Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-06-01
HARoUN ALRAsHID.

He was splendid in his entertainments,
unstinting in his presents to his courtiers
and any one whom he had momentary
fancy to enrich would pay for poems by
the line in gold pieces, and shower jewels
and precious stuffs upon those who accom-
plished the perilous success of pleasing
him. It is recorded of his VIzier, 1ahya
the Blrmecide, that he used, whenever he
went cut to carry with him bags contain
ing nearly pounds weight of silver coins
apiece to distribute to any poor people he
might meet; and the Caliph's lavish mu-
nifcence was not likely to be inferior
to his Minister'S. Yet Haroun left in his
treasury the enormous sum OF 9OO, COG, OOO
dinars, or f400 900, 900 whence it appears
that, fabulous as his expenditure was, his
income was even more astounding a
comparatively small part OF this, however,
was honestly come by. 1t was good
Caliph's custom, whenever he found HIM
self out of pocket, to call his faithful
headsman and order him to "go to such
and such a person and tell him to send me
SO many hundred thousand pieces OF silver
or else cut off his head. Where he re-
moved Governor, it was Haroun's prac-
tice to lay immediate and violent hands
upon everything the deposed lieutenant
possessed-and the laborious extortions
and populations of years OF Infamous gov
eminent passed in brief morning into,
not the pockets of the oppressed tax
PAYERS. but the Golfers OF the head
extortioner of the Empire, " the good
Haroun Alrashid." He asked no ex-
cuse for his high-handed robberies he
wanted the money, and that was enough.
And this is our old friend OF the arabian
Nights! The agreeable listener to the
tales of the One-eyed Calendars proves to
be q robber, murderer, the slaughterer OF
his kindred and best friends, a perjured
traitor. drunkard, and debauchee. In
deed. to associate with him was to live
with the seven deadly sins in person. His
only virtue was culture" and his intel
lectual eraces only accentuate his want OF
every noble quality of the heart. He came
into an empire such as Alexander might
have envied. He governed it UNANIMOUSLY
and died in the midst of rebellion and dis
content. He was given such counselors
and friends as few Eastern monarchs have
ever possessed. He trampled on them,
massacred them, tortured them, till
no man would trust him, and
slave watched over his death
bed. He was a man who might
have accomplished anything but,
ruined by power, by the monstrous posi-
ton in which he was placed, and by the
bounlle,s opportunities of gratifying an
unbridlej sensuahty, he accomplished
nothing. The brilliancy of his court has
made him type and a model in the writ
ings of his countrymen; but the age was
not of his making and the glory is not his.
He was the pivot upon which the ma
chinery turned but he was not the
motive, nor even the regulating power. AS
in the arabian Nights, so in actual his
tory, he was not the picture, but the frame.
He had the good fortune to be Caliph at
Bagdad when the golden age of Moham.
medau literature was first in its glory, and,
like Lorenzo de Medici, he deserves to be
remembered for his share in great epoch.
Temple Bar