20 THE ARABIAN NIGHTS.

commonness of its events: the Genius repeated his former
promise.

The third old man, sire, related his history to the Genius, and
it was so much beyond the others, from the variety of wonder-
ful adventures it contained, that the Genius was astonished.
He had no sooner heard the conclusion, than he said, “I grant
you the remaining third part of the merchant's pardon ; and he
ought to be infinitely obliged to you all for having freed him
from his dangerous situation by the relation of your adventures ;
for without your aid he would not now have been in this world.”
Having said this, he disappeared, to the great joy of the whole
party.

The merchant did not omit to bestow many thanks upon his
liberators. They rejoiced with him at being out of danger, and
then bidding him adieu, each went his own way. The merchant
returned home to his wife and children, and spent the remainder
of his days with them in tranquillity

COQDORYV OOD O~D>

THE HISTORY OF THE FISHERMAN.
ppz4G HERE was formerly an aged fisherman who was so

cle poor that he could barely obtain food for himself, his
uals wife, and three children, of which his family consisted.
ome He went out early every morning to his employment;
and he had imposed a rule upon himself never to cast his nets
above four times a day.

One morning he set out before the moon had disappeared :
when he had got to the seashore, he undressed himself, and
threw his nets. In drawing them to land, he perceived a con-
siderable resistance, and begar to imagine he should have an
excellent haul, at which he was much pleased. But the moment
after, finding that, instead of fish, he had got nothing but the
carcass of an ass in his nets, he was much vexed and afflicted at
having had so bad a draught. When he had mended his nets,
which the weight of the ass had torn in many places, he threw
them a second time. He again found considerable resistance in
drawing them up, and again he thought they were filled with fish: