miser
of his love of riches; and as an opportunity now offers, I will, with
your leave, relate the dangers I have encountered, which I think will
not be uninteresting to you."

THE FIRST VOYAGE OF SINDBAD THE SAILOR

My father was a wealthy merchant of much repute. He bequeathed me a
large estate, which I wasted in riotous living. I quickly perceived my
error, and that I was misspending my time, which is of all things the
most valuable. I remembered the saying of the great Solomon, which I
had frequently heard from my father, "A good name is better than
precious ointment," and again, "Wisdom is good with an inheritance."
Struck with these reflections, I resolved to walk in my father's ways,
and I entered into a contract with some merchants, and embarked with
them on board a ship we had jointly fitted out.

We set sail, and steered our course toward the Indies, through the
Persian Gulf, which is formed by the coasts of Arabia Felix on the
right, and by those of Persia on the left. At first I was troubled
with seasickness, but speedily recovered my health, and was not
afterward subject to that complaint.

In our voyage we touched at several islands, where we sold or
exchanged our goods. One day, while under sail, we were becalmed near
a small island, but little elevated above the level of the water, and
resembling a green meadow. The captain ordered his sails to be furled,
and permitted such persons as were so inclined to land; of this number
I was one.

But while we were enjoying ourselves in eating and drinking, and
recovering ourselves from the fatigue of the sea, the island on a
sudden trembled, and shook us terribly.

The trembling of the island was perceived on board the ship, and we
were called upon to reembark speedily, or we should all be lost; for
what we took for an island proved to be the back[51] of a sea monster.
The nimblest got into the sloop, others betook themselves to swimming;
but as for myself, I was still upon the island when it disappeared
into the sea, and I had only time to catch hold of a piece of wood
that we had brought out of the ship to make a fire. Meanwhile the
captain, having received those on board who were in the sloop, and
taken up some of those that swam, resolved to improve the favorable
gale that had just risen, and hoisting his sails pursued his voyage,
so that it was impossible for me to recover the ship.

[Footnote 51: Milton thus describes the Leviathan:

"How h