these men live?" interrupted the sultan. "I will hear
their histories from their own lips before I sleep."
"Murad the Unlucky lives in the next square" said the vizier.
The sultan desired to go thither immediately. Scarcely had they
entered the square when they heard the cry of loud lamentations.
They followed the sound till they came to a house of which the door
was open and where there was a man tearing his turban and weeping
bitterly. They asked the cause of his distress and he pointed to
the fragments of a china vase which lay on the pavement at his
door.
"This seems undoubtedly to be beautiful china" said the sultan
taking up one of the broken pieces; "but can the loss of a china
vase be the cause of such violent grief and despair?"
"Ah gentlemen" said the owner of the vase suspending his
lamentations and looking at the dress of the pretended merchants
"I see that you are strangers: you do not know how much cause I
have for grief and despair! You do not know that you are speaking
to Murad the Unlucky! Were you to hear all the unfortunate
accidents that have happened to me from the time I was born till
this instant you would perhaps pity me and acknowledge I have
just cause for despair."
Curiosity was strongly expressed by the sultan; and the hope of
obtaining sympathy inclined Murad to gratify it by the recital of
his adventures. "Gentlemen" said he "I scarcely dare invite you
into the house of such an unlucky being as I am; but if you will
venture to take a night's lodging under my roof you shall hear at
your leisure the story of my misfortunes."
The sultan and the vizier excused themselves from spending the
night with Murad saying that they were obliged to proceed to their
khan where they should be expected by their companions; but they
begged permission to repose themselves for half an hour in his
house and besought him to relate the history of his life if it
would not renew his grief too much to recollect his misfortunes.
Few men are so miserable as not to like to talk of their
misfortunes where they have or where they think they have any
chance of obtaining compassion. As soon as the pretended merchants
were seated Murad began his story in the following manner:-
"My father was a merchant of this city. The night before I was
born he dreamed that I came into the world with the head of a dog
and the tail of a dragon; and that in haste to conceal my
deformity he rolled me up in a piece of linen which unluckily
proved to be the grind seignior's turban; who enraged at his
insolence in touching his turban commanded that his head should be
struck off.
"My father awaked before he lost his head but not before he had
lost half his wits from the terror of his dream. He considered it
as a warning sent from above and consequently determined to avoid
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