Excerpt from The Arabian Nights Entertainments, Vol. 3 of 4: With an Introduction, Illustrative of the Religion, Manners, and Customer of the Mohammedans

The city of Balsora was for many years the capital of a kingdom tributary to the caliphs of Arabia. The king who governed it in the days of the caliph Haroun Alraschid was named Zinebi. They were cousins, the sons of two brothers. Zinebi, not thinking it proper to commit the administration of his affairs to one single vizier, made choice of two, Khacan and Saouy.

Khacan was of a sweet, generous, and affable temper, and took a pride in obliging, to the utmost of his power, those with whom he had any concern, without the least hinderance to justice, which he was obliged to distribute, so that he was universally respected at court, in the city, and throughout the whole kingdom, and the praises he so highly deserved were the general theme.

Saouy was of quite a different character: he was always sullen and morose, and disgusted every body, without regard to their rank or quality. Instead of making himself beloved and admired for his riches, he was so perfect a miser as to deny himself the necessaries of life.

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