them about the city and make proclamations before them, and 'twas
I, very I, who sent thee the hundred dinars and sent to salute
thee, and I, O beldam of ill-luck, am in very deed the Commander
of the Faithful, and thou art a liar, who would make me out an
idiot." So saying, he rose up and fell upon her, and beat her
with a staff of almond-wood, till she cried out, "Help, O
Moslems!" and he increased the beating upon her, till the folk
heard her cries and coming to her, found Abu al-Hasan bashing his
mother and saying to her, "O old woman of ill-omen, am I not the
Commander of the Faithful? Thou hast ensorcelled me!" When the
folk heard his words, they said, "This man raveth," and doubted
not of his madness. So they came in upon him, and seizing him,
pinioned his elbows, and bore him to the Bedlam. Quoth the
Superintendent, "What aileth this youth?" and quoth they, "This
is a madman, afflicted of the Jinn." "By Allah, cried Abu al-
Hasan, "they lie against me! I am no madman, but the Commander
of the Faithful." And the Superintendent answered him, saying,
"None lieth but thou, O foulest of the Jinn-maddened!" Then he
stripped him of his clothes, and clapping on his neck a heavy
chain,[FN#51] bound him to a high lattice and fell to beating him
two bouts a day and two anights; and he ceased not abiding on
this wise the space of ten days. Then his mother came to him and
said, "O my son, O Abu al-Hasan, return to thy right reason, for
this is the Devil's doing." Quoth he, "Thou sayest sooth, O my
mother, and bear witness of me that I repent me of that talk and
turn me from my madness. So do thou deliver me, for I am nigh
upon death." Accordingly his mother went out to the
Superintendent[FN#52] and procured his release and he returned to
his own house. Now this was at the beginning of the month, and
when it ended, Abu al-Hasan longed to drink liquor and, returning