Such, continued the governor, is the state of mankind; such are the unlucky accidents to which they are exposed; however, my child, added he, since we are both of us equally unfortunate, let us unite our sorrow, and not abandon one another.  I give you in marriage a third daughter I have still left; she is younger than her sisters, and imitates their conduct in no manner of way; besides, she is handsomer than they were, and I assure you is of a humour fitted to make you happy:  you shall have no other house but mine; and, after my death, you and she shall be my heirs.  Sir, said I, I am ashamed of all your favours, and shall never be able to make a sufficient acknowledgment.  That is enough, said he, interrupting me; let us not waste time in idle words.  He then called for witnesses, ordered the contract of marriage to be drawn, and I married his daughter without further ceremony.

He was not satisfied with punishing the jeweller who had falsely accused me, but confiscated for my use all his goods, which were very considerable.  As for the rest, since you have been called to the governor’s house, you have seen what respect they pay me there.  I must tell you further, that a man, who was sent by my uncles to Egypt on purpose to inquire for me there, passing through this city, found me out, and came last night, and delivered me a letter from them.  They gave me notice of my father’s death, and invited me to come and take possession of his estate at Moussol; but as the alliance and friendship of the governor has fixed me with him, and will not suffer me to remove from him, I have sent back the express, with an order which will secure to me what is my due.  Now, after what you have heard, I hope you will pardon my incivility, during the course of my illness, in giving you my left hand.

This, said the Jewish physician, is the story I heard from the young man of Moussol.  I continued at Damascus as long as the governor lived; after his death, being in the flower of my age, I had the curiosity to travel.  Accordingly, I went over Persia to the Indies, and came at last to settle in your capital, where I practise physic with reputation and honour.

The sultan of Casgar was pretty well pleased with this last story.  I must say, said he to the Jew, your story is very odd; but I declare freely, that little Humph’s is yet more extraordinary, and much more comical; therefore yon are not to expect that I will give you your life any more than the rest; I will hang you all four.  Pray, sir, stay a minute, said the tailor; and then prostrating himself at the sultan’s feet.  Since your majesty loves pleasant stories, I have one to tell you that is very comical.  Well, I will hear thee too, said the sultan:  but do not flatter thyself that I will suffer thee to live, unless thou tellest me some adventure that is yet more diverting than that of the hump-bucked man.  Upon this the tailor, as if he had been sure of his project, spoke very briskly to the following purpose: