“ ‘An age, my dear, this fortnight, that I have renounced society.’
“ ‘May I presume to ask, madam, upon what account?’
“ ‘Alas! because I was tired of it. Women are become such strange libertines, that there is no bearing them. One must either do as they do, or pass for a silly creature; and sincerely, I think both extremes should be avoided.’
“ ‘Indeed, madam, you are become quite edifying. Pray, is it the conversation of the Bramin Brelibibi, that has wrought your conversion?’
“ ‘No, ’tis a squall of philosophy, ’tis a quint of devotion. It seized me suddenly; and it is not poor Amisadar’s fault that I am not at present practising the highest austerity.’
“ ‘Then madam has seen him lately?’
“ ‘Yes, once or twice.’
“ ‘And you have seen nobody else.’
“ ‘No, truly. He is the only thinking, reasoning, active being, that has entered my doors during the eternity of my retreat.’
“ ‘That is singular.’
“ ‘And what singularity is there in it?’
“ ‘Nothing but an adventure which he had the other day with a lady of Banza, alone like you, devout like you, retired from the world like you. But I must tell you the story: perhaps it will amuse you.’
“ ‘Without doubt,’ replied Fannia: and immediately Amisadar’s friend set about relating his adventure word for word, as I have done,” says the Toy: “and when he was advanced as far as I am now.
“ ‘Well, madam,’ said he, ‘what do you think? Is not Amisadar a lucky man?’
“ ‘But,’ answered Fannia, ‘Amisadar is a liar perhaps: do you imagine that there are women so daring as to abandon themselves without shame?’
“ ‘But consider, madam,’ replied Maruspha, ‘that Amisadar has named nobody, and it is very improbable that he has imposed.’
“ ‘I begin to see through the affair,’ says Fannia: ‘Amisadar has wit, and is a handsome man, he has, to be sure, infused some notions of sensual pleasure sure into this poor recluse, which have mastered her. Yes, this must be it: this sort of folks are dangerous to hear, and Amisadar is matchless in that way.’
“ ‘How, madam,’ interrupted Marsupha, ‘is Amisadar the only man that has the art of persuading, and will you not do justice to others, who deserve, as much as he, a share in your esteem?’
“ ‘Pray, whom do you mean?’
“ ‘Myself, madam, who think you a charming woman, and—’
“ ‘I fancy you joke. Look at me then, Marsupha. I have neither paint nor patches. My nightcap does not become me. I make a frightful figure.’
“ ‘You are mistaken, madam: that undress sets you off surprisingly. It gives you so winning and kind an air!’
“To these gallantries Marsupha added others. I insensibly joined in the conversation; and when Marsupha had finished with me, he resumed with my mistress. ‘Seriously, Amisadar has attempted your conversion; he has an admirable hand at conversions. Could you give me a sample of his morals? I would lay a wager they are much the same with mine.’
“ ‘We have thoroughly handled some points of gallantry. We have analysed the difference between an affectionate woman and a woman of gallantry. He is for the affectionate women.’
“ ‘And you too without doubt?’
“ ‘Not at all, my dear. I took great pains to demonstrate to him, that we were all alike, and that we acted upon the same principles: but he is not of this opinion. He establishes an infinity of distinctions, which, I think, exist nowhere but in his imagination. He has formed to himself, I can’t tell what ideal creature, a chimaera of a woman, a nonentity in a coif.’
“ ‘Madam,’ answered Marsupha, ‘I know Amisadar. He is a lad of good sense, and has been very conversant with the sex. If he has told you that there were such—’
“ ‘Oh! whether there are such or not,’ interrupted Fannia, ‘I could never conform to their customs.’
“ ‘I believe it,’ said Marsupha: ‘and accordingly you have chosen another sort of conduct more suitable to your birth and merit. Those silly creatures are to be abandoned to philosophers: they would never be look’d on at court.”
Here Fannia’s Toy stopped short. One of the principal perfections of these orators was to break off their discourse apropos. They talk’d as if they had never done anything else: whence some authors have inferr’d, that they were pure machines. In this place the African author specifies all the metaphysical arguments of the Cartesians against the soul of brutes, which he applies with all possible sagacity to the prating of Toys. In a word, his opinion is, that Toys speak as birds sing; that is to say, so perfectly without having been taught, that, to be sure, they are prompted by some superior intelligence.
But you ask me how he disposes of his prince. He sends him to dine with the favorite: at least ’tis there we shall find him in the following chapter.
XLI
The History of Selim’s Travels
Mangogul, whose thoughts ran solely on diversifying his pleasures, and multiplying the trials of his ring; after having interrogated the most interesting Toys of the court, had the curiosity to hear some of the city Toys. But as he had no advantageous opinion of what his should learn from them, he would willingly consult them at his ease, and save himself the trouble of going to find them out.
How to bring them to him, was what embarassed him. “You are in great pain for a trifle,” says Mirzoza. “Sir, you have only to give a ball, and I promise you this very night a greater number of those speechmakers than you will covet to hear.”
“My heart’s joy, you say right,” replied Mangogul; “and your contrivance is the better still, because we shall certainly have none but those whom we have occasion for.” In a moment an order was dispatch’d to the Kislar-Agasi, and
