bade him sit down. Said the Cogia to the
Emperor, after wishing him a blessing, 'For what may it have pleased you
to summon me?' Whereupon the Soldan Ala Eddin told him the whole
circumstance. The Cogia forthwith turning to the priests said, 'What are
your questions?' Then one of the priests, coming forward, said, 'May it
please your Efendiship, my question is this: "Where may the middle of the
earth be?"' Thereupon the Cogia, instantly dismounting from his ass,
pointed with his staff to the fore foot of the ass, saying, 'The middle
of the earth is the spot on which my ass's foot stands.' 'How do you
know that?' said the priest. 'If you doubt my words,' said the Cogia,
'take a measure and see whether it comes to more or less.' Another of
the priests coming forward said, 'How many stars are there in the face of
the heaven above us?' Said the Cogia, 'As many hairs as there are upon
my ass so many stars are there in the heaven.' 'How do you know?' said
the priest. 'If you doubt,' said the Cogia, 'come and count, and if
there is any difference, say at once.' 'Have you counted, then,' said
the priest, 'the hairs upon your ass?' 'And have you counted how many
stars there are?' said the Cogia. Then another priest coming forward
said, 'If you can answer my question the whole of us will adopt your
religion.' 'Speak,' said the Cogia, 'let us hear it.' 'Tell me, O
Cogia,' said the priest, 'how many hairs there are in this beard of
mine.' 'Just as many,' said the Cogia, 'as there are hairs in my ass's
tail.' 'How do you know?' said the priest. 'Soul of mine,' said the
Cogia, 'if you don't believe, come and count.' The priest would not
consent. 'If you will not consent,' said the Cogia, 'come, let us pluck
hair for hair from your beard and from the ass's tail and see if they
don't tally.' The priest, seeing that he had the worst of the argument,
turned to the way of truth, and forthwith said to his companions, 'I
embrace the faith of Islam,' and acknowledged the unity of God. The two
others also with heart and soul embraced the true faith, and the whole
three became servants and disciples of the Cogia.

Nasr Eddin Efendi one day placed three plums upon a great table and set
out in order to carry them as a present to the Bey. On the way the plums
chancing to dance on this side and that the Cogia said, 'I will now eat
you until I leave one to dance by itself.' So the Cogia ate two of the
plums, and carrying one