mounted the chair in a city, said,
'O Mussulmen, the air above this city is just like the air above my
city.' The congregation said, 'O Cogia Efendi, how do you know that?'
Said the Cogia, 'Because I have seen as many stars above this city as I
saw above Belgrade.'
One night the Cogia dreamt that he was given nine aspres, whereupon the
Cogia said, 'O now pray make them up ten'; afterwards he said, 'Make them
up eleven,' and then presently, a dispute having arisen, he awoke and saw
that in his hand he had nothing, thereupon closing his eyes anew and
stretching out his hands, he said, 'Well, well, I shall be content with
nine aspres.'
One day the Cogia went out into the plain, and as he was going along he
suddenly saw some men on horseback coming towards him. Cogia Efendi, in
a great hurry, set off towards a cemetery, and having reached it took off
his clothes, and entering into a tomb lay down. The horsemen, on seeing
the Cogia run away, followed him to the place where he lay, and said, 'O
fellow, why do you lie here?' Cogia Efendi, finding nothing else to say,
replied, 'I am one of the buried people, but came here to walk.'
Cogia Efendi one day went into a garden, pulled up some carrots and
turnips and other kinds of vegetables, which he found, putting some into
a sack and some into his bosom; suddenly the gardener coming up, laid
hold of him, and said, 'What are you seeking here?' The Cogia, being in
great consternation, not finding any other reply, answered, 'For some
days past a great wind has been blowing, and that wind blew me hither.'
'But who pulled up these vegetables?' said the gardener. 'As the wind
blew very violently,' replied the Cogia, 'it cast me here and there, and
whatever I laid hold of in the hope of saving myself remained in my
hands.' 'Ah,' said the gardener, 'but who filled the sack with them?'
'Well,' said the Cogia, 'that is the very question I was about to ask
myself when you came up.'
One day Cogia Efendi, on whom God be merciful, went to the city of Conia,
and going into a pastry-cook's shop, seized hold of a tart, and saying,
'In the Name of God,' began to eat it. The pastry-cook cried out,
'Halloa, fellow, what are you about?' and fell to beating him. The Cogia
said, 'Oh what a fine country is this of Conia, in which, whilst a man
eats a tart, they put in a blow as a digester for every morsel.'
Cogia Nasr Eddin, at the time of the Holy Ramadan, thought to himself,
'What m
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