to me,' said the Cogia, 'I owe thanks to God, but what do I owe to you?'

One day a man coming to the Cogia asked him for the loan of his ass.
'Stay here,' said the Cogia, 'whilst I go and consult the animal. If the
ass is willing to be lent, I will let you have him.' Thereupon he went
in, and after staying for a time came out and said, 'The ass is not
willing, and has said to me, "If you lend me to others I shall overhear
all the evil things that they say of your wife."'

One day the Cogia, mounting his ass, set off for his garden; on the road,
wanting to make water, he took off his woollen vest, and placing it on
the pack-saddle of his ass, he went aside. A thief coming up took the
woollen vest and ran away with it. The Cogia returning saw that the vest
was gone; whereupon taking the pack-saddle from the back of the ass, he
put it upon his own shoulders, and giving the ass a cut with his whip, he
said, 'You lost my vest, so I take your saddle.'

One day Cogia Nasr Eddin Efendi, mounting his ass, again set out; on the
way, wanting to make water, he again laid his vest upon the ass, and went
aside. A person who had his eye upon him, instantly seized the vest and
ran away; just at that time the ass began to bray. The Cogia hearing
him, shouted out, 'The ass brays: the ass cries--no good sign.' The
person, however, hearing the braying and the shouting, cast the vest upon
the ground and made his escape.

One day Cogia Efendi, having lost his ass, inquired of a certain
individual whether he had seen him. 'I saw him,' said the individual,
'in a certain town, officiating as Cadi.' 'You say true,' said the
Cogia, 'I knew he would be a Cadi, for I observed when I taught him the
principles of philosophy, that his ears were not sewed up.'