The Turkish Jester or, The Pleasantries of Cogia Nasr Eddin Effendi
‘to-morrow is the Day of Resurrection, so what need can you have of clothes?’

   One day a thief, entering the house of the Cogia, laid hold of everything there was there, and, placing it on his back, went away. The Cogia, however, spying somebody going out, followed the thief, who went into his own house. The Cogia following close behind, pushed against him at the door. Whereupon the thief said, ‘What do you want, Cogia Efendi?’ ‘What do I want?’ said the Cogia. ‘Why, are we not going to remove hither to-day?’

   One day certain individuals stole from the Cogia a sum of money, whereupon the Cogia said, ‘O Lord, what need have you that you give my money to others.’ So he made a dreadful outcry, and going into the mosque, wept until it was morning, groaning like a ship labouring in the sea. Those who were there said, ‘Ye who have found salvation make up a sum of money for the Cogia.’ So whosoever had found salvation through the assistance of the Almighty made up what he could, and brought it to the Cogia. Whereupon the Cogia exclaimed, ‘Allah, Allah! by lying one night publicly in the mosque and weeping, I have caused Allah to send me my money again.’

   One day the Cogia borrowed a cauldron of a brazier, and carrying it home, put a little saucepan into it, and then carrying it back, returned it to its owner. The owner seeing a little saucepan in the cauldron, said, ‘What is this?’

   ‘Why,’ cried the Cogia, ‘the cauldron has borne a child’; whereupon the owner took possession of the saucepan. One day the Cogia asked again for the cauldron, and having obtained it, carried it home. The owner of the cauldron waited one day and even five days for his utensil, but no cauldron coming, he went to the house of the Cogia and knocked at the door. The Cogia coming to the door, said, ‘What do you want?’ ‘The cauldron,’ said the man. ‘Oh, set your heart at rest,’ said the Cogia, ‘the cauldron is dead.’ ‘O Cogia,’ said the man, ‘can a cauldron die?’ ‘Oh,’ said the Cogia, ‘as you believed it could bear a child, why should you not believe that it can die?’

   One day the Cogia, walking amongst the sepulchres, saw a large dog lying upon a gravestone. The Cogia, in a great rage laying hold on a stick, aimed a blow at the dog, who in his turn assaulted the Cogia. The Cogia fearing that he should be torn to pieces, said to the dog, ‘Get you gone: I conquered. Get you gone.’

   One day the Cogia laying hold on a crane, took it home, and saying that its beak and feet were very long, cut 
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