t interesting
it is. The work of the translation of Arabic and Persian stories was
continued by Petis de la Croix (1710-12), Morell (1765), Dow (1768),
Chavis and Cazotte (1787-89), Caussin de Perceval (1806), Gauttier
(1822), Jonathan Scott (1811), Von Hammer Purgstall (1823), Zinzerling
(1823-24), Trebutien (1828), Habicht (1825-39), Weil (1838-42),
Torrens (1838), Lane (1838-40), and the 'Nights' themselves have now
been completely finished by John Payne (1882-84) and Richard Burton
(1885-88).

A perusal of the productions of all the translators above mentioned
will show that, as regards finality, both Payne and Burton have done
their work completely, thoroughly, and exhaustively, and for all time,
as far as an English translation is concerned. Too much credit cannot
be given to these two gentlemen for their untiring labour and energy.
The more the 'Nights' are read, the more will people appreciate the
amount of hard work and acumen, intelligence and ability, which has
been thrown into the undertaking by these two accomplished
litterateurs. And it is highly probable that their translations, along
with Galland's volumes in French, will ever remain as the standard
European versions of this great series of Oriental tales.

Space will not permit of a lengthy description of all that is
contained in Payne's thirteen, and in Burton's sixteen, volumes. To be
appreciated thoroughly, they must be read, like Balzac's works, from
the very beginning to the very end. At the same time a brief analysis
of these two translations of the 'Nights' may perhaps be interesting,
and will serve the purposes of the present chapter.

The first nine of Payne's, and the first ten of Burton's, volumes are
devoted to the 'Nights' proper, and follow the same lines. The
translation has been made from what are commonly known as the Boulac
(Cairo) and the two Calcutta Arabic texts of the 'Nights,' though
references are made to the Breslau (Tunis) edition, from which also
some extracts have been taken and some translations made. The contents
of these volumes may be divided into four heads:

(1) Fables and apologues.

(2) Short stories and anecdotes, some biographical and historical.

(3) Tales and stories.

(4) Long stories, or romances.

Excluding the two short stories in the introductory chapter, there are
10 principal and 6 subordinate fables under the first heading, 116
principal and 3 subordinate stories under the second, 38 prin