der and went along with the three other plaintiffs to the king. (I
omit here the various questions that persons whom G. meets along the
road beg him to take to the king for an answer.)

All five appearing in the presence of the king, the owner of the oxen
demanded justice. In answer to the king's question, he at first denied
having seen G. return the oxen, but later admitted that he saw them
in the stall. G. was ordered to pay twenty-four pieces of money for
the oxen; but the plaintiff, for lying, was condemned to have his
eyes plucked out by G. Terrified at the prospect, he threw money
to G. and rushed away. The judgment in the case of the second false
accuser was this: G. was to take his friend's wife and live with her
until she should bear another son to take the place of the child that
miscarried. Again G. was bought off by the plaintiff. In the third
case the owner of the horse at first denied having requested G. to
hit the beast, but later admitted the truth. Judgment: G. was to pay
a thousand pieces (which the king gave him) for the injured animal,
but was also to tear out his false accuser's tongue. The fellow gave
G. a sum of money and departed. The fourth decision was as follows:
inasmuch as G. could not restore the dead father to life, he was to
take the dead man's widow to his home and be a father to the young
basket-maker; but he, rather than have his old home broken up, gave
G. a sum of money and hurried away.

It is to be regretted that this Buddhistic birth-story was not known
to Theodor Benfey, who, in his exhaustive discussion of our present
cycle, particularly from the point of view of the "pound-of-flesh"
incident (1 : 393-410), writes, "I may remark that this recital [i.e.,
of the decisions], which here borders on the comic, is based upon
serious traditional legends which have to do with Buddhistic casuistry"
(p. 397). Benfey's fragmentary citations are not very convincing; but
this Jataka proves that his reasoning, as usual, was entirely sound.

An Indo-Persian version called the "Kazi of Emessa," cited by Clouston
(op. cit.), might be mentioned here, as it too has close resemblances
to our stories.

While a merchant is being taken by a Jew before the king because the
merchant will not pay his bond of a pound of flesh, he meets with
the following accidents: (1) In attempting to stop a runaway mule, he
knocks out one of the animal's eyes with a stone; (2) while sleeping on
a flat roof, he is a