for a time came out and said, ‘The ass is not willing, and has said to me, “If you lend me to others I shall overhear all the evil things that they say of your wife.”’

   One day the Cogia, mounting his ass, set off for his garden; on the road, wanting to make water, he took off his woollen vest, and placing it on the pack-saddle of his ass, he went aside. A thief coming up took the woollen vest and ran away with it. The Cogia returning saw that the vest was gone; whereupon taking the pack-saddle from the back of the ass, he put it upon his own shoulders, and giving the ass a cut with his whip, he said, ‘You lost my vest, so I take your saddle.’

   One day Cogia Nasr Eddin Efendi, mounting his ass, again set out; on the way, wanting to make water, he again laid his vest upon the ass, and went aside. A person who had his eye upon him, instantly seized the vest and ran away; just at that time the ass began to bray. The Cogia hearing him, shouted out, ‘The ass brays: the ass cries—no good sign.’ The person, however, hearing the braying and the shouting, cast the vest upon the ground and made his escape.

   One day Cogia Efendi, having lost his ass, inquired of a certain individual whether he had seen him. ‘I saw him,’ said the individual, ‘in a certain town, officiating as Cadi.’ ‘You say

   true,’ said the Cogia, ‘I knew he would be a Cadi, for I observed when I taught him the principles of philosophy, that his ears were not sewed up.’

   One day Nasr Eddin Efendi went to the mountain to cut wood; after he had cut the wood he loaded his ass, and began to drive him home. The Efendi’s ass, however, would hardly move. A person coming up, said, ‘Put a little sal ammoniac into the --- of the ass.’ The Cogia finding a little sal ammoniac, put it in; whereupon the ass began to run so quickly that the Cogia was left far behind. ‘I would fain see the cause of this,’ said the Cogia, and clapped a little of the sal ammoniac to his own ---. No sooner had he done so than the Cogia’s posterior began to swell, and he set off running so quickly that he soon got before the ass, and ran straight home, but not being able to contain himself in the house, he ran about it, and observing his wife, he said, ‘O wife, whenever you wish me to get me on, do you stick a little sal ammoniac in my ---.’

   One day a man came to the house of the Cogia and asked him to lend him his ass. ‘He is not at home,’ replied the Cogia. But it so happened that the ass began to bray within. ‘O Cogia 

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