Unknown

“ Know that the cause of my falling into your hands was my mother’s imprecation against me; for that I evil entreated her yesternight and beat her and she said to me, ‘By Allah, O my son, God shall assuredly deliver thee into the hand of the oppressor!’ Now she is a pious woman. ”

“ Hardly had he done this when there arose a clamour and up came the Jew, with one of the king’s officers, avouching that the money belonged to the Sultan and that he looked to none but us for it. We demanded of him three days’ delay, as of wont, and I said to him who had taken the money, “Go and lay somewhat in the Jew’s house, that shall occupy him with himself.” So he went and played a fine trick, to wit, he laid in a basket a dead woman’s hand, painted [with henna] and having a gold seal-ring on one of the fingers, and buried the basket under a flagstone in the Jew’s house. ”

“ Then came we and searched and found the basket, whereupon we straightway clapped the Jew in irons for the murder of a woman.
When it was the appointed time, there came to us the man of the Sultan’s guards, [who had accompanied the Jew, when he came to complain of the loss of the money,] and said, “The Sultan biddeth you nail up [1] the Jew and bring the money, for that there is no way by which five thousand dinars can be lost.” ”