Page:Arabian Nights Entertainments (1728)-Vol. 4.djvu/29

made up to the Gibbet, calling to the Hangman to ſtop, for that the Chriſtian had not committed the Murder, but himſelf had done it. Upon that the Sheriff, who attended the Execution, put Interrogatories to the Purveyor, who told him every Circumſtance of his killing the little Crump-back, and convey ing his Corps to the Place where the Chriſtian Merchant found him. You were about, added he, to put to Death an innocent Perſon; for how can he be guilty of the Death of a Man that was dead before he came at him? My Burthen is ſufficient in having killed a Turk, without loading my Conſcience with the additional Charge of the Death of a Chriſtian that is not guilty.

Scheherazade perceiving the Peep of Day, ſtop’d here, and the next Night reſumed her Story as follows.

SIR, ſaid ſhe, the Sultan of Caſgar’s Purveyor having publickly charged himſelf with the Death of the little Hunch-back’d Man, the Sheriff could not avoid doing Juſtice to the Merchant. Let the Chriſtian go, ſaid he, and hang this Man in his Room, fince it appears by his own Conteſſion that he’s guilty. Thereupon the Hangman releas’d the Merchant, and clapped the Rope round the Puveyor’s Neck; but juſt when he was going to pull him up, he heard the Voice of the Jewiſh Doctor, earneſtly intreating him to ſuſpend the Execution, and make room for him to come and throw himſeſf at the Gallows Foot.

When he appeared before the Judge, My Lord, ſaid he, This Muſſelman you are a going to hang is not guilty. All the Guilt lies at my Door. Laſt Night, a Man and a Woman, unknown to me, came to my Door with a ſick Man they had brought long; and they knocking at the Door, my Maid went and opened it without a Light, and received from them a Piece of Money, with a Commiſſion to come and deſire me, in their Name, to ſtep down and look: upon the ſick Perſon. While ſhe was delivering her Meſſage to me, they conveyed the ſick Perſon to the Stair-head, and then diſappeared. I went down without ſtaying till my Servant lighted a Candle, and in the dark happened to ſtumble upon the ſick Perſon and kick d him down Stairs. In fine, I ſaw he was dead, and that it was