an thou islamise 'twill nor advantage the Moslems nor damage the
Jews; and in like manner, an thou hold to thy misbelief 'twill
nor damage the Moslems nor advantage the Jews. But what I desire
of thee is that thou rise to thy feet and say, 'Bear witness
against me, O people of the market, that I barter my ape for the
ape of Khalifah the Fisherman and my lot in the world for his lot
and my luck for his luck.'" Quoth the Jew, "If this be all thou
desirest 'twill sit lightly upon me." --And Shahrazad perceived
the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Eight Hundred and Thirty-fifth Night,

She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Jew
said to Khalifah the Fisherman, "If this be all thou desirest,
'twill sit lightly upon me." So he rose without stay or delay
and standing on his feet, repeated the required words; after
which he turned to the Fisherman and asked him, "Hast thou aught
else to ask of me?" "No," answered he, and the Jew said, "Go in
peace!" Hearing this Khalifah sprung to his feet forthright;
took up his basket and net and returned straight to the Tigris,
where he threw his net and pulled it in. He found it heavy and
brought it not ashore but with travail, when he found it full of
fish of all kinds. Presently, up came a woman with a dish, who
gave me a dinar, and he gave her fish for it; and after her an
eunuch, who also bought a dinar's worth of fish, and so forth
till he had sold ten dinars' worth. And he continued to sell ten
dinars' worth of fish daily for ten days, till he had gotten an
hundred dinars. Now Khalifah the Fisherman had quarters in the
Passage of the Merchants, [FN#208] and, as he lay one night in
his lodging much bemused with Hashish, he said to himself, "O