One day the Cogia bought a quantity of eggs at the rate of nine for the aspre, and carrying them to another place, he sold them at the rate of ten.  Some people asking him, ’Why do you sell ten for what you gave for nine?’ the Cogia replied, ’I always wish my friends to see that I lose by my bargains.’

One day the Cogia walking along the plain met a heifer, and forthwith laying thievish hands upon it, led it straight to his house, where he slaughtered it and stripped off the skin.  The proprietor soon appeared before the Cogia’s house, making a loud cry and lamentation.  ’Who would have thought,’ said the Cogia to his people and his wife, ’that my flaying the heifer would have made that fellow’s face look so black?’

One day the Cogia Nasr Eddin Efendi passing along the bazaar, an individual coming up to him said, ’Pray, Cogia, what is the moon to-day?  Is it at three or four?’ ‘I don’t know,’ said the Cogia.  ’I neither buy nor sell the moon.’

One day the Cogia taking a ladder on his shoulder, placed it against a garden wall, and mounting, got over, taking the ladder with him.  The gardener seeing him said, ‘Who are you? and what do you want here?’ ’I am come to sell this ladder,’ said the Cogia without hesitation.  ’Is this a place for selling a ladder?’ said the gardener.  ’O you foolish man,’ said the Cogia, ‘cannot a ladder be sold anywhere?’

Nasr Eddin Efendi one day taking hold of some fowls one by one, tied some strips of an apron round their throats, and then let them go.  The learned men having assembled round the Cogia, said, ’What was the matter with these fowls?’ Said the Cogia, ’They merely went into mourning for their slaughtered mothers.’

One day a bull mounted a young cow of the Cogia’s.  The Cogia seeing what he was about, took a staff in his hand and ran towards him.  The bull fled towards the car of a Turcoman, to which seven other oxen were attached.  The Cogia keeping the ox in view, ran after him, and with the staff in his hand struck the ox several blows.  ‘Halloa, man!’ said the Turcoman.  ‘What do you want with my ox?’ ’Don’t you interfere, you foolish dog,’ said the Cogia.  ‘He knows full well what he has done.’

One day the Cogia made his last will.  ‘When I die,’ said he, ’place me in an old tomb.’  When the people about him said, ’Why do you make this request?’ the Cogia said, ’When the inquiring angels come and ask me questions, I can say, “I am deaf.  Do you not see that I as well as my tomb am old?"’

One day Cogia Efendi, putting on very short habiliments, went to the mosque to say his prayers.  Whilst performing the rakoua the man who was behind him perceiving the Cogia’s —–­ seized hold of them and squeezed them, whereupon the Cogia, seizing hold of those of the man who was before him, squeezed them too; the man, turning round and perceiving that it was Cogia Efendi himself, said, ‘Halloa, what are you about?’ ’You must ask the man behind me,’ said the Cogia.