Your majesty may imagine, a great deal better than I am able to express the astonishment of the caliph at this dreadful spectacle.  His surprise was instantly changed into passion, and darting an angry look at the vizier, Ah! thou wretch, said he, is this your inspection into the actions of my people?  Do they commit such impious murders under thy ministry in my capital city, and throw my subjects into the Tigris, that they may cry for vengeance against me at the day of judgment?  If thou dost not speedily revenge the murder of this woman, by the death of her murderer, I swear by Heaven, that I will cause thee to be hanged, and forty more of thy kindred.  Commander of the faithful, replied the grand vizier, I beg your majesty to grant me time to make inquiry.  I will allow thee no more, said the caliph, than three days; therefore thou must look to it.  The vizier Giafar went home in great confusion of mind.  Alas, said he, how is it possible that, in such a vast and populous city as Bagdad, I should be able to detect a murderer, who undoubtedly committed the crime without witness, and perhaps may be already gone from hence?  Any other person but me would take some wretched person out of prison, and cause him to die, to satisfy the caliph; but I will not burden my conscience with such a barbarous action; I will rather die than save my life at this rate.  He ordered the officers of police and justice to make strict search for the criminal:  they sent their servants about, and they themselves were not idle, for they were no less concerned in this matter than the vizier.  But all their endeavours turned to nothing; what pains soever they took, they could not find out the murderer; so that the vizier concluded his life to be gone, unless some remarkable providence hindered it.  The third day being come, an officer came to this unfortunate minister with a summons to follow him, which the vizier obeyed.  The caliph asked him for the murderer.  He answered, with tears in his eyes, Commander of the faithful, I have not found any person that could give me the least account of him.  The caliph, full of fury and rage, gave him many reproachful words, and ordered that he and forty Bermecides[Footnote:  The Bermecides were a family come out of Persia, and of them the grand Vizier was descended.] more should be hanged up at the gate of the palace.

In the mean while the gibbets were preparing, and orders were sent to seize forty Bermecides more in their houses; a public crier was sent about the city to cry thus, by the caliph’s order, Those who have a desire to see the grand vizier Giafar hanged, and forty more Bermecides of his kindred, let them come to the square before the palace.  When all things were ready, the judge criminal, and a great many officers belonging to the palace, brought out the grand vizier with forty Bermecides, and set each of them at the foot of the gibbet designed for them, and a rope was put about each of their necks.  The multitude of people that filled the square could not, without grief and tears, behold this tragical sight; for the grand vizier and the Bermecides were loved and honoured on account of their probity, bounty, and impartiality, not only in Bagdad, but through all the dominions of the caliph.