Crowd about the Gentleman on Horſeback and me, came up and asked what the matter was. Every Body there reflected on the Gentieman for treating me ſo unjuſtly upon the Pretence of Robbery.
The Judge did not give Ear to all that was ſaid on my Behalf; but asked the Cavalier if he ſuſpeced any body elſe beſides me. The Cavalier told him he did not, and gave his Reaſons why he believed his ſuſpicion not to be groundleſs. Upon this the Judge order’d his Followers to ſeize me, and ſearch me, which they preſently did, and finding the Purſe about me, expoſed it to the View of all the People. The Shame was ſo great I could not bear
it, but I ſwooned away. In the mean time the Judge called tor the Purſe.
But I ſee, ſaid Scheherazade, it is Day; if your Majeſty will let me live till to Morrow, you ſhall hear the ſequel of the Story. Then Schahriar got up, deſigning to gratify his Curioſity by hearing the reſt next Night.
The Hundred and Thirty Eight Night.
TOwards the cloſe of the next Night, the Sultaneſs addreſſed
Schahriar thus. Sir, the young Man of
Bagdad purſuing his Story: When the Judge, ſaid he, had got the Purſe in his Hand, he asked the Horſeman if it was his, and how much Money was in it. The Cavalier knew it to be his own, and aſſured the Judge he had put Twenty
Sequins into it. Upon that the Judge called me before him;
Come Young Man, ſaid he,
confeſs the Truth, Was it you that took the Gentleman’s Purſe from him? Do not put your ſelf to the Trouble of Torture to extort Confeſſion. Then I looked down with my Eyes, thinking within my ſelf, that if I denied the Fact, they finding the Purſe about me would convict me of a Lye; ſo, to avoid a double Puniſhment, I look’d up and confeſs’d it was I. That no ſooner made the Confeſſion, than the Judge call’d People to witneſs it, and order’d my Hand to be cut of. This hard Sentence was put in Execution immetiately upon the Spot, to the great Regret of all the Spectators; nay, I obſerv’d by the Cavalier’s Countenance that he was moved with Pity as much as the reſt. The Judge would likewiſe have order’d my Foot to be