asked; what business had you to
fling altoons to me?' The Jew said, 'O Cogia of my soul, I said I will
have a jest with you. On hearing you say, "If one is wanting I will not
take the rest," I said to myself, "I will see whether you will or not"; I
did it merely in jest.' 'Jest,' said the Cogia, 'I know nothing of jest;
I accepted the gold.' 'Come, come!' said the Jew, 'we will go before the
Judge.' Said the Cogia, 'I will not go on foot before the Judge.'
Thereupon the Jew brought the Cogia a mule. 'Very good,' said the Cogia,
'but I must now have a pelisse for my back.' The Jew brought him the
pelisse, and they set off to the tribunal of the Cadi. The Cadi asking
what they came for, the Jew said, 'This man took from me so many altoons
and now he denies having done so.' The Cadi looked in the Cogia's face,
whereupon the Cogia said, 'My Lord, I asked in prayer of the Most High a
thousand altoons, which He gave. On counting them, however, I found that
one was wanting, whereupon I said, "He who gives so many altoons will
doubtless give one more," and I accepted them; but, my Lord, this Jew
says that the pelisse which you see on my back, and the mule on which I
am mounted, are also his.' 'Yes, assuredly, my Lord,' said the Jew, 'for
mine they are both.' No sooner had he said these words than every one
cried out, 'Upon you, you Jew rascal,' and, rushing upon him, they broke
his head and kicked him out of the tribunal, and the Cogia was sent home
to his house in triumph, not only with the altoons but the pelisse and
the mule beside.

One day Cogia Efendi went to a bridal festival. The master of the feast
observing his old and wretched garments, paid him no consideration
whatever. The Cogia saw that he had no chance of notice; so going out he
hurried to his house, and putting on a splendid pelisse, returned to the
place of festival. No sooner did he enter the door than the master
advanced to meet him, and saying, 'Welcome, Cogia Efendi,' with all
imaginable honour and reverence placed him at the head of the table, and
said, 'Please to eat, Lord Cogia.' Forthwith the Cogia taking hold of
one of the furs of his pelisse, said, 'Welcome, my pelisse, please to
eat, my lord.' The master looking at the Cogia with great surprise,
said, 'What are you about?' Whereupon the Cogia replied, 'It is quite
evident that all the honour paid is paid to my pelisse, so let it have
some food too.'

Nasr Eddin Efendi going one da