Tales from the Arabic/Story of the Sharpers with the Money-Changer and the Ass

by Unknown

STORY OF THE SHARPERS WITH THE MONEY-CHANGER AND THE ASS.

Four sharpers once plotted against a money-changer, a man of abounding wealth, and agreed upon a device for the taking of somewhat of his money. So one of them took an ass and laying on it a bag, wherein was money, lighted down at the money-changer’s shop and sought of him change for the money. The money-changer brought out to him the change and bartered it with him, whilst the sharper was easy with him in the matter of the exchange, so he might give him confidence in himself. [As they were thus engaged,] up came the [other three] sharpers and surrounded the ass; and one of them said, ‘[It is] he,’ and another said, ‘Wait till I look at him.’ Then he fell to looking on the ass and stroking him from his mane to his crupper; whilst the third went up to him and handled him and felt him from head to tail, saying, ‘Yes, [it is] in him.’ Quoth another, [‘Nay,] it is not in him.’ And they gave not over doing the like of this.

Then they accosted the owner of the ass and chaffered with him and he said, ‘I will not sell him but for ten thousand dirhems.’ They offered him a thousand dirhems; but he refused and swore that he would not sell the ass but for that which he had said. They ceased not to add to their bidding, till the price reached five thousand dirhems, whilst their fellow still said, ‘I will not sell him but for ten thousand dirhems.’ The money-changer counselled him to sell, but he would not do this and said to him, ‘Harkye, gaffer! Thou hast no knowledge of this ass’s case. Concern thyself with silver and gold and what pertaineth thereto of change and exchange; for indeed the virtue of this ass passeth thy comprehension. To every craft its craftsman and to every means of livelihood its folk.’

When the affair was prolonged upon the three sharpers, they went away and sat down a little apart; then they came up to the money-changer privily and said to him, ‘If thou canst buy him for us, do so, and we will give thee a score of dirhems.’ Quoth he, ‘Go away and sit down afar from him.’ So they did his bidding and the money-changer went up to the owner of the ass and gave not over tempting him with money and cajoling him and saying, ‘Leave yonder fellows and sell me the ass, and I will reckon him a gift from thee,’ till he consented to sell him the ass for five thousand and five hundred dirhems. Accordingly the money-changer counted down to him five thousand and five hundred dirhems of his own money, and the owner of the ass took the price and delivered the ass to him, saying, ‘Whatsoever betideth, though he abide a deposit about thy neck,^[1] sell him not to yonder rogues for less than ten thousand dirhems, for that they would fain buy him because of a hidden treasure whereof they know, and nought can guide them thereto but this ass. So close thy hand on him and gainsay me not, or thou wilt repent.’

So saying, he left him and went away, whereupon up came the three other sharpers, the comrades of him of the ass, and said to the money-changer, ‘God requite thee for us with good, for that thou hast bought him! How can we requite thee!’ Quoth he, ‘I will not sell him but for ten thousand dirhems.’ When they heard this, they returned to the ass and fell again to examining him and handling him. Then said they to the money-changer, ‘We were mistaken in him. This is not the ass we sought and he is not worth more than half a score paras to us.’ Then they left him and offered to go away, whereat the money-changer was sore chagrined and cried out at their speech, saying, ‘O folk, ye besought me to buy him for you and now I have bought him, ye say, “We were deceived [in him], and he is not worth more than ten paras to us.”’ Quoth they, ‘We supposed that in him was that which we desired; but, behold, in him is the contrary of that which we want; and indeed he hath a default, for that he is short of back.’ And they scoffed at him and went away from him and dispersed.

The money-changer thought they did but finesse with him, that they might get the ass at their own price; but, when they went away from him and he had long in vain awaited their return, he cried out, saying, ‘Woe!’ and ‘Ruin!’ and ‘Alack, my sorry chance!’ and shrieked aloud and tore his clothes. So the people of the market assembled to him and questioned him of his case; whereupon he acquainted them with his plight and told them what the sharpers had said and how they had beguiled him and how it was they who had cajoled him into buying an ass worth half a hundred dirhems^[2] for five thousand and five hundred.^[3] His friends blamed him and a company of the folk laughed at him and marvelled at his folly and his credulity in accepting the sharpers’ talk, without suspicion, and meddling with that which he understood not and thrusting himself into that whereof he was not assured.

Return to King Shah Bekht and His Vizier Er Rehwan.

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1. i.e. though he remain at thy charge or (as we should say) on thy hands.
2. About twenty-five shillings.
3. About £137 10s.