Next morning I took leave, and left her another purse with fifty pieces of gold.  I continued to visit the lady every day, and to leave her every time a purse of fifty pieces of gold, till the merchants whom I employed to sell my cloth, and whom I visited regularly twice a week, owed me nothing:  In this way I became moneyless, and even hopeless of having any more.

In this desperate condition I walked out of my lodging, not knowing what course to take, and by chance steered towards the castle, where there was a great crowd of people, to see the sultan of Egypt.  As soon as I came up to them, I wedged in among the crowd, and by chance happened to stand by a cavalier well mounted and handsomely clothed, who had upon the bow of his saddle a bag half open, with a string of green silk hanging out of it, I clapped my hand into the bag, concluding the silk- twist might be the string of a purse within the bag:  in the mean time, a porter, with a load of wood upon his back, passed by the other side of the horse, so near, that the gentleman on horse-* back was forced to turn his head towards him to avoid being rubbed by the wood.  In that very moment did the devil tempt me; I took the string in one hand, and with the other laid open the mouth of the bag, and pulled out the purse so dexterously that nobody perceived it.  The purse was heavy, therefore I did not doubt that there was gold or silver in it.  As soon as the porter had passed, the cavalier, who probably had some suspicion of what I had done while his head was turned, presently put his hand to his bag, and, finding his purse gone, gave me such a blow as knocked me down.  This violence shocked all who saw it; some took hold of the horse’s bridle to stop the gentleman, and inquire what reason he had to beat me, or how he came to treat a Mussulman after that rate.  Do not you trouble yourselves, said he, with a brisk tone; I had reason enough for what I did; this fellow is a thief.  In fine, every one took my part, cried he was a liar, and that it was incredible a young man like me should be guilty of so foul an action:  but while they were holding his horse by the bridle to favour my escape, unfortunately came by the justiciary judge, who, seeing such a crowd about the gentleman on horseback and me, came up and asked what the matter was?  Everybody reflected on the gentleman for treating me so unjustly upon pretence of robbery.  The judge did not give ear to all that was said in my behalf, but asked the cayalier if he suspected anybody else besides me?  The cavalier told him he did not, and gave his reasons why he believed his suspicion not to be groundless.  Upon this, the judge ordered his followers to seize and search me, which they presently did; and finding the purse upon me, exposed it to the view of all the people.  The shame was so great, that I could not bear it, but swooned away; and in the meantime the judge called for the purse.  When he had got the purse in his hand, he asked the horseman if it was his, and how