COGiA HASSAN ALHABBAL. 39g

advance, I engaged them to work for me in different kinds of
rope-making, with a promise not to make them wait, but to be
punctual in paying them for their labour according to the work
they did for me. The day after, I made the same engagement
with other ropemakers of this sort to work for me, and since
that time, all that are in Bagdad are employed by me.

As this great number of workmen must produce work in pro-
portion, I hired warehouses in different places, and soon by this
method my profits and revenue were considerable.

Afterwards, in order to bring my warchouses together, which
were much dispersed, I bought a very large house, which occu-
pied a great space of ground, but which was in a ruinous state.
I pulled it down, and in its place I built that which your majesty
saw yesterday ; but however handsome it may appear, it con-
tains only warehouses which are necessary to me, and such
apartments as I want for myself and my family.

Some time had passed after I had left my former small house
to fix myself in my new house, when Saadi and Saad, who had
aot thought of me till that time, remembered me, and agreed to
inquire after me. One day, passing through the street 1 their
walk where they had formerly seen me, they were mucn aston
ished not to find me employed in my small trade of rope-mak-
ing, as they had before seen me. They asked what was become
of me? Whether I was living or dead? Their wonder in-
creased, when they heard that he they inquired after was be-
come a very great merchant, and was no longer called simply
Hassan, but Cogia Hassan Alhabbal, that is to say, the merchant
Hassan the rope-maker, and who had built in a street, which
was mentioned, a house that had the appearance of a palace.
The two friends entered the street in which my house is situated.
They knocked at the door and were conducted to me by the porter.
I knew them again the moment I saw them. I arose from my
seat, ran to them, and would have kissed the border of their
robe ; they prevented me, and I was obliged, in spite of myself,
to suffer them to embrace me. I begged them to be seated.

Saadi then began the conversation. “Cogia Hassan,” said
he, “I cannot express the pleasure I feel in seeing you nearly
in the situation I wished you when I naade you the present—l
do not speak of it to reproach you—of the two hundred pieces
of gold which I gave you each time, and 1 am persuaded that