THE POOR MAN AND HIS FRIEND IN NEED.
There was once a rich man who lost all he had and became
destitute, whereupon his wife advised him to ask aid and
assistance of one of his intimates. So he betook himself to a
certain friend of his and acquainted him with his necessities;
and he lent him five hundred dinars to trade withal. Now in early
life he had been a jeweller; so he took the gold and went to the
jewel-bazar, where he opened a shop to buy and sell. Presently,
as he sat in his shop three men accosted him and asked for his
father, and when he told them that he was deceased, they said,
"Say, did he leave issue?" Quoth the jeweller, "He left the slave
who is before you." They asked, "And who knoweth thee for his
son?"; and he answered, "The people of the bazar whereupon they
said, "Call them together, that they may testify to us that thou
art his very son." So he called them and they bore witness of
this; whereupon the three men delivered to him a pair of saddle-
bags, containing thirty thousand dinars, besides jewels and
bullion of high value, saying, "This was deposited with us in
trust by thy father." Then they went away; and presently there
came to him a woman, who sought of him certain of the jewels,
worth five hundred dinars which she bought and paid him three
thousand for them. Upon this he arose and took five hundred
dinars and carrying them to his friend who had lent him the
money, said to him, "Take the five hundred dinars I borrowed of
thee; for Allah hath opened to me the gate of prosperity." Quoth
the other, "Nay; I gave them to thee outright, for the love of
Allah; so do thou keep them. And take this paper, but read it not
till thou be at home, and do according to that which is therein."
So he took the money and the paper and returned home, where he
opened the scroll and found therein inscribed these couplets,
"Kinsmen of mine were those three men who came to thee; * My sire
and uncles twain and Sálih bin Ali.
So what for cash thou coldest, to my mother 'twas * Thou soldest
it, and coin and gems were sent by me.
Thus doing I desired not any harm to thee * But in my presence
spare thee and thy modesty."
And they also recount the story of
