to overtake him.

Before Aladdin went home, he called at a baker's, bought some cakes of
bread, changed his money, and on his return gave the rest to his mother,
who went and purchased provisions enough to last them some time. After
this manner they lived, till Aladdin had sold the twelve dishes singly,
as necessity pressed, to the Jew, for the same money; who, after the
first time, durst not offer him less, for fear of losing so good a
bargain. When he had sold the last dish, he had recourse to the tray,
which weighed ten times as much as the dishes, and would have carried it
to his old purchaser, but that it was too large and cumbersome;
therefore he was obliged to bring him home with him to his mother's,
where, after the Jew had examined the weight of the tray, he laid down
ten pieces of gold, with which Aladdin was very well satisfied.

They lived on these ten pieces in a frugal manner, for Aladdin, though
formerly used to an idle life, had left off playing with young lads of
his own age ever since his adventure with the African magician. He spent
his time in walking about, and conversing with decent people, with whom
he gradually got acquainted. Sometimes he would stop at the principal
merchants' shops, where people of distinction met, and listen to their
discourse, by which he gained some little knowledge of the world.

When all the money was spent, Aladdin had recourse again to the lamp. He
took it in his hand, looked for the part where his mother had rubbed it
with the sand, and rubbed it also, when the genie immediately appeared,
and said: "What wouldst thou have? I am ready to obey thee as thy slave,
and the slave of all those who have that lamp in their hands; I, and the
other slaves of the lamp." "I am hungry," said Aladdin; "bring me
something to eat." The genie disappeared, and presently returned with a
tray, and the same number of covered dishes as before, set them down,
and vanished.

Aladdin's mother, knowing what her son was going to do, went out about
some business, on purpose to avoid being in the way when the genie came;
and when she returned, was almost as much surprised as before at the
prodigious effect of the lamp. However, she sat down with her son, and
when they had eaten as much as they liked, she set enough by to last
them two or three days.

As soon as Aladdin found that their provisions were expended, he took
one of the dishes, and went to look for his Jew again; but passing by
the s